Description: While Rider Haggards stories (King Solomons Mines, Allan Quatermain) have been popular with several generations of readers, this is the first study to examine the place of empire in his writing and to draw out its related political and literary implications. Katz believes the romance adventure carried an ideological burden for Haggard and that he was one of a number of imperialist writers--among them R.L. Stevenson, Andrew Lang, W.E. Henley, and Rudyard Kipling--who shared a similar world view and certain literary traits. The book includes a biographical sketch focusing on Haggards experiences in South Africa and a description of the imperial background. Katz then studies Haggards work in detail and in the light of imperialist fiction, answering questions of heroism, stoicism, and anti-materialism. The books final chapter includes previously unpublished material from Haggard's diaries and considers racism as a natural conclusion to empire.

Please Wait