The Lost World (Doyle novel)

The Lost World is an adventure and science fiction novel by British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle recounting an expedition to a remote plateau in the Amazon basin of South America where dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals still survive, along with a tribe of vicious ape-like creatures that are in conflict with a group of indigenous Indians. The work introduces the character of Professor Challenger, who leads the expedition (and who would appear in later Conan Doyle stories), and is narrated in the first person by the journalist member (Edward Malone) of the exploration party. The Lost World appeared in serial form in the Strand Magazine, illustrated by New-Zealand-born artist Harry Rountree, during the months of April through November 1912 and also was serialized in magazines in the United States from March to November 1912. Hodder & Stoughton published the first book edition in October 1912 in Great Britain (London), with printings as well in the United States (New York) and in Canada (Toronto).

When he was working on The Lost World, Doyle explained to his editor Herbert Greenhough Smith: "My ambition is to do for the boys' book what Sherlock Holmes did for the detective story". Doyle cast the novel in the mode of the popular 19th century "boy’s adventure story" genre of Robert Louis Stevenson and H. Rider Haggard, but written to appeal to adults as well, as declared in his opening epigraph:

 
I have wrought my simple plan
If I give one hour of joy
To the boy who’s half a man,
Or the man who’s half a boy.

In developing the novel, Doyle drew on factual sources such as zoologist Ray Lankester's book Extinct Animals and the accounts of explorers, most notably his friend Percy Fawcett. He also took direct inspiration from earlier fictional works by Jules Verne (in particular, Journey to the Center of the Earth, in which humans encounter prehistoric creatures living deep inside the planet), and British adventure fantasies about finding lost kingdoms and mysterious ancient civilizations in faraway locations such as Haggard's King Solomon's Mines and She: A History of Adventure. Adding to the mix, Doyle skillfully integrated humor into the story, satirizing, among other things, academic rivalries and sensational journalism—including a Foreword announcing withdrawal of a supposed injunction and libel suit against publication of the book by Professor Challenger.

The public success of The Lost World (which was translated into multiple languages soon after), boosted by the popularity of the silent motion picture version from 1925, led to the term "lost world" being extended to an entire subgenre of earlier and later adventure, fantasy, and science fiction works set in distant or hidden locations where ancient creatures, races, or civilizations continue to exist in modern times. The Lost World is widely considered one of Conan Doyle’s best novels for its exciting narrative, imaginative setting, and vivid characters, setting a standard for similar later adventure stories. It has never been out of print.