The Land That Time Forgot

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Book Overview

One of the most popular and influential science fiction tales of all time, The Land That Time Forgot was first published in book form in 1924. Set on the lost island of Caspak in the South Pacific, this novel is a dazzling blend of imagination, daring adventure, and intriguing scientific speculation. Hidden behind towering, impassable cliffs, Caspak will not easily give up its secrets. Unique and terrible animals and peoples inhabit the island. Dinosaurs...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803261543
• ISBN13: 9780803261549
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Bison Books
• Length: 434 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

ERB's definitive Lost World tale

In The Land That Time Forgot, Edgar Rice Burroughs provides the definitive Lost World tale. In the lost continent of Caspak, Burroughs provides holdovers from Earth's primal history together with a frightening vision of what may succeed us. By the time ERB wrote this, the world had been exposed to H Rider Haggard, Arthur Conan Doyle, and others who had shown us their visions of a lost world. Here, though, ERB gives us an interesting conceit tying all the denizens of Caspak together in a strange way. Terms like "batu," "cor-sva-jo," "cos-ata-lo," and "cos-ata-lu" are introduced bewilderingly to the reader, who then follows the breadcrumbs along with the heroes to see where they lead. The result is deeply intriguing, giving this tale an unusual twist I've never read in any other lost world tale, not even those of the wonderful A Merritt. Of course there are love stories, travails, and action aplenty as any Burroughs fan can expect also in this brilliant tale. Kudos to Bison Books for bringing us all the tales of Caspak together. This is one of ERB's finest works, and it is simply brilliant.

Cave dweller Review (Doug Kleist)

What a wonderful trip into the mind of the author. His imagination captured me from the start. Action, romance, adventure, strange creatures, it's all here in classic form. Top notch, even for an old guy like me.

Now in one volume, the greatest "Lost World" tale of all!

I first read "The Land That Time Forgot" five years ago, when it was still published in three separate short volumes: "The Land That Time Forgot", "The People That Time Forgot", and "Out of Time's Abyss" (all originally published in Blue Book in 1918). I enjoyed the story immensely, but I mistakenly treated it as a trilogy, or a series of novels like Burroughs's own Barsoom series, and read them separately, interspersed with other books. With the publication of this single volume "Commemorative Edition", I finally realized that Burroughs meant for the work to be published as one novel (which it was until the 1960s), and sat down to read it as such.What a difference this makes. I now believe that "The Land That Time Forgot" is Burroughs's best work, and the definitive "lost world" tale. The three sections are semi-independent, but work as a whole in unexpected ways. In Part I, we are introduced to the Island of Caprona and the bizarre prehistoric land of Caspak hidden inside it, but only after a long submarine journey. Before the hero can solve the mystery of the strange evolutionary system of Caspak, we cut to Part II, which immediately launches us into an adventure on the other side of the Island with a new narrator. Many plot strands come to an end at the conclusion of this second section, but there are still some questions left, still some mysteries, and Part III brings it all to a great conclusion, when we finally see behind the curtains and learn the enigma of Caspak.Burroughs's writing is simple, tough, and exciting, and Caspak provides endless excitement from all corners of pre-history and fantasy: dinosaurs, sea monsters, cavemen, giant mammals, and winged humanoids! And there are airplanes and German subs as well. But what really sets this novel apart from other, similar stories, is the evolutionary concept that rules Caspak. I will say no more...the riddle of Caspak is the best of many reasons to read this wonderful novel, presented complete for the first time in nearly half a century.

Excellant Edition

Just a quick note on this commemerative edition- it actually contains all three novels in the trilogy- The Land That Time Forgot, The People That Time Forgot, and the long out-of-print and hard to find Out of Time's Abyss. This is one of the most imaginative and exciting Burroughs tales, and is highly recommended.

How can this classic be out of print!?!?

Having just read Conan Doyle's THE LOST WORLD, I perused the other books waiting for me on my father's bookshelves. I saw that he had a lot of books penned by a author whose name was familiar to me, but whose works I had never read. The first of his books that I decided to read was The Land that Time Forgot, which was collected with two other books in the same series. It took me no more than a day's time to read this wonderful book. I am rather busy during most of the day, so I merely gave up sleep in order to read this book as quickly as possible. It was similar in many ways to Conan Doyles LOST WORLD, but it differed in the aspect that it was more of a romantic adventure novel. In the lost world, the main character sets of to impress a lady friend of his, by accomplishing a heroic act, and by doing so hoping to convince her of his marriageable worth. In the Land that Time Forgot and the subsequent stories, the hero endeavors to impress his marriageable upon his love by saving her life many times over from the likes of ferocious dinosaurs, lecherous ape-like men, and of course the traitorous germans. Being written sometime between 1910 and 1920 (the date eludes me) this book is well ahead of it's time. The tale is timeless, and is not discredited in the least by advancing technology or changing philosophies. I highly recommend this book to any who enjoy Science Fiction, Fantasy, Greek Myths or any sort of adventure that challenges the courage of the human race. If you read The Land that Time Forgot and liked it, then I also recommend The Lost World (Arthur Conan Doyle), The Lost World (Michael Crichton), and the John Carter of Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.