Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan the Untamed. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1920. First edition, with the M. A. Dono...
Description
Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan the Untamed. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1920. First edition, with the M. A. Donohue imprint on copyright page, of the seventh Tarzan title. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author to his son Hulbert: "To my dear son Hulbert / with best love / Edgar Rice Burroughs." With H. Burroughs's ownership signature. Octavo. [viii], 428 pages. Frontispiece and eight additional illustrated plates after J. Allen St. John inserted throughout. Publisher's olive green cloth, front board lettered and spine lettered and ruled in dark brown, in original dust jacket. Spine with the gentlest of leans; backstrip faintly darkened, with light wear and very discreet color correcting to spine ends; rear hinge with only minor wear addressed by nearly invisible touch ups; only the occasional trivial blemish to either board; lower-front corner bumped. Top edge of text block just slightly dust soiled. Dust jacket crown chipping, two long closed tears (one at rear flap fold, the other to rear panel) and a narrow interior hole on the rear flap (about 1.5 inches in length) expertly mended with only light restoration; edges lightly worn with small chips at flap folds and foot of spine panel, two additional small chips to interior of flaps; rear panel lightly rubbed. A very good copy with conservative restoration work, primarily addressing structural repairs, resulting in a nice overall appearance. Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years, 322 ("Violent World War I jingoism and bloody adventure"); Bleiler, The Checklist of Science-Fiction and Supernatural Fiction (1978), p. 36; Heins (1964), pp. 54-55; Zeuschner (1996) 768; Zeuschner (2016), pp. 478-479.More Information:
"Burroughs began work on this savage tale in September 1918, while World War I still raged... The book reflected the strong anti-German Sentiments in America during this decade, as is obvious in ERB's original working title, 'Tarzan and the Huns.' Burroughs was fiercely patriotic all his life, and would often demonize America's wartime enemies in his writings..." (Zeuschner [2016], pp. 478-479.)
The book resulted in a great deal of controversy in Germany due to stereotypical portrayals of Germans as irredeemable villains. "The title translates literally as 'Tarzan the German-devourer', presumably referring to the way Tarzan fed a German officer to a hungry lion" (Heins, p. 208). According to Zeuschner's 2016 Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Bibliography, Burroughs regretted the response his book caused and went as far as to request his publisher to remove Tarzan the Untamed from the U.S. and Canadian markets. The publisher refused this request.
Auction Info
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $250,000 (minimum $19), plus 20% of any amount between $250,000 and $2,500,000, plus 12% of any amount over $2,500,000 per lot.
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms