Edgar Rice Burroughs - Collected Works of Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Works of

EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS

(1875-1950)

Delphi Classics 2014

Version 1

The Works of

EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS

By Delphi Classics, 2014

Works of Edgar Rice Burroughs

First published in the United Kingdom in 2014 by Delphi Classics.

Delphi Classics, 2014.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.

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Burroughs was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived for many years at Oak Park in various houses, including this property at 700 Linden Avenue.

Burroughs as a child

Unlike many pulp writers, Burroughs had the good fortune to strike gold with one of his very first attempts to create a popular fictional hero. Tarzan was introduced in Burroughs second novel, Tarzan of the Apes (1912). Born as John Clayton, the son of English couple John and Alice Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke, the younger John is abandoned in the western coastal jungles of Africa after his parents death. Consequently, he is raised by apes, who bestow upon him the name of Tarzan (white skin in the ape language) and he soon becomes an influential member of their community. Although the novel ends with Tarzan discovering his true identity and travelling to America, Burroughs wrote 24 sequels featuring the characters many further exploits.

The longevity of the series arose from Burroughss ability to find ingenious reasons for Tarzans return to the jungle, even after he eventually marries and resumes his title of Lord Greystoke. On one occasion, the novels recount how Tarzans son, Jack, is kidnapped and forced to make his way amongst the apes in a similar way to his father, eventually becoming known by them as Korak the Killer ( Son of Tarzan, 1914). In a further novel, Tarzan returns to his former home in the jungle to seek the lost gold of Atlantis after a financial crash leaves him badly off ( Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar , 1916). Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1917) is ingeniously set during the events of the first novel in the series. Later novels adopt a continuing narrative. For example, Tarzan the Untamed (1921) sees the character joining the fight against Germany in Africa during the First World War, in an attempt to avenge his beloved Jane. The novel ends on a cliff-hanger, however, which is taken up in the following novel, Tarzan the Terrible (1921).

Part of Tarzans success was due to shrewd commercial sense on Burroughss part. Recognising the characters potential, he was determined to exploit new media forms such as cinema and comic strips. This resulted in the character taking on a life of his own, with Burroughs reaping the commercial rewards via his company, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. A measure of the series popularity is the fact that, when Burroughs named his Californian ranch Tarzana in honour of his creation, the local townspeople elected to adopt the name for their entire settlement, thus creating the town of Tarzana, California.

Burroughss determination to maintain the continuity of his characters universe reveals a more considered approach than is often the case in the adventure genre to which the series belongs. Added to this is the intriguing way in which Burroughs uses the character not only to enact many exciting adventure set-pieces, but also to comment on the relationship between civilisation and savagery and on the concept of an innate, noble masculinity stifled by effeminate civilisation. The latter was a popular concept during the early twentieth century, and modern readers, whose familiarity with the character might extend only to the many film adaptations of the novels, may find themselves surprised by the sophistication with which Burroughss series deals with these deeper issues of identity, gender and belonging.

Cover of the first edition of The Return of Tarzan (1913)

First edition cover of Tarzan and the Castaways (1965) the last Tarzan book

Tarzan is perhaps best remembered for the many films featuring the character such as this film series, starring athlete Buster Crabbe as Burroughss jungle hero

Johnny Weissmuller, the actor perhaps most associated with the role of Tarzan, first portrayed the hero in this 1932 production.