Allan Quatermain

African explorer Allan Quatermain and his two companions aren't just searching for the fabled diamond mine of the Biblical King Solomon deep in the heart of Africa - they are searching for a man.

King Solomon's Mines tells the story of renowned hunter Allan Quatermain as he leads an expedition into the heart of Southern Africa in search of a missing treasure hunter. He's persuaded to go on the trek by the brother of the missing man, the aristocrat Sir Henry Curtis, who is desperate to find out if his brother has survived after leaving in search of the fabled treasure mines of King Solomon.

This great African adventure novel is an enduring favorite among those who love excitement and romance. It is filled with qualities close to the human heart: the spirit of adventure and discovery, the desire for immortality, primal terror, and the search for the primitive. Few knew the Dark Continent as Haggard did; his experience of savage life and wild lands lends a visceral credibility that makes us believe the impossible.

Legends tell of an unknown, hidden country where King Solomon's treasure is secreted. Many have searched for Solomon's diamonds and have never returned from their mysterious journey. Sir Henry Curtis' brother was lost on just such an adventure. Now, with a secret map, a regal guide, and the aid of Allan Quatermain, the renowned safari hunter, a group of three Englishmen journey to a secret land of witch doctors, warriors, and ancient mysteries.

On board a ship bound for Natal, adventurer Allan Quatermain meets Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good. His new friends have set out to find Sir Henry's younger brother, who vanished while seeking King Solomon's legendary diamond mines in the African interior. By strange chance, Quatermain has a map to the mines, drawn in blood, and agrees to join the others on their perilous journey.

Haggard wrote Allan Quatermain immediately after King Solomon's Mines. Quatermain is wearied with the traditional English lifestyle. He longs for the wilds of Africa. He convinces his friends Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good as well as the Zulu chief Umbopa to return to Africa in search of a fabled race of white people. Fierce Masai warriors, subterranean rivers, creatures from the deep, and a spectacular civil war are all in store for our seasoned adventurers. It's an adventure you won't want to miss!

We have met the intrepid hunter-tracker Allan Quatermain before, in H. Rider Haggard’s marvelous King Solomon’s Mines. This time, grieving from the tragic loss of his son, Quatermain longs to return to his beloved Africa. He sets out in search of a lost white tribe, the Zu-Vendis, ruled by two beautiful sister Queens. Once again, Quatermain’s companions are the indefatigable Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good, and the magnificent Zulu warrior Umslopogaas. The journey is incredibly dangerous, and thrillingly told.

This sequel to King Solomon's Mines is filled with the spirit of adventure. Thrilled by rumors of a lost civilization, three Englishmen decide to travel to the heart of Africa with their Zulu guide where they meet with continual peril: an attack by a cruel warrior tribe, the scorch of underground volcanic fires, and an encounter with a huge species of ferocious black crab. Exhausted and depleted of supplies, the men at last arrive at a mysterious city in the highlands of the interior.

In this story, the heroic Allan Quatermain, the discoverer of King Solomon's Mines, returns to tell of another exciting episode from his life in deepest Africa. Pushed by his dining companions to relate the story of the mines, he instead tells them of a little matter concerning the loss of everything he owned and a near death experience.