I first read these books a few years ago, when I was twelve. I loved all of the Tarzan series (although Jane and Jack seem to disappear later in the series) but these two novels were my favorites. Although I already owned both books, I bought this version simply because having two of my favorite novels in one volume seemed too good to be true. I re-read these books twice a year. The action keeps coming and never lets up (this from a girl who was quickly bored with The Lord of the Rings).

There is also a sort of poetic irony that Burroughs employs. Tarzan comes from the jungle into civilization, while his son goes from civilization to the jungle. While Tarzan grew up without any sort of guidance or moral direction, he is one of the most chivalrous, honorable, and genuinely good people that I've ever encountered in any book (save the bible.) The implication is that the jungle beasts are sometimes more noble and less cruel (albeit no more gentle) than humans who should know better. Indeed, when Jack and Meriem encounter other apes, baboons, or even people, they insist that they are Great Apes and not human (and are proud of the distinction). This is furthered by the fact that the most unlikely of people (as in the ugly, filthy cook on the ship which holds Jane hostage) sometimes are the most brave and good.

Overall, these two stories are great adventures that hold something deeper for anyone who cares to look.

This volume brings together the third and fourth of the Tarzan novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and as was the case with the first pair of novels, "The Beasts of Tarzan" and "The Son of Tarzan" works as two halves of a whole. "The Beasts of Tarzan" finds the ape lord settled in civilized London as Lord Greystoke. But he becomes the target of his enemy, Nikolas Rokoff, and his henchman Alexis Paulvitch. The pair abducts Tarzan's Jane and their son Jack. Tarzan is stranded on a desert island, but with the help of Sheeta the panther and Akut the great ape he makes it back to the mainland. There he meets Mugambi, the giant chief othe Wagambi tribe, who becomes Tarzan's lifelong friend and ally. The group heads after the kidnappers into the deep jungle and when Tarzan finds them he lets his inner beast come up with ways of making them pay.

"The Son of Tarzan" finds that Paulvitch survived the vengeance of Tarzan and now wants toe ven the score. Luring young Jack Clayton away from London, Paulvitch's plan is foiled when Jack escapes with the help of Akut, the great ape. Fleeing to the African jungle where Tarzan was raised the son of Tarzan becomes Korak the Killer, taking on the great apes as his father had before him. Along the way Korak rescues Meriem, a beautiful young woman, from a band of Arab raiders (she turns out to be the daughter of Armand Jacot a Foreign Legion Captain who is also Prince de Cadrenet). "The Son of Tarzan" has the same sort of relationship with the original novel "Tarzan of the Apes" that you find between Jack London's "White Fang" and "The Call of the Wild," although I would be loath to accuse Burroughs of taking a stand on social Darwinism instead of just telling an adventure yarn. The only complaint, such as it is, would be that already Burroughs is starting to cover the same ground of the previous novels, although this time around it is his son who needs to be rescued and then becomes the rescuer in turn.

I have read most of these books and have found them very enjoyable.I am tring to get the whole series again to reread andfor my son's to read as well

Edgar Rice Burroughs was once described as one of the greatest undiscovered great American treasures. I'm not sure about undiscovered, but that he is a treasure is certainly true.

From the very first part of Tarzan of the Apes, the story is presented as entirely plausable. ERB's outdoorsmanship combines well with his historical knowledge.

One of the funniest pictures he paints in the first book is his lurking over a pair of old Boston Scholars in the jungles, keeping them alive by thwarting various hungry critters while they obliviously discuss the fall of the Islamic Calliphate in Iberia circa 1492, and it's effects on the Rainaissance...

ERB's sense of Honour, Duty and Loyalty shine through, and this novel succeeds in teaching the those values, what they mean and why the are important as only one other book I've read (StarshipTroopers, Heinlein).

IMHO, ERB's first two volumes of Tarzan should be required reading.

