King Solomon's Mines

H. Rider Haggard lived in Southern Africa for a number of years. Haggard’s brother bet him five shillings he could not write a novel half as good as Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883), and he completed King Solomon's Mines in less than four months (January to April 1885). At first the book was rejected by publishers.

But after six months, Cassell made King Solomon's Mines the year's best seller.

Below are some slide presentations giving background on Haggard and his novel.