All Adventure :Allan Quatermain [Paperback]

H. Rider Haggard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001 | Series: All Adventure

This sequel to King Solomon's Mines is based on Rider Haggard's own experiences in Africa. During their search for a white race reputed to live near Mount Kenya, Allan Quatermain and his companions undergo a series of dangerous and thrilling adventures. The dramatic and often poetic story reveals Victorian preoccupations with evolution, race, sexuality, and the "New Woman." This is the only critical edition available, and the notes help clarify many of the contemporary references Haggard makes throughout the tale.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Williams's fully voiced reading of this magnificent first-person narrative emphasizes the dangers and hardships that the adventurers undergo in their journey. Williams reads with excellent narrative timing, and his wide range of voices and accents adds a great deal. --Kliatt --This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

About the Author

HENRY RIDER HAGGARD (1856-1925) was born in Norfolk, England. After failing the Army entrance exam, he went to Natal in 1875, as secretary to Sir Henry Bulwer, and the next year went to the Transvaal. He returned to England in 1881, married, and settled down to a literary life. His first novel, King Solomon's Mines, was published in 1885. He published thirty-four adventure novels during his lifetime. He was knighted in 1912. --This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140102131X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401021313
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,991,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Things ain't what they appear!, August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold: Gateway Movie Classic (Gateway Movie Classics) (Paperback)

Hi, I bought this book as I had not come across the title before in any Haggard listing. On receipt I found that it is really "Allan Quatermain" and the "new" title is presumably based on the film which starred Richard Chamberlain (which I have not seen).

The decription on the back cover of the book states "Allan must postpone his wedding to rescue his brother, who has been tracking a lost white tribe. Allan's travels take him through dangerous jungles and to a mythical city where the streets are paved with gold". I believe some liberties have been taken with this book but as a curio I suppose it might be worth the price.

regards

Paul Webb

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Alan Quartermain & the Lost City of Gold, Creative Titling?, July 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold: Gateway Movie Classic (Gateway Movie Classics) (Paperback)

I am a serious Haggard fan. Of his 50+ novels I own all but 12, including many first editions. Of the ones I do not own, I have read all but two. Sir Henry Rider Haggard wrote Allan Quartermain in 1887 following his successful King Solomon's Mines in 1885, and She in 1886. No one ever heard of Alan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold until that ridiculous Richard Chamberlain movie was released. I personally will not support a publisher that takes liberties with titles of classic lost world fiction, and suggest that if you wish to read Alan Quartermain, check out some of the reputable used book sites.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adventure classic, September 23, 2002

By 

J R Zullo (São Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold: Gateway Movie Classic (Gateway Movie Classics) (Paperback)

..."Allan Quatermain" is another adventure story of the character of the same name. After the King Solomon's mines, Quatermain is back in England, where his son dies, and he's eager for new adventures. With his two best friends, Good and Curtis, they depart again to the heart of Africa, where they expect to discover a nation of white people undiscovered until now.

This story, while a classic Haggard tale, has not all the good elements "King Solomon's mines" had. There is fighting, there's thrilling, but this book is somewhat slower. This might be because Allan Quatermain, telling the story in his point of view, is older, close to sixty-five years. In fact, there are some really anoying parts, where Quatermain is extra-shy and puritan, almost to the point of being ridiculous. And, as another reviewer wrote, there's no point in writing about a white race, civilized, organized and secret, in the heart of Africa, instead of a more plausible black one. This can only be excused in historical contexts. Back in the late XIX century, Africa was such a type of novelty and unknown that people thought almost everything could happen in there. But, today, if the reader doesn't have an open mind and doesn't know his History, this can be interpreted as pure racism, which is not. Haggard wrote this book in a time where the biggest thing about Africa was Livingstone trying to find where the Nile came from.

So this is how this book should be taken. A classic adventure.

Grade 7.6/10