Easton Press Edgar Rice Burroughs books
Edgar Rice Burroughs biography
Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875 in Chicago, Illinois (although he later lived for many years in the neighboring suburb of Oak Park), the son of a businessman. He was educated at a number of local schools, and during the Chicago influenza epidemic in 1891 spent a half year on his brothers' ranch on the Raft River in Idaho. He then attended the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and then the Michigan Military Academy. Graduating in 1895, and failing the entrance exam for West Point, he ended up as an enlisted soldier with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in Fort Grant, Arizona Territory. After being diagnosed with a heart problem and thus found ineligible for a commission, he was discharged in 1897.
What followed was a string of seemingly unrelated and short stint jobs. Following a period of drifting and ranch work in Idaho, Burroughs found work at his father's firm in 1899. He married Emma Centennia Hulbert in 1900. In 1904 he left his job and found less regular work, initially in Idaho but soon back in Chicago.
By 1911, after seven years of low wages, he was working as a pencil sharpener wholesaler and began to write fiction. By this time Burroughs and Emma had two children, Joan and Hulbert. During this period, he had copious spare time and he began reading many pulp fiction magazines and has since claimed:
"...if people were paid for writing rot such as I read in some of those magazines that I could write stories just as rotten. As a matter of fact, although I had never written a story, I knew absolutely that I could write stories just as entertaining and probably a whole lot more so than any I chanced to read in those magazines."
Aiming his work at these pulp fiction magazines, his first story "Under the Moons of Mars" was serialized in The All-Story magazine in 1912 and earned Burroughs US$400 (roughly the equivalent of US$7600 in 2004).
Burroughs soon took up writing full-time and by the time the run of Under the Moons of Mars had finished he had completed two novels, including Tarzan of the Apes, which was published from October 1912 and went on to begin his most successful series. In 1913, Burroughs and Emma had their third and last child, John Coleman.
Burroughs also wrote popular science fiction and fantasy stories involving Earthly adventurers transported to various planets (notably Barsoom, Burroughs' fictional name for Mars, and Amtor, his fictional name for Venus), lost islands, and into the interior of the hollow earth in his Pellucidar stories, as well as westerns and historical romances. Along with All-Story, many of his stories were published in the Argosy Magazine.
Tarzan was a cultural sensation when introduced. Burroughs was determined to capitalize on Tarzan's popularity in every way possible. He planned to exploit Tarzan through several different media including a syndicated Tarzan comic strip, movies and merchandise. Experts in the field advised against this course of action, stating that the different media would just end up competing against each other. Burroughs went ahead, however, and proved the experts wrong—the public wanted Tarzan in whatever fashion he was offered. Tarzan remains one of the most successful fictional characters to this day and is a cultural icon.
In 1923 Burroughs set up his own company, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., and began printing his own books through the 1930s. He divorced Emma in 1934 and married former actress Florence Gilbert Dearholt in 1935, ex-wife of his friend, Ashton Dearholt, adopting the Dearholts' two children. They divorced in 1942.
At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor he was a resident of Hawaii and, despite being in his late sixties, he asked for permission to be a war correspondent. This permission was granted and so he became the oldest war correspondent for the U.S. during World War II.
Death and legacy
After the war ended, Burroughs moved back to Encino, California, where, after many health problems, he died of a heart attack on March 19, 1950, having written almost seventy novels.
The towns of Tarzana, California and Tarzan, Texas were named after Tarzan. In 1919 Burroughs purchased a large ranch north of Los Angeles, California which he named "Tarzana." The citizens of the community that sprang up around the ranch voted to adopt that name when their town was incorporated in 1928. And the unincorporated community of Tarzan, Texas was formally named in 1927 when the postal service accepted the name, reputedly coming from the popularity of the first (silent) "Tarzan of the Apes" film, starring Elmo Lincoln, and an early "Tarzan" comic strip.
The Burroughs crater on Mars is named in Burroughs' honor.
Tarzan of the Apes
1888 W Africa. Newlyweds Lord and Lady Greystoke are marooned by mutineers. He builds a snug cabin for their growing family.
But disaster falls. Great Apes raise the small son, destined to be Lord of the Jungle.
"Tarzan
of the Apes" is an adventure novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs,
first published in 1912. The story follows the life of John Clayton, who
was born to aristocratic parents on the west coast of Africa but
orphaned after his parents are killed by a group of apes. He is then
raised by the apes and becomes known as Tarzan. Tarzan grows up in the
jungle, learns the ways of the animals, and develops incredible physical
abilities. The book chronicles his journey as he tries to reconcile his
human nature with his life among the apes and eventually meets and
falls in love with Jane Porter, a young American woman. The novel has
become a classic of popular culture and has been adapted into numerous
films, television series, and other media.
