This comprehensive reference guide introduces James Hiltons novel Lost Horizon for contemporary students and general readers. The opening section provides a summary of Hiltons life and describes his circumstances at the time of writing the novel. This is followed with a chapter-by-chapter summary of the plot, a glossary of words and phrases which may be helpful to 21st century readers, and an alphabetically arranged guide to the novels characters. In addition, the author examines the initial critical reception of the book, its publishing history, and the success of its major film adaptations...

The writer and Oscar-winner James Hilton is best known as the author of Goodbye, Mr. Chips as well as the novel Lost Horizon in which he invented the notion of Shangri-la. This introduction to the entirety of Hilton's works, which include novels, short stories, non-fiction works, and film adaptations, gives a detailed account of his life and literary career (including a complete chronology), a listing of his works, and a key to the important characters and locations. The main body of the text is devoted to an examination of his writing, followed by a chapter devoted to adaptations of his...