The Karl May Illustration Project aims to promote awareness of Karl May's Epic work among our youth.

We are preparing to publish an Illustrated Adventure series based on the texts that Nemsi Books has already published.

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Welcome to the Nemsi Books Multi-Media Project. We are now producing Audio CD's Radio Plays and Animated Adventures for your enjoyment. Stay tuned for the upcoming courageous deeds of ... Winnetou, Old Shatterhand, Kara Ben Nemsi, Hajji Halef Omar and myself.

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Coming Soon!

I have received your last letter and fully agree with your proposals. The deal is risky but should it succeed it would bring so much profit that we can risk an eventual loss.
The powder is coming on the Seagull. We have mixed thirty percent charcoal into it. I hope you will succeed in smuggling it into the country and thus save customs duties. In this way we’ll make a very advantageous deal.
I hereby empower you to draw up the contract and to send it to Lopez Jordan for signature. The last is a very dangerous affair for, should the Nationals discover the messenger and find the contracts on him, then it’s all over with him. Fortunately, I am able quite coincidentally to indicate to you a man who is very well suited for this mission.
The bearer of this letter has associated with Indians for a number of years. He is a foolhardy fellow, but at the same time completely stupid and yet dependable - one would hardly expect otherwise from a Dutchman. As I understand, he wishes to go to Santiago and Tucumán and will thus be passing through the Province of Entre-Rios. Pretend you’re giving him a letter of recommendation, but containing the two contracts, to Jordan. Should he be found and be shot, then the world would lose a dunderhead whose loss is no great shame. Of course the documents mustn’t bear your signature. You will only sign when you get them back from Jordan’s messenger.
For the rest, the Dutchman won’t be much trouble to you. He is of a foolish undemanding nature. A glass of sour wine and a few kind words are enough to make him happy.

Coming Soon!

On the way to meet up with his mysterious friend Old Surehand, our narrator Old Shatterhand enters a boardinghouse while stopping in Jefferson City, and starts listening to the stories being told by the patrons there. The yarn these Men of the West spin brings to life evildoers like Canada Bill, the Black Captain, and the Count of Rodriganda, but at the same time also recounts the brave deeds of the likes of Old Shatterhand, Sam Firegun, Winnetou, and even Abraham Lincoln. These stories, which make up the major part of the book, tell us of cardsharps, a man risen from the dead, treacherous pirates, a "speaking" piece of leather, and a hidden treasure, while at the same time also introducing us to new characters like Inspector Treskow and the Inverted Toasts. At the end of the day Old Shatterhand realizes that a familiar foe, the ‘General,’ has once again crossed his path, and together with a new set of companions he sets out to hunt him down…

Coming Soon!

A solo-trip in 1889 took Karl May via the Near Orient and Ceylon all the way to Sumatra, Indonesia. Upon his return journey, he met his first wife and friends, another couple, in Egypt to travel there. Only towards the end of his life did he manage to visit the eastern part of the United States.
But in his imagination, in his mind’s eye, this prolific writer roamed the globe!
Except for Greenland, Australia and Antarctica, his many novels and short stories took place on every continent. He researched the locations very well, where his heroes and characters, his alter egos, Old Shatterhand and Kara Ben Nemsi, and his friends, Winnetou and Hajji Halef Omar, as well as many others, some named, some unnamed, performed their various deeds. For this he relied on travelogues and research of people who had visited the respective areas.
Some of Karl May’s characters, Old Shatterhand, Winnetou and Sam Hawkens, and locales, like the Wild West, Southeast Asia, Arabia, North Africa, Egypt, the Caribbean, the Bering Sea, South Africa and the Indian Ocean, are featured in this collection of fifteen short stories.

Coming Soon!

This book is the final part of the Winnetou trilogy. It is a fascinating look at the Wild West, seen through the eyes of a unique author who made it his mission to hold up a mirror so that we might see ourselves and realize who we are.
Winnetou, the Apache Chief, who sacrificed his life for the sake of white settlers, is another symbolic reminder that we all live and die upon this one earth we all share. What good is war and killing? What good is greed and avarice? In the end, we must all depart this world with empty pockets, leaving but a memory of who we once were.
Karl May meant to tell us that we must do what we can whilst we live, for after death, we are powerless.
The tale of Winnetou describes an ideological journey of a Native American, culminating in an inner struggle and final acceptance of a teaching so foreign to him. The reader is left pondering the legacy that Winnetou wished to bestow upon his brethren, both red and white. What might that last testament have said and what hope was torn asunder and cast into the wind? As the last remnants of this lost document molder out there on the once great plains, we are asked to recognize ourselves. Are we like Santer or like Winnetou? Do we love our fellow man or only ourselves?

