Quintessential Lost Race/World Library is a no-brainer after our two previous libraries.If you missed them, go Ghost Stories Fantasy.
The Lost Race (or Lost World) novel was a type of adventure story that flashed into popularity with the publication of H. Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines in 1885. Of course, the adventure story is older and there were precursors as early as Gulliver’s Travels. What made 1885 the right time for the lost race novel to blossom was that the world was growing smaller fast. The depths of the Amazon, the Congo, the Arctic and Antarctic were being explored and soon there would be no more places to find new discoveries. To facilitate adventure, we had to “lose” some wonders to discover them anew.
Jessica Amanda Salmonson compiled the leading list of lost race/world fiction. I used this resource to scrounge some titles. More than half of them are not available on Archive.org. so there are plenty to find on your own. Lost Continents (1954) by L. Sprague de Camp is another resource with an entire chapter on fiction about Atlantis.
The lost world was a popular device of the Pulps. I have written about that before but have added some new Pulp stories that I may have missed last.
The New Atlantis by Sir Francis Bacon (1672)
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)
A Voyage to Cacklogaillonia by Daniel De Foe (1727)
The Adventures of Signor Gaudentio di Lucca by Simon Berington (1737)
A Journey to the World Under-Ground by Ludvig Holberg (1742)
The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins by Robert Paltrock (1751)
Giphantia by Charles Francis Tiphaigne de la Roche (1761)
A World Without Souls by John William Cunningham (1816)
Voyage to Locuta by Lemuel Gulliver Jr. (Elizabeth Susanna Graham) (1818)
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Edgar Allan Poe (1838)
The Chronicles of Clovernook by William Douglas Gerrald (1847)
Aurifodina by George Washington Peck (1847)
King Dobbs by James Hannay (1849)
The American Family Robinson by D. W. Belisle (1854)
The Indian Scout by Gustave Aimard (1861)
Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne (1863)
Sybaris & Other Homes by Edward Everett Hale (1869)
The Coming Race by Lord Bulwer-Lytton (1871)
The City of Rum, & Other Sketches by Mr. Onyx (1872)
Erewhon/Erewhon Revisted by Samuel Butler (1872/1901)
Colymbia by Roger Ellis Dudgeon (1873)
His Level Best & Other Stories by Edward Everett Hale (1873)
The Man Among the Monkeys by Leon Gozlan (1873)
From Nowhere to the North Pole by Tom Hood (1875)
The Manatitlans by Elton R. Smilie (1877)
The Secret of the Andres by Friedrick Hausserek (1879)
The Cloud King by W. Stephens Hayward (1880)
The Temple of Melekartha by Isaac Taylor (1881)
Atlantis, the Antediluvian World by Ignatius Donnelly (1882)
The Fortunate Island and Other Stories by Max Adeler (Charles Heber Clark) (1882)
The Giant of the North by R. M. Ballantyne (1882)
A Peculiar People by William Balch (1882)
Sacrifice, or The Living Dead by William Semple Green (1882)
The Book of Algoonah by Anonymous (1884)
The Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins by Robert Paltrock (1884)
King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard (1885)
Inquirendo Island by Hudor Genone (William James Roe) (1886)
The Phantom City by William Westall (1886)
A Queer Race by William Westall (1887)
She by H. Rider Haggard (1887)
Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard (1887)
Mr. Fortescue by William Westall (1888)
A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder by James de Mille (1888)
Thoth, A Romance by Joseph Shield Nicholson (1888)
The White Man’s Foot by Grant Allen (1888)
Allan’s Wife & Other Stories by H. Rider Haggard (1889)
The Aztec Treasure House by Thomas A. Janvier (1890)
The Great Taboo by Grant Allen (1890)
On the Heights of Himalay by Albert van der Nalen (1890)
Toxar, A Romance by Joseph Shield Nicholson (1890)
The Island of Fantasy by Fergus Hume (1892)
The Goddess of Atvatabar by William Richard Bradshaw (1892) Part 1 only)
The Paradise of the North by D. Lawson Johnstone (1892)
Arsareth by B. C. Warren (1892)
A Parisian Sultana by Adolphe Belot (1893)
The Harlequin Opal by Fergus Hume (1893)
Centuries Apart by Edward T. Bouve (1894)
The Land of the Changing Sun by William N Harben (1894)
The People of the Mist by H. Rider Haggard (1894)
Sea Yarns for Boys by W. J. Henderson (1894)
Toddle Island by Dennis Hird (1894)
A Traveler From Altruria by William Dean Howells (1894)
Beyond the Palæocrystic Sea; or, The Legend of Halfjordby A. S. Morton (1895) More on this story
The Gods Gave My Donkey Wings by Angus E. Abbott (1895)
