Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Father of Adventure Fiction

Born September 1, 1875 in Chicago, Edgar Rice Burroughs would become one of the most influential pulp fiction writers of the 20th century. Though he failed at multiple careers before turning to writing, his creation of Tarzan and John Carter revolutionized popular fiction and laid the foundation for modern adventure storytelling.

Early Life and Failed Ventures (1875-1911)

Burroughs grew up in a well-to-do Chicago family during America’s Gilded Age. After attending Phillips Academy and the Michigan Military Academy, he embarked on a series of unsuccessful careers – cowboy in Idaho, gold miner in Oregon, railroad policeman in Utah, and even a door-to-door salesman. These varied experiences would later color his fiction with authentic details about frontier life and survival. By 1911, a 35-year-old Burroughs was working as a pencil sharpener wholesaler when he began writing fiction to escape his monotonous job.

Literary Breakthrough (1912-1914)

Burroughs’ first story, “Under the Moons of Mars” (serialized in 1912 as by “Norman Bean”), introduced John Carter, a Civil War veteran mysteriously transported to Mars (called Barsoom by natives). This groundbreaking planetary romance combined swashbuckling adventure with alien cultures, creating the template for future space operas. Its success led to his most famous creation – Tarzan of the Apes, first appearing in 1912’s Tarzan of the Apes. The story of an English lord raised by African apes became a cultural phenomenon, spawning 24 sequels.

Prolific Output and Business Savvy (1914-1929)

Unlike many pulp writers, Burroughs approached writing as a business. He incorporated himself in 1923 as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., controlling all rights to his work – an unprecedented move for authors at the time. Beyond Tarzan and Barsoom, he created other popular series including the Pellucidar stories (set inside a hollow Earth) and the Caspak trilogy (featuring a lost world of evolving creatures). His 1914 novel The Land That Time Forgot pioneered the “lost world” subgenre that would influence everything from Jurassic Park to Lost.

Hollywood and Later Years (1929-1950)

Recognizing Tarzan’s cinematic potential early, Burroughs moved to California in 1919. He helped produce the first Tarzan film (1918) and later saw his creation portrayed by Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller in the iconic 1932 MGM film. During World War II, he became the oldest war correspondent in the Pacific theater at age 66. Burroughs died of a heart attack in 1950, having written over 70 novels that sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide.

Influences and Literary Impact

Burroughs drew inspiration from adventure writers like H. Rider Haggard (King Solomon’s Mines) and Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle Book), while his scientific romances borrowed concepts from Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. In turn, he influenced generations of writers – Ray Bradbury credited Burroughs with sparking his imagination, Arthur C. Clarke named him a childhood favorite, and George Lucas incorporated Barsoom elements into Star Wars. His fast-paced storytelling and world-building directly shaped modern science fiction and fantasy, from Avatar to Game of Thrones.

Controversies and Criticism

While enormously popular, Burroughs’ work has been criticized for racist and colonialist undertones, particularly in early Tarzan novels reflecting the era’s prejudices. However, his portrayal of strong female characters like Dejah Thoris (John Carter’s Martian princess wife) was progressive for its time. Later Tarzan stories notably softened the character’s imperialist attitudes.

Personal Life

Married twice (to Emma Hulbert in 1900 and Florence Gilbert in 1935), Burroughs was a devoted father who built the California community of Tarzana on his former ranch. Though never considered a literary stylist, his genius lay in pure storytelling – creating timeless myths that tapped into universal fantasies of noble savagery and heroic adventure. The Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe continues expanding today with authorized new stories, while his original works remain in print over a century after their creation.

Legacy

Edgar Rice Burroughs didn’t just write stories – he created modern mythology. From Tarzan’s primal yell echoing through pop culture to John Carter’s interplanetary adventures inspiring space exploration fiction, his imagination shaped how we dream of exotic worlds and untamed frontiers. As Ray Bradbury once said: “Edgar Rice Burroughs never would have looked down his nose at me. He considered himself lucky to have a roof, let alone a nose to look down.” This everyman quality – the failed businessman who became king of pulp fiction – makes his success story as compelling as his fiction. In an era of literary pretension, Burroughs reminds us of fiction’s fundamental power: to transport, to thrill, and to make us believe in the impossible.

Edgar Rice Burroughs – First editions Identification Guide

Note: This list only contains works published prior to 1977.

Edgar Rice Burroughs – First Printing Dust Jackets Identification Guide

Gallery of First state Dust Jackets and later reprints.

Reference:

• L. W. Currey, Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction and Selected Nonfiction