James Hilton (novelist) picked "Lost Horizon" as its first title in 1939. For that reason, the novel is frequently called the book that began the "paperback revolution." Hilton is said to have been inspired to write "Lost Horizon", and to invent "Shangri-La" by reading the "National Geographic Magazine" articles of Joseph Rock, an Austrian-American botanist and ethnologist exploring the southwestern Chinese provinces and Tibetan borderlands. Still living in Britain at the time, Hilton was perhaps influenced by the Tibetan travel articles of early travellers in Tibet whose writings were found in the British Library. Christian Zeeman, the Danish father of the mathematician Christopher
Lost Horizon (1973 film) Lost Horizon (1973 film) Lost Horizon is a 1973 American musical film directed by Charles Jarrott and starring Peter Finch, John Gielgud, Liv Ullmann, Michael York, Sally Kellerman, Bobby Van, George Kennedy, Olivia Hussey, James Shigeta and Charles Boyer. It was also the final film produced by Ross Hunter. The film is a remake of Frank Capra's film of the same name, with a screenplay by Larry Kramer. Both the 1937 version and this one adapted their story from James Hilton's novel "Lost Horizon". "Lost Horizon" was lambasted by critics at the time of its 1973 release, and its reputation