''The Lost World'' is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel by British writer Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

, published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1912, concerning an expedition to a plateau in the

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

of South America where

prehistoric animals The following are lists of prehistoric animals: By type Land and avian animals *List of prehistoric amphibian genera *List of prehistoric insects *List of prehistoric mammals *List of fossil bird genera * List of crurotarsan genera Pterosaurs * ...

still survive. It was originally published serially in the ''

Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

'' and illustrated by New Zealand–born artist

Harry Rountree Harry Rountree (26 January 1878''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 26 September 1950) was a prolific illustrator working in England around the turn of the 20th century. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, he moved to London in 1901, when he was 23 ...

during the months of April–November 1912. The character of

Professor Challenger George Edward Challenger is a fictional character in a series of fantasy and science fiction stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Unlike Conan Doyle's self-controlled, analytical character, Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger is an aggressive, ...

was introduced in this book. The novel also describes a war between

indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

and a vicious tribe of ape-like creatures.

Plot summary

Edward Malone, a young reporter for the ''Daily Gazette'', asks his editor for a dangerous assignment to impress the woman he loves, Gladys, who wishes for a great man capable of brave deeds and actions. His task is to approach the notorious Professor Challenger, who dislikes the popular press intensely and physically assaults intrusive journalists. The subject is to be his recent South American expedition which, surrounded by controversy, guarantees a hostile reaction. As a direct approach would be instantly rebuffed, Malone instead masquerades as an earnest student. On meeting the professor he is startled by his intimidating physique, but believes his ruse is succeeding. Seeing through the masquerade, then confirming Malone's scientific knowledge is non-existent, Challenger erupts in anger and forcibly throws him out. Malone earns his respect by refusing to press charges with a policeman who saw his violent ejection into the street. Challenger ushers him back inside and, extracting promises of confidentiality, eventually reveals he has discovered living dinosaurs in South America, following up an expedition by a now-deceased previous American explorer named Maple White. At a tumultuous public meeting in which Challenger experiences further ridicule (most notably from a professional rival, Professor Summerlee), Malone volunteers for an expedition to verify the discoveries. His companions are to be Professor Summerlee, and Lord John Roxton, an adventurer who helped end slavery on the Amazon; the notches on his rifle showing how many slavers he killed doing so. Running the gauntlet of hostile tribes, the expedition finally reaches the lost world with the aid of Indian guides, who are superstitiously scared of the area. Summerlee retains his scepticism, despite being delighted at making other scientific discoveries in the fields of

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and

entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

: even a glimpse of a pterodactyl at a distance fails to convince him, because he believes it is some species of

stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...

. The sharper-eyed Roxton is inclined to agree it is not a stork but has no clue what it really is, until a night-time encounter when it flies down and is seen by all at close range, as it steals the companions' dinner. After this, Summerlee apologises to Challenger. The cliffs to the plateau itself prove to be apparently unscalable, but an adjacent pinnacle turns out to be climbable, and moreover, has a tall tree which can be cut down and used as a bridge, which allows the four explorers to cross to the plateau. However, they are almost immediately trapped on it, thanks to the treachery of one of their luggage-porters, Gomez: who, as it turns out, is a former slaver whose brother had previously been killed by Roxton during his anti-slavery activities. Gomez takes his revenge by dropping the tree off the cliff, stranding the explorers on the plateau. Roxton shoots Gomez and they hear the scream and then the thud of the falling body. The other half-breed is subsequently killed by another porter, a black ex-slave named Zambo, who remains loyal to the party: but the latter is unable to do much more to help, other than send some of the company's supplies over by rope. Whilst investigating the wonders of the lost world, discovering many plants and creatures thought to be extinct, they narrowly escape an attack from pterodactyls. Although barely escaping with their lives, Roxton takes great interest in nearby blue clay deposits. At night a ferocious carnivorous dinosaur is about to break through the thorn bushes surrounding their camp; Roxton averts disaster by bravely dashing at it, thrusting a blazing torch at its face to scare it away. Later, all except Malone are captured by a race of ape-men. Whilst in captivity they discover that a tribe of natives, with whom the ape-men are at war, inhabit the other side of the plateau. Roxton escapes and together with Malone mounts a rescue, preventing many unpleasant deaths, including a young native who is a prince of his tribe. The rescued natives take the party to their village, then with the help of their firepower return to defeat the ape-men. After witnessing the power of their guns, the tribe wish to keep them on the plateau but, helped by the young prince they saved, they eventually discover a tunnel leading back to the outside world. During their time with the tribe, Roxton plans how to capture a pterodactyl chick, and succeeds in doing so. Upon return to England, despite full reports from Malone many detractors continue to dismiss the expedition's account, much as they had Challenger's original story – although Summerlee, having been on the expedition, has now switched sides and is supporting Challenger. Anticipating this, at a public meeting at Queen's Hall Challenger produces the young pterodactyl as proof, transfixing the audience and leaving them in no doubt of the truth. The explorers are instantly feted as heroes, and on a wave of adulation find themselves carried shoulder-high from the hall by cheering crowds. The pterodactyl, in the confusion, makes its escape and is witnessed several times at different locations around London, causing consternation wherever it goes, but is last seen heading off to the southwest in the probable direction of its home. At a private celebratory dinner, Roxton reveals to the others that the blue clay contained

