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Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first appeared in the novel ''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' beginning October 1912 before being released as a novel in June ...
'' (magazine publication 1912, book publication 1914), and subsequently in 23 sequels, several books by Burroughs and other authors, and innumerable works in other media, both authorized and unauthorized.


Character biography

Tarzan is the son of a British lord and lady who were marooned on the coast of
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
by mutineers. When Tarzan was an infant, his mother died, and his father was killed by
Kerchak Kerchak is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original ''Tarzan'' novel, ''Tarzan of the Apes'', and in movies and other media based on it. History In the novel ''Tarzan of the Apes'', Kerchak is the "king" of a tribal band of M ...
, leader of the ape tribe by whom Tarzan was adopted. Soon after his parents' death, Tarzan became a feral child, and his tribe of apes is known as the
Mangani ''Mangani'' is the name of a fictional species of great apes in the Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and of the invented language used by these apes. In the invented language, ''Mangani'' (meaning "great-ape") is the apes' word for their own ...
,
great ape The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); ''Gorilla'' (the ...
s of a species unknown to science. Kala is his ape mother. Burroughs added stories occurring during Tarzan's adolescence in his sixth Tarzan book, ''
Jungle Tales of Tarzan ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' is a collection of twelve loosely connected short stories by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan ...
''.


Jane

As an 18-year-old, Tarzan meets a young American woman named
Jane Porter Jane Porter (3 December 1775 – 24 May 1850) was an English historical novelist, dramatist and literary figure. Her bestselling novels, ''Thaddeus of Warsaw'' (1803) and ''The Scottish Chiefs'' (1810) are seen as among the earliest historical ...
. She, her father, and others of their party are marooned on the same coastal jungle area where Tarzan's human parents were 20 years earlier. When Jane returns to the United States, Tarzan leaves the jungle in search of her, his one true love. In ''
The Return of Tarzan ''The Return of Tarzan'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine '' New Story Magazine'' in the issues for ...
'', Tarzan and Jane marry. In later books, he lives with her for a time in England. They have one son, Jack, who takes the ape name Korak (the Killer). Tarzan is
contempt Contempt is a pattern of attitudes and behaviour, often towards an individual or a group, but sometimes towards an ideology, which has the characteristics of disgust and anger. The word originated in 1393 in Old French contempt, contemps, ...
uous of what he sees as the hypocrisy of
civilization A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). ...
, so Jane and he return to Africa, making their home on an extensive estate in British East Africa that becomes a base for Tarzan's later adventures. As revealed in ''
Tarzan's Quest ''Tarzan's Quest'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the nineteenth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. Originally serialized in six parts, as ''Tarzan and the Immortal Men'', in ''The Blue Book ...
'', Tarzan, Jane, Tarzan's monkey friend
Nkima Nkima is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly comics. His name comes from either the word N'kima ('monkey' in the Mbugu language, a regional dialect of Swahili) ...
, and their allies gained some of the Kavuru's pills that grant immortality to their consumer.


Name

"Tarzan" is the ape-name of John Clayton,
Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
Greystoke, according to Burroughs's ''
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four sea ...
''. (Later, less canonical sources, notably the 1984 film '' Greystoke'', make him Earl of Greystoke.) The narrator in ''Tarzan of the Apes'' describes both "Clayton" and "Greystoke" as fictitious names, implying that, within the fictional world that Tarzan inhabits, he may have a different real name. Burroughs considered other names for the character, including "Zantar" and "Tublat Zan", before he settled on "Tarzan". Though the copyright on ''Tarzan of the Apes'' has expired in the United States and in other countries, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. claims the name "Tarzan" as a trademark.


Physical abilities

Tarzan's jungle upbringing gives him abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans. These include climbing, clinging, and leaping as well as any great ape. He uses branches, swings from
vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...
s to travel at great speed, and can use his feet like hands (he prefers going barefoot because he relies on the flexibility of bare feet), a skill acquired among the
anthropoid ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...
s. His strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and swimming skills are extraordinary; he has wrestled not just full-grown apes, but also
gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
s, lions,
rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
s, crocodiles,
python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (pro ...
s, leopards,
shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...
s, tigers, giant seahorses, and even
dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
s (when he visited
Pellucidar Pellucidar is a fictional Hollow Earth invented by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. In a crossover event, Tarzan, who was also created by Burroughs, visits Pellucidar. The stories initially involv ...
). Tarzan is a skilled tracker, and uses his exceptional hearing and keen sense of smell to follow
prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...
or avoid predators.


Language and literacy

As originally depicted, Tarzan/John Clayton is very intelligent and articulate, and does not speak in broken English as the classic movies of the 1930s depict him. He can communicate with many species of jungle animals, and has been shown to be a skilled impressionist, able to mimic the sound of a gunshot perfectly. Tarzan is literate in English before he first encounters other English-speaking people. His literacy is self-taught after several years in his early teens by visiting the log cabin of his infancy and looking at children's primer/picture books. He eventually reads every book in his father's portable book collection, and is fully aware of geography, basic world history, and his family tree. He is "found" by traveling Frenchman Paul d'Arnot, who teaches him the basics of human speech and returns with him to civilization. When Tarzan first encounters d'Arnot, he tells him (in writing): "I speak only the language of my tribe—the great apes who were Kerchak's; and a little of the languages of Tantor, the elephant, and Numa, the lion, and of the other folks of the jungle I understand." Tarzan can learn a new language in days, ultimately speaking many languages, including that of the great apes, French,
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
, English,
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
,
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, Swahili, many other Bantu languages,
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
,
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...
, Ancient Latin, and
Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
, as well as the languages of the Ant Men and of
Pellucidar Pellucidar is a fictional Hollow Earth invented by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. In a crossover event, Tarzan, who was also created by Burroughs, visits Pellucidar. The stories initially involv ...
.


