Lost Horizon
by James Hilton · first published 1933
30% recommend60% neutral10% critical
Following a plane crash, Conway, a British consul; his deputy; a missionary; and an American financier find themselves in the enigmatic snow-capped mountains of uncharted Tibet. Here they discover a seemingly perfect hidden community where they are welcomed with gracious hospitality. Intrigued by its mystery, the travellers set about discovering the secret hidden at the shimmering heart of Shangri-La.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2008–2025A Separate Peace
John Knowles
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 91 recommend · 9 mention1 recommend · 91 recommend
2008–2021Buffett
Roger Lowenstein
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 1210 recommend · 12 mention10 recommend · 1210 recommend
2010–2025The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 188 recommend · 18 mention8 recommend · 188 recommend
2009–2026The End of Faith
Sam Harris
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 1711 recommend · 17 mention11 recommend · 1711 recommend
2009–2024Philosophy in the flesh
George Lakoff
Recommended by 14 · mentioned by 2014 recommend · 20 mention14 recommend · 2014 recommend
2007–2026A Canticle for Leibowitz
Walter M. Miller Jr., Volter Maikl Miller-molodshii
Recommended by 69 · mentioned by 10969 recommend · 109 mention69 recommend · 10969 recommend
2011–2026Bleak House
Charles Dickens
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 357 recommend · 35 mention7 recommend · 357 recommend
2008–2026The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway
Recommended by 27 · mentioned by 7127 recommend · 71 mention27 recommend · 7127 recommend
…I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman Papillon Into Thin Air Born on a Blue Day Touching the Void Got Fight The Conquest of Happiness --- FICTION --- Switch Bitch Lost Horizon The Cuckoo's Egg The Simlarillion The Time Traveler's Wife The Alchemist The Count of Monte Cristo A Canticle for Leibowitz Neverwhere My Uncle Oswald Stories of Your Life and Others Invisible…
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗…was around 30 I decided to read the book again to see if it landed differently and nope. Still thought it was awful. I did enjoy a few of the assigned books. Canticle for Leibowitz, Brave New World, Lost Horizon, Frankenstein, and Day of the Triffids are a few I remember positively. Teachers know kids will use AI to write essays and I bet more than a few teachers use them to grade, so there's probably no point…
on “How “The Great Gatsby” took over high school” ↗…what happens to them, it's a chore to keep reading. There were some books in high school that I really enjoyed that I'm afraid to reread because maybe they wouldn't stand up for me. I'm thinking about Lost Horizon, The Chrysalids, Brave New World, Canticle for Leibowitz, On the Beach, and Grapes of Wrath.
on “H.L. Mencken Reviews the Great Gatsby (1925)” ↗…shallow characters living boring lives doing nothing of interest to me. My opinion of 1984 also dropped when I reread it. Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, Canticle for Leibowitz, The Chrysalids, and Lost Horizon are all books I liked more when I reread them as an adult.
on “I like 'em thick OR: an apology to my English teachers” ↗…lot of Asimov, robot series, foundation and short stories starting with The Last Question. Jules Verne Mark Twain, various stories but particularly the Diary of Adam & Eve The Jungle Book by Kipling Lost Horizon Robinson Crusoe Dune Series Enders Game and sequels. The Odyssey The Count of Monte Cristo Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card because it helped me understand that a cultures internally consumed fiction…
on “Ask HN: Life Changing Books?” ↗…things have happened in the world since last year, you know.” “Nothing of importance, my dear sir, that could not have been foreseen in 1920, or that will not be better understood in 1940. — James Hilton, Lost Horizon
on “Show HN: Slower News” ↗…foreseen in 1920, or that will not be better understood in 1940." "You're not interested, then, in the latest developments of the world crisis?" "I shall be very deeply interested—in due course." -- Lost Horizon, James Hilton.
on “Things You Notice When You Quit the News” ↗…them before were just awful. Examples: To the Lighthouse. Probably a clunky read-aloud book, right? Nope, excellent. You have to stay alert due to the complex, meandering language, but it works well. Lost Horizon. Simple language, nothing tricky, should be good. Nope, tripped over the language left and right.
on “The Lost Pleasure of Reading Aloud” ↗1933, Lost Horizon, James Hilton, i forgot it, I have seen the Lost Horizon movie, but not the book, it must be a beautiful book.
on “Ask HN: Which books do you think created the best Perfect/Utopia worlds?” ↗…1920, or that will not be better understood in 1940." "You're not interested, then, in the latest developments of the world crisis?" "I shall be very deeply interested—in due course." — James Hilton, Lost Horizon
on “Teen mental health is plummeting and social media is a major contributing cause [pdf]” ↗…probably wouldn't reread Grapes of Wrath but not because of any dislike--in fact the opposite for both book and film. I'd reread any of the others though I would probably be more inclined to rewatch the 1937 Lost Horizon film. It's a marvelous story but there's nothing particularly exceptional about Hilton's prose as I recall from reading a few of his books decades ago.
on “H.L. Mencken Reviews the Great Gatsby (1925)” ↗You forgot Lost Horizon. Or maybe even some of the "end of the world" books (eg. Alas Babylon where they create a more simple world.) But both those books are severely flawed if trying to think about real possibilities, though…
on “Ask HN: Which books do you think created the best Perfect/Utopia worlds?” ↗> Lost Horizon I liked this one when I read it years ago, but when I tried to re-read it aloud to one of my kids[1] I discovered that most of Hilton's characters' dialog read exactly the same—they have no voice—plus…
on “H.L. Mencken Reviews the Great Gatsby (1925)” ↗