Tarzan of the Apes and John Carter of Mars: The Pop-Culture Legacy of Author Edgar Rice Burroughs

The year 2025 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), one of the most famous authors of the 20th century, and the creator of Tarzan of the Apes, one of the top five most globally well-known literary characters of the 20th century.  The author kickstarted the early science-fiction genre of the planetary romance with the novel A Princess of Mars in 1912 and the feral-man genre with the novel Tarzan of the Apes, also in 1912.  Burroughs’ literary creations, notably Tarzan, spawned a multimedia empire with movies (the Tarzan film and TV franchise began in 1918), radio shows, newspaper and online comic strips, comic books, toys and other merchandise, television shows, and more.  Burroughs’ stories inspired generations of writers, artists, scientists, engineers, and astronauts.

This presentation by Henry G. Franke III will cover Burroughs’ life, his major literary characters and series, and his impact on popular culture.  Special items will be on display to supplement this presentation.  The audience is welcome to ask questions.

Speaker Bio:  Henry G. Franke III is the Editor of The Burroughs Bibliophiles, the nonprofit literary society founded in 1960 that is dedicated to the author and his works.  Franke served in the U.S. Army for over 30 years and then as an Army Civilian for 10 years.  He resides in Yorktown.