Legend has it that when H. Rider Haggard read Treasure Island he was so underwhelmed that he bet five shillings he could do better.  He proceeded to combine the recent discovery of diamonds at Kimberly, South Africa and of the great Zimbabwe Ruins, the real-life exploits of explorers like Richard Francis Burton, the legend of the lost kingdom of Prester John, a treasure map, a witch doctor, and many more classic and soon-to-be-classic elements into one of the great adventures stories of all time.  Allan Quartermain, Sir Henry Curtis, and Captain John Good trek deep into the heart of deepest Africa in search of Sir Henry's brother and of the lost mines of King Solomon.  Along the way they encounter all manner of hardship, escape from innumerable seemingly impossible predicaments,  restore a lost king to his rightful throne, and are well rewarded for their efforts.

This is all just rip roaring good fun and, for obvious reasons, spawned many sequels and scores of imitators.  If you've ever wondered precisely what the Indiana Jones movies are a homage to : pick this book up and wonder no more.

(Reviewed:02-May-01)

Grade: (A+) Orrin C. Judd

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