Tarzan (book series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tarzan

Cover of Tarzan of the Apes
List of books Tarzan of the Apes The Return of Tarzan The Beasts of Tarzan The Son of Tarzan Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar Jungle Tales of Tarzan Tarzan the Untamed Tarzan the Terrible Tarzan and the Golden Lion Tarzan and the Ant Men Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle Tarzan and the Lost Empire Tarzan at the Earth's Core Tarzan the Invincible Tarzan Triumphant Tarzan and the City of Gold Tarzan and the Lion Man Tarzan and the Leopard Men Tarzan's Quest Tarzan and the Forbidden City Tarzan the Magnificent Tarzan and the Foreign Legion Tarzan and the Madman Tarzan and the Castaways Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins Tarzan and the Valley of Gold Tarzan: the Lost Adventure Tarzan: The Epic Adventures The Dark Heart of Time
Author	Edgar Rice Burroughs
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Adventure
Publisher	A. C. McClurg
Published	1912 – 1966
Media type	Print (hardback)

The Tarzan series includes 24 exciting adventure novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. These books were published between 1912 and 1966. Later, other novels were written by Burroughs or approved by his family. There are also two special books for children that are not part of the main series.

Tarzan is a famous classic in literature. The main character, Tarzan, is known all over the world. The stories have been made into many different things, like radio shows, TV shows, plays, and movies. In fact, Tarzan has been adapted for film more times than any other book!

As of 2020, the first ten books, up to Tarzan and the Ant Men, are free for anyone to use worldwide. This means they are in the public domain. However, later books are still protected by copyright in the United States.

Meet Tarzan: The Main Books

Tarzan of the Apes (1912)

The first book tells the story of John and Alice Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke from England. In 1888, they get stranded in the jungles of equatorial Africa. Their son, John Clayton II, is born there. When he is one year old, his mother dies. Soon after, his father is killed by a powerful ape leader named Kerchak.

The baby Clayton is adopted by a female ape named Kala. They name him Tarzan, which means 'White Skin' in the ape language. He grows up not knowing he is human.

As a boy, Tarzan feels different from the apes because of his human body. He finds his real parents' cabin. There, he discovers books and learns about other humans. Over many years, he teaches himself to read English using picture books. But since he has never heard English, he cannot speak it.

One day, he is attacked by a huge gorilla. Tarzan manages to kill it with his father's knife, but he gets badly hurt. As he grows up, Tarzan becomes a skilled hunter. This makes Kerchak, the ape leader, jealous. Kerchak finally attacks Tarzan. Tarzan defeats Kerchak and becomes the new "king" of the apes.

Later, a group of African people move into the area. Tarzan's adopted mother, Kala, is killed by one of their hunters. To get revenge, Tarzan starts a difficult relationship with the group. He raids their village for weapons and plays tricks on them. They, in turn, think he is a spirit and try to calm him down.

A few years later, when Tarzan is 18, another group gets stranded on the coast. This group includes 19-year-old Jane Porter, the first white woman Tarzan has ever seen. Tarzan's cousin, William Cecil Clayton, who has taken over Tarzan's family estate in England, is also with them. Tarzan secretly watches the newcomers, helps them, and saves Jane from jungle dangers.

A French naval officer named Paul D'Arnot is also in the group. Tarzan rescues D'Arnot from the local people. A rescue ship then finds the stranded group. D'Arnot teaches Tarzan to speak French. He offers to take Tarzan to the land of white people so he can find Jane again. During their journey, D'Arnot teaches him how to act among humans. In the next few months, Tarzan also learns to speak English.

Eventually, Tarzan travels to find Jane in Wisconsin, USA. He learns that she is engaged to William Clayton. Meanwhile, clues from his parents' cabin help D'Arnot prove that Tarzan is actually John Clayton, the Earl of Greystoke. Instead of taking back his family's wealth from William, Tarzan decides to keep his true identity a secret. He gives up his claim for Jane's happiness.