The Return of Tarzan
Tarzan
hides his inheritance as an English lord, because he believes his
cousin William Cecil Clayton would make a better lord and husband for
his beloved Jane. He is distracted by a married Russian countess, whose
criminal brother Nicholas Rokoff is a real villain for the series.
Tarzan is set up for attack by a dozen Paris muggers.
The Beasts of Tarzan
Tarzan
is exiled by Russian villain Nikolas Rokoff to a wild African island.
He enlists the help of a panther and tribe of Great Apes to reach the
mainland. He believes Rokoff has kidnapped his wife and infant son.
The Son of Tarzan
Alexis
Paulvitch, one of Tarzan's enemies, wants to get even, so he draws
Tarzan's son, Jack, away from London, but Jack isn't so easy to capture
and kill. He escapes, and makes a home among the apes as his father did.
He becomes known as Korak the Killer, and meets a lovely young woman
named Meriem. Narrow escapes, fun action, and a definite sense of
adventure in the wilds of Africa make this a must-read book.
The Jewels of Opar
Bankrupt
Tarzan returns to Opar with Waziri guards.Tarzan injures his head in a
fight and loses his memory. La, high priestess for the Flaming God,
follows guarded by degenerate bestial priests and sacrificial knives.
She has wanted the forest god since their first meeting, lust/love
conflicts with anger. Meanwhile Arabs attack, massacre Waziri, kidnap
Jane.
Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Glorious tales of Tarzan’s early growth to manhood in the forest...
Tarzan,
the heart of primeval Africa, escapes death on the horn of Buto the
rhinoceros, saves the life of Tantor the elephant, sends the witchdoctor
Bukawai to a terrible death, battle victoriously with his arch-enemy
Numa the Lion, and slowly but surely fights his way to a mastery of his
savage, unforgiving jungle.
A Princess of Mars - Barsoom Series Book 1
A
Princess of Mars is the first of eleven thrilling novels that comprise
Edgar Rice Burroughs' most exciting saga, known as The Martian Series.
It's the beginning of an incredible odyssey in which John Carter, a
gentleman from Virginia and a Civil War veteran, unexpectedly finds
himself on to the red planet, scene of continuing combat among rival
tribes. Captured by a band of six-limbed, green-skinned savage giants
called Tharks, Carter soon is accorded all the honor of a chieftain
after it's discovered that his muscles, accustomed to Earth's greater
gravity, now give him a decided advantage in strength. And when his
captors take as prisoner Dejah Thoris, the lovely human-looking princess
of the city of Helium, Carter must call upon every ounce of strength,
courage, and ingenuity to rescue her-before Dejah becomes the slave of
the depraved Thark leader, Tal Hajus!
Her oval face was beautiful
in the extreme, her every feature finely chisled and exquisite, her
eyes large and lustrous and her head surmounted by a mass of coal black,
waving hair, caught loosely into a strange yet becoming coiffure.
Similar in face and figure to women of Earth, she was nevertheless a
true Martian and prisoner of the fierce green giants who held me
captive, as well!
The Gods of Mars - Barsoom Series Book 2
After
the long exile on Earth, John Carter finally returned to his beloved
Mars. But beautiful Dejah Thoris, the woman he loved, had vanished. Now
he was trapped in the legendary Eden of Mars an Eden from which none
ever escaped alive.
The Gods of Mars is a science fantasy novel
by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second of his Barsoom
series. It was first published in The All-Story as a five-part serial in
the issues for January-May 1913. It was later published as a complete
novel by A. C. McClurg in September, 1918.
For moments after that
awful laugh had ceased reverberating through the rocky room, Tars
Tarkas and I stood in tense and expectant silence. But no further sound
broke the stillness, nor within the range of our vision did aught
move.At length Tars Tarkas laughed softly, after the manner of his
strange kind when in the presence of the horrible or terrifying. It is
not an hysterical laugh, but rather the genuine expression of the
pleasure they derive from the things that move Earth men to loathing or
to tears.Often and again have I seen them roll upon the ground in mad
fits of uncontrollable mirth when witnessing the death agonies of women
and little children beneath the torture of that hellish green Martian
fete-the Great Games.I looked up at the Thark, a smile upon my own lips,
for here in truth was greater need for a smiling face than a trembling
chin.
