''Heart of the World'' is an 1895 book by

H. Rider Haggard Sir Henry Rider Haggard (; 22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. He was also involved in land reform ...

about a lost

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

city in Mexico. Its importance in the history of fantasy literature was recognized by its republication by the

Newcastle Publishing Company The Newcastle Publishing Company was a Southern California-based small trade paperback publisher founded by bookstore owner Al Saunders, active from July 1971 through October 1992, under the editorial direction of Robert Reginald and Douglas Menv ...

as the tenth volume of the

Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library The Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library was a series of trade paperback books published in the United States by the Newcastle Publishing Company between 1973 and 1980. Presumably under the inspiration of the earlier example set by the Ballantine A ...

in September, 1976.

Reception

In his study of early science fiction,

E. F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" s ...

described ''Heart of the World'' as "rich in detail, ingenious and well plotted, but weak in characterization at times. Bleiler also wrote that the novel's "moral message" and its "sense of tragedy" were both "powerfully conveyed".

References

External links

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Images and bibliographic information for various editions
of ''Heart of the World'' at SouthAfricaBooks.com Novels by H. Rider Haggard 1895 British novels 1895 fantasy novels British adventure novels British fantasy novels Novels set in Mexico {{1890s-adventure-novel-stub