TARZAN AND THE GOLDEN LION - 1923
Written
Feb to May 1922
ERB's working title
Tarzan and the Golden Lion
First published
Argosy All-Story Weekly magazine, Dec 1922 to Jan 1923
Magazine title
Tarzan and the Golden Lion
First hardcover edition
A C McClurg & Co, Mar 1923
Book illustrator
J Allen St John
Filmed
1927
BACKGROUND
Despite expressing his waning interest in writing more Tarzan stories, in 1922 ERB began his ninth ape-man adventure.  Bob Davis, his publisher at All-Story, unlike ERB, had no doubts about the reading public's enduring fascination with Burroughs savage creation and promptly accepted the story for $4,000.  With this new story Ed had adopted a completely different work style.  He abandoned his typewriter and dictated the entire story on an Ediphone.  He was seeking a way of reducing "the actual labour of transferring my thoughts to paper", probably to relieve his persistent neuritis, but he was also concerned about eye strain.  He attempted to blame the Ediphone for weaknesses in the story and claimed that when he returned to the typewriter his story contained more action and a "better-knit story".  In later years he would again use a dictating machine - the Dictaphone.  All-Story published the new work in serial form between February and May 1922, and McClurg, of course, published the book, which was released in 1923.  In 1926 Film Booking Office (FBO) studios began production on a silent film version of Tarzan and the Golden Lion staring Ed's son-in-law, Jim Pierce.  Pierce went on to play the ape-man in the Tarzan radio show which began production in 1932. (Porges)

PLOT
Tarzan had been betrayed.  Drugged and helpless, he was delivered into the hands of the dreadful priests of Opar, last bastion of ancient Atlantis.  La, High Priestess of the Flaming God, had saved him once again, driven by her hopeless love for the ape-man.  But now she was betrayed and threatened by her people.  To save her, Tarzan fled with her into the legendary Valley of Diamonds, while Jad-bal-ja, his faithful golden lion, followed.  Ahead lay a land where savage gorillas ruled over servile men.  And behind, Estaban Miranda - who looked exactly like Tarzan - plotted further treachery. (1981 Ballantine paperback)
SOURCES
• Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Man Who Created Tarzan by Irwin Porges, 1975, Brigham Young University Press
COVERS
• Edward Mortelmans' cover from 1960 Four Square Books edition is from my personal collection
• J Allen St John cover from the dustjacket of the 1923 A C McClurg hardcover edition was pilfered from an eBay auction item
• Burne Hogarth cover from 1972 Dutch Westfriesland paperback edition was pilfered from an eBay auction item
• J Allen St John cover from the dustjacket of the 1924 Grosset & Dunlap hardcover edition was pilfered from an eBay auction item
LYNX
• The full text of this novel is available on-line from ClassicAuthors.Net Tarzan and the Golden Lion page
• Read a summary of this novel at Tangor's Tarzan and the Golden Lion Summarized page
• Colourful paperback covers are at Nick Knowles' Tarzan and the Golden Lion page
CAPTURE
• Bag yourself a copy of this novel at Amazon.com's Tarzan and the Golden Lion page or try eBay
Tarzan© is the property of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., Tarzana CA.
This independent, non-profit, fan-based analysis of the Tarzan material is copyright © 2002-2007 Paul Wickham
This page updated July 2006