The Warlord of Mars - Barsoom Series Book 3
John
Carter risks everything to rescue his wife, Princess Dejah Thoris, from
the clutches of his evil adversaries, but he is always just one step
behind! His battles cover the face of the red planet, as his quest
carries him ultimately to the mysterious northern pole. Will this
civilization, submerged in ice, prove fatal to our hero? This is the
third of eleven in the popular 'Martian' series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Thuvia Maid of Mars - Barsoom Series Book 4
Mars
has become divided by love. Not one, but two princes and a Jeddak are
vying for the love of Thuvia of Ptarth. When she is mysteriously
kidnapped, treachery threatens to throw Barsoom into bloody war. Now
Cathoris must follow in the footsteps of his father, John Carter, and
overcome phantom armies, dangerous spies and savage beasts as he
attempts to save his true love and reunite Mars. The fourth Martian
novel from Burroughs.
Upon a massive bench of polished ersite
beneath the gorgeous blooms of a giant pimalia a woman sat. Her shapely,
sandalled foot tapped impatiently upon the jewel-strewn walk that wound
beneath the stately sorapus trees across the scarlet sward of the royal
gardens of Thuvan Dihn, Jeddak of Ptarth, as a dark-haired, red-skinned
warrior bent low toward her, whispering heated words close to her ear.
"Ah, Thuvia of Ptarth," he cried, "you are cold even before the fiery
blasts of my consuming love! No harder than your heart, nor colder is
the hard, cold ersite of this thrice happy bench which supports your
divine and fadeless form! Tell me, O Thuvia of Ptarth, that I may still
hope-that though you do not love me now, yet some day, some day, my
princess, I-" The girl sprang to her feet with an exclamation of
surprise and displeasure. Her queenly head was poised haughtily upon her
smooth red shoulders. Her dark eyes looked angrily into those of the
man.
The Chessmen of Mars - Barsoom Series Book 5
In
this novel Burroughs continues to focus on the younger members of the
family established by John Carter and Dejah Thoris, protagonists of the
first three books in the series. The heroine this time is their daughter
Tara, princess of Helium, whose hand is sought by the gallant Gahan,
Jed (prince) of Gathol. Both Helium and Gathol are prominent Barsoomian
city states.
At the Earth's Core - Pellucidar Series Book 1
At
the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs Cutting through the earth in
an extraordinary burrowing device, David Innes and Abner Perry fear they
may be incinerated in the planet's fiery core. Instead, they come upon
Pellucidar - a savage, primordial world hidden several hundred miles
beneath the earth's crust. There in an eerie, subterranean realm of vast
oceans, lush jungles, and eternal noon, they encounter primitive humans
and their beautiful, courageous queen, Dian.
At the Earth's Core
is a 1914 fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the
first in his series about the fictional "hollow earth" land of
Pellucidar. It first appeared as a four-part serial in All-Story Weekly
from April 4-25, 1914
But when I saw these sleek, shiny carcasses
shimmering in the sunlight as they emerged from the ocean, shaking
their giant heads; when I saw the waters roll from their sinuous bodies
in miniature waterfalls as they glided hither and thither, now upon the
surface, now half submerged; as I saw them meet, open-mouthed, hissing
and snorting, in their titanic and interminable warring I realized how
futile is man’s poor, week imagination by comparison with Nature’s
incredible genius.
The Moon Maid
In the late
twentieth century, Admiral Julian 3rd can get no rest, for he knows his
future. He will be reborn as his grandson in the next century to journey
through space and make an ominous discovery inside the moon; he will
live again in the dark years of the twenty-second century as Julian 9th,
who refuses to bow down to the victorious Moon Men; and as Julian 20th,
the fierce Red Hawk, he will lead humanity's final battle against the
alien invaders in the twenty-fifth century. The Moon Maid is Edgar Rice
Burroughs's stunning epic of a world conquered by alien invaders from
the moon and of the hero Julian, who champions the earth's struggle for
freedom, peace, and dignity. The most complete version of The Moon Maid
saga ever made available, this edition contains the story as published
serially, along with numerous passages, sentences, and words excised
from the magazine version or added later by the author. This edition
also features an introduction by Terry Bisson, new illustrations by
Thomas Floyd, the classic frontispiece by J. Allen St. John, essays by
scholar Richard J. Golsan and writer Phillip R. Burger, a glossary by
Scott Tracy Griffin, and a compendium of alterations to the text.
The Moon Men - The Moon Trilogy Book 2
Through
the treason of a handful of men, contact between Earth & the Moon
had become a nightmare. The world became the tool of the Lunarians,
whose plundering and cruelty reduced thieving nations to poverty
stricken wastelands. The Moon Men is the astounding story of that
tragedy, & of the exploits of Julian, the human who dared fight for
freedom. It's the story also of Red Hawk, Julian's descendant, the nomad
who attempted to bring the struggle to its final desperate conclusion.