Told in the Verandah by Marmaduke Bowlong (1895)
Heart of the World by H. Rider Haggard (1895)
The Devil-Tree of El Dorado by Frank Aubrey (1896)
The Golden Fleece by Julian Hawthorne (1896)
A Goddess of Africa by St. George Rathbone (1897)
In Quest of Sheba’s Treasure by Samuel Walkey (1897)
The Romance of the Golden Star by George Griffith (1897)
Yermad the Dorado by Frona E. Wait (1897)
Blindman’s World and Other Stories by Edward Bellamy (1898)
The Enchanted Stone by Charles Lewis Hind (1898)
An Antarctic Mystery by Jules Verne (1898)
Floating Fancies Among the Weird and Occult by Clara H. Holmes (1898)
The Keepers of the People by Edgar Jepson (1898)
The Lost City by Joseph E. Badger (1898)
The New Gulliver by Wendell Phillips Garrison (1898)
El Reshid by David Patterson Hatch (1899)
The Lost Continent by C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne (1899)
My Lady & Allan Darke by Charles D. Gibson (1899)
Tales of the Railroad by John A. Hill (1899)
The White King of Manoa by Joseph Hatton (1899)
The Wreck of the South Pole by Charles K. Hahn (1899)
Elissa (aka The Doom of Zimbabwe) by H. Rider Haggard (1900)
Nequa by Jack Adams (Alcanoan O. Grigsby & Mary P. Lowe) (1900)
Rafnaland by William Huntington Wilson (1900)
The Sweepers of the Sea by Claude H. Wetmore (1900)
With Sword and Crucifix by Edward Van Zile (1900)
The Great Magician by T. R. Threlfall (1901)
The Mother of Emeralds by Fergus Hume (1901)
The Queen of Appalachia by Joe H. Borders (1901)
Intermere by William Alexander Taylor (1902)
The Treasure of the Incas by G. A. Henry (1902)
The Watcher by the Threshold by John Buchan (1902)
The Golden Kingdom by Sir Andrew Balfour (1903)
Cast Away at the Pole by W. W. Cook (1904)
Mr. Oseba’s Last Discovery by George W. Bell (1904)
The Queen of Quelparte by Archer Butler Hulbert (1904)
Ayesha: The Return of She by H. Rider Haggard (1905)
The Sunless City by J. E. Preston Muddock (1905) More Muddock/Dick Donovan
Benita (aka The Spirit of Bambaste) by H. Rider Haggard (1906)
Romance Island by Zona Gale (1906)
Through the Eye of a Needle by William Dean Howells (1907)
Geyserland by Richard Hatfield (1908)
The Ghost Kings (aka The Lady of the Heavens) by H. Rider Haggard (1908)
The Smoky God by Willis George Emerson (1908)
The Yellow God by H. Rider Haggard (1908)
The Weird Orient by Henry Iliowiz (1909)
The House on Stilts by R. H. Hazard (1910)
Queen Sheba’s Ring by H. Rider Haggard (1910)
The Centaurians by Lottie F. Ambrose (1911)
The Country of the Blind by H. G. Wells (1911)
Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle by Victor Appleton (1911)
The Wolf-Men: A Tale of Amazing Adventure in the Under-World by Frank Powell (1911)
The Big Fish by H. B. Marriott Watson (1912)
The Gnomes of the Saline Mountains by Anna Goldmark Gross (1912)
The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle (1912)
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1912)
Tom Swift in Captivity by Victor Appleton (1912)
When Dreams Come True by Ritter Brown (1912)
The Island of the Stairs by Cyrus Townsend Brady (1913)
The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1913)
The Cave Girl by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1913)
At the Earth’s Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1914)
Equitania by William o. Henry (1914)
Allan and the Holy Flower by H. Rider Haggard (1915)
A Drop in Infinity by Gerald Grogan (1915)
The Gold of the Gods by Arthur B. Reeve (1915)
Myriam and the Mystic Brotherhood by Maud L. Howard (1915)
The New Northland by Louis P. Gratacap (1915)
Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1915)
Pirates of the Sky by Stephen Gaillard (1915)
Polaris of the Snows by Charles B. Stilson (1915)
The Golden City by A. Hyatt Verrill (1916)
The Ivory Child by H. Rider Haggard (1916)
Minos of Sardanes by CharlesB. Stilson (1916)
The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1916)
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1916)
Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel by Victor Appleton (1916)
Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1917)
The Son of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1917)
By the World Forgot by Cyrus Townsend Brady (1917)
Polaris and the Goddess Glorian by Charles B. Stilson (1917)
The Soul of Henry Harrington and Other Stories by F. E. Bunts (1917)
The Citadel of Fear by Francis Stevens (1918)
“Friend Island” by Francis Stevens (1918)
The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1918)
The Moon Pool by A. Merritt (1918)
When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard (1919)
Atlantida by Pierre Benoit (1920)
The Eye of Balamok by Victor Rouseeau (1920)
