Other editions of book Lost Horizon

From a review: "By Gary F. Taylor HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE The story of a group of people who survive an airplane crash in Tibet and find shelter at a mysterious monastery. Written as it was on eve of World War II, their thoughts and ideas center upon developing a way of life that preserves, rather than destroys, that which is finest in both humanity and the world in general. The novel is elegantly and simply written and possesses tremendous atmosphere. Although enjoyable as a purely "fun" read, it is also thought provoking, and the thoughts it provokes linger long after the book is laid aside. Although James Hilton wrote a number of worthy novels, Lost Horizon is the novel for which he is best remembered, a great popular success when first published and a genuine masterpiece of 20th Century literature.

Lost Horizon is a novel by English writer James Hilton. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamasery high in the mountains of Tibet. A veteran member of the British diplomatic service, finds inner peace, love, and a sense of purpose in Shangri-La, whose inhabitants enjoy supernatural longevity. The idea of Shangri-La is based on the concept of Shambhala, a mystical city in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Down through the centuries, man has had recurrent dreams of the ideal society, the perfect human being. In Biblical times, he sought the "promised land"; in the sixteenth century, Sir Thomas More his "Utopia", and later came Samuel Butler's "Erewhon" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World". When James Hilton's "Lost Horizon" appeared on the scene, a new word was added to the lexicon of magic dream worlds, SHANGRI-LA. Here is the remarkable story of people who learn some of the secrets of divine life--and who look back upon their own civilization with considerable misgivings.