The Land That Time Forgot (Commemorative Edition) [Paperback]

Edgar Rice Burroughs (Author), Mike Resnick (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bison Frontiers of Imagination | Publication Date: March 1, 1999

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 terrorize tropical jungles to the south, while menacing winged humanoids dwell in cities on a large island in the north. Caught between these threats are scattered groups of human beings. Despite their differences, however, Caspak’s animals and peoples are all connected in a mysterious and marvelous way.

 

This commemorative edition features the entire Caspak trilogy in one volume, as intended by the author. In his introduction, Mike Resnick celebrates Edgar Rice Burroughs and the timeless appeal of this story. Also included are Scott Tracy Griffin’s glossary of terms from the Caspakian language, a rare map of Caspak drawn by Burroughs, and the classic J. Allen St. John illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) was a prodigiously productive writer of pulp fictions--literary entertainments, that is, published in inexpensive, easily obtained periodicals. His style was simple and instantly accessible, his stories riveting if often implausible tales of adventure, and of good overcoming evil. Burroughs wasn't much of an artist. But, as Mike Resnick writes in his introduction to this commemorative edition of Burroughs's immensely popular trilogy The Land That Time Forgot, first published in 1924, almost every book Burroughs wrote remains in print, and countless readers turn to his Mars and Tarzan novels every day.

In Land, Burroughs concocts a fabulous microworld, located somewhere in the South Pacific, called Caspak. On this mountainous island live winged, humanlike creatures, dinosaurs, ferocious beasts of prey, Neanderthals, "wild ape-men," and monstrous reptiles; they terrorize each other, to say nothing of the mixed crew of World War I-era adventurers who inadvertently land on a Caspakian beach and fight their way across the island, dining on Plesiosaurus steaks and having a grand old time in the company of a jungle princess. The story streaks onward like a bullet toward its surprise ending, and it's pure fun all the way. --Gregory McNamee

Review

"Students of early science fiction will welcome the University of Nebraska Press''s series Bison Frontiers of Imagination."—Times Literary Supplement

(Times Literary Supplement )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 434 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books; Cmv edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803261543
• ISBN-13: 978-0803261549
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,460,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now in one volume, the greatest "Lost World" tale of all!, September 22, 2000

By 

Claude Avary "West Coast Reader" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Land That Time Forgot (Commemorative Edition) (Paperback)

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.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hidden gem in a sea of classics..., February 22, 2011

By 

jmcar75 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Land That Time Forgot (Kindle Edition)

Don't forget that the free version is not the entire trilogy. The next two are "The People That Time Forgot" and "Out of Time's Abyss" (both also free). Wonderful book and beautifully written. I've seen alot of complaints about typos in the free versions but I didn't notice any. Burroughs is great at engaging the reader throughout the entire book. There was enough description to engulf you into the story but not so much that you got bored. Great and quick read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still holds up well after all these years..., March 7, 2002

By A Customer

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This review is from: The Land That Time Forgot (Commemorative Edition) (Paperback)

While Burroughs was denigrated as being a "pulp" novelist for most of his literary career, he was clearly a better writer than the vast majority of genre writers who publish today, and he was also a better story teller than most. The complaint of a reviewer that Burroughs was an obsessive racist would be hilarious if it weren't so ignorantly misguided. Similarly the complaint that Burroughs had no ear for dialogue is drenched in ignorance. The dialogue of early 20th century America is not the dialogue of late 20th century England, a fact that should not need explaining, but unfortunately explication is needed for those who who lack the most rudimentary of analytical faculties. I find Hemingway to have a tin ear for dialogue because the people I grew up with didn't speak like Hemingway characters at all, but I don't criticize Hemingway for that and suspect that he accurately recorded the cadence of his fellows. Burroughs had a good feel for the common man of the early 20th century, which is one reason his books still sell.

The Land That Time Forgot is a great adventure by a very good fantasy writer. Check it out while it's still in print.