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During the course of the German Russian occupation of Paris 1814, a young Prussian lieutenant, Hugo von Löwenklau comes to the rescue of a young Parisian woman, Margot Richmonte. He becomes engaged with her calculating and oppotunistic stepbrother, Captain Richmonte. The captain is determined in marriyng her off to his aquantance, a rich Baron, all in an effort to extricate himself from his mounting gambling debts.
The Baron and the Captain are not about to let Löwenklau whisk the young Mademoiselle away. They will stop at nothing to rid themselves of the young officer, even murder. They concoct a daring plot which put Löwenklau into contention with the famous Corsican Napoleon Bonaparte.
Faced with the viles of the relentless Captain and pursued by a spurned Emporer, Löwenklau has to rely on his wits to stay alive - and keep Margot out of the clutches of the two villains. Overwhelmed and outnumbered, Hugo struggles to stay ahead of them while maintaining his honor and integrity.

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Karl May wroteWinnetou IV—his last Winnetou book—in 1909-1910 under the influence of his American journey in 1908. May and his wife Klara arrived by ship in New York, where they saw the Statue of Liberty, visited the Museum of Natural History and other places of interest. They continued their journey by boat up the Hudson River to Albany and further to Buffalo by railroad. In Buffalo Klara took a photo of Karl May next to the statue of the Indian chief Sa-go-ye-wat-ha.
From Buffalo they traveled to Niagara Falls, where they checked into the Clifton Hotel, which was on the Canadian side of the border. Karl May’s description of the Clifton and the breakfast there is a true and unique record he penned of his journey. The Clifton Hotel was where Karl May met with the fictional brothers, Harriman and Sebulon Enters, characters of his story.
The close-by Tuscarora Indian Reservation was visited and another photo of Karl May with a member of the tribe posing at a wigwam was taken by Klara. From Niagara Falls the Mays traveled to Lawrence, Massachusetts, to visit an old school mate of Karl’s. The scenery around Lake Kanubi, the Rock, and the Devil’s Pulpit provided May with an authentic background for scenes in his novel. Lawrence Council members organized a lecture by Karl May, which appeared in the local Evening Tribune:
"World-renowned writer claims that the United States must become the great World power, which God and nature has destined it to be."

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In this second book of the Satan and Iscariot trilogy, the story begun in The Rock Castle continues. Winnetou and Old Shatterhand try to find out what has happened to the missing German immigrants and, at the same time, pursue the criminal mastermind Harry Melton and his cohorts. The trail leads into the middle of the Sierra Madre mountains , as they try to find the Rock Castle and discover its secrets. Finally justice prevails, only to be blinded once again by Melton’s friends and family, and this takes Winnetou and Old Shatterhand through the San Francisco of the 1880’s and on to Germany. Finally they find themselves in various precarious situations in the deserts of Tunisia, in pursuit of the Swindler of the Miilions, a pursuit that will culminate in the final book of Satan and Iscariot, to be published in 2009.

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"Now revenge drives me away from you," Winnetou had said, "but affection will bring us together again."
But would it? Would Winnetou succeed in finding Santer and avenging the murders of his father Intshu–tshuna and his beautiful sister Nsho–tshi? Would the two blood brothers ever meet again in that vast, raw land?
It seemed an outside chance at best and now Old Shatterhand, on his way to his homeland to visit his parents was shipwrecked in a violent hurricane on the jagged rocks just off Fort Jefferson leaving him with nothing but his life. This now was all but impossible.
Not wanting to be a burden to his friends back in St. Louis, Old Shatterhand opted to make his own fresh start, to get back on his feet. Where better than in New York, to where the people of Fort Jefferson had arranged free passage for him?
The book bristles with action and hair-raising adventure from a death-defying rescue through the flames of an oil fire in the New Venango oil fields to the Comanche slaughter at the hands of the Apache under the mighty Winnetou, finally standing shoulder to shoulder with the giant, Old Firehand against the white chief Parranoh and his Ponca tribe.
The tables are turned on Old Shatterhand and Winnetou when the trader to whom they are seeking to sell Old Firehand’s furs, turns out to be none other than the evil and elusive Santer.
Karl May has once again produced a blockbuster of an adventure tale to inspire people both young and old in a manner only a master storyteller can.