Martin Crusoe by T. C. Bridges (1920)
The Metal Monster by A. Merritt (1920)
Recreations of a Psychologist by Stanley G. Hall (1920)
Tarzan the Untamed by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1920)
The White Dawn by Belle Hagen Winslow (1920)
The Daughter of the Sun by Jackson Gregory (1921)
The Emerald Buddha by Joseph Bushnell Ames (1921)
The Pathless Trail by Arthur O. Friel (1921)
She and Allan by H. Rider Haggard (1921)
The Mucker by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1921)
Tarzan the Terrible by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1921)
Sunken Cities by Douglas Newton (1921)
The Boy Adventurers in the Forbidden Land by A. Hyatt Verrill (1922)
The City of Wonder by E. Charles Vivian (1922)
Dalleszona and The Seventh Treasure by Allen Kendrick Wright (1922)
The Radio Boys Search For the Inca’s Treasure by Gerald Breckenridge (1922)
Tiger River by Arthur O. Friel (1922)
Tarzan and the Golden Lion by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1922)
The Face in the Abyss by A. Merritt (1923)
The Radio Boys Seek the Lost Atlantis by Gerald Breckenridge (1923)
Tarzan and the Golden Lion by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1923)
Wisdom’s Daughter by H. Rider Haggard (1923)
Caravans by Night by Harry Hervery (1924)
Forest of Fear by Alfred Gordon Bennett (1924)
Heu-Heu, the Monster by H. Rider Haggard (1924)
The King of Noman’s Land by Arthur O. Friel (1924)
Tarzan and the Ant-Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1924)
“Valley of the Teeheemen” by Arthur Thatcher (Part 1 Part 2 1924)
“The Last of the Teeheemen” by Arthur Thatcher (Part 1 Part 2 1925)
“The Menace of Mastodon Valley” by Kenneth Gilbert (1926) More on this story here
“The Lost Race” by Robert E. Howard (1927)
Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island by H. G. Wells (1928)
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1928)
The Greatest Adventure by John Taine (1929)
“The Last of the Maya” by Arthur Thatcher (Part 1 Part 2 1929)
“The Menace From Below” by Harl Vincent (1929)
“The People of Pan” by Henry S. Whitehead (1929)
Tanar of Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1929)
Tarzan and the Lost Empire by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1929)
Tarzan at the Earth’s Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1929)
“The Return to Subterreanea” by Harl Vincent (1930)
“The Voice of En-Lil” by Robert E.Howard (1930)
“The Gods of Bal-Sagoth” by Robert E. Howard (1931)
The Land of the Hidden Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1931)
The Secret of the Plateau by Percy F. Westerman (1931)
The Dwellers in the Mirage by A. Merritt (1932)
Tarzan Triumphant by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1932)
The Golden City by Ralph Milne Farley (1933)
“The Slithering Shadow” by Robert E. Howard (1933) More on this story
Tarzan and the City of Gold by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1933)
Tarzan and the Lion Man by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1934)
Dian of the Lost Lands by Edison Marshall (1935)
Tarzan and the Leopard Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1935)
“Red Nails” by Robert E. Howard (1936) Part 1 2 3
The Secret People by John Wyndham (1936)
Back to the Stone Age by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1937)
The Smoking Land by George Challis (Max Brand)(1937)
Tarzan and the Forbidden City by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1938)
“The Mound” by H. P.Lovecraft and Zelia Bishop (1940) More on this story
“People of the Crater” by Andre Norton (1947)
Tarzan the Magnificent by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1937)
Tarzan and the Foreign Legion by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1937)
Land of Terror by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1944)
Savage Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1963)
“The King of the Forgotten People” by Robert E. Howard (1966)
For more Quintessential Lost Race/World Library in the Pulp Era Lost Worlds, go here.
I forget the title but there must be at least one Doc Savage novel that would belong to the list. I think Man of Bronze and one other one that is set in the Artic.
Sorry – Just followed the link to the other article and see the Doc Savages. The Frank Paul illustration with the whales in the Artic, which story is that from?
There are six or seven for sure but links are in short supply.
I don’t honestly remember. I will have to look.
Great set of links. However, It’s Frank Aubrey (not Aubry) — author of “The Devil-Tree of El-Dorado” (1896)
Thanks for that. I corrected on several other posts as well. GW