The Mad King

Edgar Rice Burroughs (b. 1875) was an American author and pioneering figure in early twentieth-century speculative fiction. He established himself as a master of pulp storytelling through his creation of enduring adventure worlds. His defining contribution to literature includes the legendary characters Tarzan and John Carter.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Burroughs worked various jobs, including businessman and cavalry soldier, before turning to writing in his late thirties. In 1912, he published his first story, Under the Moons of Mars, in the pulp magazine All-Story, followed by Tarzan of the Apes the same year.

The massive commercial success of his jungle and planetary romances allowed him to establish his own publishing company and found the community of Tarzana, California. During World War II, he served as a war correspondent, making him one of the oldest correspondents in the Pacific theater.

Essential Reading

• Jungle Girl (1932): This thrilling adventure follows a courageous heroine navigating the perilous hazards of a hidden Cambodian jungle kingdom.
• Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1919): This collection of short stories explores the formative childhood and youth of the ape-man in the African wilderness.
• Tarzan and the Ant-men (1924): Tarzan shrinks in size and must interact with a miniature society of intelligent humanoids known as the Alali.
• Tarzan and the City of Gold (1933): The ape-man journeys to a hidden African city ruled by a ruthless queen and embroiled in ancient conflicts.
• Tarzan and the Forbidden City (1938): Tarzan embarks on a dangerous expedition into a subterranean valley guarded by fierce prehistoric beasts.
• Tarzan and the Foreign Legion (1947): Tarzan aids Allied soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in Sumatra during the height of World War II.
• Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1918): Tarzan returns to the lost city of Opar to recover fabulous wealth while facing savage high priestesses.
• Tarzan And The Leopard Men (1935): A bloodthirsty cult threatens the African jungle as Tarzan works to dismantle their reign of terror.