Literature

Tarzan has been called one of the best-known
literary character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in ...
s in the world. In addition to more than two dozen books by Burroughs and a handful more by authors with the blessing of Burroughs's estate, the character has appeared in films,
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
,
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
, comic strips, and comic books. Numerous parodies and pirated works have also appeared.


Critical reception

While ''Tarzan of the Apes'' met with some critical success, subsequent books in the series received a cooler reception and have been criticized for being derivative and formulaic. The characters are often said to be two-dimensional, the dialogue wooden, and the storytelling devices (such as excessive reliance on coincidence) strain credulity. According to
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...
(who himself wrote stories of a feral child, ''
The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, w ...
''s Mowgli), Burroughs wrote ''Tarzan of the Apes'' just so he could "find out how bad a book he could write and get away with it." While Burroughs was not a polished novelist, he was a vivid storyteller. Most of his novels are still in print. In 1963, author
Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and e ...
wrote a piece on the Tarzan series that, while pointing out several of the deficiencies that the Tarzan books have as works of literature, praises Burroughs for creating a compelling "daydream figure." Critical reception grew more positive with the 1981 study by Erling B. Holtsmark, ''Tarzan and Tradition: Classical Myth in Popular Literature''. Holtsmark added a volume on Burroughs for Twayne's United States Author Series in 1986. In 2010, Stan Galloway provided a sustained study of the adolescent period of the fictional Tarzan's life in ''The Teenage Tarzan''. Despite critical panning, the Tarzan stories have remained popular. Burroughs's melodramatic situations and the elaborate details he works into his fictional world, such as his construction of a partial language for his great apes, appeal to a worldwide fan base.


Unauthorized works

After Burroughs's death, a number of writers produced new Tarzan stories. In some instances, the estate managed to prevent publication of such works. The most notable example in the United States was a series of five novels by the pseudonymous "Barton Werper" that appeared 1964–65 by Gold Star Books (part of
Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...
). As a result of legal action by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., they were taken off the market. Similar series appeared in other countries, notably Argentina, Israel, and some Arab countries.


Modern fiction

In 1972,
science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
author
Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...
wrote ''
Tarzan Alive ''Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke'' is a fictional biography by American author Philip José Farmer, that alleges the life of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character Tarzan, is a story of a real person. The book was first published ...
'', a biography of Tarzan using the frame device that he was a real person. In Farmer's fictional universe, Tarzan, along with
Doc Savage Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a doctor, scientist, adventurer, detective, and polymath who "rights w ...
and Sherlock Holmes, are the cornerstones of the
Wold Newton family The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the American science fiction writer Philip José Farmer. Origins In real life a meteorite, called the Wold Cottage meteorite, fell near Wold Ne ...
. Farmer wrote two novels, ''
Hadon of Ancient Opar ''Hadon of Ancient Opar'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Philip José Farmer, first published in paperback by DAW Books in April 1974, and reprinted three times through 1983. The first British edition was published by Magnum in 1977; it wa ...
'' and ''
Flight to Opar ''Flight to Opar'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Philip José Farmer, first published in paperback by DAW Books in June 1976, and reprinted twice through 1983. The first British edition was published by Magnum in 1977; it was reprinted b ...
'', set in the distant past and giving further knowledge of the antecedents of the lost city of Opar, which plays an important role in the Tarzan books. In addition, Farmer's '' A Feast Unknown'', and its two sequels '' Lord of the Trees'' and '' The Mad Goblin'', are pastiches of the Tarzan and Doc Savage stories, with the premise that they tell the story of the real characters upon which the fictional characters are based. ''A Feast Unknown'' is somewhat infamous among Tarzan and Doc Savage fans for its graphic violence and sexual content.


Themes of gender and race

In her ''Manliness and Civilization'', Gail Bederman describes how various people of the time either challenged or upheld the idea that "civilization" is predicated on white masculinity. She closes with a chapter on ''Tarzan of the Apes'' (1912) because the story's protagonist is, according to her, the ultimate male by the standards of 1912 White Americans. Bederman does note that Tarzan, "an instinctively chivalrous Anglo-Saxon," does not engage in sexual violence, renouncing his "masculine impulse to rape." However, she also notes that not only does Tarzan kill black man Kulonga in revenge for killing his ape mother (a stand-in for his biological White mother) by
hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...
him, " lyncher Tarzan" actually enjoys killing black people, for example the cannibalistic Mbongans.Bederman, Gail. 1995.
Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of Gender and Race in the United States, 1880–1917
'. Tarzan and After. pp. 219–240.
Bederman, in fact, reminds readers that when Tarzan first introduces himself to Jane, he does so as "Tarzan, the killer of beasts and many black men". The novel climaxes with Tarzan saving Jane (who in the original novel is not British, but a southern White woman from
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
) from a black ape rapist. When he leaves the jungle and sees "civilized" Africans farming, his first instinct is to kill them just for being Black. "Like the lynch victims reported in the Northern press, Tarzan's victimscowards, cannibals, and despoilers of white womanhoodlack all manhood. Tarzan's lynchings thus prove him the superior man." According to Bederman, despite Tarzan embodying all the tropes of white supremacy espoused or rejected by the people she had reviewed (
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
,
G. Stanley Hall Granville Stanley Hall (February 1, 1846 – April 24, 1924) was a pioneering American psychologist and educator. His interests focused on human life span development and evolutionary theory. Hall was the first president of the American Psy ...
,
Charlotte Perkins Gilman Charlotte Perkins Gilman (; née Perkins; July 3, 1860 – August 17, 1935), also known by her first married name Charlotte Perkins Stetson, was an American humanist, novelist, writer, lecturer, advocate for social reform, and eugenicist. She w ...
,
Ida B. Wells Ida B. Wells (full name: Ida Bell Wells-Barnett) (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for ...
), Burroughs, in all probability, was not trying to make any kind of statement or echo any of them. "He probably never heard of any of them." Instead, Bederman writes that Burroughs proves her point because, in telling racist and sexist stories whose protagonist boasted of killing black people, he was not being unusual at all, but was instead just being a typical 1912 White American.


