H. Rider Haggard
H. Rider Haggard
H. Rider Haggard was born on June 22, 1856, in Bradenham, Norfolk, England. He was a renowned British author known for his adventurous and imaginative storytelling. In addition to his literary pursuits, Haggard worked as a colonial administrator in South Africa, experiences that significantly influenced his writing. His works have captivated readers with their vivid settings and compelling narratives, making him a prominent figure in classic literature.
Personal Name: H. Rider Haggard
Birth: 1856
Death: 1925
H. Rider Haggard Books
(38 Books)
Promoted as “the most amazing book ever written,” King Solomon’s Mines enjoyed lavish success. As far as adventure stories go, this classic tale of English travelers who discover a lost African kingdom rivals Treasure Island.
An enduring adventure yarn set in pre colonial Africa, culminating in the discovery of a lost civilization ruled by a beautiful eternally youthful queen. "She is generally considered to be one of the classics of imaginative literature and with 83 million copies sold by 1965, it is one of the best-selling books of all time." See more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She_(novel)
It was your native name which I borrowed at the christening of that Allen who has become as well known to me as any other friend I have. It is therefore fitting that I should dedicate to you this, his last tale the story of his wife, and the history of some further adventures which befell him. They will remind you of many an African yarn that with the baboons may recall an experience of your own which I did not share.
The autumn afternoon was fading into evening. It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up. Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue. The sea was perfectly and utterly still. It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide. The eye could not mark its slow increase, but Beatrice, standing upon the farthest point of the Dog Rocks, idly noted that the long brown weeds which clung about their sides began to lift as the water took their weight, till at last the delicate pattern floated out and lay like a woman's hair upon the green depth of sea.
H. Rider Haggard founded a whole school of fantasy writing which eventually came to be known as "the lost race novel." His output was prodigious, and starting with "King Solomon's Mines" he continued for years to produce one fabulously exciting fantasy after another. His writing is so authentic that many people sought the "lost" mines and races which he invented. THE PEOPLE OF THE MIST is a tale of high adventure—a lost culture in the heart of the ancient, savage Africa that Haggard knew and loved so well.
I do not suppose that anyone who knows the name of Allan Quatermain would be likely to associate it with flowers, and especially with orchids. Yet as it happens it was once my lot to take part in an orchid hunt of so remarkable a character that I think its details should not be lost. At least I will set them down, and if in the after days anyone cares to publish them, well he is at liberty to do so.
The character Allan Quatermain is the hero of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel King Solomon's Mines. In this adventure novel named after him, Quatermain longs for a return to the wilderness after losing his son. He talks a number of companions into joining him and they journey inland from Africa's east coast, where they are attacked by Masai warriors.
Guided by a vision, an Englishman and his companion search the mountains of Asia for the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian priestess.
King Solomon’s Mines was published in September 1885, becoming an immediate best seller by tapping into people’s excitement for the unknown: in this case, the unexplored regions of Africa.
Haggard wrote the novel in a very short period, between six and sixteen months, on a bet with his brother to try to match Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. In the process he created a new literary genre known as the “Lost World” genre, which would later influence other writers like Arthur Conan Doyle and H. P. Lovecraft.
The book tells the tale of Allan Quatermain, an adventurer and hunter, who is approached by Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good to help them find Curtis’ lost brother, who went missing while trying to find the fabled King Solomon’s Mines.
This book has spawned multiple adaptations in the form of movies, comics, and TV shows.
