The Lost World (Doyle novel)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stood before the Royal Geographical Society on the 13th of February 1911. He listened intently as his friend Percy Harrison Fawcett spoke about a dangerous region in Bolivia known as the Huanchaca Plateau. Fawcett described impenetrable forests and monstrous tracks of unknown origin that had been seen by explorers. The idea for a novel on Central South America took root immediately after this lecture. Doyle asked for information to help him develop his story, which he would later call The Lost World.
Doyle drew heavily from factual sources like zoologist Ray Lankester's book Extinct Animals. He also looked at accounts from earlier fictional works such as Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. British adventure fantasies like Haggard's King Solomon's Mines provided further inspiration for finding lost kingdoms. The public success of the novel was boosted by the popularity of the silent motion picture version released in 1925. This film helped extend the term "lost world" to an entire subgenre of science fiction.
The Strand Magazine published The Lost World in serial form during the months of April through November 1912. New-Zealand-born artist Harry Rountree created illustrations for these monthly installments. Magazines in the United States ran the serialization from March to November 1912. Hodder & Stoughton published the first book edition in Great Britain in October 1912. Printings followed in the United States and Canada shortly thereafter.
Doyle explained to his editor Herbert Greenhough Smith that his ambition was to do for the boys' book what Sherlock Holmes did for the detective story. He cast the novel in the mode of popular 19th century boy's adventure stories written by Robert Louis Stevenson and H. Rider Haggard. The work appeared to appeal to adults as well, as declared in his opening epigraph. A Foreword announced withdrawal of a supposed injunction and libel suit against publication of the book by Professor Challenger. The novel has never been out of print since its initial release.
Edward Malone, a young reporter for the Daily Gazette, asked his editor for a dangerous assignment to impress Gladys Hungerton. His task involved approaching the notorious Professor Challenger who physically assaulted intrusive journalists. Malone masqueraded as an earnest student to gain entry into the professor's study. He found himself thrown out onto the street after Challenger discovered his scientific knowledge was non-existent. However, Malone earned respect by refusing to press charges with a policeman who witnessed the ejection.
Challenger revealed he had discovered living dinosaurs in South America following up on an expedition by the now-deceased American explorer named Maple White. Malone volunteered for an expedition to verify these discoveries alongside Professor Summerlee and Lord John Roxton. The group ran the gauntlet of hostile tribes before reaching the lost world with aid from indigenous guides. They found a former route up blocked by a rock slide and human bones identified as James Colver at the base of the cliff. A tall tree on an adjacent pinnacle allowed them to cross over to the plateau but they were trapped when their hired porter Gomez dropped it off the edge.
The explorers investigated wonders of the lost world and found a herd of Iguanodons in a glade. These large plant-eating dinosaurs looked like monstrous kangaroos twenty feet in length with skins like black crocodiles. They narrowly escaped an attack from pterodactyls after coming upon a rookery around a swampy pit in a former volcanic blow-hole. At night a ferocious theropod tried to break through the protective fence of thorn bushes built around their camp. Roxton averted disaster by dashing at it and thrusting a blazing torch at its face.
Malone studied fauna near the central lake including Glyptodons, Irish elks, and a Stegosaurus. He barely escaped the Megalosaurus and fell into a deep pit dug to trap animals while running in the dark. The group encountered more local fauna including a Phorusrhacos, a Toxodon, an Ichthyosaurus, and a Plesiosaurus. The Phorusrhacos was a giant flightless predatory bird that chased and attacked Challenger before being killed by Lord Roxton who took the skull as a trophy. A giant ten-foot guinea pig known as a Toxodon also appeared among the creatures.
Roxton arrived after escaping the race of ape-men that captured the party on the night Malone visited the central lake. While in captivity they discovered that a tribe of indigenous people inhabited the other side of the plateau. These ape-men were anthropoid apes covered in reddish hair described as an advance upon the pithecanthropus of Java. They hurled Indians off the cliff to the delight of the hairy creatures during attacks on the village.
Professor Challenger enjoyed special status as a captive because of his physical resemblance to the king of the ape-men. He tried in vain to save Summerlee from a similar death while Lord Roxton shot the king dead at the start of the rescue attack. The explorers used their firepower to defeat the ape-men slaughtering all adult males with most driven off the cliff. One saved Indian was a young prince of the tribe who later helped them escape by providing a crude map of caves near the hillside. The tribe wished to keep the explorers on the plateau due to the power of their guns but the group managed to descend on a rope and return to civilization.
The public success of The Lost World led to the term lost world being extended to an entire subgenre of adventure fantasy and science fiction works. Michael Crichton reused the title for his 1995 novel which served as a sequel to Jurassic Park. Greg Bear's 1998 novel Dinosaur Summer set the story in an alternate history year 1947. In this context The Lost World was treated as a nonfiction work published by Doyle as recounted to him by Professor Challenger.
Doyle attended Fawcett's lecture to the Royal Geographical Society on the 13th of February 1911 and was impressed by tales about remote provinces. A 1996 Science Fiction Studies review suggested another inspiration may have been the 1890s contested political history of the Pacaraima Mountains plateaux. The novel is widely considered one of Conan Doyle's best for its exciting narrative and imaginative setting. It has never been out of print since its initial release in 1912.
Film adaptations include The Lost World released in 1925 followed by versions in 1960, 1992, 1998, and 2005. Television productions spanned from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World series running between 1999 and 2002. Direct-to-video films included Return to the Lost World in 1992 and King of the Lost World in 2005. Animated features such as Dinosaur Island appeared in 2002 alongside Adventures in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.
Audio adaptations began with a radio version in 1944 narrated by John Dickson Carr featuring all characters. Another audio dramatic version recorded by MGM/Leo the Lion Records in 1966 starred Basil Rathbone as Professor Challenger. BBC Radio 4 produced Classic Serials in both 1975 and 2011 with different casts including David Robb and Jamie Glover. Documentary content like The Real Lost World emerged in 2006 exploring the real-world connections to the story.
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Common questions
When did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle attend the lecture that inspired The Lost World?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle attended the lecture on the 13th of February 1911. He listened to Percy Harrison Fawcett speak about a dangerous region in Bolivia known as the Huanchaca Plateau.
Who wrote the book Extinct Animals used by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for research?
Zoologist Ray Lankester wrote the factual source book Extinct Animals. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle drew heavily from this work while developing his story.
What month and year did The Strand Magazine publish The Lost World serially?
The Strand Magazine published The Lost World in serial form during the months of April through November 1912. Magazines in the United States ran the serialization from March to November 1912.
Which character in The Lost World is described as having black crocodile skin?
A herd of Iguanodons found in the glade had skins like black crocodiles. These large plant-eating dinosaurs looked like monstrous kangaroos twenty feet in length.
How many film adaptations of The Lost World were released between 1960 and 2005?
Film adaptations include versions released in 1960, 1992, 1998, and 2005 following the original 1925 release. Direct-to-video films included Return to the Lost World in 1992 and King of the Lost World in 2005.