Two Books in One (SHE and its sequel Ayesha - The Return of She) are in one volume. She, subtitled A History of Adventure, is a novel by Henry Rider Haggard, first serialized in The Graphic magazine from October 1886 to January 1887. She is one of the classics of imaginative literature, and with over 83 million copies sold in 44 different languages, one of the best-selling books of all time. Extraordinarily popular upon its release, She has never been out of print. According to the literary historian Andrew M. Stauffer, "She has always been Rider Haggard's most popular and influential novel. The second part of this book is a sequel to the first novel, is based on the characters from She: A History of Adventure, including the titular Ayesha, "She Who Must Be Obeyed," and picks up where the last ended. Leo Vincey and Horace Holly, the writer, are convinced that "She" did not perish at the end of the last book, in Africa. They are led by dreams, and coincidences to 'Thibet' (as it is spelled in the book). In Thibet, they meet an old monk, who knows something of this "She." He remembers her from the time of Alexander the Great, when his armies were there. He tries to dissuade the two from going on with their quest, and warns them that, however beautiful, nothing is immortal; even if She was born centuries ago in ancient Egypt; or, remembers it from a past life; or, had waited thousands of years for the reincarnation of her lover, whom she believes is Leo. The monk says she is demon or a fallen angel, or a mirage.
About the Author: Henry Rider Haggard, generally known as H. Rider Haggard or Rider Haggard, was born at Bradenham, Norfolk, the eighth of ten children, to Sir William Meybohm Rider Haggard, a barrister, and Ella Doveton, an author and poet. He was initially sent to Garsington Rectory in Oxfordshire to study under Reverend H. J. Graham, but unlike his older brothers who graduated from various public schools, he attended Ipswich Grammar School. Haggard is most famous as the author of the novels King Solomon's Mines and its sequel Allan Quatermain, and She and its sequel Ayesha, swashbuckling adventure novels set in the context of the Scramble for Africa (the action of Ayesha however happens in Tibet). The hugely popular King Solomon's Mines is sometimes considered the first of the Lost World genre.