H. Rider Haggard's fantastic tales out of Africa have few equals and the Ayesha Series are no exception. The first novel in the series, She, is possibly one of the best known of Haggard's works, an author famous for other classics such as Allan Quatermain and King Solomon's Mines. Full of mystery and delight, She has become one of the most popular novels ever written.
The Ayesha Series includes all four classic novels of She-who must be obeyed-in one complete, action-packed, and lavishly illustrated edition. This collection brings together all of Ayesha's fantastic exploits in the mysterious lost world of Africa and beyond in a single volume.
She is the first of four exciting adventures brimming with magic, mysticism, intrigue, love, tragedy, war, and power that feature the beautiful immortal queen Ayesha. She and Ayesha, the Return of She both feature Cambridge professor Horace Holly and his ward Leo Vincey on their adventures with Ayesha spanning the lost worlds of Africa and Asia. She and Allan, unites two of Haggard's most beloved characters, Allan Quatermain—the indomitable trader, explorer, big game hunter, and central character of the hugely successful Allan Quatermain novels —and Ayesha herself, in a prequel to She. The final novel in the series is Wisdom's Daughter which tells of Ayesha's origins in ancient Egypt and her adventures across the Mediterranean as she ascends to immortality as Isis's incarnation on Earth. All four novels are rollicking rides full of action, adventure, and thrills.
Included in this action-packed complete collection of Gothic fantasy are all of Ayesha's tales including:
Wisdom's Daughter (1923)
She and Allan (1921)
She: A History of Adventure (1886)
Ayesha: The Return of She (1905)
Hugely influential and wildly popular, She had sold an estimated 87 million copies in 44 different languages when Ursula Andress starred in a 1965 film adaptation based on the books.
In popular literature, C.S. Lewis patterned Empress Jadis on She in the sixth book of the Narnia series, The Magician's Nephew. She is also credited as an inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's characters Shelob and Galadriel.
In nonfiction, Ayesha is mentioned in Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams and by Jung in his lectures.
Outside of fiction and nonfiction, She has inspired more than 10 film adaptations including the 1925 version directly involving Haggard.
Note: The Ayesha books can be read as written by publication date (i.e. She: A History of Adventure, Ayesha: The Return of She, She and Allan, and Wisdom's Daughter) or in chronological order based on story order (i.e. Wisdom's Daughter, She and Allan, She: A History of Adventure, and Ayesha: The Return of She).
For ease of navigation and to facilitate reading order preference, this edition includes an interactive table of contents.
