Science fiction · Adventure
The Lost World
Reading level: we suggest CEFR B2 for reading The Lost World. Length: about 75,000 words.
- Suggested levelB2
- Lengthabout 75,000 words
- Original languageEnglish
The story
Young journalist Edward Malone wants to do something brave to impress the woman he loves. He volunteers for an expedition led by the furious, brilliant Professor Challenger, who claims dinosaurs still live on a plateau in South America.
With a sceptical rival scientist and a big-game hunter, Malone reaches the plateau — and finds that Challenger was right, and that getting down again is the real problem.
Themes: science and proof, exploration, rivalry, prehistoric life.
Why it's a good book for language learners
Conan Doyle writes the story as Malone's newspaper reports, so the language is clear and lively. Challenger's arguments with the other scientist are funny and full of useful expressions for disagreeing, insulting and conceding.
How hard is the English in The Lost World?
- Flesch Reading Ease73.1
- Flesch–Kincaid grade7.3
- Words per sentence16.9
Measured by PageWalker on the full English text of the book. Flesch Reading Ease runs from 0 to 100 (higher is easier; 60–70 is plain English) and the Flesch–Kincaid grade is a US school grade. These formulas only count sentence and word length, so they miss old-fashioned vocabulary, wordplay and style. That is why our CEFR level, which takes those into account, can be higher than the formula suggests.
What you'll practise
- Expressions for arguing and disagreeing
- Animal and jungle vocabulary
- Report and letter style
- Past continuous for background action
Reading tip
Listen to how Challenger insults people — then learn the polite versions.
Did you know?
The book's success helped create the dinosaur adventure genre that later produced films like Jurassic Park.
The PageWalker adventure
In the adventure you are on the plateau, and each choice could feed you to a dinosaur. You can try the first page in your browser, and the adventure is available in 13 languages with click-to-translate.
The Lost World in other languages
- EnglishThe Lost World
- العربيةالعالم المفقود
- DeutschDie Vergessene Welt
- EspañolEl Mundo Perdido
- FrançaisLe Monde Perdu
- हिन्दीखोया हुआ संसार
- ItalianoIl Mondo Perduto
- 日本語失われた世界
- 한국어잃어버린 세계
- PortuguêsO Mundo Perdido
- РусскийЗатерянный мир
- TürkçeKayıp Dünya
- 简体中文失落的世界
Questions about The Lost World
What reading level is The Lost World?
We suggest CEFR B2 for reading The Lost World. Conan Doyle writes the story as Malone's newspaper reports, so the language is clear and lively. On readability formulas the English text scores a Flesch Reading Ease of 73.1 and a Flesch–Kincaid grade of 7.3, with an average of 16.9 words per sentence.
How long is The Lost World?
The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1912) is about 75,000 words.
Can I play The Lost World as an interactive adventure?
Yes. In the adventure you are on the plateau, and each choice could feed you to a dinosaur. You can try the first page in your browser, in 13 languages.
Updated 16 October 2026