Race

The Tarzan books and movies employ extensive stereotyping. With changing social views and customs this has led to criticism, including charges of racism since the early 1970s. The early books give a pervasively negative and stereotypical portrayal of native Africans, including
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
s. In ''
The Return of Tarzan ''The Return of Tarzan'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine '' New Story Magazine'' in the issues for ...
'', Arabs are "surly looking" and call Christians "dogs", while black Africans are "lithe, ebon warriors, gesticulating and jabbering". In regards to race, a superior–inferior relationship with valuation is implied in virtually all interactions between white and black people in the Tarzan stories, and similar relationships and valuations can be seen in most other interactions between differing people. According to
James Loewen James William Loewen (February 6, 1942August 19, 2021) was an American sociologist, historian, and author. He was best known for his 1995 book, '' Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong''. Early life Loewen ...
's ''Sundown Towns'', this may be a vestige of Burroughs's having been from
Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated ...
, a former
Sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminator ...
(a town that forbids non-white people from living within it). Tarzan is a white European male who grows up with apes. According to "Taking Tarzan Seriously" by Marianna Torgovnick, Tarzan is confused with the
social hierarchy Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into groups based on socioeconomic factors like wealth, income, race, education, ethnicity, gender, occupation, social status, or derived power (social and political). As ...
that he is a part of. Unlike everyone else in his society, Tarzan is the only one who is not clearly part of any
social group In the social sciences, a social group can be defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Regardless, social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties ...
. All the other members of his world are not able to climb or decline socially because they are already part of a social hierarchy which is stagnant. Turgovnick writes that since Tarzan was raised as an ape, he thinks and acts like an ape. However, instinctively he is human and he resorts to being human when he is pushed to. The reason of his confusion is that he does not understand what the typical white male is supposed to act like. His instincts eventually kick in when he is in the midst of this confusion, and he ends up dominating the jungle. In Tarzan, the jungle is a microcosm for the world in general in 1912 to the early 1930s. His climbing of the social hierarchy proves that the European white male is the most dominant of all races/sexes, no matter what the circumstance. Furthermore, Turgovnick writes that when Tarzan first meets Jane, she is slightly repulsed but also fascinated by his animal-like actions. As the story progresses, Tarzan surrenders his knife to Jane in an oddly chivalrous gesture, which makes Jane fall for Tarzan despite his odd circumstances. Turgovnick believes that this displays an instinctual, civilized chivalry that Burrough believes is common in white men.


Gender dynamic

Burroughs's opinions, manifested through the narrative voice in the stories, reflect common attitudes in his time, which in a 21st-century context would be considered racist and sexist. Although the character of Tarzan does not directly engage in violence against women, feminist scholars have critiqued the presence of other sympathetic male characters who do so with Tarzan's approval. In '' Tarzan and the Ant Men'', the men of a fictional tribe of creatures called the Alali gain social dominance of their society by beating Alali women into submission with weapons that Tarzan willingly provides them. Following the battle, Burroughs (p. 178) states:
To entertain Tarzan and to show him what great strides civilization had taken—the son of The First Woman seized a female by the hair and dragging her to him struck her heavily about the head and face with his clenched fist, and the woman fell upon her knees and fondled his legs, looking wistfully into his face, her own glowing with love and admiration.
While Burroughs depicts some female characters with humanistic equalizing elements, Torgovnick argues that violent scenes against women in the context of male political and social domination are condoned in his writing, reinforcing a notion of gendered hierarchy where patriarchy is portrayed as the natural pinnacle of society.


