<Tr> <Th> ISBN </Th> <Td> 0 - 571 - 05686 - 5 (first edition, paperback) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> OCLC </Th> <Td> 47677622 </Td> </Tr> <P> Lord of the Flies is a 1954 novel by Nobel Prize - winning British author William Golding . The book focuses on a group of British boys stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempt to govern themselves . </P> <P> The novel has been generally well received . It was named in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels, reaching number 41 on the editor's list, and 25 on the reader's list . In 2003 it was listed at number 70 on the BBC's The Big Read poll, and in 2005 Time magazine named it as one of the 100 best English - language novels from 1923 to 2005 . </P>

What is lord of the flies book about