Also Available - Winnetou I

New!

A solo-trip in 1889 took Karl May via the Near Orient and Ceylon all the way to Sumatra, Indonesia. On his return, he met his first wife and a couple of friends, in Egypt to travel there. Only towards the end of his life did he manage to visit the eastern part of the United States.
But in his imagination, in his mind’s eye, this prolific writer roamed the globe! Except for Greenland, Australia and Antarctica, his many novels and short stories take place on every continent. He researched the locations very well, where his heroes and characters, his alter egos, Old Shatterhand and Kara Ben Nemsi, and his friends, Winnetou and Hadshi Halef Omar, as well as many others, some named, some unnamed, performed their various deeds. For this, he relied on travelogues and the research of people who had visited the respective areas.
Some of these characters, Old Shatterhand and Winnetou, and locales, like the Wild West, North & Northeast Africa, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, are featured in this collection of fifteen short stories. Even the prototype of Winnetou, before he was called by this name, will be found here by the name of Inn-nu-woh.

New!

Agnes’ fate is far from unique in human history. What makes it meaningful to record is the time - the twentieth century; the place - central Europe; and the until then held opinion, considering Europe to be part of the civilized world.
Changes which Agnes saw in her life do not repeat often during one generation. Her early life was still spent in the Old Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, she experienced World War One, saw a new state of Czechoslovakia coming into existence, its consequent destruction by the Nazis, lived through World War Two, followed by capture of power by communists with resulting Stalin’s tyranny.
Whilst life stories of prominent and important people, dictators and common criminals, are being published in the thousands, we rarely read what happens to ordinary men and women in the course of their lives. Agnes was one of them. Her life was derailed from normality by political events around her, and by abandonment by her husband.
Agnes often compared herself to Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, who waited faithfully for her long-lost husband. When Odysseus returned home, he stayed with his long suffering wife. When Agnes’ husband returned home after more years than Odysseus had been away, he discarded Agnes. Yet Agnes never gave up her moral principles, her belief there is goodness in people, never did any harm to others, helped them whenever it was in her power. Such people are rare, and mostly remain unknown to the rest of us.
Human feelings have not changed since the times of ancient Greeks. Despite of all the painful experience, Penelope, at the dawn of recorded history, and Agnes, living in our times, had the same feeling towards another human being. Perhaps there is hope for us still left.
The image of the Miramar Castle Agnes visited in her youth, stayed with her for the rest of her life. It represented in her mind the nicer side of life, life she has not been privileged to experience.

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Fat Jemmy and Long Davy come across the young Indian Wohkadeh. He is on a mission to report to Martin, the Son of the Bear Hunter, that his father has been captured by a Sioux band. He and his are to be sacrificed at the stake in a valley at Yellowstone, where Old Shatterhand once killed three Sioux in duels. Jemmy and Davy, together with Martin, Hobble-Frank, the Bear Hunters assistant, and his servant Bob set out to liberate the Bear Hunter. On route they meet Old Shatterhand and Winnetou who join in their venture. Subsequently, the group fights a band of Shoshone and Upsaroca, but turns them into friends and allies. After much strife, the capture of the five original friends, and a vivid description of the wonders of Yellowstone, everyone is freed at Yellowstone and even the defeated Sioux are turned into friends.

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Old Surehand is the name given to one of Karl May's foremost Wild West heroes. In these pages you discover the dramatic tale of his life, which drove him restlessly across the prairie. His encounter with Indian tribes on the warpath and his trek across the arid reaches of the Llano Estacado keep the reader spellbound. Here too is a lesson for our own tumultuous time. One can avoid conflict with the truth. Read how Old Surehand with the help of Winnetou and Old Shatterhand struggle against the evil intentions of the 'General'

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'Along Unfamiliar Trails' follows our entrepid narrator around the world. Within these pages we are transported to reindeer tents of Lappland, the camps of the Kurds in the trackless mountains of the Ottoman Empire. We stumble across the sands of the Sahara and rest in the Beduin camps before exploring the Wild West of the American Indians. In all of these wild and wonderful places, loyal friends such as Winnetou and Hajji Halef Omar, are always at his side. Journey now through these nine short stories of adventure.