There are certain books and authors that have an inordinate impact on our lives. Often as not, their particular significance to us as individuals extends far beyond that which they would have to anyone else and sometimes, if we return to them at a different point in our own lives, it can be hard to recapture why they should have seemed so momentous in the first place. One of the authors who really turned me into a reader was Edgar Rice Burroughs and I am ecstatic to find that his books are just as terrific in real life as they are in boyhood memories.

I still vividly recall the cover of Tarzan and the Ant Men, a book which I read and reread in around 5th or 6th grade. It was one of those cheesy 50 cent paperbacks (now they would cost you at least $5.99) and it featured the Lord of the Jungle surrounded by spear wielding pygmies, It was just so ripe with the promise of adventure that, to this day, I can not imagine a human being gazing upon its glory and not being consumed by a desire to read the book. And once you read one, you were faced with a plethora of riches. There are 26 Tarzan novels and myriad movies; plus there was an excellent comic book version and a Saturday morning cartoon at that point. Then there were Burroughs's other series, my particular favorites being the Pellucidar books and John Carter, Warlord of Mars. You could practically read nothing but Burroughs and go for years before having to start rereading stuff. But, of course, the great thing about getting a kid hooked on reading is that one author leads to another. Soon I was mowing down Jules Verne books (see review of Around the World in Eighty Days) and the adventures of Doc Savage, The Avenger, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, etc., not to mention Tolkein and C.S. Lewis (see review of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe).

So imagine my pleasure when I found this old Ballantine Books paperback of Tarzan of the Apes, with a cover by Neal Adams showing an enraged Tarzan racing towards a screeching great ape who is grasping a seductively disheveled Jane by her flowing blonde locks. It's amazing, you haven't read a word yet and already your pulse is racing. Then open the book and, wonder of wonders, it's every bit as thrilling and wonderful as I remembered it. Shipwrecks, mutinies, buried treasure, lion attacks, hostile tribesmen, and most of all the ape pack and the herculean efforts of one lost little boy to survive in the forbidding wilds of Africa--what more could a reader want in a book?

Tarzan is one of a small group of fictional characters--the others being Frankenstein, Dracula and Sherlock Holmes--created in the last 200 years who have acquired lives of their own, far outlasting their creators to be constantly reprised and reimagined. If we examine this quartet, they are united by one central theme; each represents man's desire to in some way control nature. Frankenstein is, of course, an expression of our aspiration towards godhood (see Orrin's review), the dream of creating life. Dracula expresses the desire to escape death and achieve immortality. Holmes embodies our hope that pure reason will yield the solutions to life's mysteries. And Tarzan, in all his Darwinian glory, is an assertion of the inevitability that it would be man who rose to the top of the evolutionary totem pole. Each, thus, strikes a chord deep in our being. But what makes them transcendent and fascinating, generation after generation, is the element of uncertainty that each contains. Frankenstein is obviously an experiment run amok. Dracula's immortality comes at an unbearable price. Holmes's hyper-rational mind requires the stimulation of drugs to battle boredom. And Tarzan is trapped uneasily between the civilized and the savage worlds. In this context he implicates two issues, one obvious--man's control over nature, the other less so--the effect of civilization on mankind.

As to the first issue, I was pleasantly surprised at the recent Disney version of Tarzan. In light of films like Pocahontas and Lion King, I just expected it to be politically correct pabulum. That implicit message of Tarzan--that man naturally and rightfully rules nature, disposing of its bounty at his will--is so anathema to the environmentalist hegemony of our times that you sort of had to assume that Disney would eviscerate the story. They did alter it substantially, particularly by not having Tarzan fight Kerchak to become leader of the ape pack, but they left enough of the basic tale intact to satisfy all but the most fanatic ERBites. And, at the end of the day, you can argue about the propriety of man controlling the environment and exploiting nature, but it is pretty hard to argue against the power of Burrough's metaphorical image of the youthful human Tarzan becoming the Lord of the Jungle. Simply taken as a cultural symbol, Tarzan is fascinating, a modern myth comparable to any ancient one.