Contains:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - novelette by Washington Irving
Federigo - short story by Prosper Mérimée (trans. of Federigo 1829)
[Dr. Heidegger's Experiment](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL455515W) - Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Overcoat - novelette by Николай Гоголь (trans. of Шинель) [as by Nikolai Gogol]
A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas - novella by Charles Dickens (variant of A Christmas Carol)
The Snow Queen - juvenile - novelette by Hans Christian Andersen (trans. of Snedronningen 1845)
Hands Off - short story by Edward Everett Hale
How Much Land Does a Man Need - short story by Лев Толстой (trans. of Много ли человеку земли нужно) [as by Leo Tolstoi]
The Canterville Ghost - novelette by Oscar Wilde
Lot No. 249 - novelette by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Bottle Imp - novelette by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Christmas Shadrach - short story by Frank R. Stockton
Black Heart and White Heart - novella by H. Rider Haggard
The Man Who Could Work Miracles - short story by H. G. Wells
Arthur Weigall
Thc Malevolence of Ancient Egyptian Spirits
Louisa May Alcott
Lost in a Pyramid, or The Mummy's Curse
Various Egyptologists
Raiding Mummies' Tombs
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Ring of Thoth
Tennessee Williams
The Vengeance of Nitocris
H. P. Lovecraft
Under thc Pyramids
Howard Carter, with A. C. Mace
Opening King Tutankhamen's Tomb
Agatha Christie
The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb
An Ancient Egyptian Priest
The Demon-Possessed Princess
Mark Twain
The Majestic Sphinx
Sir H. Rider Haggard
Smith and thc Pharaohs
Edgar Allan Poe
Some Words with a Mummy
Ray Bradbury
Colonel Stonesteel's Genuine Horne-Made
Truly Egyptian Mummy
Rudyard Kipling
Dead Kings (excerpt)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Lot No. 249
Elizabeth Peters
The Locked Tomb Mystery
Sax Rohmer
Thc Death-Ring of Sncfcru
Anne Rice
The Mummy or Ramses the Damned (excerpt)
Bram Stoker
The Jewel of Seven Stars (abridged)
The Gate of the Flying Knives - novella by Poul Anderson
Unicorn Tapestry - novella by Suzy McKee Charnas
Sleep Well of Nights - novelette by Avram Davidson (variant of A Good Night's Sleep)
Black Heart and White Heart - novella by H. Rider Haggard
Red Nails - novella by Robert E. Howard
Storm in a Bottle - novella by John Jakes
Ill Met in Lankhmar - novella by Fritz Leiber
The Lands Beyond the World - novella by Michael Moorcock
A Man and His God - novella by Janet Morris
Spider Silk - novelette by Andre Norton
Where Is the Bird of Fire? - novella by Thomas Burnett Swann
Guyal of Sfere - novella by Jack Vance
Tower of Ice - novella by Roger Zelazny
* "The Gate of the Flying Knives" by Poul Anderson
* "Unicorn Tapestry" by Suzy McKee Charnas
* "Sleep Well of Nights" by Avram Davidson
* "Black Heart and White Heart" by H. Rider Haggard
* "Red Nails" by Robert E. Howard
* "Storm in a Bottle" by John Jakes
* "Ill Met in Lankhmar" by Fritz Leiber
* "The Lands Beyond the World" by Michael Moorcock
* "A Man and His God" by Janet Morris
* "Spider Silk" by Andre Norton
* "Where is the Bird of Fire?" by Thomas Burnett Swann
* "Guyal of Sfere" by Jack Vance
* "Tower of Ice" by Roger Zelazny
"My Mother Was a Witch" (William Tenn)
"A Message from Charity" (William M. Lee)
"The Witch" (A. E. van Vogt)
"The Witches of Karres" (James H. Schmitz)
"Spree" (Barry N. Malzberg)
"Devil's Henchman" (Murray Leinster)
"Malice in Wonderland" (Rufus King)
"Operation Salamander" (Poul Anderson)
"Wizard's World" (Andre Norton)
"Sweets to the Sweet" (Robert Bloch)
"Poor Little Saturday" (Madeleine L'Engle)
"Squeakie's First Case" (Margaret Manners)
"The Ipswich Phial" (Randall Garrett)
"Black Heart and White Heart" (H. Rider Haggard)
The World's Desire (1890) is a fantasy novel about the hero Odysseus. He return home after his second, previously untold journey, to find his home devastated. He then sets out on his last journey, during which he encounters Helen of Troy, to whom the title refers. His journey takes him to Egypt, where he witnesses the 'magician' Moses, and his power over the pharaoh.