Tarzan in other media


Film

The first Tarzan films were silent pictures adapted from the original ''Tarzan'' novels, which appeared within a few years of the character's creation. The first actor to portray the adult Tarzan was
Elmo Lincoln Elmo Lincoln (born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt; February 6, 1889June 27, 1952) was an American stage and film actor whose career in motion pictures spanned the silent and sound eras. He performed in over 100 screen productions between 1913 and 1952 an ...
in 1918's film ''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' beginning October 1912 before being released as a novel in June ...
''. With the advent of
talking pictures A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
, a popular Tarzan film franchise was developed, lasting from the 1930s through the 1960s. Starting with ''
Tarzan the Ape Man Tarzan, the Ape Man may refer to * Tarzan, a fictional character * ''Tarzan the Ape Man'' (1932 film), with Johnny Weissmuller * ''Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1959 film) with Denny Miller * ''Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1981 film) with Richard Harris and ...
'' in 1932 through twelve films until 1948, the franchise was anchored by former Olympic swimmer
Johnny Weissmuller Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...
in the title role. Tarzan films from the 1930s on often featured Tarzan's chimpanzee companion
Cheeta Cheeta (sometimes billed as Cheetah, Cheta, and Chita) is a chimpanzee character that appeared in numerous Hollywood Tarzan films of the 1930s–1960s, as well as the 1966–1968 television series, as the ape sidekick of the title character, Tarza ...
, his consort Jane (not usually given a last name), and an adopted son, usually known only as "Boy." However, productions by Sy Weintraub from 1959 onward dropped the character of Jane and portrayed Tarzan as a lone adventurer. Later Tarzan films have been occasional and somewhat
idiosyncratic An idiosyncrasy is an unusual feature of a person (though there are also other uses, see below). It can also mean an odd habit. The term is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity. A synonym may be "quirk". Etymology The term "idiosyncr ...
. There were also several serials and features that competed with the main franchise, including '' Tarzan the Fearless'' (1933) starring
Buster Crabbe Clarence Linden Crabbe II (; February 7, 1908 – April 23, 1983), known professionally as Buster Crabbe, was an American two-time Olympic swimmer and film and television actor. He won the 1932 Olympic gold medal for 400-meter freestyle swimmi ...
and ''
The New Adventures of Tarzan ''The New Adventures of Tarzan'' is a 1935 American film serial in 12 chapters starring Herman Brix. The serial presents a more authentic version of the character than most other film adaptations, with Tarzan as the cultured and well-educated gen ...
'' (1935) starring
Herman Brix Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercol ...
. The latter serial was unique for its period in that it was partially filmed on location ( Guatemala) and portrayed Tarzan as educated. It was the only Tarzan film project for which Burroughs was personally involved in the production. Weissmuller and his immediate successors were enjoined to portray the ape-man as a noble savage speaking broken English, in marked contrast to the cultured aristocrat of Edgar Rice Burroughs's novels (the
pidgin English Pidgin English is a non-specific name used to refer to any of the many pidgin languages derived from English. Pidgins that are spoken as first languages become creoles. English-based pidgins that became stable contact languages, and which have ...
being more linguistically plausible). With the exception of Burroughs's co-produced ''The New Adventures of Tarzan'', this "me Tarzan, you Jane" characterization of Tarzan persisted until the late 1950s, when Weintraub, having bought the
film rights A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
from producer
Sol Lesser Sol Lesser (February 17, 1890 – September 19, 1980) was an American film producer. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 and was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1961. Biography In 1913, while living in San F ...
, produced ''
Tarzan's Greatest Adventure ''Tarzan's Greatest Adventure'' is a 1959 Eastmancolor adventure film directed by John Guillermin, produced by Sy Weintraub and Harvey Hayutin, and written by Les Crutchfield, based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. With a stro ...
'' (1959) followed by eight other films and a television series. The Weintraub productions portray a Tarzan that is closer to Burroughs's original concept in the novels: a jungle lord who speaks grammatical English and is well educated and familiar with civilization. Most Tarzan films made before the mid-1950s were black-and-white films shot on studio sets, with stock jungle footage edited in. The Weintraub productions from 1959 on were shot in foreign locations and were in color. More recently, '' Tarzan, the Ape Man'', starring Miles O'Keeffe and
Bo Derek Bo Derek (born Mary Cathleen Collins, November 20, 1956) is an American actress and model. Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy '' 10'' (1979). Her first husband John Derek directed her in '' Fantasies''; '' Tarzan, the Ape Man ...
, was released in 1981.
Tony Goldwyn Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...
voiced Tarzan in
Disney's The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
animated film of the same name, released in 1999 (making it the first major animated motion picture to star the Ape Man) and his ape family were portrayed as gorillas in the film. This version marked a new beginning for the ape man, taking its inspiration equally from Burroughs and the 1984 live-action film '' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes''. Since ''Greystoke'', two additional
live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...
Tarzan films have been released, 1998's ''
Tarzan and the Lost City ''Tarzan and the Lost City'' is a 1998 American adventure film directed by Carl Schenkel, and starring Casper Van Dien and Jane March with Steven Waddington. The screenplay by Bayard Johnson and J. Anderson Black is loosely based on the Tarzan s ...
'' and 2016's '' The Legend of Tarzan'', both
period piece A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...
s that drew inspiration from Edgar Rice Burroughs's writings.


Radio

Tarzan was the hero of two popular radio programs in the United States. The first aired from 1932 to 1936 with
James Pierce James Hubert Pierce (August 8, 1900 – December 11, 1983) was an American actor and the fourth actor to portray Tarzan on film. He appeared in films from 1924 to 1951. Background Pierce was born in Freedom, Indiana. He was an All-American ...
in the role of Tarzan. The second ran from 1951 to 1953 with
Lamont Johnson Ernest Lamont Johnson Jr. (September 30, 1922 – October 24, 2010) was an American actor and film director who has appeared in and directed many television shows and movies. He won two Emmy Awards. Early years Johnson was born in Stockto ...
in the title role. The Tarzan book series was later modernized and parodied in an authorized 2021 golden-age radio styled podcast program entitled ''The Adventures of Tarzan'', produced by the Freshly Squeezed Pulp comedy troupe of Duke University.