On the second issue, Tarzan's unique upbringing and his very role as the hero of these books along with the helplessness displayed by "civilized" whites when they enter the jungle, raises the question of whether civilization is simply a veneer which we could drop if necessary (as London implies in Call of the Wild [see review] and The Sea Wolf [see review]) or whether civilization strips away something primal and valuable in our natures. In a famous essay on the Tarzan books, Gore Vidal asserts that:

a good many people find their lives so unsatisfactory that they go right on year after year telling themselves stories in which they are able to dominate their environment in a way that is not possible in this overorganized society

His snitty point is about domination and what losers the readers of these books must be (of course, he more than likely spent his closeted youth reading Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and look how he turned out), but it is the "overorganized society" part of this comment that is the most interesting, obliquely pointing out the subtext of the weakening influence of modern society on mankind. If we accept Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest--which we will for the sake of this discussion--then what happens when the threats to our survival are removed, or at the very least reduced? Tarzan suggests the possibility that the pressures of the fight for survival forge a stronger man than the advances of modern civilization can hope to compete with.

It is with this perspective that we can perceive the irony that Tarzan--the son of an English Lord, raised in Africa--is the quintessential American hero. Embodying the elements of rugged individualism and self-reliance, he is an archetype in the tradition of Natty Bumpo. It is no surprise then that this series of books is probably the most successful and popular in all of American Literature.

But enough analysis. The important thing about these books is that they are genuinely exciting and are enormous fun to read.

GRADE: A+

This book brings Tarzan to life. I enjoyed it and read it many times. Everyone must wonder what it's like to grow up in a jungle and now you can read it. Very cool book.

Writer at BellaOnline

These are two of the best Tarzan novels, filled with everything that Burroughs does best: action, mystery, romance, lost cities... TARZAN THE TERRIBLE is the direct sequel to TARZAN THE UNTAMED, and anyone who has read these books will want to get a copy of Philip Jose Farmer's THE DARK HEART OF TIME: A TARZAN NOVEL, which takes place chronologically in between these two amazing books.

These are two of the best books ERB wrote in the series. Although "Tarzan of the Apes" is the undisputed best novel of the series, quite possibly a literary masterpiece, these two have even more adventure, action, and clever plot twists than the original. I think "Tarzan the Terrible" is an overall better read, but the final few chapters of "Tarzan the Untamed", in Xuja, city of the mad, is my favorite part of the entire series. I enjoyed it better than Opar, Ashair, or any of the other lost cities ERB created. I wish he had set the entire novel there. If you're an adventure or Tarzan fan you can't miss these two stories. They're the 7th and 8th books in the series and still have aspects of Tarzan being fresh in his creator's mind. The latter books are all good, but they remind me alot of another series, my favorite, the Gor series by John Norman. The first books are outstanding, but the series begin to get repetitive as though the authors used up all their good ideas and are recycling them with different but similiar settings and characters and the storylines follow much of the same course as the previous ones. The only negative thing I can say about the Tarzan series, if indeed you even consider this negative, is that coincidence seems to play much too big of a role. Everyone in the story will somehow end up in the same place at the same time no matter what they've been through and where they've been. But I guess that's what helps make them enjoyable. It all works out. If you like the Tarzan series I recommend two other books by Edgar Rice Burroughs: "The Outlaw of Torn", a medieval tale and "I Am a Barbarian", a tale of the mad Roman emperor Caligula. I also recommend the Gor series by John Norman(the ones with Tarl Cabot in them anyway) and anything by Robert E. Howard.

These two novels in my opinion were the best in all of the 22 book series. Tarzan goes from fighting germans to fighting prehistoric people and animals in a lost land. How does it get any better than that? And the Jane thing is cool! A must read for ultimate action/adventure readers.

Carson Napier has been my favorite Burroughs hero from about page 25 of my very old paperback copy of this book. He has all the heroic charms of John Carter while not quite being as over the top as the Warlord of Mars.