The Return of Tarzan (1913)

This book starts right after Tarzan of the Apes. Tarzan feels lost after giving up his chance to marry Jane Porter. He leaves America and goes to Europe to visit his friend Paul d'Arnot. On the ship, he gets involved with Countess Olga de Coude, her husband, and two tricky characters, Nikolas Rokoff and Alexis Paulvitch. Rokoff is also the countess's brother. Tarzan stops their bad plans, making them his deadly enemies.

Later, in France, Rokoff tries many times to get rid of Tarzan. He even makes it look like Tarzan is the countess's lover, leading to a duel. Tarzan chooses not to fight back, showing his innocence. Count Raoul then helps him get a job as a special agent for the French Ministry of War in Algeria.

Tarzan has many adventures among the local Arabs, including another encounter with Rokoff. Later, Tarzan sails for Cape Town and meets Hazel Strong, a friend of Jane's. But Rokoff and Paulovitch are also on board. They ambush Tarzan and throw him into the ocean.

Amazingly, Tarzan reaches shore in a lifeboat from a broken ship. He finds himself in the jungle where he grew up. He soon saves and becomes friends with a warrior named Busuli of the Waziri tribe. Tarzan is adopted into the Waziri tribe. After stopping a raid by ivory hunters, Tarzan becomes their chief.

The Waziri know about a hidden city deep in the jungle where they get their golden jewelry. Tarzan asks them to take him there. But he is captured by its people, who are ape-like. They plan to sacrifice him to their sun god. To Tarzan's surprise, the priestess, La, is a beautiful woman who speaks the ape language. She tells him she is the high priestess of the lost city of Opar. When the ceremony is interrupted, she hides Tarzan and promises to help him escape. But Tarzan escapes on his own, finds a treasure room, and rejoins the Waziri.

Meanwhile, Hazel Strong reaches Cape Town and meets Jane and her father, Professor Porter. Jane's fiancé, William Cecil Clayton, is also there. They are all invited on a cruise up the west coast of Africa on the Lady Alice, a yacht owned by Lord Tennington. Rokoff, now using the name M. Thuran, tricks his way into the group and is also invited. The Lady Alice crashes into the same broken ship Tarzan found and sinks. The passengers and crew get into lifeboats. The one with Jane, Clayton, and "Thuran" gets separated and faces terrible hardships. By chance, their boat lands in the same area where Tarzan did. They don't know they are only a few miles from the other lifeboats.

The three build a simple shelter and barely survive. After some weeks, Jane and William Clayton are surprised by a lion in the forest. Clayton loses Jane's respect by being afraid instead of protecting her. But they are saved when the lion is suddenly killed by a spear from an unknown person. Their hidden savior is Tarzan, who leaves without showing himself because he sees Jane with Clayton. Jane breaks off her engagement to Clayton, finally deciding to follow her heart and not marry a man she doesn't love.

Later, Jane is taken to Opar by some Oparian ape-men who were looking for Tarzan. Tarzan learns she is captured and tracks them. He saves her from being sacrificed by La, who is sad that Tarzan chooses Jane over her.

Tarzan and Jane go to Tarzan's childhood cabin. There, they find the rest of the Lady Alice survivors, except for Clayton. D'Arnot is there with his naval ship, ready to rescue everyone. "Thuran" is revealed to be Rokoff and arrested. Clayton had been very sick and was left behind by Rokoff where their boat landed. Jane and Tarzan go to find him, but he dies despite their efforts.

Tarzan marries Jane, and Tennington marries Hazel in a double ceremony performed by Professor Porter, who was a minister when he was young. Then they all sail back to civilization, taking the gold treasure Tarzan found in Opar.

The Beasts of Tarzan (1914)

This story starts one year after the last book. Tarzan (Lord Greystoke) and Jane have a son named Jack. Tarzan has built a home on the Waziri lands in Africa. But for the rainy season, they are back at their family estate in London.

