Tarzan of the Apes

Book Description

Critics

• Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

  Home Contact us Posts Comments As far as cultural icons go, Tarzan is right up there with other literary behemoths of roughly the same vintage such as Sherlock Holmes, Dracula and Superman. First swinging his way in the popular consciousness via a pu ... (read full critics)

  bookgeeks published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

• Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs: review

  A boy marooned and orphaned on the shores of Africa is brought up, a modern-day Romulus, by apes in a primeval world. Then the idyll is disturbed and Tarzan must face his true past. Rice Burroughs spends much time waxing lyrical about Tarzan’s “brown ... (read full critics)

  telegraph.co.uk published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

5 Reviews

• 

  I finally decided to read it in its original language, and I appreciated even more the style.

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  P Gibellini said on Oct 21, 2011 about the eBook edition | Add your feedback

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  The Victory Cry Of The Bull Ape

  Tarzan has a magical appeal to the inner-boy in most men. Yes, its depictions of the savage African cannibalistic jungle dweller with the sharpened teeth and bloated lips is mildly racist. And its depiction of swooning women perhaps objectionable. Yet one has to take into account the time in which t ... (continue)

  Tarzan has a magical appeal to the inner-boy in most men. Yes, its depictions of the savage African cannibalistic jungle dweller with the sharpened teeth and bloated lips is mildly racist. And its depiction of swooning women perhaps objectionable. Yet one has to take into account the time in which this rousing fantasy was written, where such attitudes in literature were commonplace. One might as well get upset with the clearly inaccurate descriptions of savage lions roaming the jungle, or be offended that almost all the European sailors in the story are mercilessly depicted as savage, murderous, cut-throat mutineers.

  Political incorrectness aside, Tarzan Of The Apes is a magnificently heroic tale that combines the fantasy of a superior born gentleman with that of a flawlessly handsome jungle god of savage nobility. Something in these tales made Tarzan probably the most popular and widely known fictional character of all time. That, by any measure, is no mean achievement.

  I have read this book many times since I was a young boy, and still now, so many years later, it stirs at times goose-pricks in remembrance of the unsurpassed heroic fantasy that so impressed me as a teenager. Tarzan is so well known that I do not have to detail the story of his origins. All I need say is that this first book in the series is ingenious in its crafting of an entirely new kind of hero, and is also the most critically acclaimed of the whole series.

  I cannot recommend this book to girls or women any more than I would recommend Nancy Drew to boys or men, except for the fact that Tarzan is, whatever else it may be, a phenomenon of the early Twentieth century that is as unlikely to fade in popular culture as Sherlock Holmes or Conan The Barbarian.

  The story is visceral, the characters larger than life. Tarzan is a fantasy hero born into obscurity, who must endure trials and tribulations before discovering his true heritage and destiny. This is, in fact, the Classical Hero writ large upon the rude canvas of the early Twentieth century pulp fiction page.

  Burroughs somehow captured the imagination of the entire world with this book. You might want to check it out.

  Note: most of Edgar Rice Burroughs works are available as free downloads from several internet sites: there is no longer any copyright restriction on them. So check out www.feedbooks.com or www.gutenberg.org for your free copies of Tarzan or John Carter Of Mars books.

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  Ramnagel said on May 19, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  0517189070 - Three Compete Novels version

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  Bibliobum said on Jun 13, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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  01

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  bluetyson said on Mar 3, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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  I bought this because it made me read all the science fiction books in St. Theresa's.

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  mpcb said on Nov 16, 2006 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (16)
  • 5 stars
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• English Books
• Mass Market Paperback 288 Pages
• Edition: Reissue
• ISBN-10: 034531977X
• ISBN-13: 9780345319777
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Pub date: Mar 12, 1984
• Dimensions: 1097 mm x 710 mm x 129 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Library Binding, School & Library Binding, Others and eBook
• In other languages: other languages Libros en Español

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