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What if surviving a war at sea means entering a land where the ancient past is still alive?
A bottle found drifting in northern waters holds Bowen Tyler’s written account of danger on the Atlantic. The First World War throws the young American and Lys La Rue, the woman he loves, into a struggle with enemies. German submarine commander Von Schoenvorts stands at the heart of the early battle for control.
Their voyage leads to Caprona, an unexpected island ringed by high cliffs. Here, huge prehistoric beasts and unfamiliar peoples turn survival into a fresh test of courage and cunning. In The Land That Time Forgot, Edgar Rice Burroughs pairs fast adventure with a bold question: what happens when civilized people lose the rules of their world?
What you’ll discover
- A message from danger A written account sealed in a bottle draws you into Tyler’s desperate struggle.
- Enemies in close quarters War at sea brings rivals together, with control and survival at stake.
- Beyond the high cliffs Enter Caprona, where an island cut off from the familiar world holds ancient dangers.
- Courage under pressure Follow Tyler’s search for courage and cunning, and Lys La Rue’s own firm resolve.
- Life across the ages Explore a bold idea about how life might develop through ages of change.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy lost-world adventure, wartime action, dinosaurs, daring rescues and a romance that grows under pressure.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A bottle carries a desperate message
- Rescue turns Tyler into a captain
- Betrayal reveals whom Tyler should trust
- The tunnel opens onto ancient life
- Enemies need rules to survive together
- Caspak turns human development into geography
- Love grows beyond jealousy and fear
- The diary brings danger closer
- Survival leaves a question about humanity
Who’s who
- Bowen TylerA shy California shipbuilder's son who survives a torpedoed liner and takes command of a captured submarine, then fights to keep his crew and the woman he loves alive.
- Lys La RueA brave young woman rescued from the sea who proves a steady shot and a clear thinker, and who ultimately pledges herself to Tyler.
- NobsTyler's loyal Airedale terrier, who guards his master and Lys and charges at any danger, however large.
- BradleyAn English mate who becomes Tyler's first lieutenant and works out that the strange coast ahead is Caprona.
- OlsonThe Irish engineer, big, practical and fearless, who handles the machinery and any monster that gets too close.
- Baron von SchoenvortsThe proud German commander and Lys's former fiancé, who wants his boat back and cares more for his rank than for his promises.
- AhmA captured Neanderthal man who learns to speak with Lys and teaches the crew the plants, tribes and dangers of Caspak.
- BensonA British sailor trusted by Tyler who secretly works to destroy the submarine's crew and blames his hatred on America.
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The Land That Time Forgot
by Edgar Rice Burroughs · 1918
A thermos washes up at Cape Farewell, and its manuscript tells of a U-boat, a hidden crater and living dinosaurs.
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“I love you beyond all conception.”
In short
What would you do if a thermos bottle washing up on a Greenland beach held the last message of a man trapped in a lost world? That is how The Land That Time Forgot begins.
The Land That Time Forgot at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 25 min1 h 55 min fast, 2 h 50 min slow
- Length
- 34,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1918by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A message in a bottle opens the tale
The book starts on a rocky beach at Cape Farewell, at the southern tip of Greenland. A man who came north on his doctor's advice sees a quart thermos bottle turning in the surf. He pulls it out and finds a tightly folded manuscript.
He says at once that his own story does not matter, and he hands the page to its writer. The writer has seen a world so old that no rock layer holds a trace of it, and he is trapped there for good.
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Details
- First published
- 1918
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 h 45 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Burroughs, Edgar Rice. The Land That Time Forgot. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-land-that-time-forgot.
Burroughs, E. R. (2026). The land that time forgot. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-land-that-time-forgot (Original work published 1918)
Burroughs, Edgar Rice. The Land That Time Forgot. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-land-that-time-forgot.
@book{burroughs2026land,
author = {Burroughs, Edgar Rice},
title = {The Land That Time Forgot},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-land-that-time-forgot},
note = {First published 1918}
}
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What is The Land That Time Forgot about?
It follows Bowen Tyler, who survives a torpedoed liner, captures a German submarine and sails it into Caprona, a hidden crater island full of dinosaurs and primitive tribes, where he tries to survive and protect Lys La Rue.
Who are Lys La Rue and Baron von Schoenvorts?
Lys is a young woman Tyler rescues from the sea who becomes his closest ally. Baron von Schoenvorts is the German submarine commander she was once engaged to, and he alternates between Tyler's captive, captor and uneasy ally.
Where is Caprona and what does Caspak mean?
Caprona is an island cut off by sheer cliffs, reachable only by an underwater river. Its interior, a crater of lakes and jungle, is called Caspak by its inhabitants, and it keeps prehistoric life alive.
The author
Edgar Rice Burroughs
1875–1950 · American adventure novelist
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American writer born in Chicago in 1875. He wrote novels about Tarzan and novels set on Mars. His first Mars story appeared in 1912 and became the book A Princess of Mars in 1917. He later lived in California and died in Encino in 1950.
“I love you beyond all conception.”
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