She

H. Rider Haggard invented the “lost world” genre of fiction with King Solomon’s Mines, and he continued the theme, adding in a bit of romance, in She. Haggard wrote the book in six months “in a white heat,” and handed the manuscript to his agent with the remark, “There is what I shall be remembered by.” Haggard was right: with its setting in darkest Africa and a woman at its center described as the most beautiful in the world, She was a sensation at its release, has never been out of print, and has sold upwards of 100 million copies.

This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.