King Solomon's Mines

King Solomon's Mines is a variety of lost world literature in what was one of the first English adventure novels that took place in Africa. It is told in a relatively rare first-person format. One story has stated that the author, H. Rider Haggard, wrote the book on a bet and it took him only six weeks to do it. Published in 1885, an unreliable map led three main characters into the desert of South Africa. As might be expected, they search for legendary mines of King Solomon and also for a lost friend, brother of one of the searchers. Their explorations lead to finding a frozen corpse and a wide variety of dangers. To find out whether Solomon's diamonds were discovered, all you have to do is listen now to the exciting tale as related by a fictional Allan Quatermain.

About the Author :
Henry Rider Haggard was a prolific English writer whose works are full of action in colorful locations where his protagonists often find exotic, hidden societies and encounter numerous dangers and characters with strange powers. His best-known work is the romantic adventure tale King Solomon's Mines, which was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. During his lifetime, Haggard wrote over forty books, many of which have been made into films, including the historical novel Cleopatra. Haggard was born in Norfolk, England, in 1856. He was the eighth son of a country squire and an amateur writer. Although his father considered him the family dunce, he was educated in private schools. In 1875, Haggard served as secretary to the governor of the Natal colony. He later joined the staff of the special commissioner and became master and registrar of the High Court in Transvaal. Like his friend Rudyard Kipling, Haggard was sympathetic to the British colonial policy but also saw the dangers of European intrusion. While in Africa, Haggard had an affair with an African woman and became fascinated with the Zulu culture. This inspired many novels, including his Zulu trilogy: Marie, Child of Storm, and Finished. Haggard returned to England, married a Norfolk heiress, and moved to his ostrich farm in Transvaal. However, when Transvaal was ceded to the Dutch, Haggard and his wife were forced back to England. Haggard studied law and was admitted to the bar, but he hardly practiced law. Instead, he devoted himself to writing. Between 1912 and 1917, he traveled extensively as a member of the Dominions Royal Commission. Haggard was an expert on agricultural and social conditions in England and on colonial migration. In 1912, he was knighted for his government services and was later appointed knight commander of the British Empire. Haggard died in London on May 14, 1925. John Rayburn is a veteran of sixty-two years in broadcasting. He served as a news and sports anchor and show host, and his television newscast achieved the largest share-of-audience figures of any major-market television newscast in the nation. He is a member of the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. His network credits include reports and/or appearances on The Today Show, Huntley-Brinkley News, Walter Cronkite News, NBC Monitor, NBC News on the Hour, and others. He recorded dozens of books for the National Library Service and narrated innumerable radio and television recordings.

Review :
A peculiarly thrilling and vigorous tale of adventure. -- "Andrew Lang, author of History of Scotland"