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Well, he saw him and did wonderful things. That tin box of his was full of medicines and surgical instruments, which latter he boiled before he used them. Also he washed his hands till I thought the skin would come off them, using up more soap than I could spare. First he gave poor Charlie a dose of something that seemed to kill him; he said he had that drug from the Kaffirs. Then he opened up those wounds upon his thigh and cleaned them out and bandaged them with boiled herbs. Afterwards, when Scroope came to again, he gave him a drink that threw him into a sweat and took away the fever. The end of it was that in two days' time his patient sat up and asked for a square meal, and in a week we were able to begin to carry to the coast. ... Read more

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Sir Henry Rider Haggard KBE (1856-1925) was a Victorian writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations. After failing his army entrance exam he was sent to a private 'crammer' in London to prepare for the entrance exam for the British Foreign Office, for which he never sat. Haggard's father sent him to Africa in an unpaid position as assistant to the secretary to Lieutenant-Governor of Natal Sir Henry Bulwer. Heavily influenced by the larger-than-life adventurers he met in Colonial Africa, the great mineral wealth discovered in Africa, and the ruins of ancient lost civilizations in Africa such as Great Zimbabwe, Haggard created his Allan Quatermain adventures. Haggard also wrote about agricultural and social issues reform, in part inspired by his experiences in Africa, but also based on what he saw in Europe. Haggard is most famous as the author of the best-selling novel King Solomon's Mines (1885). Amongst his other works are She (1887), Allan Quatermain (1888), Eric Brighteyes (1891) and Ayesha (1895). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Marvelous Adventure in the Saga Mode
The author of numerous romance-adventures in the 19th century tradition, Haggard turned his hand, at least once, to the older saga tradition of the northern peoples. The result may well have been his best work. Skillfully crafted, this tale proceeds at breakneck pace to unfold the saga-like adventures of the stout Icelandic yeoman, Eric Thorgrimurs' son (surnamed 'Brighteyes' for his most notable trait), as he struggles to win the hand of his beloved, Gudruda the Fair, despite the vigorous opposition of her half-sister, Swanhild the Fatherless (who seeks Eric for her own). Caught between these two beautiful women and faced with the need to overcome the opposition of Gudruda's father, Asmund the Priest (not the Christian sort) and his son, the greedy Bjorn (who would prefer to marry his sister off to a wealthy chieftain in lieu of a liaison with the farmer's son Eric), our hero must prove himself worthy of his destined bride while dodging the snares of those who would unman him. Conspiring with her mysterious mother, Groa the witchwife, Swanhild arranges to have Ospakar Blacktooth, a northern chieftain from Swinefells, pay Asmund's household a visit in order to see and woo Gudruda for himself. This Ospakar and Eric become immediate foes for Ospakar is as ugly and vile as Eric is handsome and honorable. And the tale only accelerates from here. From death-defying feats of derring-do to duels between deadly foemen to treachery and mayhem in blinding blizzards and on the high seas, this is an adventure which, once having grabbed you, will not let you go. Written in an archaic prose, mirroring the old nineteenth century translations of the original Icelandic sagas, and intended to simulate the voice of the old sagas themselves, the power of this narrative is compelling and unrelenting. And yet it is less exhausting than exhilirating as it unfolds the tale of Eric and the two women who loved him -- no matter what the cost. If the tale has a flaw at all it is that the characters are not real in any sense of that word but only larger-than-life actors who strut about upon the stage which Haggard has drawn for us here. At the same time the sensibility offered is one of pure and unmitigated adventure. But it's great fun and marvelous escapist fare. A must for lovers of Norse and viking times.

An excellent tale in the tradition of the Icelandic Sagas
H. Rider Haggard wove a tale in this book of romance, intrigue, magic, heroism and battle which is so like that of the Icelandic Sagas one could think this would be included in a collection of historical Sagas.

Eric Brighteyes, a young carl in Iceland loves the daughter of a priest of the old way, who is also quite wealthy and doesn't belive Eric Brighteyes as worthy of wedding his daughter and so dares him to a feat of daring thinking that Eric wouldn't do it.After acomplishing this Eric must leave Iceland because of legal troubles, and his story of adventure afar is told, as is that of his would-be bride at home as well as that of another woman who loves Eric, and who would do anything to get him.