For plotting this book is stock Burroughs and his many imitators. If you loved John Carter try his not quite so wonderful brother. If you love the Green Star novels read the originals (much as the Calisto books are Carter's version of Barsoom so is Green Star Carter's version of Amtor). If you love Norman's Gor, Aker's Antares, or Carter's Calisto then do yourself a favor and read the lesser know inspiration for them.

i loved this book the first chpter was really slow but it picked up on the second, after the scond chapter i was hooked i couldn't put it down i had to know what happed so i ended up reading the whole thing in like a week and this is a big book
i loved every chapter every page ,every thing my favorite part is when the man found his love but he could not see because she was a princes, and how he found his beutiful princes and told how much he loved her, but she could not love him back,but i can't tell you the whole story but there is lot's of battling and alien thing, and if i had any money i would buy my own copy it's so good i just keep reading it over and over.BUY IT

Me parece uno de los mejores libros que he leido, y creo que he leido demasiados. Es un libro que no se puede dejar de leer, me parece fabuloso. Es una combinacion entre accion y amor, creo es una amalgama perfecta.

Outstanding read for fun and humor nonf of which is lost in a book over 86 years old. The only book he wrote which is better is the first Tarzan book.

If you ever felt Burroughs over-does it a bit, you will love this book. Sorry it's out of print... Set in a tiny European Kingdom moments before WW1, the hero is a little less wild and fantastic than, say, John Carter of Mars. He is still none-the-less, a man of principle, integrity and action - a true ERB hero. I loved it. The basic story follows: A man travels on holiday to his mother's homeland - she always had spoken of how beautiful it was, but otherwise would tell nothing of her past. He quickly finds himself embroiled in political intrigue, fights for survival, not to mention sword-play (it's still ERB, right?) as he is mistaken for... the Mad King. But is the King really mad? Or was the story a fabrication of the evil uncle, who wants to rule? The people of the land think he's a hero... Oh, and of course, there is the heart of a beautiful woman involved. If you like adventure stories, if you like ERB at all, if you can possibly get this book - read it.

Bob Zeuschner has produced the best bibliography of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs since Henry Heins. A constant and often accessed resource, it is my most utilitized ERB reference. Even more special, I have an autographed edition!!!

This is just about the finest bibliography of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs ever compliled. Close attention is paid to all editions and the illustrators. A necessity for anyone seriously interested in Mr. Burroughs' work.

The Mucker by Edgar Rice Burrroughs is a wonderful epic adventure that doesn't leave you wanting. Beautiful descriptions sumptuous writing, this is a novel that you can truly set your teeth in. You'll cheer for Edgar's anti-heroe as he travels through 1920's seedy Chicago, to the decks of sailing vessels, to unusual distant lands. The characters are so well fleshed out, that you truly understand the psychology of the protagonist and you know why he behaves the way he does. In his world he has no other choice for he is the mucker. This is a far cry from Tarzan, this character is real and raw, and in some ways more primitive than Tarzan of the apes. It was a joy to read and is a joy to reread. Anyone who likes high adventure cannot help but love this book. It is almost a genre unto itself. Why this film has not been converted into a movie is unimaginable to me.

Most of Edgar Rice Burroughs' heroes are highborn, chivalrous, and heroic. The Mucker is none of these things. He is a gangster, a hoodlum, a boxer, and a hobo. He is also one tough cookie. Of course, he cannot remain a thug. Over the course of the book he becomes noble, chivalrous, and heroic. One of Burroughs' best non-Tarzan books.

