King Solomon's Mines, narrated with dry understatement by hunter Allan Quatermain, follows a hazardous trek to Kukuanaland to find a missing man and the fabled diamond lode. A cryptic Portuguese map leads the party over desert wastes, the twin peaks called Sheba's Breasts, and into frozen caverns, before they are drawn into revolt against the despot Twala under the baleful eye of Gagool. Brisk, episodic, and wry, the novel fuses battle spectacle with ethnographic detail, founding the late Victorian lost world romance. Henry Rider Haggard shaped this tale from years in southern Africa as a colonial official and farmer, where he witnessed Zulu courts, frontier violence, and the rituals of chieftaincy. His ear for languages and taste for exploration narratives supplied confident geography and ceremony. Written amid a renewed hunger for romance, and informed by his folklore interests, the book tests courage, loyalty, and authority. This unabridged Lost World Classic suits readers of adventure and students of empire alike. Read it for its taut storytelling and for the debates it provokes about exploration, conquest, and mythmaking, delivered through vivid landscapes and indelible characters. Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable—distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Author Biography · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.