In the midst of this are woven tales of battle and comraderie among warriors, the harsh life of the Icelanders, magic of woe and weal, and the weave of wyrd set by the Norns. ... Read more

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The Author hopes that the reader may find some historical interest in the tale set out in these pages of the massacre of the Boer generalRetiefand his companions at the hands of the Zulu kingDingaan. Save for some added circumstanceshe believes it to be accurate in its details. (Excerpt from Preface) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Beginning of the Quatermain books
Marie is the first book in the series of the Allan Quatermain books. It tells the story of Allan as a youth, his talent as a shot, his experiences with the mighty tribe of the african Zulus and his reckoning with their even mightier king, Dingaan. And of course, as at any novel, a love story is added to the mix. A thrilling book. Suggested background books: Nada the Lily. You only have to get past the first couple of pages and you can't stop. The story goes with Allan saving the life of dutch born Marie, they fall in love and ask permission to get married whereas the Marie's father says Marie is promised to her cousin. After many adventures, after Allan saving Marie's life for many times, after Marie's cousin has attempted to assinate Allan twice, and has planned and plotted with the Zulu king, Dingaan, Allan and Marie get married for two reasons: A, Marie is of age and can give herself away without the permission of a parent. B, Marie's cousin has plotted to assasinate the commandant, and was therefore exiled from society. However, a week after Allan and Marie get married an event happens which ruins the marriage and in which Marie does something for Allan that nothing but true love could have done. A suggested base for the rest of the 13 Allan Quatermain books. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Quite exciting
This is the story of two men, one with a black heart and a white body, and one with a white heart and a black body. Fleeing once more from the law, Philip Hadden journeys into the land of the Zulu King Cetywayo, where he is quickly brought to the attention of the king. Hadden knows that a war between the Zulu and the British is coming, and that if he wants to stay alive he had better make for more hospitable lands. But, if he is to escape Zululand, he must first escape from his captor, Nahoon, the honorable captain of the Umcityu impi. But, there is a prophecy hanging over the heads of them both, a prophecy of a black heart and a white heart tied together.

H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was a prolific writer of action stories, usually set in Africa - he is best remembered for his Allan Quartermain stories and his Ayesha (She-who-must-be-obeyed) stories. This story is also set in Africa, and is quite a good read. Against Haggard's reputation as a writer of "great white hunter" stories, this one actually places a dishonorable and murderous white man in opposition to an honorable and humane African. The story itself is quite exciting, and is a great read. So, if you like good fiction, you'll probably like this story, as I did! ... Read more

Product Description
Mean Mr. Meeson, the greedy and wealthy owner of a publishing house, disinerits his his forthright nephew. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fabulous Story; Shoddy Edition
Sadly, the inordinate amount of typos in the Betancourt/Wildside edition of Haggard's obscure novel make the reading experience nearly unbearable (and I do not mean to indicate the obsolete grammar and punctuation of nineteenth century written English or Haggard's rough renderings of lower class English dialects). The only reason I am suffering through it is because I am writing a dissertation chapter on the text.I have some access to a first edition in my university library's Special Collections, so I know for a fact that the numerous mistakes, misspellings, and inconsistencies do not exist in the original illustrated book (circa 1888).(The Wildside edition also, sadly, excludes these illustrations, which truly were something!)While I remain sympathetic and supportive of the avowed mission of Wildside Press to bring "lost Haggard books back into print," I venture to state that Betancourt could and probably should have employed a careful copy editor to perform a thorough proofreading!

Some of the more frustrating examples from the 2001 Betancourt edition:
1."It was on a Tuesday evening that a mightly steamed majestically out of the mouth of the Thames" (40)
2."In a very few seconds it was dune" (60)
3."Eustace stared at the broad fine of letters, which, with the signatures written underneath, might mean [...]" (116)
4."the infant form the City" (176)
5."Notice of appeal, I except" (176) [I think it was supposed to be "I expect"!]
6.Finally, in the editor's Introduction to the text, Haggard's most well known character Allan Quatermain's name is misspelled twice, as Quaterman.

