Edgar Rice Burroughs, September 2023
Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950)
What images come to mind when you think of Edgar Rice Burroughs? Johnny Weissmuller's jungle call or perhaps Tarzan swinging on a vine? Tarzan was such an enduring character that after first appearing in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, Burroughs wrote 24 sequels and there are 61 films that include the Tarzan character! Tarzan became an iconic character, on par with Sherlock Holmes. Yet Burroughs was so much more than the creator of Tarzan. A few months before the appearance of Tarzan, in his first published novel, Under the Moons of Mars, ERB introduced us to John Carter, Dejah Thoris (The Princess of Mars) and the world of Barsoom, under the pseudonym Norman Bean (he submitted the story as by “Normal Bean” but the editor thought that was an error and changed it to Norman). He would continue his planetary romance saga for another ten books and would also go on to explore the worlds of Venus, the inner earth of Pellucidar and many other imaginative places.
Burroughs influenced many authors (and imitators), including Ray Bradbury who would say “Edgar Rice Burroughs never would have looked upon himself as a social mover and shaker with social obligations. But as it turns out – and I love to say it because it upsets everyone terribly – Burroughs is probably the most influential writer in the entire history of the world." and "By giving romance and adventure to a whole generation of boys, Burroughs caused them to go out and decide to become special." (Interview with Sam Weller). “…because Burroughs had a genius for highly-energized literalizations of dream-worlds, they have endured.” – David Pringle/John Clute, from the Science Fiction Encyclopedia online.
Burroughs was a popular and prolific writer penning nearly 80 novels. Our list here (the majority new to stock) are primarily first editions, a wide selection with many in dust jacket and a number of signed or inscribed books by Burroughs.