Sir Henry Rider Haggard, (22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a founder of the Lost World literary genre. His stories, situated at the lighter end of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential. 

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). 

Hugely popular, “King Solomon’s Mines” is sometimes considered the first of the Lost World genre. “She” is generally considered to be one of the classics of imaginative literature and with 83 million copies sold by 1965, it is one of the best-selling books of all time. Haggard is also remembered for “Nada the Lily” (a tale of adventure among the Zulus) and the epic Viking romance, “Eric Brighteyes”. 

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Orison Swett Marden (1850 – 1924) was an American writer associated with the New Thought Movement. He also held a degree in medicine, and was a successful hotel owner.

Marden was born in Thornton Gore, New Hampshire to Lewis and Martha Marden. When he was three years old, his mother died at the age of 22, leaving Orison and his two sisters in the care of their father, a farmer, hunter, and trapper.

When Orison was seven years old, his father died from injuries incurred while in the wood, and the children were shuttled from one guardian to another, with Orison working as a “hired boy” to earn his keep.

Inspired by an early self-help book by the Scottish author Samuel Smiles, which he found in an attic, Marden set out to improve himself and his life circumstances. He persevered in advancing himself and graduated from Boston University in 1871. He later graduated from Harvard with an M.D. in 1881 and an LL.B. degree in 1882. He also studied at the Boston School of Oratory and Andover Theological Seminary.

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