A LESSER BUT STILL MIGHTY FUN HAGGARD
"Mr. Meeson's Will" was first printed in book form in October 1888, after having first appeared earlier that year in "The Illustrated London News." It was H. Rider Haggard's 11th novel (out of 58), and one in which his experiences as both a writer and aspiring lawyer were given vent. The novel is at once a tale of adventure, a critique of the publishing industry in late 19th century England, and a satire on the English legal system. In the book's first half, Augusta Smithers--our heroine and a successful author, who has unwittingly entered into an unfair contract with Meeson's publishing firm--takes passage on board a steamship bound for New Zealand, where she hopes to make a fresh start. Her enemy, Mr. Meeson himself, is on board the same boat, coincidentally, and when the ship sinks after a catastrophic collision with a whaler (in a disaster scene that predates a similar, fictional shipwreck in Haggard's 1905 novel, "The Spirit of Bambatse," not to mention the real-life Titanic disaster of 1912), Augusta, Meeson and several others are washed up on one of the lonely Kerguelen Islands, in the south Indian Ocean. Before his death, Meeson decides to alter his will and, having no other means of doing so, has that testament tattooed upon Augusta's back! This sets up the story for the book's second half, in which a huge court battle takes place regarding the validity of this document. What might have turned out to be a dry exposition of legal procedures in another author's hands is handled quite entertainingly by H. Rider, and the result is a book of adventure in the first half--the shipwreck and marooning scenes are especially fun--and interesting court battles in the second. Haggard must have greatly enjoyed exposing the unfair practices of the publishing system that had tried to cheat him during his early career, much as Meeson & Co. had cheated Augusta. The book, though a lesser title in Haggard's bibliography--and probably a seldom-read one today, at least as compared to such other Haggard titles as "King Solomon's Mines" and "She"--offers ample entertainment value for the modern-day reader, and I do unreservedly recommend it. This book was, by the way, made into a film starring Lon Chaney in 1916, and called "The Grasp of Greed." If it's half as good as its source novel, I would love to see it one day. ... Read more

Product Description
Caught between the red and the black-Quatermain at war!

In this, the fourth volume of Allan Quatermain's adventures in the turbulent world of nineteenth century Africa, our hero once again finds it impossible to lead the simple outdoor life of a hunter and trader that he always craves. Now it is the late 1870s and the imperial world powers are overtaking the remaining primitive corners of the globe. The British Empire now borders on Zululand and nothing will satisfy the British but the dissolution of the Zulu Impis themselves-in fact the destruction of the Zulu way of life. In 'Finished' Allan finds himself caught up in these momentous times. In 1879 the Zulu War breaks out and Allan finds himself at Isandlwhana within the doomed ranks of red soldiery.In the 'Ivory Child', Quatermain's adventures become more personal. A beautiful young woman has been abducted into Africa's dark heart to become an unholy priestess. She must be rescued but there are many perils and once again a war erupts between rival native factions which threatens to destroy Allan and his friends. ... Read more

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The great man of Africa strides out with two more adventures

This is the third volume of the collected adventures of Allan Quatermain-hunter, trader, explorer and adventurer-set once again in the exotic landscape of nineteenth century South East Africa at a time when the continent was still truly 'dark'. Quatermain here ventures once more into the ever perilous lands of the mighty Zulu nation and there in 'The Child of the Storm', the first tale in this book he finds himself embroiled with a femme fatale, intrigue, treachery, sorcery and a battle for the throne of the kingship of the Zulu nation which erupts in into full scale civil war. In the second story 'Allan and the Holy Flower', our hero finds himself on the potentially more gentle activity of the quest for a rare orchid. Perhaps predictably that also involves conflict with slavers, abductions, fierce tribes, cannibalism and a demon god in the form of a giant gorilla. ... Read more

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Allan Quatermain set out on more breathtaking adventures

Leonaur have set out to create the definitive collection of the stories of Allan Quatermain-H. Rider-Haggard's famous white man of Africa-the ultimate hunter, trader, guide and adventurer. The quality of these tales of nineteenth century Africa simply cannot be overstated, particularly as many of them are little known even by those who would eagerly read them. Now there is the opportunity to own the complete Quatermain in hardcover with dust jacket or soft back with coordinating cover designs to enjoy time and again. This is the sixth volume containing two complete and colourful novels-Heu-Heu or the Monster and The Treasure of the Lake. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Large format paper back for easy reading. One of the celebrated Allan Quatermain series of adventure novels from the author of King Solomo's Mines ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

