Lost Horizon

Fleeing a local rebellion, a small group of Westerners board an evacuation flight expecting a brief journey to safety. Instead, their pilot hijacks the aircraft, flying deep into the Himalayas before crashing. The passengers are rescued from the freezing altitudes and led to Shangri-La, a lamasery concealed within a temperate valley.

Behind the monastery walls, the monks maintain vast libraries, cultivate the arts, and live for centuries. As the outsiders wait for porters to guide them back to civilization, the urgency of leaving fades. Time slows, and the frantic modern world begins to feel like the real illusion. When the purpose of their hijacking is revealed, the group is presented with a strict bargain: abandon their former lives to outlast an impending global war, or attempt a lethal trek down the mountain.

Published in 1933 as Europe rearmed, James Hilton’s novel introduced Shangri-La to the English language and defined the modern utopian adventure. This edition features the original epilogue and a gallery of film posters.