The Red Hawk - The Moon Trilogy Book 3
An Anti-Communist Science Fiction Classic by the creator of Tarzan. This is the last of a 3 part Dystopian trilogy of life in a socialist 'utopia'. Book 1 - The Moon Maid, 2 is The Moon Men. Admiral Julian III knows his future: He will be reborn as his grandson in the 21st century & travel through space to make a startling discovery inside the moon. In the 22nd century, he will live again as Julian IX, refusing to submit to the victorious Moon Men. In the 25th century, as Julian XX, the fierce Red Hawk, he will lead humanity's final battle against the alien invaders. A majestic adventure with political overtones & great science fiction. Book 3: The American people are now a nomadic horse nation, painted and feathered. Their chieftain is Julian-the Red Hawk-and he is planning the final defeat of the hated Kalkans after centuries of oppression. This is ERG at his best, with all the excitement, adventure & trills we expect. Exciting, thought provoking Marxist domination destroyed!
Edgar Rice Burroughs books
Tarzan series
Tarzan of the Apes (1912)
The Return of Tarzan (1913)
The Beasts of Tarzan (1914)
The Son of Tarzan (1915)
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916)
Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1916–1917)
Tarzan the Untamed (1919)
Tarzan the Terrible (1921)
Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1922)
Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924)
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1927)
Tarzan and the Lost Empire (1928)
Tarzan at the Earth's Core (1929)
Tarzan the Invincible (1930)
Tarzan Triumphant (1931)
Tarzan and the City of Gold (1932)
Tarzan and the Lion Man (1933)
Tarzan and the Leopard Men (1932)
Tarzan's Quest (1935)
Tarzan the Magnificent (1936)
Tarzan and the Forbidden City (1938)
Tarzan and the Foreign Legion (1947)
Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins (1963)
Tarzan and the Madman (1964)
Tarzan and the Castaways (1965)
Tarzan: The Lost Adventure (1946 - completed by Joe R. Lansdale 1995)
Barsoom series (aka Martian series)
A Princess of Mars (1912)
The Gods of Mars (1913)
The Warlord of Mars (1914)
Thuvia, Maid of Mars (1916)
The Chessmen of Mars (1922)
The Master Mind of Mars (1927)
A Fighting Man of Mars (1930)
Swords of Mars (1934)
Synthetic Men of Mars (1939)
Llana of Gathol (1941)
John Carter of Mars (1964)
Pellucidar series
At the Earth's Core (1914)
Pellucidar (1915)
Tanar of Pellucidar (1929)
Tarzan at the Earth's Core (1929)
Back to the Stone Age (1937)
Land of Terror (1944, written in 1939)
Savage Pellucidar (1963, stories from 1942)
Venus series
Pirates of Venus (1932)
Lost on Venus (1933)
Carson of Venus (1938)
Escape on Venus (1946)
The Wizard of Venus (1970)
Caspak series
The Land That Time Forgot (1918)
The People That Time Forgot (1918)
Out of Time's Abyss (1918)
Moon series
Part I: The Moon Maid (1923, serialized in Argosy, May 5 – June 2, 1923)
Part II: The Moon Men (1925, serialized in Argosy, February 21 – March 14, 1925)
Part III: The Red Hawk (1925 serialized in Argosy, September 5–19, 1925)
Mucker series
Minidoka: 937th Earl of One Mile Series M (1903)
The Mucker (1914)
The Return of the Mucker (1916)
The Oakdale Affair (1918)
Other science fiction
The Monster Men (1913)
The Lost Continent (1916 - a.k.a. Beyond Thirty)
The Resurrection of Jimber-Jaw (1937)
Beyond the Farthest Star (1942)
Jungle adventure novels
The Cave Girl (1913, revised 1917)
The Eternal Lover (1914 - A.K.A. The Eternal Savage)
The Man-Eater (1915)
The Lad and the Lion (1917)
Jungle Girl (1931 - A.K.A. The Land of Hidden Men)
Western novels
The Bandit of Hell's Bend (1924)
The War Chief (1927)
Apache Devil (1933)
The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County (1940)
Historical novels
The Outlaw of Torn (1914)
I am a Barbarian (1967)
Other works
The Mad King (1914)
The Girl from Farris's (1916)
The Rider (1918)
The Efficiency Expert (1921)
The Girl from Hollywood (1922)
Marcia of the Doorstep (1924)
You Lucky Girl! (1927)
Pirate Blood (1932)
Forgotten Tales of Love and Murder (2001;)
Brother Men (2005)
Source and additional information: Edgar Rice Burroughs