Television

Television later emerged as a primary vehicle bringing the character to the public. From the mid-1950s, all the extant sound Tarzan films became staples of Saturday morning television aimed at young and teenaged viewers. In 1958, movie Tarzan
Gordon Scott Gordon Scott (born Gordon Merrill Werschkul; August 3, 1926 – April 30, 2007) was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as-a ...
filmed three episodes for a prospective television series. The program did not sell, but a different live action ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' series produced by Sy Weintraub and starring
Ron Ely Ronald Pierce Ely (born June 21, 1938) is an American actor and novelist born in Hereford, Texas, and raised in Amarillo. Ely is best known for having portrayed Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series ''Tarzan'' and for playing the lead role in ...
ran on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
from 1966 to 1968. This depiction of Tarzan is a well-educated bachelor who grew tired of urban civilization and is in his native African jungle once again. Tarzan was voiced by
Robert Ridgely Robert Ridgely (December 24, 1931 – February 8, 1997) was an American actor, known for both on-camera roles and extensive voice-over work. Biography Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Ridgely worked as a cabaret entertainer.Staff"Robert Ridgely, 65 ...
and Danton Burroughs in the animated series from
Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...
, titled ''
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four sea ...
'' (1976–1977), as well as in the anthology programs that followed: * '' Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour'' (1977–1978); * ''
Tarzan and the Super 7 ''Tarzan and the Super 7'' is a Saturday morning cartoon series, produced by Filmation and originally airing from 1978–1980 on CBS. The show consisted of separate installments featuring seven groups of adventurers: * ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle ...
'' (1978–1980); * '' The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour'' (1980–1981); and * '' The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour'' (1981–1982). Joe Lara starred in the title role in '' Tarzan in Manhattan'' (1989), an offbeat
TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
, and later returned in a completely different interpretation, titled '' Tarzan: The Epic Adventures'' (1996), a new live-action series. In between the two productions with Lara, ''
Tarzán ''Tarzán'' is a television series that aired in syndication from 1991–1994. In this version of the show, Tarzan (Wolf Larson) was portrayed as a blond environmentalist, with Jane (Lydie Denier) turned into a French ecologist. The series aired ...
'' (1991–1994), a half-hour syndicated series in which Tarzan is portrayed as a blond
environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...
, with Jane turned into a French
ecologist Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
. Disney's animated series '' The Legend of Tarzan'' (2001–2003) was a spin-off of the animated Disney film from 1999. The latest television series was the short-lived live-action ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' (2003), which starred male model
Travis Fimmel Travis Fimmel (born 15 July 1979) is an Australian actor and former model. He is known for his role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel television series ''Vikings'' (2013–2017),Prudom, LaurVikings On History: Travis Fimmel Previews The ...
and updated the setting to contemporary
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, with Jane as a police detective, played by
Sarah Wayne Callies Sarah Wayne Callies (born June 1, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Sara Tancredi in Fox's ''Prison Break'' and as Lori Grimes in AMC's '' The Walking Dead''. She has also starred as Katie Bowman in USA Network's ''Col ...
. The series was cancelled after only eight episodes. ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' featured recurring sketches with the speech-impaired trio of " Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein's Monster". In these sketches, Tarzan is portrayed by
Kevin Nealon Kevin Nealon (; born November 18, 1953) is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1986 to 1995, acted in several of the Happy Madison films, played Doug Wilson on the Showtime series '' Weeds'', and p ...
.


Stage

* A 1921 Broadway production of ''Tarzan of The Apes'' starred Ronald Adair as Tarzan and Ethel Dwyer as Jane Porter. * In 1976,
Richard O'Brien Richard Timothy Smith. known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, composer, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has remained in conti ...
wrote a musical entitled ''T. Zee'', loosely based on Tarzan but restyled in a rock idiom. * ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'', a musical stage adaptation of the 1999 animated feature, opened at the
Richard Rodgers Theatre The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre and the 46th Street Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by Her ...
on Broadway on May 10, 2006, and closed on July 8, 2007. * The show, a Disney Theatrical production, was directed and designed by
Bob Crowley Bob Crowley (born 10 June 1952) is a theatre designer (scenic and costume), and theatre director. He lives between London, New York and West Cork in the south west of Ireland. Career Born in Cork, Ireland on 10 June 1952, Bob Crowley is th ...
. The same version of Tarzan that was played at the Richard Rodgers Theatre is being played throughout Europe and has been a huge success in the Netherlands. * Tarzan also appeared in the ''Tarzan Rocks!'' show at the Theatre in the Wild at
Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...
's
Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the l ...
. Although the show closed in 2006, Tarzan, Jane Porter and Terk remain popular
meetable character A costumed performer or suit performer wears a costume that usually, (but not always) covers the performer's face, typically to represent a non-human character such as a mascot or cartoon character. These range from theme park "walk-around" or "m ...
s at the
Disney Parks and Resorts Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...
, and can be found in Adventureland, and at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the l ...
.


Video games

* A game under the title ''
Tarzan Goes Ape Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'', with little connection to the franchise, was released in the 1980s for the Commodore 64 and
ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
. * A ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' computer game by Michael Archer was produced by
Martech Martech Games was an early video game publisher based in Pevensey Bay between 1982 and 1989. It published a number of successful video games for the emerging home computer games marketplace, including BBC Model B, Sinclair ZX81, Sinclair Spectrum ...
. *
Disney's Tarzan ''Tarzan'' is a Disney media franchise that commenced in 1999 with the theatrical release of the film ''Tarzan''. Films Produced ''Tarzan'' (1999) ''Tarzan'' is a 1999 American animated adventure musical film produced by Walt Disney Feat ...
had seen video games released for the PlayStation,
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...
and Game Boy Color. Followed by: ** ''Disney's Tarzan Untamed'' for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and GameCube, Gamecube ** ''Disney's Tarzan: Return to the Jungle'' for the Game Boy Advance. * The Disney incarnation of Tarzan appears in the PS2 game ''Kingdom Hearts (video game), Kingdom Hearts'', with Goldwyn reprising his role from the film. * In the first ''Rayman'', a Tarzanesque version of Rayman (character), Rayman named Tarayzan appears in the Dream Forest.


Toys and ephemera

Throughout the 1970s Mego Corporation licensed the Tarzan character and produced 8" action figures which they included in their "World's Greatest Super Heroes" line of characters. In 1975 they also produced a 3" "Bendy" figure made of poseable, malleable plastic. Several Tarzan-themed products have been manufactured, including View-Master reels and packets, numerous Tarzan coloring books, children's books, follow-the-dots, and activity books.