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

s. He had been tipped off to the possibility, by the recollection of a similar feature in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, and managed to extract about £200,000 worth (£23 million in 2021), which is to be split between them. Challenger plans to open a private museum with his share. Summerlee plans to retire and categorise fossils. Malone returns to his love, Gladys, hoping she will recognise his achievements. Instead, he finds she has now changed her mind and married a very ordinary man instead, an insignificant clerk. Astonished at this turn of events, and with nothing to keep him in London, he decides to accompany Roxton back to the lost world.

Characters

* Professor George Edward Challenger, a zoologist *Edward D. Malone, a reporter *McArdle, Malone's editor at the ''Daily Gazette'' *Professor Summerlee, a scientist *

Lord John Roxton Lord John Roxton (a fictional title derived from the English parish of Roxton, Bedfordshire) is a supporting character in the Professor Challenger series of stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. He makes his initial appearance in the first entry of this se ...

, an adventurer *Gomez, brother to an enslaver whom Roxton killed *Manuel, Gomez's friend *Zambo, South American friend to the traveler *Gladys Hungerton, Edward Malone's love interest *Jessie Challenger, Challenger's wife *Maple White, a deceased explorer who discovered the lost world *The Accala Indians, the natives of the lost world

Bestiary

Non-avian dinosaurs

*'' Iguanodon'' *'' Allosaurus'' *'' Stegosaurus'' *'' Megalosaurus''

Other extinct reptiles

*'' Pterodactylus'' *'' Plesiosaurus'' *'' Ichthyosaurus''

Other prehistoric animals included

*''

Megaloceros ''Megaloceros'' (from Greek: + , literally "Great Horn"; see also Lister (1987)) is an extinct genus of deer whose members lived throughout Eurasia from the early Pleistocene to the beginning of the Holocene and were important herbivores durin ...

'' *'' Glyptodon'' *'' Phorusrhacos'' *'' Pithecanthropus'' *''

Toxodon ''Toxodon'' (meaning "bow tooth" in reference to the curvature of the teeth) is an extinct genus of South American mammals from the Late Miocene to early Holocene epochs (Mayoan to Lujanian in the SALMA classification) (about 11.6 million to 11 ...

Other creatures on the Plateau

*Ixodes maloni, a species of blood-sucking tick; named after Malone, the first to be bitten by one *Moths; some large specimens were seen flying around the expedition's campfire. *A 50-foot-long black snake was seen by the expedition.

Creatures outside the Plateau

Jararaca Jararaca may refer to: * ''Bothrops jararaca'', a venomous pit viper found in South America * ''Bothrops neuwiedi'', known as ''jararaca pintada'', a venomous pit viper found in South America * Jararaca (actor), a Brazilian actor * EE-3 Jararaca ...

Agouti The agouti (, ) or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus ''Dasyprocta''. They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced else ...

Tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhabit ...

