The Lord of the Jungle Swings into Heritage!

Dallas, TX: In 1911, Edgar Rice Burroughs was a struggling writer of pulp fiction who had recently sold his first story, "Under the Moons of Mars," to Thomas Metcalfe, editor of All-Story Magazine. Impressed with the young writer's ability, Metcalfe commissioned Burroughs to write a story set in the days of King Arthur. Burroughs, emboldened by his success with "Mars," eagerly accepted and turned in the completed manuscript to "The Outlaw of Torn" two weeks later. Metcalfe summarily rejected Burroughs' effort.

It was from the ashes of this disappointment, however, that Burroughs' greatest success would eventually rise. As the writer, crushed with disillusionment, contemplated abandoning his craft forever, Metcalfe gave him some sound advice: always write what you want to write, not what others want from you. Burroughs took Metcalfe's counsel to heart and, armed with newfound determination, began work on a story about a young English lord raised in the African jungle by a tribe of apes.

And literary history was born.

"Tarzan of the Apes," first published in the October 1912 issue of All-Story, was an immediate success. After publishing a sequel, "The Return of Tarzan," in New Story Magazine in 1913, Burroughs began to look for a book publisher that might be interested in his work. Initially unsuccessful, Burroughs' fiction was noticed by Albert Payson Terhune, publisher of the New York Evening World, who proposed publishing Burroughs' stories in serial form in his newspaper. This allowed Burroughs to reach a much wider audience than had been the case with the pulp magazines, and soon book publishers were taking notice of the young author.

In 1914, publisher A.C. McClurg released Tarzan of the Apes in hardcover, in a limited printing of about 5,000 copies. From that point forward, all of Burroughs' novels would see print in hardcover, although all would debut in the pulps. Interestingly, in a journal entry in 1940, Burroughs commented, " I saw a New York friend of mine at The Racquet Club in Palm Springs Sunday who is a collector of first and rare editions. He told me that firsts of Tarzan of the Apes were bringing $50 to $75 each according to the condition of the book. I didn't have one, but managed to buy one for $10 about a year ago. I doubt that the first printing was more than two or three thousand. I have the long-hand manuscript of the story, which should be worth something some day..."

Since that time, Tarzan has become one of the most beloved and well-known fictional characters ever created. The star of numerous movies, TV shows and radio dramas, Tarzan has also appeared on everything from lunchboxes to t-shirts to posters to toys, and his popularity shows no signs of slowing down.

"We're pleased to offer a beautiful first state, first edition copy of Tarzan of the Apes in our upcoming auction," said Ed Jaster, Vice-President for Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries. "O ne of only 5,000 printed in that initial run, it lacks the acorn device on the spine and bears 'W. F. Hall' on the copyright page in Old English script, marking it as a true first edition. The book is bound in dark red cloth with gold lettering, and is in great condition, with tight binding and off-white pages. The dust jacket has been repaired, but the fact that a first edition with original dust jacket sold for $45,000 in 2005 underscores the strong demand for copies with jackets."

"This is a book that deserves an honored place in the most advanced collections," Jaster said. "I'd invite anyone interested to visit our website at www.HA.com, where they can view fully enlargeable, full-color images of each auction lot, read our complete and informative catalog descriptions, and even place bids online. If you've ever thrilled to the powerful call of the Lord of the Jungle, this is an auction you won't want to miss."

The will be offered in Heritage's upcoming Vintage Comic and Comic Art auction, to be held August 2-4, 2007 at Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore, MD.

Edgar Rice Burroughs "Tarzan of the Apes" First Edition Hardback (McClurg, 1914):
ESTIMATE: $40,000 & up

Prospective consignors and sellers of Comics and Comic Art are invited to www.HA.com/Sell. Or simply email Ed Jaster at EdJ@HA.com, or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 288.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Client Services at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 150, or visit www.HA.com/Catalog to order by email.