Tarzan's enemies from the previous book, Nikolas Rokoff and Alexis Paulvitch, escape from prison. They plan a tricky trap and kidnap Tarzan and Jane, and their son Jack. Rokoff leaves Tarzan on a jungle island. He tells Tarzan that Jack will be left with a group of people to be raised by them, and Jane's fate is left unknown.

Using his jungle skills, Tarzan gets help from Sheeta, a fierce panther, a group of great apes led by Akut, and a warrior named Mugambi. With their help, Tarzan reaches the mainland. He begins a long search to find Jane (who is also trying to escape) and Jack.

By the end of the story, Rokoff is dead. Paulvitch is thought to be dead but escapes into the jungle. The Tarzan family returns to London with Mugambi, who is offered a place at Tarzan's Waziri home.

The Son of Tarzan (1915–1916)

This story begins 10 years after The Beasts of Tarzan. Alexis Paulvitch, who escaped Tarzan, has lived a hard life in Africa. A European ship finds him and takes him aboard. Months later, Paulvitch sees Akut, the ape Tarzan befriended, at one of the ship's stops. Akut is not afraid of white men because of Tarzan. Paulvitch sees a chance to make money and takes Akut to London to show him to the public.

After the kidnappings ten years earlier, Jane did not want to return to Africa. She also didn't want Jack to know about his father's past, fearing he might want to live it too. But Jack was very interested in wildlife and was athletic. When the Claytons heard about the ape, John (Tarzan) took Jack to see him. He was surprised to find it was his old friend, Akut, and started talking to him. Jack was amazed his father could do this. John then told Jack about his life as Tarzan.

Jack started secretly visiting Akut and learning the ape language. He planned to take Akut back to the jungle. Paulvitch saw a chance for revenge and agreed to help Jack. They escape to an African port where Paulvitch attacks Jack. Jack, who is probably 12, is strong like his father. Paulvitch is killed, and Jack, scared, escapes into the jungle with Akut, thinking he will have to run forever.

Like Tarzan, Jack learns to survive in the jungle. He meets the Mangani apes and can talk to them because of his conversations with Akut. The closest they can say to his name "Jack" in ape language is "Korak," which means "killer." This seems fitting as Jack has shown himself to be strong.

Around age 13, Jack finds and rescues an 11-year-old girl named Meriem. He teaches her jungle survival, and they live many adventures together for several years.

Meanwhile, Tarzan and Jane have returned to their Waziri home in Africa, not knowing what happened to their son. About six years later, Tarzan and Jane meet Korak (now about 18) and Meriem (now 16). They reunite and return to London, where Korak and Meriem get married. This book is also very much about Meriem's story.

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916)

At the end of the previous book, Tarzan and Jane's son, Jack (Korak), has grown up. John (Tarzan) and Jane Clayton have left London and returned to their Waziri ranch in Africa.

John Clayton finds that his money has been stolen. So, he decides to go back to the lost city of Opar. He had found a large amount of gold there before (in book #2) and used it to rebuild his family's wealth.

During this trip, Tarzan is hurt in an earthquake and loses all his memories of his adult, civilized life and of Jane. La, the high priestess of Opar, takes advantage of his amnesia because she fell in love with Tarzan during their first meeting. La hopes his memory loss will give her a chance, but her priests want to sacrifice Tarzan. Meanwhile, Jane is in trouble and wonders why her husband isn't coming to help her.

Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1916–1917)

This is a collection of twelve short stories about Tarzan's teenage years. They take place a year or two before Tarzan first meets white people, including Jane Porter.

