King Solomon's Mines

A hunter in Natal is offered a share of a legendary fortune if he will guide two Englishmen into the interior of Africa. One of them is looking for a brother who vanished years before; both are following an old map that points toward the lost diamond mines of King Solomon. What begins as a paid expedition becomes a march through desert, mountain, and a hidden kingdom cut off from the world, where the travellers' weapons and gadgets make them seem like beings from another order of existence.

H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel is one of the founding books of the lost-world adventure story, narrated by Allan Quatermain, a practical, dryly funny middle-aged trader who claims to be setting down nothing but the truth. It is a fast, physical book about thirst, long marches, and danger, and also a revealing document of Victorian ideas about Africa, race, and empire. Readers who enjoy classic adventure, students studying the literature of empire, and book clubs looking for a story that raises difficult questions will all find plenty here.

This edition contains the complete text of the novel, a new introduction for first-time readers, a character guide, a summary of the story, a discussion of its main themes, a glossary of period and regional words, and questions for reading groups.