She (Mint Editions (Fantasy and Fairytale))

She (1887), an intoxicating mix of adventure, fantasy, and romance, is an underappreciated classic of English literature. Among his most successful works, She­—which was inspired by Haggard’s experience living in South Africa—helped the author establish his reputation as a leading writer of his generation and an invaluable pioneer of the lost world genre of fantasy fiction. Horace Holly, a young Cambridge professor, receives an unexpected opportunity from an older colleague: in exchange for knowledge about an ancient secret, Holly must agree to become the caretaker of Vincey’s son in the event of his untimely death. Cautious yet intrigued, Holly accepts, and is presented with a locked metal box and a set of cryptic instructions. The next day, Vincey dies, leaving the young Leo as his ward. Unable to open the box until Leo has turned 25, Holly settles into his career and duties as a father until the time is right. Years later, they open it to discover the Sherd of Amenartas, confirming Vincey’s story and inspiring them to journey to the heart of Africa. There, they fall captive to the Amahagger tribe, a lost people ruled by a powerful, divine queen. Soon, they are brought to a subterranean palace in the ruined city of Kôr, where She-who-must-be-obeyed awaits. To read H. Rider Haggard’s She is to enter a universe that could only be imagined by one of the greatest adventure writers of all time—at the height of his literary powers, no less. Published in book form in after being serialized in The Graphic, a British weekly magazine, She is an epic of high fantasy that sheds light on how the intricacies of empire circulated in the popular imagination of British subjects during the reign of Queen Victoria. For the modern reader, it is both a finely written tale of action and discovery, and a document of a world that is far from lost. Stories such as Haggard’s serve as reminders that we are never as far as we think from the sins of the past, that these “mysterious” and “exotic” lands of myth and adventure not only existed long before European conquest, but survive to this day in its shadow. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this new edition of H. Rider Haggard’s She is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

About the Author

H. Rider Haggard was born on 22 June, 1856 in Braden ham, situated in the English area of Norfolk. His father, Sir William Meybohm Rider Haggard, was a lawyer, while his mother, Ella Dove ton Haggard, was an author herself. The couple had ten children, out of which Henry was conceived as the eighth. Sir Henry Rider Haggard was an English author who was known for his African thriller novel, 'Lord Solomon's Mines'. His father was a Norfolk advocate but he was denied an honourable men's schooling compared to his siblings due to his physical bluntness. At 19 years old, he started his vocation at the command of his father as an unpaid guide to Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony of Natal. Rider Haggard was married to a Norfolk beneficiary Marianna Louisa Margitson. They had four children named Jack, who died at the age of 10 due to measles, and three girls named Angela, Dorothy, and Lilias. Rider Haggard died at the age of 68 in London. His remains were cremated at St Mary's Church, Ditchingham. A rail route point of the Canadian National Railway in British Columbia has been named after him.

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