Edgar Rice Burroughs is best known for his Tarzan novels and better known for his Mars, Pellucidar and other science-fiction series, but "The Outlaw of Torn" is one of his best yarns. Henry III of England insults Sir Jules de Vac, who takes his vengeance by kidnapping young Prince Richard, a figure, Burroughs points out, who has been lost to the pages of history. As Norman, the Outlaw of Torn, the young man becomes the greatest swordsman in England and a fearless outlaw with a price upon his head who raises an army loyal only to him. Of course, although he is ignorant of his noble birth, he is drawn to the lovely Bertrade de Montfort, daughter of the King's brother-in-law, the Earl of Leicester. This romance fits in nicely with the plans of de Vac, who contrives situations for the king to be responsible for killing his own son. The obvious comparison for "The Outlaw of Torn" is with Robin Hood, but Burroughs' pulp novel has its own tale to tell. This is one of his best novels and as an example of the pulp fiction of the early 20th century it is a first-class work. I read every ERB novel I could get my hands on as a kid, and "The Outlaw of Torn" is the one I re-read the most.

This book shows the dark side of Robin Hood. The main character robs and plunders castles. While the readers know that he is believing he is doing good. This book has various sub plots and the reader is completly entertained by them. This book is a short and quick reader. An average person can sit down and read this whole book in about six hours. This a great book and has all the pages of a great novel. Romance, fighting, and misunderstanding of a good, curl up around the fire place, and read till you are finished type book. I own serval versions and always looking for the books to give to friends.

Fiction meets historical fiction in a pleasant departure from what I term "the ERB formula", The Outlaw of Torn takes place during one of the most difficult and violent times in English history. Resulting from hatred, jealousy and the continual struggle for power between King Henry III and Earl Simon De Montfort, the stage is set for a vengeful man to nurture and manipulate a child to become the most feared and ruthless warlord of his time. But, can a man live his life in constant conflict with his true nature? I first read this book in the early seventies and I've re-read it many times. It still remains my all-time favorite book. I'm tempted to send a copy to Hollywood.

"Pellucidar" is the second volume in the Pellucidar series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and find our hero David Innes and his scientist friend Abner Perry returning to the inner world. At the end of "At the Earth's Core" the duo had returned to the surface only to discover that Hooja the Sly One has substituted a Mahar, one of the rhamphorhynchus-like sentient reptiles that tyrannized Pellucidar, for Dian the Beautiful, the woman Innes loves. So the plan is to get back down there, rescue Dian, and if time allows end the exploitation of the primitive humans by the evil Mahars. The good news is that Innes returns to the inner world, but the bad news is that he ends up in a different part of Pellucidar where he has no friends and new enemies. This 1923 novel is stanrd ERB adventure, where the hero is separated by circumstances and bad guys from the woman he lives (in fact, it is very reminiscent of "The Gods of Mars," the second John Carter novel). But this is still before ERB was in his potboiler stage where the main game was turning out as many Tarzan novels as possible. What makes Pellucidar a bit different from the rest of the Burroughs fantasy adventures is the unique geography of the inner world and the prominence of smart guy scientist Abner as a supporting character (i.e., the brains of the outfit). If at all possible you want to pick up a copy of "Pellucidar" that has the original illustrations by Illustrated by J. Allen St. John, who remains by favorite ERB artist. The Pellucidar series consists of six stories, including a Tarzan crossover, and continues in "Tanar of Pellucidar," but these first two novels stand alone as

Pellucidar continues the tale of David, the lovable protagonist from At The Earth's Core. It tells the story of his return trip to the fabled subterrainian stone-age land known as Pellucidar. Here he must locate old friends, reunite with his lost loved one, and face his all-but-forgotton foes.

Burroughs' writing is simply fabulous, and even makes the characters seem all the more realistic, though many of them are not even human, but sentient creatures who can exist only in the minds of great writers like Burroughs, and in the land known as Pellucidar.

In the incredible world inside the Earth David Innes discovers a new frontier for Mankind. He strove to carve a civilization out of its Stone Age perils. But the kidnapping of the beautiful cave-woman-empress, Dian, made him drop his fight for advancement and enter into a still greater battle against all the primitive monsters of Pellucidar!

1st rate book!

