The Lost World - Arthur Conan Doyle (Hodder & Stoughton, c.1923, Rebound 1959)

This Hodder and Stoughton edition of The Lost World (c.1923) by Arthur Conan Doyle is of interest to collectors of Conan Doyle, Professor Challenger fiction, and early 20th century illustrated adventure novels.

About: A good copy of this Hodder and Stoughton printing, sympathetically rebound in 1959 in dark navy cloth with a handsome red leather spine label gilt-lettered The Lost World / Conan Doyle. The rebind is firm and square with tight hinges. Frontispiece photographic plate retained - the famous character photographs of Professor Challenger and companions, as used in the original 1912 Hodder edition. Pages tanned throughout, consistent with age; text clean and legible. Boards show some fading and light spotting consistent with the rebind cloth’s age. No dust jacket (none with rebind). A presentable and readable copy of this classic adventure novel with its original illustrated plates.

Details:

• Title: The Lost World
• Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
• Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton, London, New York, Toronto
• Publication Date: c.1923
• Original Publication: 1912
• Binding: Rebound 1959 in navy cloth with red leather spine label
• Illustrations: Photographic frontispiece (Professor Challenger character photographs)
• Condition: Good (rebound)
• Dust Jacket Condition: None (rebound)

Synopsis: Hodder and Stoughton printing of Conan Doyle’s classic Professor Challenger adventure, with original photographic frontispiece - sympathetically rebound in navy cloth with gilt red leather spine label. A solid reading and display copy of this landmark adventure novel.

Review: The Lost World (1912) introduced Professor George Edward Challenger - Conan Doyle’s most vivid creation after Sherlock Holmes - and established the template for the lost world adventure genre. The novel follows a journalist and a team of scientists to a South American plateau where prehistoric creatures survive into the modern age. Conan Doyle’s characteristic energy and invention are at their most exuberant here, and the book remains one of the great popular adventure novels in the English language. The Hodder and Stoughton editions, with their retained photographic plates, are the most collectible format outside the true 1912 first edition.