The Return of Tarzan
By Edgar Rice Burroughs
“There is not the slightest doubt about that,” she answered. “I cannot say it was a human body—no outcry. It might have been only what I thought it was—a bundle of refuse. But if Mr. Caldwell is not found on board, I shall always be positive that he was the one I saw fall past my port.”
The captain ordered an immediate and thorough search of the entire ship from stem to stern—no nook or cranny was to be overlooked. Miss Strong remained in his cabin, waiting for the quest’s outcome. The captain asked her many questions, but she could tell him nothing about the missing man besides what she had seen during their brief acquaintance on shipboard. For the first time, she suddenly realized how tiny Mr. Caldwell had told her about himself and his past life. That he had been born in Africa and educated in Paris was about all she knew, and this meagre information had been the result of her surprise that an Englishman should speak English with such a marked French accent.
“Did he ever speak of any enemies?” asked the captain.
“Never.”
“Was he acquainted with any of the other passengers?”
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Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer best known for prolific output in adventure, science fiction, and fantasy. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he also wrote the Pellucidar series, the Amtor series, and the Caspak trilogy.
Tarzan was immediately famous, and Burroughs capitalized on it in every possible way, including a syndicated comic strip, films, and merchandise. Tarzan remains one of the most successful fictional characters today and is a cultural icon. Burroughs’s California ranch is now the centre of the Tarzana neighbourhood in Los Angeles, named after the character. Burroughs explicitly supported eugenics and scientific racism in both his fiction and nonfiction; Tarzan was meant to reflect these concepts.
Biography
Early life and family
Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875, in Chicago (he later lived for many years in the suburb of Oak Park), the fourth son of Major George Tyler Burroughs (1833–1913), a businessman and Civil War veteran, and his wife, Mary Evaline (Zieger) Burroughs (1840–1920). His middle name is from his paternal grandmother, Mary Coleman Rice Burroughs (1802–1889).
Burroughs was almost entirely of English ancestry, with a family line in North America since the Colonial era.
Through his Rice grandmother, Burroughs was descended from settler Edmund Rice, one of the English Puritans who moved to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century. He remarked, “I can trace my ancestry back to Deacon Edmund Rice.”
Later life
By 1911, around age 36, Burroughs began to write fiction after seven years of low wages as a pencil-sharpener wholesaler. By this time, Emma and he had two children, Joan (1908–1972) and Hulbert (1909–1991). He had copious spare time during this period and began reading pulp-fiction magazines.
In 1913, Burroughs and Emma had their third and last child, John Coleman Burroughs (1913–1979), later known for his illustrations of his father’s books.
In the 1920s, Burroughs became a pilot, purchased a Security Airster S-1, and encouraged his family to learn to fly.
Daughter Joan married Tarzan film actor James Pierce. She starred with her husband as Jane’s voice from 1932 to 1934 for the Tarzan radio series. The pair were married for over forty years, separated only by her death in 1972.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