Princess of Mars is a fantastic, wild ride. I think everyone makes a mistake though of saying it's just a guys book. I'm a woman, and it was my mother who recommended Princess to me! I think any girl who's interested in science fiction or fantasy would really enjoy this book. Yeah, it was obviously written with adolescent boys in mind but I think anyone can enjoy this wildly imaginative page turner.

The characters are all extremely likable. John Carter is the perfect southern gentleman. Honorable, loyal, incredibly brave, respectful to women, extremely handsome; a perfect hero who is never boorish or conceited. Then there's Sola, one of the few green Martians to show compassion and kindness, and Tars Tarkas(aren't these names so cool?)a ferocious green martian warrior with a tragic past who is also able to feel compassion and love. And I dare anybody to tell me that they wouldn't want a Woola of their very own! Dejah Thoris though is mainly for the guys. Carter's love and devotion for her was really sweet. I didn't even know that this was part of a book series until I read it on amazon and now I am really eager to read the other books of the series. And wasn't the end cool? I don't think I've ever read an ending quite like that before. What Carter found in the cave at the end was very creepy and intriguing. (I won't give out a spoiler)

Although this is pulp fiction and sort of like a comic book in a way,(I can see mothers in 1912 scolding their kids, "That Edgar Rice Burroughs is going to rot your mind if you keep reading it!") it's still light science fiction at it's best! (I'll warn you right off though, please don't expect something deep and complex like Dune or Darkover and post a review whining about it. Princess is purely for fun.) And am I the only one that thinks Princess would make a really awesome movie?

You want imagination?..adventure?..a few dabs of science(remember it was written in 1912)?..an ageless hero?..an absolutely beautiful damsel in distress?..a whole new world?..with a language all it's own?..inhabited with strange new creatures?.. friends and foes?..battles royal?..This book, and all 10 or 11 sequels, have it all! ER Burroughs was the early master of science fiction, adventure, and imagination; a man ahead of his time, and he gives the reader a roller-coaster ride of incredible adventures. Join with us now as John Carter meets, rescues,and captures the heart of the INCOMPARABLE Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars!, and eventually, along with his friend Tars Tarkas, follows suit with the entire red planet, Barsoom to its wild and whacky inhabitants.

Is this intellectual literature?..of course not. Is it non-stop fun and enjoyment, the original page-turner novel?...You bet it is! Pick this book up, start reading, and I guarantee: you won't put it down until you're finished!..and then you'll run out the door and be hunting for the 2nd book in the series, The Gods of Mars, and then # 3, The Warlord of Mars, and on through the series. Be warned: make sure you have access to #'s 2 and 3 before you start The Princess...you'll be sorry if you don't!

I first read the Burroughs Martian novels(there were 10 known to me then) as a graduate student studying Physics, some 40 years ago. They provided the perfect escape from the rigors of courses like Quantum Mechanics and E & M. Now I reread them,and I continue to enjoy. You will too.

John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkas, they are all here! This is the totally unbelievable story of a man who got transported to Mars basically, because he thought it would be cool to go, so he wished it, and POOF, he's there. Then, there's the fact that the planet itself and the life on it are also completely ridiculous. FORGET ALL THAT! Read it to be swept up in one of the greatest adventure series of all time. John Carter goes to Barsoom (Mars, to the Martians) rescues the most beautiful woman in the universe and (later in the series) conquers an entire world through the power of his will and the strength of his right arm. Handsome, powerful heroes, beautiful half naked captive princesses just panting to be rescued, Villians, so evil you want to go back in time to strangle their parents, Big ugly friends, (What are you laughing at, remember Chewbacca?) strange beasts, stranger aliens, wierd science, epic battles, betrayals, great reunions. This one's got it all. The best of Burroughs' body of work, the most action packed series from the true master of the action story. Edgar Rice Burroughs is the creator of Tarzan. Don't ever pick up his work expecting an intellectual workout. Just get in and hang on for the ride