PALEOLITHIC QUATERMAIN!!!
This is the last of the 14 Allan Quatermain novels that H. Rider Haggard wrote, and completes the loosely linked quartet that began with "Allan and the Holy Flower," continued into "The Ivory Child" and then "The Ancient Allan." (A reading of these earlier books is recommended before going into this one.) In this final book, Quatermain again partakes of the taduki drug, as he did in the previous two novels, and gets to see a previous incarnation of his--when he was Wi, the leader of a small tribe during one of the Ice Ages. The story is simply written but zips along at a brisk pace. There are several terrific action set pieces: Wi's fight with Henga, the previous chief of the tribe; the trapping of the wolf pack; the fight with the sabertooth; the battle with the Redbeards; the showdown with the aurochs; and the final cataclysm. The members of the tribe are sharply and sometimes humorously drawn. (Rudyard Kipling helped Haggard with the planning of this novel.) All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and thank Pulp Fictions UK for bringing it back into print. The great bulk of Haggard's work is currently OUT of print, and that is a real shame...

Allan Rules!
Victorian explorer Allan Quatermain experiences memories of a previous, prehistoric incarnation. If this book were written today it'd fit right in with the New Age Noodle crowd who like to do regressions to their previous lives, besides the usual Heroic Fantasy readers who know a bang-upadventure tale when they read one. ... Read more

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Two more fabulous adventures from the dark heart of Africa

These are the third, fourth and fifth adventures featuring H. Rider Haggard's famous character—Allan Quatermain. Quatermain is the ultimate white man in Africa—the Great White Hunter, adventurer and guide. These are stories brim full of action, romance, big game hunting, hairsbreadth escapes from dangerous animals and the fierce peoples of the Dark Continent, fantastical landscapes and strange hidden cultures—with lost cities from a time when vast expanses of this mysterious land remained untrodden by the feet of Western man and it seemed that anything was yet possible. In this second volume of the complete Quatermain novels and short stories—available from Leonaur in hard and soft cover—are the lesser known ‘Allan’s Wife,’ ‘Maiwa’s Revenge’ & ‘Marie.’ These books will be a joy for all collectors who will relish the opportunity to own all the adventures in a coordinated collection. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent adventure!
This novel is very typical of Haggard's adventure stories.This one in particular somewhat reminded me of "Montezuma's Daughter"...It was a story of an extraordinarily beautiful Indian princess and a whiteEnglishman who fall in love and who must suffer through much because oftheir deep feelings for one another.The story is told by Ignation (anIndian) who was the friend of both the white man and his beloved Maya. Most of the later part of the novel takes place in the great City of theHeart which is beautiful and yet venomous and deadly...Of course thereare "bad men" and "bad women" who do not fullyunderstand the great love of Maya and James (the princess and her whitemen) and without whom the story would have no conflict or much of a plot...:)So do read the book.It is neither essential to life nor does itprovoke any great thoughts or ideas, but nonetheless it is very enjoyableand relaxing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

REVIEW of Child of Storn
Child of the Storm, August 2, 2001
Reviewer: A reader from Brookline, MA United States

The story takes place in Zululand, Africa. It happens so that Allan Quatermain stops by his Zulu friend's kraal (to those of you who never read Haggard, Kraal=household) to find that yet another friend is madly in love with the well known beauty: Mameena, or, in other words, Child of the Storm.

Allan is curious to see this well known Mameena, but his friend who is in love with Mameena (his name is Saduko) goes on a crazy battle to win 100 cattle for Mameena's dowry. After going with Saduko on his quest and helping him win 600 cattle, Allan meets Mameena, and determines she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, and, though at that time Africans were thought of as savages (most unjustly, I have to add), Allan, after observing some treachery done by Mameena while pretending to be unconscious, after knowing she was false, cannot find any reason to resist her love to him, for indeed Mameena tries to engage him in a marriage, but Allan remembers her treachery and tells her no.

Many adventures follow after that, until the Zulu King declares Mameena a witch, and Mameena pleads guilty. It is not the kind of Salem witchcraft that is talked about here. It is more like herb-knowledge and doctoring that the Zulus call witchcraft. After recieving her death sentence for many more offenses, including causing a civil war and it's outcome, Mameena makes a last wish.