Comics

''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' beginning October 1912 before being released as a novel in June ...
'' was adapted in Newspaper strip, newspaper-strip form in early 1929, with illustrations by Hal Foster. A full page, full-page Sunday strip began March 15, 1931, by Rex Maxon. Over the years, many artists have drawn the ''Tarzan'' comic strip, notably Burne Hogarth, Russ Manning, and Mike Grell. The Daily comic strip, daily strip began to reprint old dailies after Manning's last daily (#10,308; publ. July 29, 1972). The Sunday strip also turned to reprints . Both strips continue as reprints today in a few newspapers and in ''Comics Revue'' magazine. NBM Publishing did a high quality reprint series of the Foster and Hogarth work on Tarzan in a series of hardback and paperback reprints in the 1990s. Tarzan has appeared in many comic books from numerous publishers over the years. The character's earliest comic book appearances were in comic strip reprints published in several titles, such as ''Sparkler (comics), Sparkler'', ''Tip Top Comics'' and ''Single Series''. Western Publishing published ''Tarzan'' in Dell Comics's ''Four Color, Four Color Comics'' #134 & 161 in 1947, before giving him his own series, ''Tarzan'', published through Dell Comics and later Gold Key Comics from January–February 1948 to February 1972; many of these issues adapted Burroughs's novels. DC Comics, DC took over the series in 1972, publishing ''Tarzan'' #207–258 from April 1972 to February 1977, including work by Joe Kubert. In 1977, the series moved to Marvel Comics, who restarted the numbering rather than assuming those of the previous publishers. Marvel issued ''Tarzan'' #1–29 (as well as three ''Annual''s), from June 1977 to October 1979, mainly by John Buscema. Following the conclusion of the Marvel series the character had no regular comic-book publisher for a number of years. During this period, Blackthorne Comics published ''Tarzan'' in 1986, and Malibu Comics published ''Tarzan'' comics in 1992. Dark Horse Comics has published various ''Tarzan'' series from 1996 to the present, including reprints of works from previous publishers like Gold Key and DC, and joint projects with other publishers featuring crossovers with other characters. There have also been a number of different comic book projects from other publishers over the years, in addition to various minor appearances of Tarzan in other comic books. The Japanese manga series ''Jungle no Ouja Ta-chan'' (Jungle King Tar-chan) by Tokuhiro Masaya was based loosely on Tarzan. Also, manga "god" Osamu Tezuka created a Tarzan manga in 1948 entitled ''Tarzan no Himitsu Kichi'' (''Tarzan's Secret Base'').


Cultural influence


Science

Tarzan's Anarcho-primitivism, primitivist philosophy was absorbed by countless fans, amongst whom was Jane Goodall, who describes the Tarzan series as having a major influence on her childhood. She states that she felt she would be a much better spouse for Tarzan than his fictional wife, Jane, and that when she first began to live among and study the Common chimpanzee, chimpanzees she was fulfilling her childhood dream of living among the great apes just as Tarzan did.Jane Goodall
" ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. [1998] 2020.
Tarzan is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of chameleon, ''Calumma tarzan'', which is Endemism, endemic to Madagascar.


Literature

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...
's Mowgli has been cited as a major influence on Burroughs's creation of Tarzan. Mowgli was also an influence for a number of other "List of fictional feral children, wild boy" characters. Jerry Siegel named Tarzan and another Burroughs character, John Carter of Mars, John Carter, as early inspiration for his creation of Superman. Tarzan's popularity inspired numerous imitators in pulp magazines. A number of these, like Kwa of the Jungle, Kwa and Ka-Zar (David Rand), Ka-Zar were direct or loosely veiled copies; others, like Polaris of the Snows, were similar characters in different settings, or with different gimmicks. Of these characters the most popular was Ki-Gor, the subject of 59 novels that appeared between winter 1939 to spring 1954 in the magazine ''Jungle Stories (magazine), Jungle Stories''.


Popular culture

Tarzan is often used as a nickname to indicate a similarity between a person's characteristics and that of the fictional character. Individuals with an exceptional 'ape-like' ability to climb, cling and leap beyond that of ordinary humans may often receive the nickname 'Tarzan'. An example is retired United States, American baseball player Joe Wallis. Comedian Carol Burnett was often prompted by her audiences to perform her trademark Tarzan yell. She explained that it originated in her youth when she and a friend watched a Tarzan movie.


Tarzan and Pellucidar main series chronology

#''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' beginning October 1912 before being released as a novel in June ...
'', Chapters 1 to 11 (1912)Edgar Rice Burroughs, Burroughs, Edgar Rice. [1912] 2012.
Tarzan of the Apes
'. Washington, DC: Project Gutenberg.
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Burroughs, Edgar Rice. [1912] 2007.
Tarzan of the Apes
' (audiobook), read by Mark E. Smith, Mark F. Smith. ''LibriVox''.
#''
Jungle Tales of Tarzan ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' is a collection of twelve loosely connected short stories by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan ...
'' (1919)Edgar Rice Burroughs, Burroughs, Edgar Rice. [1919] 2012
''Jungle Tales of Tarzan''
Washington, DC: Project Gutenberg.
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Burroughs, Edgar Rice. [1919] 2009.
Jungle Tales of Tarzan
' (audiobook), read by Ralph Snelson. ''LibriVox''.
#*"Tarzan's First Love" (1916) #*"The Capture of Tarzan" (1916) #*"The Fight for the Balu" (1916) #*"The God of Tarzan" (1916) #*"Tarzan and the Black Boy" (1917) #*"The Witch-Doctor Seeks Vengeance" (1917) #*"The End of Bukawai" (1917) #*"The Lion" (1917) #*"The Nightmare" (1917) #*"The Battle for Teeka" (1917) #*"A Jungle Joke" (1917) #*"Tarzan Rescues the Moon" (1917) #''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' beginning October 1912 before being released as a novel in June ...
'', Chapters 11 to 28 (1912) #''
The Return of Tarzan ''The Return of Tarzan'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine '' New Story Magazine'' in the issues for ...
'' (1913)Edgar Rice Burroughs, Burroughs, Edgar Rice. [1913] 2012.
The Return of Tarzan
'. Washington, DC: Project Gutenberg.
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Burroughs, Edgar Rice. [1913] 2009
''The Return of Tarzan''
(audiobook), read by Ralph Snelson. ''LibriVox''.
#''The Beasts of Tarzan'' (1914)
Ebook

