"Ayesha Unveils." Art by Maurice Greiffenhagen for "She" by H. Rider Haggard (1888)
“She” originally appeared as a serial in London’s weekly “Graphic” magazine between October 1886 and January 1887, with illustrations by E. K. Johnson. Longmans, Green and Co. first published the story in book form in 1887 but without any illustrations. Then an illustrated version of the book came out in 1888 with 32 illustrations by Maurice Greiffenhagen and Charles H. M. Kerr.
“She” is a bizarre tale of a lost African civilization, a 2,000-year-old queen, and the intrepid Englishmen who seek her. On his twenty-fifth birthday, Leo Vincey opens the ebony box left him by his father, long since dead. Within the box is a strange silver chest, which contains a letter from the elder Vincey and an ancient potsherd, inscribed with a fantastic story by Amenartas, an Egyptian princess, more than 300 years before the birth of Christ.
Amenartas’ charge to her descendants – the sixty-seventh of whom is Leo Vincey – is to avenge her lover Kallikrates, who was slain by the queen who knew no death. As Leo learns from his father’s letter, several of Vincey’s forebears had indeed set out on such a mission – but none had ever succeeded in finding the mysterious white queen, “She-who-must-be-obeyed.”
Leo does succeed, and therein lies the spellbinding tale of SHE.
Two movies based on Haggard’s novel have been produced:
One in 1965 with Ursula Andress in the title role (www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqD7pkVyoOw)
And another produced in 1935 by Merian C.Cooper (of King Kong fame):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hKj1Vk9OwA
"Ayesha Unveils." Art by Maurice Greiffenhagen for "She" by H. Rider Haggard (1888)
“She” originally appeared as a serial in London’s weekly “Graphic” magazine between October 1886 and January 1887, with illustrations by E. K. Johnson. Longmans, Green and Co. first published the story in book form in 1887 but without any illustrations. Then an illustrated version of the book came out in 1888 with 32 illustrations by Maurice Greiffenhagen and Charles H. M. Kerr.
“She” is a bizarre tale of a lost African civilization, a 2,000-year-old queen, and the intrepid Englishmen who seek her. On his twenty-fifth birthday, Leo Vincey opens the ebony box left him by his father, long since dead. Within the box is a strange silver chest, which contains a letter from the elder Vincey and an ancient potsherd, inscribed with a fantastic story by Amenartas, an Egyptian princess, more than 300 years before the birth of Christ.
Amenartas’ charge to her descendants – the sixty-seventh of whom is Leo Vincey – is to avenge her lover Kallikrates, who was slain by the queen who knew no death. As Leo learns from his father’s letter, several of Vincey’s forebears had indeed set out on such a mission – but none had ever succeeded in finding the mysterious white queen, “She-who-must-be-obeyed.”
Leo does succeed, and therein lies the spellbinding tale of SHE.
Two movies based on Haggard’s novel have been produced:
One in 1965 with Ursula Andress in the title role (www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqD7pkVyoOw)
And another produced in 1935 by Merian C.Cooper (of King Kong fame):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hKj1Vk9OwA