Books

First edition in book form, first printing, first issue, of the first Tarzan story, introducing a global icon of literature and popular culture. "In Shangai, Bombay, and Egypt, Tarzan broke the record of all the movies released by RKO in its history". It was estimated in 1963 that "one out of every thirty paperbacks sold was a Tarzan novel" (see Abate & Wannamaker, pp. 1-3). The tale was printed in the magazine The All-Story in October 1912 and then published as a novel in this edition in June 1914. The rapid bestseller was first adapted for film in 1918. Tarzan soon grew into a book series of over two dozen novels and a multimedia franchise, inspiring over a century of adaptations across film, radio, comic strips, and games. The binding is in the first issue of red cloth without an acorn device on the spine. Later bindings have the acorn device and are in red, green, or orange cloth. The text is in the first state, printed on thicker paper and with the copyright page giving "W. F. Hall Printing Co. Chicago" in two lines of Old English type. Octavo. Original red cloth, spine and front cover lettered in gilt, blind border on front cover. Illustrated title page. Pencil ownership inscription across front free endpaper; old price stamped to rear pastedown. Spine lettering dulled, a little rubbing and corner wear, split to front inner hinge, one gathering a little proud, splash mark on fore edge, contents clean. A very good copy. Blanck, p. 134; Currey, p. 93; Zeuschner 696. Michelle Ann Abate & Annette Wannamaker, "Introduction: Think Locally, Swing Globally", Global Perspectives on Tarzan, 2012.

Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is the first in a series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. Originally published in 1912, the story follows Tarzan as he grows up in the African jungle and discovers his human heritage.