Audiobook
# ''At the Earth's Core (novel), At the Earth's Core'' (1914) #''The Son of Tarzan'', Chapters 1 to 12 (1915)
Ebook

Audiobook
# ''Pellucidar (novel), Pellucidar'' (1915) #''Tarzan and the Forbidden City'' (1938)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar'' (1916)
Ebook

Audiobook
#''The Son of Tarzan'' Chapters 13 to 27 (1915)
Ebook

Audiobook
# "The Eternal Lover" (''The Eternal Lover'' Part 1) ''All-Story Weekly'', March 7, 1914 # "The Mad King" (''The Mad King'' Part 1) ''All-Story Weekly'' March 21, 1914 # "Sweetheart Primeval" (''The Eternal Lover'' Part 2) ''All-Story Weekly'', Jan.–Feb. 1915 # "Barney Custer of Beatrice" (''The Mad King'' Part 2) ''All-Story Weekly'', August 1915 #''Tarzan the Untamed'' (1920)
Ebook
#*"Tarzan and the Huns" (also cited as "Part 1: Tarzan the Untamed,"1919) #*"Tarzan and the Valley of Luna" (also cited as "Part 2: Tarzan the Untamed,"1920) #''Tarzan the Terrible'' (1921)
Ebook

Audiobook
#''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' (1922, 1923)
Ebook
) #'' Tarzan and the Ant Men'' (1924)
Ebook
#''Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins'' (1963; for younger readers) #*"The Tarzan Twins" (1927)
Ebook
) #*"Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins and Jad-Bal-Ja the Golden Lion" (1936)
Ebook
) #''
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four sea ...
'' (1927, 1928)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the Lost Empire'' (1928)
Ebook
) #''Tanar of Pellucidar'' (1929) #''Tarzan at the Earth's Core'' (1929)
Ebook
#''Tarzan the Invincible'' (1930, 1931)
Ebook
#''Tarzan Triumphant'' (1931)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the City of Gold'' (1932)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the Lion Man'' (1933, 1934)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the Leopard Men'' (1935)
Ebook
#''
Tarzan's Quest ''Tarzan's Quest'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the nineteenth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. Originally serialized in six parts, as ''Tarzan and the Immortal Men'', in ''The Blue Book ...
'' (1935, 1936)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan the Magnificent (novel), Tarzan the Magnificent'' (1939)
Ebook
#*"Tarzan and the Magic Men" (1936) #''Back to the Stone Age'' (1937) #''Tarzan and the Elephant Men"'' (1937–1938) #''Tarzan and the Champion"'' (1940) #''Tarzan and the Jungle Murders"'' (1940) #''Tarzan and the Madman'' (1964) #''Tarzan and the Castaways'' (1941)
Ebook
) #''Land of Terror'' (1944) #''Tarzan and the Foreign Legion'' (1947)
Ebook
) #''Savage Pellucidar'' (1963) #*"The Return to Pellucidar" #*"Men of the Bronze Age" #*"Tiger Girl" #*"Savage Pellucidar" #''Tarzan: the Lost Adventure'' (c. 1940s; unfinished – 16 chapters, 83 pages; revised and completed by Joe R. Lansdale, 1995)


Bibliography


By Edgar Rice Burroughs

#''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' beginning October 1912 before being released as a novel in June ...
'' (1912) #''
The Return of Tarzan ''The Return of Tarzan'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine '' New Story Magazine'' in the issues for ...
'' (1913) #''The Beasts of Tarzan'' (1914)
Ebook

Audiobook
#''The Son of Tarzan'' (1915)
Ebook

Audiobook
#''Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar'' (1916)
Ebook

Audiobook
#''
Jungle Tales of Tarzan ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' is a collection of twelve loosely connected short stories by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan ...
'' (1919) #*"Tarzan's First Love" (1916) #*"The Capture of Tarzan" (1916) #*"The Fight for the Balu" (1916) #*"The God of Tarzan" (1916) #*"Tarzan and the Black Boy" (1917) #*"The Witch-Doctor Seeks Vengeance" (1917) #*"The End of Bukawai" (1917) #*"The Lion" (1917) #*"The Nightmare" (1917) #*"The Battle for Teeka" (1917) #*"A Jungle Joke" (1917) #*"Tarzan Rescues the Moon" (1917) #''Tarzan the Untamed'' (1920)
Ebook
#*"Tarzan and the Huns" (also cited as "Part 1: Tarzan the Untamed," 1919) #*"Tarzan and the Valley of Luna" (also cited as "Part 2: Tarzan the Untamed," 1920) #''Tarzan the Terrible'' (1921)
Ebook

