Welcome to The Lost World Read 2009!

You’ve got hold of a book that is part of the UK’s largest reading campaign. We’re celebrating Arthur Conan Doyle’s 150th birthday and Charles Darwin’s bicentenary by bringing people across the UK together to read a classic adventure tale of a lost plateau, discovery and dinosaurs - The Lost World.

Investigative journalist Ed Malone joins a band of explorers sent to South America to prove that deep in the jungle there is a forgotten world where dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals still survive. What do they find - and will they make it home to tell the tale? It's the first Conan Doyle story featuring the larger-than-life Professor Challenger.

And, welcome to The Lost Book!

The Lost Book is a collaborative adventure in storytelling. It’s taking place online and anyone can join in. At its heart is an animated web series: the adventures of 21st century investigative journalist Aileen Adler.

There are loads of ways you can get involved and it won’t cost you anything. You can help us to write the story for the web series. You can join our special guest writer Jasper Fforde to reconstruct a stolen book in our weekly microstory competition. You can enter our soundtrack competition by creating your own music for the web series. You can produce your own animation.

And, you can read this book, tell us what you thought of it, give it away, and follow its journey. So join in, wherever you are, and have fun!

(Oh, and sometimes you’ll need a password to get into sections of www.thelostbook.net. Only people with a copy of this book will have the password, so these areas will be exclusive to you. The password is: the last word on page 150 of this book. Don’t forget!)

This book is going to travel to shakeyerbooty in Derby, then to grubsneerg in the USA. When grubsneerg's finished reading the book will be wild released.

If you've picked it up - welcome to BookCrossing! I hope you enjoy The Lost World and then pass it on to continue its journey. It'd be great to find out where it has travelled to and read your review. You can stay completely anonymous if you prefer, or you can join BookCrossing (it's free) if you'd like to take part in this booklovers' community.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Travelling to shakeyerbooty in Derby. Happy reading!

This lovely book was waiting for me today when I got home from work which was a very nice treat indeed. I'm just finishing off a couple of other books and then I shall make a start on this. Very much looking forward to reading it.

I have read all of this today on a rather lovely lazy day off. I have found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable read and I love some of the characters in the book. Really glad that I have participated in this bookray as I may not have read this book otherwise.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending this on to grubsneerg. Hope you enjoy it!

This little book was waiting for me when I got home! My cat is busily sniffing the cover, and just gave a kitty kiss to one of the little dinosaurs on the front. Go figure. I love the postcards and bookbands that were included. Thank you so much for sending this my way, shakeyerbooty and TheLostBook. I'm moving this to the top of my to-be-read pile and will report back soon.

I just finished reading this delightful adventure. Like shakeyerbooty, I don't think I would have read this unless I was part of The Lost World Read 2009, and I am so glad I did. I have often wished I could be a great writer, but *reading* a great writer's work can be just as satisfying. This book is ready for the next leg of its journey. I will be taking it to Birmingham, Ala., via Detroit, Mich., next weekend and will wild release it somewhere along the way.

Thanks for including me in The Lost World Read 2009!

Road trip! I'm heading to Birmingham, Alabama, this weekend and hope to release this in a jungle-like area of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Well, I never made it to the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham, but this book did do some suitcase travelling from Latrobe, Pa., to Detroit, Mich., to Birmingham, Ala., and back again. I did release it today at Martin's Flowers & Shrubs in Belle Vernon, Pa. You can find the book in one of the greenhouses with the jungle-like ferns. Happy travels!

Congratulations--you caught a book!
Welcome to BookCrossing.com, where we are trying to make the whole world a library!

If you have not already done so, please make a journal entry so we know this book has found a new home. You don't need to join BookCrossing and you can remain completely anonymous. However, we encourage you to join so that you can follow this book's future travels. It's fun and free, and your personal information will never be shared or sold. If you decide to join, consider listing grubsneerg (or any other journaller of this book) as the member who referred you.

Take your time reading the book, and after you finish, please make another journal entry to record your thoughts about it. This book is now yours, and you can keep it if you choose, though we would love for you to share it. If you pass it along, please make a release note to let others know where you left it.

Whatever you decide to do, please leave the label intact, so the book has a chance to keep in touch with us. Thanks and enjoy!