Sometimes the story behind the book is more interesting than the book. King Solomon’s Mines (my thoughts) by H. Rider Haggard also has an interesting story behind the novel that inspired such characters as Indiana Jones. Buy this book in paper or FREE in electronic format. More book by H. Rider Haggard 1 ) When the novel was first published in London, 1885, it was marketed “ The Most Amazing Book Ever Written” and became an immediate best seller 2 ) At the time explorations around the globe were major headlines, however Africa largely remained a mystery. King Solomon’s Mines was the first novel, published in English, to capture the public’s interest. 3 ) Haggard has traveled in Africa when he was 19 and witnessed the Anglo-Zulu War as well as the First Boer War. 4 ) Alan Quatermain is based largely on famed British white hunter and explorer Frederick Courteney Selous. 5) The part in the novel about Captain Good taking out his false teeth and terrifying the locals is based on a true story. Jospeh Thomson, a Scottish explorer, has documented this even in his book Through Masai Land where he scared Kenyan warriors taking out his false teeth and putting them back. Haggard was…