Audiobook
#''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' (1922, 1923)
Ebook
) #'' Tarzan and the Ant Men'' (1924)
Ebook
#''
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four sea ...
'' (1927, 1928)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the Lost Empire'' (1928)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan at the Earth's Core'' (1929)
Ebook
#''Tarzan the Invincible'' (1930, 1931)
Ebook
#''Tarzan Triumphant'' (1931)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the City of Gold'' (1932)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the Lion Man'' (1933, 1934)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the Leopard Men'' (1935)
Ebook
#''
Tarzan's Quest ''Tarzan's Quest'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the nineteenth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. Originally serialized in six parts, as ''Tarzan and the Immortal Men'', in ''The Blue Book ...
'' (1935, 1936)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the Forbidden City'' (1938)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan the Magnificent (novel), Tarzan the Magnificent'' (1939)
Ebook
#*"Tarzan and the Magic Men" (1936) #*"Tarzan and the Elephant Men" (1937–1938) #''Tarzan and the Foreign Legion'' (1947)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan and the Madman'' (1964) #''Tarzan and the Castaways'' (1965) #*"Tarzan and the Castaways" (1941)
Ebook
) #*"Tarzan and the Champion" (1940) #*"Tarzan and the Jungle Murders" (1940) #''Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins'' (1963, for younger readers) #*"The Tarzan Twins" (1927)
Ebook
) #*"Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins and Jad-Bal-Ja the Golden Lion" (1936)
Ebook
) #''Tarzan: the Lost Adventure'' (unfinished) (revised and completed by Joe R. Lansdale) (1995)


By other authors

* Maude Robinson Toombs wrote a novelization of the film serial ''The Adventures of Tarzan'' published as a 15-part serial for newspapers in 1921, it was collected and published as a released as a trade-paperback () by ERBville Press in January 2006. * Arthur B. Reeve wrote a novelization of the film serial ''Tarzan the Mighty'' published as a 15-part serial for newspapers in 1928, it was collected and published as a released as a trade-paperback () by ERBville Press in 2005. *Barton Werper – these novels by the pseudonymous "Barton Werper" were never authorized by the Burroughs estate, were taken off the market and remaining copies destroyed. *#''Tarzan and the Silver Globe'' (1964), the novel was rewritten as "Zamba and the Silver Globe" () and published by ERBville Press in October 2014. *#''Tarzan and the Cave City'' (1964) *#''Tarzan and the Snake People'' (1964) *#''Tarzan and the Abominable Snowmen'' (1965) *#''Tarzan and the Winged Invaders'' (1965) *Fritz Leiber – the first novel authorized by the Burroughs estate, and numbered as the 25th book in the Tarzan series. **''Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (novel), Tarzan and the Valley of Gold'' (1966) *
Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...
(also wrote a novel based on his own fascination with Tarzan, entitled ''Lord Tyger'', and translated the novel ''Tarzan of the Apes'' into Esperanto). **''
Tarzan Alive ''Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke'' is a fictional biography by American author Philip José Farmer, that alleges the life of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character Tarzan, is a story of a real person. The book was first published ...
'' (1972) a fictional biography of Tarzan (here Lord Greystoke), which is one of the two foundational books (along with ''Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life'') of the
Wold Newton family The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the American science fiction writer Philip José Farmer. Origins In real life a meteorite, called the Wold Cottage meteorite, fell near Wold Ne ...
. **''The Adventure of the Peerless Peer'' (1974) Sherlock Holmes goes to Africa and meets Tarzan. **''The Dark Heart of Time'' (1999) this novel was specifically authorized by the Burroughs estate, and references Tarzan by name rather than just by inference. The story is set between ''Tarzan the Untamed'' and ''Tarzan the Terrible''. *R. A. Salvatore **'' Tarzan: The Epic Adventures'' (1996) an authorized novel based on the pilot episode of the series of the same name. Stuart J. Byrne In the 1950s, Byrne wrote the novel ''Tarzan on Mar''s under the pen name John Bloodstone, the novel is a crossover of the Tarzan series and the Barsoom series, John Carter's adventures on Mars, however, he did not obtain a license to publish the novel, which had unauthorized editions. ;New Tarzan Publisher Faber and Faber with the backing of the Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., Edgar Rice Burroughs, Incorporated, have updated the series through author Andy Briggs. In 2011, Briggs published the first of the books ''Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy''. In 2012 he published the second book ''Tarzan: The Jungle Warrior'', and in 2013, he has published the third book ''Tarzan: The Savage Lands''.


See also

*Ape *Enkidu *Feral child * Mowgli *Jungle girl - fictional characters, female versions of Tarzan *Rima, a jungle girl character who predates Tarzan


References


Primary sources


Further reading

* Egan, Sean. 2017. ''Tarzan: The Biography''. London: Askill Publishing. . * Wannamaker, Annette, and Michelle Ann Abate, eds. 2012. ''Global Perspectives on Tarzan: From King of the Jungle to International Icon''. 216 pages. (Includes studies by scholars from the United States, Australia, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany, and France.)


External links

*
Edgar Rice Burroughs tribute
*
Tarzan eBooks by Project Gutenberg

''Empire'' magazine Tarzan centenary feature

For an appraisal of Tarzan films in movies vs films section.Works by or about ERB at the HathiTrust
{{Authority control Tarzan, Tarzan characters Comics characters introduced in 1929 Dynamite Entertainment characters Fantasy books by series Fantasy film characters Fictional characters with immortality Fictional Central African people Fictional feral children Fictional orphans Jungle superheroes Fictional traceurs and freerunners Male characters in comics Male characters in literature Fictional lords and ladies