 Edgar Rice Burroughs was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1875, to a prosperous family. His father was a civil war veteran. Burroughs attended several private schools concluding with the Michigan Military Academy at Orchard Lake. Here he later became an instructor and assistant commandant. During the First World War he served in the 7th Cavalry and Illinois Reserve Militia, but never saw action. In 1900 he married Emma Centennia Hulbert and had two sons and one daughter. Burroughs tried his luck at several different occupations, including railroad policeman, advertising agency partner, and office manager, none of which were successful and the family lived near poverty.
The turning point came when he started to write for 'pulp' fiction magazines at the age of 35. In 1912 Burroughs's first true success came with the publication of "Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars" in All-Story Magazine. It introduced the popular, invincible hero of Mars, John Carter. The 'Martian' series eventually reached eleven books. Later that same year he wrote his best known book, "Tarzan of the Apes". This was the start of his longest and most successful series, which eventually reached 24 books. Other popular stories from Burroughs's pen include the Carson of Venus books, the Pellucidar Tales, and The Land That Time Forgot, a total of some 68 titles.
In 1913 Burroughs founded his own publishing house, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., which still publishes his works today. Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises and Burroughs-Tarzan Pictures were founded in 1934. During this time period he also found time to dabble in politics, and was elected mayor of California Beach in 1933. During World War II at the age of 66, Burroughs served as a war correspondent in the South Pacific and wrote columns for The Honolulu Advertiser. Burroughs died of a heart ailment on March 19, 1950. |
My Cart (0) items
