Beyond Thirty

<p><em>Beyond Thirty</em> (also known as <em>The Lost Continent</em>) is a science fiction novella by Edgar Rice Burroughs first published in 1916. The story is set in a future where the Western Hemisphere has cut off all contact with the rest of the world after a devastating war. The protagonist Lieutenant Jefferson Turck of the Pan-American Navy accidentally crosses the forbidden 30th meridian and discovers the ruins of what was once Europe.</p><p>He finds that Europe has regressed into barbarism and tribal warfare with civilization having collapsed long ago. Turck's journey takes him through dangerous territories and strange encounters including a romance with a British woman named Victory. The story explores themes of isolationism the decline of civilization and the clash between progress and decay.</p><p>It's a classic example of early 20th-century speculative fiction with Burroughs imagining the long-term consequences of global war and technological collapse.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>