Written in 1885, "King Solomon's Mines" by Henry Rider Haggard is at first glance, very much a book of its time. Its narrator, Alan Quartermain, is the archetype Colonial white hunter and adventurer.

He thinks nothing of bagging an elephant or two for its tusks or a giraffe for its meat, and his attitude towards the natives of South Africa is undoubtedly paternal at best. However, by the end of his exciting tale there is no doubting his admiration and affection for the brave warriors whom he finds himself fighting alongside.

And an exciting story it is! Upon reading it we soon realise how it has influenced the Epic Adventure story ever since, from Kipling and Conan Doyle to "The Lord of the Rings" and "Indiana Jones".