The Lost World, first published in 1912, tells the story of Professor Challenger, Professor Summerlee, adventurer Lord John Roxton, and reporter Ed Malone as they travel to a remote plateau in South America inhabited by dinosaurs, ape men, and prehistoric humans. In trying to escape from the dangerous creatures, some of them end up captured by the ape men, and the rest must mount a rescue. Fraught with action and suspense, The Lost World is one of the seminal works of dinosaur fiction. It has been the inspiration for numerous spinoffs and retellings, including television shows, radio shows, and movies. Readers of all ages will delight in this deftly told tale. Scottish surgeon and political activist SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (1859-1930) turned his passions into stories and novels, producing fiction and nonfiction works sometimes controversial (The Great Boer War, 1900), sometimes fanciful (The Coming of the Fairies, 1922), and sometimes legendary (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1892).