Saiva tyalem
Die Boer van hat Roer
Er Raml el Helahk
Blood Feud
The Kutb
The Kys-Kaptchiji
Mary or Fatima
God will not be mocked
A Blizzard

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Mr. Michalak continues his epic translation work assuring that Karl May’s humanitarian legacy will be available to an English speaking world.
Karl May’s Autobiography is a tale of anguish and horror and is an indictment of man’s inhumanity to man. It is also a journey from the morasses of the deepest and darkest Ardistan up towards the bright and shining Jinnistan, where the souls of the noble spirited people abide.
We have a long way to go before we reach that place of sublime bliss where a being is his neighbor’s angel. We are mired in this swamp of hate, this hell of our own creation for no other reason than our fear of the Forest of Kulub and the terrible 'Spirit Forge' that lies within.
Two thousand years ago, one man dared to enter it. He died brutally, nailed to a cross for the sins of all mankind. Whilst Karl May is not a Saint, he did have the right idea. He recognized our inhumanity and he strove to give us a second warning. Here in these pages, he explains his life and his self imposed mission.

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One blow to the temple with his fist brought Rattler to the ground unconscious, and earned him the name, ‘Old Shatterhand’. The name stuck. From that day on he was Old Shatterhand to all but the wily frontiersman Sam Hawkens, his friend and mentor who just couldn’t bear to give up calling him a Greenhorn.
Fate took the young immigrant teacher from a comfortable tutoring position in St. Louis to a survey job for the railroad between the Rio Pecos and Canadian Rivers in New Mexico. It was there that the inborn instincts of a true frontiersman could harness his mighty physical strength, his unerring marksmanship, and total fearlessness in the face of danger or even imminent death.
Facing down a charging bull buffalo with only a pair of pistols, or tangling with a mighty grizzly with his Bowie knife was one thing. But fulfilling Klekih – petra’s dying request to befriend and watch over Winnetou was quite another. They were surveying on Apache territory without permission, and now that a drunken Rattler had senselessly shot the ‘White Father’ and teacher of the Apache nation, they were mortal enemies.
Both men admitted later on that the first look into one another’s eyes had stirred a sense of admiration. Now it seemed all but hopeless. But to Old Shatterhand, a promise made is a promise kept. He would not give up until it was done, no matter what the cost.
Hair-raising adventure spiced with the acid humor of the wry Sam Hawkens leaves room for the high moral values of both Winnetou and Old Shatterhand in the fight of good against evil, and a life-long blood brotherhood between the two men.

Many readers of Karl May are likely not aware that he also wrote quite a number of poems, most of which have been collected under the title Himmelsgedanken, Thoughts of Heaven. The majority of these poems are of an ethical-religious nature. It is peculiar that I, an agnostic leaning to the atheist side, became very much intrigued by May’s thoughts to, little by little, and finally in a major push decided to translate them in their totality, if not for their content, then for their historical value. It is my position to respect others’ belief or non-belief systems, as long as they conform to the quote at the end of this foreword. While I wish Karl May’s poems would have been more often of a ‘lighter’, less dark nature, his ethics, which suffuse all of his writings, are nothing to be critical about, and are ever so much attributable to the conditions of our times, a hundred years hence. In this context, may I cite an American writer, this one of Science Fiction, Robert Heinlein, whose quote I slightly modified: “... if you lived long enough, you could love all those who are decent and just.”

The “Rock Castle” is a story of the northern Mexico territory of the Wild West and incorporates the lives of German immigrants, Mormon settlers and native Indians, in a story of betrayal, greed and ultimate justice. The heroes, Old Shatterhand and Winnetou, the Apache chief, intertwine their strong morality and bravery, with the plottings and killings of renegade Indians and ruthless religious zealots trying to take possession of land and a mercury mine in the mountains of Northern Mexico. Plot after plot is brought to nothing, by the courageous frontiersmen who pursued the criminal masterminds and brought them to justice.