When I think back on my younger days, I can still picture myself leaving the Kleinburg library with a stack of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ books in hand. If the old checkout cards had survived, my name would probably be stamped across many of them. His stories lit up my imagination—whether it was swinging through mysterious jungles or wandering the harsh deserts of his imagined Mars. They weren’t just books; they were doorways into boundless adventure. I also have vivid memories of sitting beside my grandfather, watching the old Tarzan movies, hearing Johnny Weissmuller’s legendary jungle cry echo across the screen, a sound so iconic that even today it remains instantly recognizable as Tarzan’s call.
Edgar Rice Burroughs, born on September 1, 1875, in Chicago, Illinois, became one of the most influential storytellers of the twentieth century. The son of George Tyler Burroughs, a Civil War veteran turned businessman, and Mary Evaline Burroughs, Edgar grew up in a household shaped by both discipline and opportunity. His ancestry included English and Pennsylvania Dutch roots, with a lineage stretching back to early American settlers. Burroughs’ education was varied; he attended several schools before moving on to Phillips Academy, from which he was expelled. He ultimately graduated from the Michigan Military Academy in 1895. Though he attempted to enter West Point, health issues prevented a military career, leading him through an eclectic series of jobs as a cowboy, railroad policeman, factory worker, salesman, and miner before he finally turned to writing.
Burroughs’ literary influences included Rudyard Kipling, H. Rider Haggard, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, and Anthony Hope. Kipling’s Jungle Book and the myth of Romulus and Remus directly inspired the creation of Tarzan. His first published work, “Under the Moons of Mars,” appeared in All-Story magazine in 1912 under the pen name “Normal Bean” and introduced readers to the Barsoom series. This was followed quickly by Tarzan of the Apes, which cemented his reputation and launched one of the most enduring fictional characters of all time.
Burroughs married his childhood sweetheart, Emma Hulbert, in 1900, and together they raised three children: Joan, Hulbert, and John Coleman. Their marriage lasted over three decades but ended in divorce in 1934. He later married actress Florence Gilbert in 1935 and adopted her two children, Lee and Clydene Dearholt. That union was also short-lived, and they divorced in 1942. Unlike with his first wife, with whom he maintained contact, Burroughs’ relationship with Florence’s children diminished after the separation.
Although he never received major literary awards during his lifetime, Burroughs’ legacy was later recognized when he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2003. His influence is far-reaching, inspiring figures such as Carl Sagan, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Jane Goodall, George Lucas, James Cameron, Ronald Reagan, and Billy Graham. His works introduced readers to imaginative worlds that blended adventure, science fiction, and mythology in ways that captured generations of fans.
The Tarzan franchise exploded into other media during Burroughs’ lifetime. The first film adaptation, Tarzan of the Apes (1918), grossed over a million dollars, though Burroughs was often dissatisfied with Hollywood’s portrayal of his hero as a simplistic jungle man rather than the intelligent nobleman he created. Determined to exert more control, Burroughs founded Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. in 1923, through which he managed his copyrights, oversaw adaptations, and even supervised the Tarzan radio programs where his daughter Joan voiced Jane and her husband James Pierce voiced Tarzan. He was far more enthusiastic about radio and newspaper comics, both of which preserved more of Tarzan’s intelligence and dignity. The newspaper strips, drawn by Harold Foster and later Burne Hogarth, reached hundreds of newspapers worldwide, spreading Tarzan’s fame even further.
Burroughs never publicly declared a favorite among his own novels, though his pride in the Tarzan series and Barsoom adventures is well documented. By the time of his death in 1950, he had established Tarzan as a global cultural icon and laid the groundwork for modern transmedia storytelling. He was one of the first authors to build a character into a full franchise across books, film, radio, and comics, a model later used by Disney, Lucasfilm, and Marvel. His imagination not only entertained millions but also helped shape the landscape of modern popular culture.ice Burroughs, American author (died 1950)
Citations:
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Scifi.radio. (2023, September 1). Happy 148th birthday, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Retrieved August 31, 2025, from https://scifi.radio/2023/09/01/happy-148th-birthday-edgar-rice-burroughs
Vanity Fair. (1935, January). The Great American Boy-Man. Retrieved August 31, 2025, from https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/1935/01/edgar-burroughs-tarzan
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Edgar Rice Burroughs. In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 31, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Rice_Burroughs