The last wish is... You'll have to figure out this as you read along with the mystery of Mameena's character. Suggested background books: Any Allan Quatermain book. Here are some Allan Quatermain titles: Allan and the Holy Flower, Marie, Allan's Wife, King Solomon's Mines, She and Allan, The Ancient Allan, Et cetera. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition. ... Read more

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The sun, which shone upon a day that was gathered to the past some three thousand years ago, was setting in full glory over the expanses of south-eastern Africa-the Libya of the ancients. Its last burning rays fell upon a cavalcade of weary men, who, toge ... Read more

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This short story collection includes: "Smith and the Pharaohs," "Magepa the Buck," "The Blue Curtains," "Little Flower," "Only a Dream," and "Barbara Who Came Back." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A FINE COLLECTION OF HAGGARD'S SHORTER WORKS
Although H. Rider Haggard wrote a total of 58 books of fiction during his four decades as a writer, only two of those titles consist of short stories: "Allan's Wife" (1889), which includes that novella and three short tales, and "Smith and the Pharaohs" (1920). This latter volume consists of six brief stories, and is thus a practically unique demonstration of this master storyteller's way with the shorter form. Four of these stories take place in Africa, the setting of so many of Haggard's novels, and all are eminently readable and of interest. The collection kicks off with the title tale, and concerns a budding Egyptologist who is locked up one night in the Cairo Museum, and dreams that he is put on trial for grave robbing by the ghosts of Egypt's pharaohs and queens. Or is it a dream? This is a very amusing, somewhat lighthearted, at times eerie tale, which also serves as a bit of a history lesson for those not up on their ancient lore. While perhaps not on a par with Algernon Blackwood's story "A Descent Into Egypt," it remains most entertaining. (Haggard does make a rare goof in this tale, when he writes that Thotmes III was Hatshepu's brother and husband; in actuality, he was her son. Thotmes II was her husband. I know, I know...who cares, right?) Next up is a tale for all fans of Haggard's arguably greatest creation, the hunter Allan Quatermain. Haggard wrote 14 novels dealing with Quatermain, plus those aforementioned three short tales. This volume's "Magepa the Buck" was the only bit of Quatermain that I'd not previously read, so it was of great interest to me indeed. Here, Allan tells us the story of the greatest instance of bravery that he ever came across during his long career; the tale of Magepa, a Zulu man, and the great sacrifice that he makes for his grandson. It's an exciting little story, well told and moving. "The Blue Curtains" tells the tale of a British army captain who is stationed in South Africa, and the love affair that he has with an undeserving woman back home in London. This tale builds to a surprisingly tragic conclusion. Next up is my favorite story of the bunch, "Little Flower," in which an English missionary and his family live with a Zulu tribe in the hopes of spreading the Good Word. But our small-minded missionary meets his match in the local witch doctor, Menzi, a wonder-worker whose magics are apparently real. This battle of wills is very well paced by the author, and features some exciting set pieces (those magic demonstrations, that stormy finale). A neat touch in this story is the reference to Zikali, the Zulu witch doctor who figured so prominently in many of the Quatermain books. In "Only a Dream," Haggard seems to pay tribute to Edgar Allan Poe himself; at least, this short-short is the closest thing to a Poe-like tale of terror that I believe the author ever attempted. Here we meet a man who is seemingly haunted by the spirit of his deceased wife on the eve of his wedding to wife #2. This tale gets a bit gruesome but, short as it is, never really attains to any prolonged shudders. It's fun while it lasts, though. The collection winds up with "Barbara Who Came Back," a love tale of sorts in which Haggard gets to revisit some of his favorite themes: eternal love (i.e., love that survives beyond the grave) and reincarnation. We also get to see, in this story, what the author's conception of the afterlife is, and truth to tell, it really doesn't sound half bad! This is also a tale of a mother making a beyond-ultimate sacrifice for her child, and the conclusion of the story will certainly provide some food for thought; a nice ending to a fine collection of Haggard's shorter works. I've never read a novel by this man that I haven't enjoyed, and now I can say the same for his shorter pieces, as well. This is a book well worth your time and attention. And thanks to the folks at Wildside Press--who have brought this and some three dozen other Haggard titles back into publication in no-frills but somewhat overpriced editions--you don't have to spend major bucks to enjoy this comparatively obscure collection. ... Read more