• "Tarzan's First Love"
• "The Capture of Tarzan"
• "The Fight for the Balu"
• "The God of Tarzan"
• "Tarzan and the Black Boy"
• "The Witch-Doctor Seeks Vengeance"
• "The End of Bukawai"
• "The Lion"
• "The Nightmare"
• "The Battle for Teeka"
• "A Jungle Joke"
• "Tarzan Rescues the Moon"

Tarzan the Untamed (1919–1920)

In 1914, while John Clayton (Tarzan) is away from his home in British East Africa, it is destroyed by invading German soldiers. When he returns, he finds many burned bodies, and one looks like his wife, Jane Porter Clayton. Another person killed is the Waziri warrior Wasimbu, who was left tied up by the Germans. (Wasimbu's father, Muviro, who appears later in the series, is first mentioned here.)

Tarzan becomes very angry and seeks revenge on those who caused the tragedy, and on all Germans. He heads to the war front in West Africa. On the way, he encounters a lion (called Numa by the apes). He traps the lion in a narrow valley. At the front, he sneaks into German headquarters and captures Major Schneider, the officer he believes led the attack on his home. He takes Schneider back to the valley and throws him to the lion. Tarzan continues to help the British forces, even letting the lion loose in enemy trenches. Tarzan later kills von Goss, another German officer involved in the attack.

He then gets involved with Bertha Kircher, a woman he has seen in both German and British camps. He thinks she is a German spy, especially after he learns she has his mother's locket, which he gave to Jane. His efforts to get it back lead him to a meeting between Kircher and Captain Fritz Schneider, Major Schneider's brother, who actually led the attack. After killing Schneider, Tarzan believes his revenge is complete. He stops his fight against the Germans and goes into the jungle, wanting to be alone.

Tarzan searches for a group of Mangani apes, like those who raised him. He crosses a desert, facing great hardship. He only survives by pretending to be dead to trick a vulture (Ska in ape language) into coming close enough to catch and eat. This scene is very powerful.

On the other side of the desert, Tarzan finds an ape group. He meets Bertha Kircher again. She has just escaped from Sergeant Usanga, a leader of native soldiers who left the German army. Even though he suspects Bertha, Tarzan's kindness makes him protect her among the apes. Later, he is captured by a group of people who eat human flesh, where the deserters are hiding. Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick, a British pilot whose plane crashed, is also captured. Bertha bravely leads the apes against the natives and frees both Tarzan and Smith-Oldwick.

Smith-Oldwick falls in love with Bertha, and they look for his crashed plane. They find it, but Usanga captures them again. Usanga tries to fly away with Bertha. Tarzan arrives in time to pull Usanga from the plane. Smith-Oldwick and Bertha Kircher try to fly back across the desert but crash. Seeing the plane go down, Tarzan sets out to rescue them again. On the way, he finds another Numa, an unusual black lion caught in a pit trap, and frees it.

He, the two lovers, and the lion are soon reunited. But warriors from the lost city of Xuja, hidden in a secret desert valley, attack them. Tarzan is left for dead, and Bertha and Smith-Oldwick are taken prisoner. The Xujans control the local lions and worship parrots and monkeys. They are also very strange due to being isolated for so long. Tarzan recovers and once more rescues his companions, helped by the lion he saved earlier. But the Xujans chase them, and they prepare for a final fight. A search party from Smith-Oldwick's unit arrives and saves the day.

Afterward, Tarzan and Smith-Oldwick learn that Bertha is a double agent working for the British. Tarzan also learns from Fritz Schneider's diary that Jane might still be alive.

Tarzan the Terrible (1921)

Two months have passed since the last book, where Tarzan spent months seeking revenge on those he thought killed Jane. At the end of that book, Tarzan learned that her death was a trick and she was still alive.

While tracking Jane, Tarzan finds a hidden valley called Pal-ul-don. It is full of dinosaurs, especially large, meat-eating Gryfs that look like Triceratops but stand 20 feet tall. The lost valley also has two different groups of tailed human-like creatures: the hairless, white-skinned Ho-don who live in cities, and the hairy, black-skinned Waz-don who live in hills. Tarzan becomes friends with a Ho-don warrior and the Waz-don chief, creating unusual alliances. In this new world, Tarzan is captured but impresses his captors so much with his skills that they name him Tarzan-Jad-Guru ('Tarzan the Terrible').

