This work is available for countries where copyright is Life+70 and in the USA.
The Lost World is a novel released in 1912 by Arthur Conan Doyle concerning an expedition to a plateau in South America where prehistoric animals (dinosaurs and other extinct creatures) still survive. The character of Professor Challenger was introduced in this book. Interestingly, for a seminal work of dinosaur-related fiction, the animals only occupy a small portion of the narrative. Much more time is devoted to a war between early human hominids and a vicious tribe of ape-like creatures.
Language: English
Published in: 1912
Word count: 75,449 words (≈ about 5 hours)
Source: Wikisource
Copyright: This work is available for countries where copyright is Life+70 and in the USA.
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Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:10:56 +0100
THE LOST WORLD by SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE is an adventure of the first water, and as readable today as it was in 1912. The story was original serialized in STRAND magazine.
The main character, Edward Malone, is a young reporter who decides to seek out danger and adventure in order to impress his would-be fiancee. A "dangerous assignment" from his editor brings him into the company of the eccentric scientist Professor Challenger. Challenger's reputation is at risk with the Royal Society, because… (more)
THE LOST WORLD by SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE is an adventure of the first water, and as readable today as it was in 1912. The story was original serialized in STRAND magazine.
The main character, Edward Malone, is a young reporter who decides to seek out danger and adventure in order to impress his would-be fiancee. A "dangerous assignment" from his editor brings him into the company of the eccentric scientist Professor Challenger. Challenger's reputation is at risk with the Royal Society, because he claims to have found a lost world in South America ... a plateau populated with prehistoric beasts long thought to be extinct. To prove this assertion Challenger and Malone, accompanied by a big game hunter and a rival scientist, set out to explore the plateau and bring back samples.
As you probably know, The Lost World is the subject of one of the oldest surviving movies. This early special fx film is quite good and still bears watching. I used to watch it with my son, who is a fellow dinosaur enthusiast. It's a silent film, and few people today have the taste and tolerance to endure such, but I enjoy these mute artifacts of another time. The film was made in 1925. It was actually the very first film to be shown to passengers on an airplane. For many years it lay in clipped ruins in various vaults. Recently it has been restored as much as possible and is readily available on DVD.
The Lost World has also been filmed on other occasions, but the only one worth talking about is the AMC rendition from 2002. BOB HOSKINS and PETER FALK appear in this version, which has top notch special effects and is fairly faithful to the original. One change they made, which I like, is to include another young woman as a main character. This addition turns Malone's infatuation with "the girl back home" into a more interesting lover's triangle.
I should add here that both the BBC and ALIEN VOICES have made great radio dramas based on The Lost World. (The BBC did it twice.) The name of the production company, Alien Voices, refers to JOHN DE LANCIE and LEONARD NIMOY ('Q' and Spock of STAR TREK fame). Most of their shows are solid adaptations and enjoyable listens.
Other notable books in the lost world tradition include the pulps of EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, namely the PELLUCIDAR series beginning with AT THE EARTH'S CORE and his LAND THAT TIME FORGOT trilogy, along with MICHAEL CRICHTON's high tech JURASSIC PARK and its sequels.
Interesting Note: the plateau in the story was inspired by MOUNT RORAIMA in Venezuela.
(less)Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:57:09 +0100
Thanks Feedbooks because I am getting some great reads for my Sony EReader and I can try new (to me) authors without it costing me a fortune or frequent trips to the library. The service you provide is great.
Many thanks
Stan Gill