This comprehensive reference guide introduces James Hilton"s novel Lost Horizon for contemporary students and general readers. The opening section provides a summary of Hilton"s 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 twenty-first century readers, and an alphabetically arranged guide to the novel"s characters. In addition, the author examines the initial critical reception of the book, its publishing history, and the success of its major film adaptations in separate chapters. Several appendices provide recommended questions for discussion and Hilton"s original preface to Lost Horizon.