With almost a hundred books to his credit Burroughs wrote not only adventure and science fiction stories, he also wrote westerns (Burroughs served in the US cavalry), historical novels (ancient Rome, Medieval England, etc.) and even a play.
Since many of the original editions are priced in the hundreds (and often thousands) of dollars, a more modest collection of paperbacks will cost a mere fraction of even one first edition.
Before writing Tarzan, Burroughs introduced the public to John Carter, "Warlord of Mars", a sword-wielding former officer of the Confederate States of America, who, "translated" to the Red Planet, has many adventures and even marries a princess. The Mars series encompasses 11 books and would pave the way, a generation later, for other "sword and spaceship" types, such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. McClurg, and later ERB (for Edgar Rice Burroughs) Inc. would publish most of his first editions in hardcover; in fact, it would not be until after his death in 1950 that Burroughs' stories would gain a foothold in the paperback market.
Coming into popularity right after the Second World War (government issued editions were often carried into action by US soldiers), paperback books were cheaper to produce and easier to transport than the bulkier hardcover editions. Some of the GI issues, recognizable by being wider than they are tall, are now worth several hundred dollars! Along with the sometimes lurid cover art, these less pricey books appealed to all tastes; from Shakespeare to Spillane!
In the early 1960s, Ace Publishing reprinted many Burroughs titles, introducing a whole new generation to the fantastic worlds, populated by the innovations and characters that many writers have since used as a basis for their own stories. The covers of these classics feature dinosaurs, aliens, saber-tooth tigers (or their off-world relatives), beautiful but fearless maidens and dynamic heroes.
Originally costing forty cents (and later increased to the extravagant price of sixty cents!), these novels are probably the most sought after by Burroughs' fans and book collectors. Frank Frazetta, undoubtedly the master of science fiction and fantasy illustrators, whose original artwork has been hammered-down for over $70,000, made the breakthrough from comic books to illustrations by working on these Burroughs covers. Not rare, yet highly collectable, the Ace editions sell for $4-$6.
Ballantine Books, too, took up the task of printing Burroughs paperbacks, starting around 1963, with Bob Abbett and others supplying the artwork. Concentrating mainly on the Tarzan and Martian series, Ballantine favored covers concentrating on more realistic figures, strong colors and unique contrasting backgrounds. These were first issued with a selling price of fifty cents and are now worth $3-$5.
Del Rey (an imprint of Ballantine Books) released their editions in the early 90s, Michael Herring and David B. Mattingly producing the covers. Mattingly (the B stands for Burroughs) was named by his parents in honor of Edgar Rice Burroughs. David claims he was read to in his crib from the novels of the master storyteller--of course, he would have to grow up and illustrate his hero's novels!
Other paperback publishers include: House of Greystoke, Fantasy House, Carroll & Graf. These, plus British editions brought out by Tandem and New English Library, among others, offer the collector various cover work featuring either photo covers (from British produced movies based on Burroughs' The Land That Time Forgot trilogy) or art by leading British illustrators.
Bibliographic Reference
VENUS SERIES
Burroughs wrote five Venus series books, the hero of which, Carson Napier was named after an acquaintance from Burroughs' cavalry days at Fort Grant, Arizona.
Pirate of Venus
Lost on Venus
Carson of Venus
Escape on Venus
The Wizard of Venus
PELLUCIDAR SERIES
An inner-Earth setting had been used by writers before Burroughs, but perhaps none had peopled (or animaled) the mysterious landscape with so many diverse types. Even Tarzan makes an appearance in one adventure.
At the Earth's Core
Pellucidar
Tanar of Pellucidar
Tarzan at the Earth's Core
Back to the Stone Age
Land of Terror
Savage Pellucidar
WESTERN NOVELS
Burroughs relied on his own experiences while writing his westerns. Beginning as a young lad of fourteen who was sent from his native Chicago to escape an epidemic, he often traveled throughout the rapidly diminishing frontier; prospecting for gold, riding fence, or trailing the elusive Apache. Even some of his off-world characters reflect the skills and demeanor of the classic cowboy heroes: self reliance, bravery, astute marksmanship and a keen sense of fair play.
The War Chief
Apache Devil
The Bandit of HellÆs Bend
The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche
County
MISC.
It's in this category that ten of Burroughs works found posthumous publication. Here we have novels that bring the reader back to the Stone Age (The Cave Girl), and the Rome of Emperor Caligula (I am a Barbarian). Burroughs even penned contemporary tales (The Girl from Farris', The Efficiency Expert), a story set in a future post-apocalypse America (Beyond Thirty) and fantasies set on the Moon (The Moon Maid).
Beyond Thirty and The Man-Eater
The Cave Girl
The Eternal Lover
The Efficiency Expert
The Girl from Hollywood
The Girl from Farris'
I am a Barbarian
Jungle Girl
The Land That Time Forgot
( 3 vols. The Land That Time Forgot,
The People That Time Forgot,
Out of Time's Abyss)
The Lad and the Lion (in 1916, the first of Burroughs' novels to be made into a motion picture, preceding Tarzan by two years)
The Mucker
The Mad King
The Monster Men
The Moon Maid
The Outlaw of Torn
The Oakdale Affair and The Rider
Tales of Three Planets
Marcia of the Doorstep
You Lucky Girls
MARTIAN SERIES
Burroughs' first story was A Princess of Mars and it's in this book we find the precursor to his most famous creation, Tarzan.
The protagonist of the majority of the Martian books, John Carter, not only has the same first name and initials as that given Tarzan (whose familial name is John Clayton), but they share many traits. Though better known to the general public, (the title character of 26 novels by Burroughs) Tarzan is nonetheless often given second place by diehard Burroughs fans. First place is given to John Carter, "Warlord of Mars."
A Princess of Mars
The Gods of Mars
The Warlord of Mars
Thuvia, Maid of Mars
The Chessmen of Mars
The Mastermind of Mars
A Fighting Man of Mars
Swords of Mars
Synthetic Men of Mars
Llana of Gathol
John Carter of Mars
About the author: A professional writer for the past eight years, Glenn Erardi specializes in writing about antiques and collectibles. His syndicated column, THE COLLECTOR, appears in twenty-five newspapers nationally, including "the Gavel".
Erardi is presently awaiting the release of his guide book for Tarzan memorabilia (featuring over 480 color photos) from Schiffer Publications, and in his "spare time" teaches classes on writing, and antiques and collectibles at Northern Essex Community College, Andover Community Services, Middle- sex Community College, and UMass Lowell.
Erardi said, "I've also been published in other genres, including: horror, poetry and humor. But, without doubt, my greatest accomplishment is being a stay-home dad for my two and a half year old son and my three month old daughter."
The Guide to Tarzan Collectibles, illustrated with over 480 color photos,
will be released by Schiffer Publishing late May or early June in soft
cover (8.5x11). Erardi is currently taking orders; the price is $29.95
+ $3.95 s&h ($33.90 total). A limited offering of 300 signed and inscribed
copies will be made available to Tarzan/ERB fans. Each copy will feature
a unique numbered book plate designed by Bob Mosher. Send orders with check
or money order for $33.90 to:
Glenn Erardi, 122 Union St. North Andover, MA 01845. If you wish a
personal inscription, please note that on your order and print the name
you wish inscribed, or visit his website at:
http://members.aol.com /Gerardi01/tarcollectibles.html
©1998 Unravel the Gavel