Jane is also held captive in Pal-ul-don by her German captor. She becomes important in a religious power struggle. She eventually escapes, and her German captor becomes dependent on her because he cannot survive in the jungle.

With the help of his new friends, Tarzan continues to search for Jane. He goes through many fights and escapes. In the end, it seems impossible, but in the final chapter, he and Jane are saved by their son Korak, who has been looking for Tarzan just as Tarzan has been looking for Jane.

Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1922–1923)

The story begins with the Clayton family – Tarzan, Jane, and their son Korak – returning from their adventures in the previous book. On their way, they find an orphaned lion cub. Tarzan takes it home and trains it.

Flora Hawkes, a former housemaid of the Claytons, had heard about Tarzan finding the treasure room in the lost city of Opar (in The Return of Tarzan and Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar). She managed to copy his map. She planned an expedition to collect the gold. To avoid questions from local people, she found someone who looked exactly like Tarzan to join them.

Two years passed since the Claytons found their lion cub. The Greystoke family's money had decreased because Tarzan supported the Allies in the war. He decided it was time to return to Opar for more gold.

Tarzan met Hawkes' group. He was drugged and ended up captured by the Oparians. Queen La, who was not favored by the high priest, felt she had nothing to lose. She escaped with Tarzan through the only unguarded path – a route to the legendary valley of diamonds, from which no one had ever returned. There, Tarzan found a group of humans who were not very smart, enslaved by intelligent gorillas. With the help of his trained golden lion, Tarzan used the local people to help La regain her power. Before leaving, he accepted a bag of diamonds as a reward.

Meanwhile, the fake Tarzan convinced Tarzan's Waziri group to take the gold from Hawkes' party while most of them were hunting. He then buried the gold to keep it for himself. The real Tarzan eventually faced the fake one, who managed to steal Tarzan's bag of diamonds. The fake Tarzan was then chased by Tarzan's golden lion but escaped into a river. He was later captured and imprisoned by a local tribe. Tarzan lost the diamonds but was able to get the gold and return with it.

Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924)

Tarzan, the king of the jungle, discovers a hidden country called Minuni. It is home to people who are four times smaller than him. The Minunians live in amazing city-states that often fight each other. Tarzan becomes friends with King Adendrohahkis and Prince Komodoflorensal of one city-state, Trohanadalmakus. He joins them in their war against the army of Veltopismakus, their warlike neighbors. Tarzan is captured on the battlefield and taken prisoner by the Veltopismakusians. A Veltopismakusian scientist named Zoanthrohago performs an experiment that shrinks Tarzan to the size of a Minunian. Tarzan is then imprisoned and enslaved with other Trohanadalmakusian prisoners of war. He meets Komodoflorensal in the dungeons of Veltopismakus, and together they make a daring escape.

Later Adventures of Tarzan

After these first ten books, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote many more Tarzan stories. Here are some of them:

• Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1927–1928): Tarzan finds a hidden valley with European knights and crusaders.
• Tarzan and the Lost Empire (1928–1929): Tarzan and a young German discover a hidden group of people from the Roman Empire in Africa. This book introduces Nkima, Tarzan's monkey friend.
• Tarzan at the Earth's Core (1929–1930): Tarzan goes on an adventure to the Earth's core to rescue a scientist in a prehistoric world.
• Tarzan the Invincible (1930–1931): Tarzan, Nkima, and the Waziri warriors protect the lost city of Opar from people trying to steal its treasures.
• Tarzan Triumphant (1931–1932): Tarzan and the Waziri face people seeking revenge and a lost group with a strange religious practice.
• Tarzan and the City of Gold (1932): Tarzan is captured by a queen in the City of Gold and forced to fight in an arena. His lion friend, Jad-bal-ja, helps him.
• Tarzan and the Lion Man (1933–1934): Tarzan finds a scientist with a city of talking gorillas. A Hollywood film crew also comes to Africa to make a Tarzan movie, bringing an actor who looks just like him but is very different in personality.
• Tarzan and the Leopard Men (1932–1933): Tarzan loses his memory and is taken by an African warrior to be a guardian spirit. He then clashes with a secret group called the Leopard Men.
• Tarzan's Quest (1935–1936): Tarzan's wife, Jane, returns and gets involved in a search for a lost group said to have a special medicine for long life. Tarzan, Nkima, and the Waziri also join the search.
• Tarzan and the Forbidden City (1938): Tarzan guides an expedition to a legendary city to find a huge gem and rescue a friend.
• Tarzan the Magnificent (1936–1938): Tarzan meets a lost group with special mind powers and revisits the cities of Cathne and Athne.
• Tarzan and the Foreign Legion (1947): During World War II, Tarzan's plane is shot down in Japanese-controlled territory. He uses his jungle skills to help his friends and fight the Japanese.
• Tarzan and the Madman (1964): Tarzan tracks down another person who looks like him but believes he is Tarzan.
• Tarzan and the Castaways (1965): This book is a collection of three short stories.

Other Tarzan Stories

Some other stories about Tarzan were written by Edgar Rice Burroughs or approved by his family:

• Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins (1927/1936): These two stories were written especially for younger readers. They feature two children who are called the "Tarzan Twins."
• Tarzan: The Lost Adventure (1995): This was an unfinished Tarzan novel found after Burroughs' death. Another author, Joe R. Lansdale, completed it.
• Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966): This book was approved by the Burroughs family as the 25th official novel. It was written by Fritz Leiber and based on a movie script.
• Tarzan: The Epic Adventures (1996): This book was based on a TV show pilot episode and written by R. A. Salvatore.
• The Dark Heart of Time (1999): This official Tarzan novel was written by Philip Jose Farmer. It takes place between Tarzan the Untamed and Tarzan the Terrible. Tarzan is trying to find Jane while being chased by a man who thinks Tarzan knows the secret to living forever.

New Tarzan Books for Young Adults

Author Andy Briggs has created a new series of Tarzan books for young adults, similar to the Young Bond series. These stories are set in modern Africa and feature Tarzan as an 18-year-old and Jane as a teenage girl whose father is involved in illegal logging. The series includes:

• Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy (2011)
• Tarzan: The Jungle Warrior (2012)
• Tarzan: The Savage Lands (2013)

The Wild Adventures Series

This series features new authorized Tarzan novels:

• Tarzan: Return to Pal-ul-don (2015): A sequel to Tarzan the Terrible.
• Tarzan on the Precipice (2016): This novel covers events between Tarzan of the Apes and The Return of Tarzan. Tarzan travels to Canada and finds an ancient Viking civilization.
• King Kong vs. Tarzan (2016): This book tells the story of when the giant ape King Kong meets Tarzan in Africa.
• Tarzan Trilogy (2016): A collection of three short Tarzan adventures before World War II.
• Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy Under Siege (2017): This novel features four generations of Tarzan's family facing danger in the 1980s.
• Tarzan and the Revolution (2018): This story shows Tarzan's role in a central African nation dealing with a dictatorship.
• Tarzan: Conqueror of Mars (2020): Tarzan is transported to Mars and seeks out John Carter to return home.

Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe Series

These are reissues of authorized novels under a new series name:

• Tarzan and the Dark Heart of Time (2018): A reissue of Philip Jose Farmer's novel.
• Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (2019): A reissue of Fritz Leiber's novel.
• Tarzan: Battle For Pellucidar (2020): In this authorized novel, Tarzan returns to the Earth’s core to stop a dangerous group from getting a powerful weapon.

Images for kids

See also

In Spanish: Serie Tarzán para niños