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

References in other works

The idea of prehistoric animals surviving into the present day was not new, but had already been introduced by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

in '' Journey to the Center of the Earth''. In Jules Verne's book, published in 1864, the creatures live under the earth in and around a subterranean sea. In 1915, the Russian scientist

Vladimir Obruchev Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev (russian: Влади́мир Афана́сьевич О́бручев; , Klepenino near Rzhev, Tver Oblast, Russian Empire – June 19, 1956, Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Моск� ...

produced his own version of the "lost world" theme in the novel '' Plutonia'', which places the prehistoric species in a fictional space inside the

hollow Earth The Hollow Earth is a concept proposing that the planet Earth is entirely hollow or contains a substantial interior space. Notably suggested by Edmond Halley in the late 17th century, the notion was disproven, first tentatively by Pierre Bougue ...

connected to the surface via an opening in the Russian far north. In 1916, Edgar Rice Burroughs published '' The Land That Time Forgot''. His "lost world" was discovered by German submariners in Antarctica. In addition to lending its title to this subgenre, the title of Doyle's work was reused by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

in his 1995 novel ''

The Lost World The lost world is a subgenre of the fantasy or science fiction genres that involves the discovery of an unknown Earth civilization. It began as a subgenre of the late- Victorian adventure romance and remains popular into the 21st century. The g ...

'', a sequel to ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...

'', and its film adaptation, '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park''. Two of the characters in Crichton's novel mention a palaeontologist called John Roxton.

References to actual history, geography and current science

The characters of Ed Malone and Lord John Roxton were modelled, respectively, on the journalist

E. D. Morel Edmund Dene Morel (born Georges Edmond Pierre Achille Morel Deville; 10 July 1873 – 12 November 1924) was a French-born British journalist, author, pacifist and politician. As a young official at the shipping company Elder Dempster, Morel ob ...

and the diplomat

Roger Casement Roger David Casement ( ga, Ruairí Dáithí Mac Easmainn; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during Worl ...

, leaders of the

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leopo ...

reform campaign (the Congo Reform Association), which Doyle supported. In 1911, just when Doyle was writing the book, Casement made a second such anti-slavery reform campaign in the Amazonian part of Peru. The setting for ''The Lost World'' is believed to have been inspired by reports of Doyle's good friend

Percy Harrison Fawcett Percy Harrison Fawcett (18 August 1867 during or after 1925) was a British geographer, artillery officer, cartographer, archaeologist, and explorer of South America. Fawcett disappeared in 1925 (along with his eldest son, Jack, and one of ...

's expedition to Huanchaca Plateau in

Noel Kempff Mercado National Park Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is a national park in northeast Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz Department, Province of José Miguel de Velasco, Bolivia, on the border with Brazil. Description Noel Kempff Mercado National Park cover ...

, Bolivia. Fawcett organised several expeditions to delimit the border between Bolivia and Brazil – an area of potential conflict between both countries. Doyle attended Fawcett's lecture to the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

on 13 February 1911 and was impressed by the tale about the remote "province of Caupolican" (present day Huanchaca Plateau) in Bolivia – a dangerous area with impenetrable forests, where Fawcett saw "monstrous tracks of unknown origin". Fawcett wrote in his posthumously published memoirs: "Monsters from the dawn of Man's existence might still roam these heights unchallenged, imprisoned and protected by unscalable cliffs. So thought Conan Doyle when later in London I spoke of these hills and showed photographs of them. He mentioned an idea for a novel on Central South America and asked for information, which I told him I should be glad to supply. The fruit of it was his ''Lost World'' in 1912, appearing as a serial in the ''Strand Magazine'', and subsequently in the form of a book that achieved widespread popularity." A 1996 '' Science Fiction Studies'' review of an annotated edition of the novel suggested that another inspiration for the story may have been the 1890s contested political history of the

Pacaraima Mountains The Pacaraima or Pakaraima Mountains ( pt, Serra de Pacaraima, es, Sierra de Pacaraima) are a mountain range primarily in southwestern Guyana, and into northern Brazil and eastern Venezuela. Geography The range extends from west to east for over ...

plateaux, and

Mount Roraima Mount Roraima ( es, Monte Roraima; Tepuy Roraima; Cerro Roraima pt, Monte Roraima ) is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepuis (table-top mountain) or plateaux in South America. It is located at the junction of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. ...

in particular. The dinosaur that attacks the camp during the night is vividly described ("In the deep shadow of the tree ... a crouching form full of savage vigour and menace. It was no higher than a horse, but the dim outline suggested vast bulk and strength"). Identified as an '' Allosaurus,'' in real life it would have been more fearsome still, though the book also allowed the possibility of it being '' Megalosaurus'' or a juvenile ''Allosaurus'', which would be closer to the description mentioned earlier. The novel also details a brief encounter with a giant snake, estimated by Challenger to have been over 15 meters (50 feet) long. Though not based on any known snake at the time, its inclusion likely came from reports by Fawcett. In 1907, Fawcett claimed to have witnessed and killed a giant

anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to re ...

of a similar size, though his report was unverified. Fossils of an actual giant snake approaching 12 meters (40 feet) in length,

Titanoboa ''Titanoboa'' (; ) is an extinct genus of very large snakes that lived in what is now La Guajira in northeastern Colombia. They could grow up to , perhaps even long and reach a body mass of . This snake lived during the Middle to Late Paleoc ...

, would be discovered and classified decades later.

Film, television and radio adaptations

Film

Theatrical Films: *''

'' (1925; film) *''

'' (1960; film) Direct-to-Video films: *''

'' (1992; film) **''

Return to the Lost World ''Return to the Lost World'' is a 1992 film directed by Timothy Bond and starring John Rhys-Davies, Eric McCormack, David Warner, Nathania Stanford, Darren Peter Mercer, and Tamara Gorski. It is a sequel to the film ''The Lost World'', which was re ...

'' (1992; sequel film) *''

'' (1998; film) * '' Dinosaur Island'' (2002) *''

King of the Lost World ''King of the Lost World'' is a 2005 American fantasy monster adventure film produced by The Asylum. The film is adapted loosely from the 1912 novel ''The Lost World'' by Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, but the film bears a clos ...

'' (2005)

Television

*'' Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World'' (1999–2002; TV series) *''The Lost World'' (2002) (Canadian-French animated series) *''

'' (2001; television film)

Documentary

*''The Real Lost World'' (2006)

Audio

*''The Lost World'' (1944; radio) **John Dickson Carr as Narrator (all characters) *''The Lost World'' (1949; BBC Light Programme radio serial)Bickerton, Roger
"Radio Plays 1945–1997: Serials"
Diversity Website. Retrieved 22 May 2021. **With Abraham Sofaer, Ivor Barnard, Lewis Stringer, Cyril Gardiner *''Dinosaurs!'' (1966, an audio dramatic version of ''The Lost World'' adapted and directed by Ronald Liss and recorded by permission of the Estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; MGM/Leo the Lion Records C/CH-1016) **

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

** Leo Marion as Dr. Summerlee ** Peter Fernandez as Edward Malone ***(The character of Lord John Roxton was not included in this adaptation.) *''The Lost World'' (1975

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

Classic Serial ''Classic Serial'' was a strand on BBC Radio 4, which broadcasts in series of one-hour dramas, "Adaptations of works which have achieved classic status." It is broadcast twice weekly, first from 3:00–4:00 pm on Sunday, then repeated from 9:00– ...

) ** Francis de Wolff as

Gerald Harper Gerald Harper (born 15 February 1931) is an English actor, best known for his work on television, having played the title roles in ''Adam Adamant Lives!'' (1966–67) and '' Hadleigh'' (1969–76). He then returned to his main love, the theatre. ...

**Kevin McHugh as Edward Malone ** Carleton Hobbs as Professor Summerlee *''The Lost World'' (2011;

) ** David Robb as

Jamie Glover Jamie Blair Glover (born 10 July 1969) is an English actor. He is best known for being cast as Harry Potter in the second cast of the West-End production of ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' in 2017. He portrayed Deputy Head Andrew Treneman ...

Jonathan Forbes Jonathan Forbes (born 4 December 1976 in Dublin) is an Irish actor. Early life Forbes was born in Dublin, Ireland on 4 December 1976. He attended Gonzaga College where he was in the same class as fellow actor Andrew Scott, before studying En ...

as Edward Malone ** Jasmine Hyde as Dr. Diana Summerlee (a female substitute for Professor Summerlee in the original novel) **Jane Whittenshaw as Edith Challenger **

Nyasha Hatendi Nyasha Hatendi (born 14 September 1981) is a Zimbabwean-British-American actor, director, writer and producer. Early life and education Hatendi was born on 14 September 1981 in Washington, D.C. Hatendi grew up in three countries: the United ...

as Maple White **Vinicius Salles as Querioz

References

External links

* * .
''The Lost World'' (1925)
available for free download from

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lost World, The 1912 British novels 1912 science fiction novels Novels about dinosaurs Living dinosaurs in fiction British science fiction novels Lost world novels British novels adapted into films Professor Challenger novels Novels set in South America Novels set in Bolivia Works originally published in The Strand Magazine Novels first published in serial form Hodder & Stoughton books