| When I first discovered Tarzan in book form, it was ACE Books that opened the door to Edgar Rice Burroughs’s amazing creation. Sure, I had watched some Tarzan movies in the 1950s, but when the books came out, first published in paperback by ACE and later Ballantine Books, I was hooked! Tarzan’s journey’s through 24 books kept me entertained for a decade (now, more Tarzan pastiches are available, but nothing matches ERB’s originals). I was more than eager to follow Tarzan into the jungle depths. But I also loved Tarzan traveling down to the Earth’s core into the savage prehistoric land of Pellucidar. Great adventures! David A. Ullery is a wonderful guide to all things Tarzan. He covers is the long out of print The Tarzan Twins as well as the more recent Tarzan, the Lost Adventure and The Eternal Savage. Section One provides an overview of Tarzan the character, including a list of the many names and titles used by and given to Tarzan. Section Two covers the mythical language used in the novels, including a dictionary of the ape language. Section Three enumerates the lost cities, civilizations, tribes, peoples and religions discovered by Tarzan, detailing their religious rites and locations. Section Four describes the characters (human and otherwise) found in the novels. Section Five gives detailed summaries of all 24 books that comprise the Burroughs canon. The book also includes over thirty illustrations from the series’ various printings. |
If you’re a fan of the Tarzan books, The Tarzan Novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs will inform you and delight you! Are you a Tarzan fan? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
| Introduction | 1 |
| A Brief Biography of Edgar Rice Burroughs | 7 |
| Section One Portrait of Tarzan | 9 |
| Tarzan: The Man, the Myth, the Legend Tarzan by Any Other Name Tarzan’s Many Lovers | 9 22 28 |
| Section Two The Languages of Tarzan | 35 |
| Tha Aple Language The Language of Pal-ul-don The Language of the Ant Men | 27 47 50 |
| Section Three Lost Cities Civilizations Tribes Peoples and Religions | 51 |
| Section Four — Cast of Characters | 124 |
| Section Five Book Summaries | 248 |
| Index | 291 |
Big Tarzan fan here. Surprisingly, the Tarzan book that spoke most to me as a kid was not one of the novels, but the collection JUNGLE TALES OF TARZAN.
Jerry, I remember JUNGLE TALES OF TARZAN fondly. I have a copy around here somewhere and rereading it for WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES would be fun!
Read a few as a kid. Not sure how they would hold up now. Does he answer why Tarzan is always clean shaved?
Steve, shaving is one of Tarzan’s many mysteries…
I wanted to like the Tarzan novels. I mean I really did. But the stories always seemed padded out with prolonged chases and missed connections. That said, I’m convinced that Burroughs’ THE MONSTER MEN is the finest book ever written in the English language.
Dan, I have a copy of THE MONSTER MEN around here somewhere. I have no recollection reading it, but when I find it, I’ll fix that!
Nope, never read one, not even as a kid.
Jeff, the Tarzan books feature plenty of chases and wild adventures. As a 12-year-old when I read them, the TARZAN books thrilled me!
I saw some of the movies but never read the books.
Patti, the TARZAN books were aimed at young boys who wanted thrills, wild animals, and plenty of action!
Young boys of all descriptions, genders and ages? After all, they were a staple of ARGOSY and ALL-STORY, no?
Todd, ERB worked a lot of markets and the movie money also make his Life more interesting.
To Dan’s examples of Burroughs’ literary tricks, I would add wild coincidences and amnesia. None of that mattered to me at 12, when Ace released two Burroughs paperbacks per month, and Ballantine issued the Tarzan novels in two batches of 10 titles each. I re-read a couple of Tarzan novels recently. Couldn’t get through RETURN OF TARZAN, but TARZAN THE UNTAMED held up with Burroughs’ usual genius of imagination.
Fred, I know I have TARZAN THE UNTAMED around here. That book will go on the Read Real Soon stack!
I grew up on the Johnny Weissmuller movies which were a staple on local television. About 20 years ago I went on a mini Burroughs binge and read the first Tarzan novel along with the first three John Carter books and “The Lost Continent.” They were all fun reads but I like I’d gotten everything I could from Burroughs although I’ve always been tempted by “At the Earth’s Core.” There was a biography that was published awhile back that looked pretty interesting and if I ever come across it again I might give that a look. I’ve bought a few books on Ebay from a guy who lives in Tarzania and always get a kick out of seeing the return address on the envelopes.
I did follow Robert Towne’s tragic attempt to film a proper Tarzan movie back in the eighties that sadly ended up as the dismal “Greystoke.” Sadly, I suspect time and tide has now rendered Tarzan a cultural artifact.
Byron, I totally agree with you on Tarzan as a cultural artifact. As a kid, I found all the Edgar Rice Burroughs books fascinating especially those with the great Frank Frazette cover artwork!
I think being 12 is a requirement for going ga-ga over the ERB books! I read my first one as an adult and found the man-finds-woman, man-loses-woman, repeat, rinse, repeat again pattern a bit wearying after a while! That didn’t stop me from reading a bunch of them but eventually I moved on to other things!
Bob, ERB had a successful formula and most of his books follow it. As a kid, I was thrilled by the adventures he created!
As a kid in the 60s, I was pretty much obsessed with Burroughs. Hard to believe nowadays, but I could afford the 40 cent Ace paperbacks, but not the 50 cent Ballantine ones. The first one I bought was Tarzan at the Earth’s Core, which I read over and over until I could afford a second when, when I chose A Fighting Man of Mars. Then I read those two in tandem until I could get a third.
I’m rereading Burroughs from the start (which includes reading some for the first time).. I’m through 1919 — my last group was seven novellas. Three for The Land athat Time Forgot (which I love), two for Tarzan the Untamed (which I love) (and which are joined seamlessly into a novel), and The Girl from Farris’s and The Efficiency Expert. This last was never actually a book, but was announced as one by one of the Burroughs fan groups. They ended up publishing them separately. These are non-fantasies; I had read the first but not the second. Neither is great, but they have their moments.
I’m probably done with ERB for now, but I have Tarzan the Terrible, The Chessmen of Mars, and The Girl from Hollywood lined up for next time. Girl from Hollywood will be a first read.
Jeff, I have to be in the right mood now to appreciate ERB’s work. I’m impressed that Burroughs was so prolific for so long!