Burroughs, << BUR ohz, >> Edgar Rice (1875-1950), an American author, created Tarzan, one of the most famous characters in fiction. In Burroughs’ books, Tarzan is the son of Lord Greystoke, an English nobleman. He is abandoned in Africa while a baby and is raised by a family of apes. He grows up in the jungle, learning the language and habits of the animals. Tarzan has many adventures and saves many lives.
Burroughs wrote the first Tarzan story in 1912. He published the first Tarzan book, Tarzan of the Apes, in 1914. Burroughs wrote more than 70 books, including 26 about Tarzan. Burroughs’s works have sold millions of copies and have been translated into more than 50 languages. Tarzan has been featured in numerous motion pictures, a radio serial, a television series, and a comic strip.
Burroughs also wrote many books of fantastic science fiction about life on other planets, beginning with the magazine serial, Under the Moons of Mars (1912). It was published in book form in 1917 as A Princess of Mars. Burroughs was born on Sept. 1, 1875, in Chicago. He turned to writing after drifting through a number of laboring jobs and failed business ventures. Burroughs died on March 19, 1950.
