Scott Tracy Griffin Comments ERB-APA #39: A Reply

Really enjoyed your article Tarzan The Swinging Single. I can tell right now that Alan and I are going to enjoy your contributions. I am going to pass on explaining why there are two Tarzan's in ERB, the true life man's writings because I feel that has already been explained by Porges. When one gets involved in the fictional world of Tarzan there is also another explanation that you did not touch upon.

ERB-APA #39

The Tarzan series was actually written by two men instead of one. Yes, ERB the writer from Chicago, Illinois had help. Sometime off stage just before writing Under The Moons Of Mars ERB, the author met a successful store chain owner from Virginia. This man just happened to be the great-nephew of John Carter. He showed ERB, the author, John Carter's account and the two turned the events into a series of magazine publications. Under The Moons Of Mars, the first was published in 1912 and followed by two more. The Gods Of Mars and The Warlord Of Mars. Take special note that in the beginning ERB, the author, did not even want to use his name in the two's collaborations, so the team came up with the pen name, Normal Bean. We all know about the type guy, changing the l to n (Norman) thus the end to Normal Bean.

ERB The Narrator

Around 1910, the now fifty-five-year-old Virginian visited England where he gets permission to examine an old monastery's ancient writings. This is where he comes up with the information that ERB, the author, turned into The Outlaw Of Torn. In a historical sense, this is actually the first of the Greystoke chronicles. While on that English visit, ERB, the Virginian meets an official of the British Colonial Office as told in Tarzan Of The Apes. The Virginian's new acquaintance gets a little nippy during a luncheon and relates to him a tale about one of England's high-society families. The tale was so bizarre John Carter's great-nephew could not, and would not believe it.

J. Allen St. John

To save face the British Colonial Office agent produced a manuscript, official documents, and a diary to back up his story. The tale was almost as unbelievable as his great uncle John Carter's. ERB, the Virginian, collected the information that ERB, the author, turned into Tarzan Of The Apes, The Return Of Tarzan, The Beast Of Tarzan, and Jungle Tales Of Tarzan.

Tarzan Series

After returning from that English visit it is then, offstage, that ERB, the Virginian, meets ERB, from Illinois.in Chicago in 1911. ERB, the author, obtains the information to write his successful magazine stories, which he does. Things were going great until the 'Burroughs Team' was approached by agents of Lord Greystoke.

The All-Story

In 1913 we find ERB, the Virginian, at the Greystoke plantation in British East Africa. It was there that the Virginian agreed to back off from the realness of the true events. Therefore, the later Tarzan books strayed much further from the truth than the earlier ones did. Or if you prefer ERB, the Virginian is responsible for the first set of Tarzan stories, and ERB, from Illinois, takes more control with the second set of Tarzan stories.

The Eternal Lover

Tracy, in your My Doctrinal Stance you called me on the far right which is the only part I understand is the right, but I am definitely a literalist. I am surprised that either you, Alan Hanson, or Phil Farmer would claim to be on the left when it goes against the information provided by ERB. Hopefully, as you see more of my research I can change your mind. Don't let the two different Tarzan's block your sense of true sight. As you write more on the subject I will join in, but right now I must finish my differences with my buddy, Alan Hanson. You have an extremely sharp ERB brain, and I am going to enjoy communicating with you.

Tarzan Series

The Rabba Kega Paradox is something I will have to look into, as I have yet to challenge the subject.

Robert Abbett

About The Author

James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines, over a span of forty-five years. He also manages an unauthorized Tarzan blog titled, Greystoke Chronologist: James Michael Moody. There the researcher chronologies the Tarzan books starting in May 1872 (known as the pushback theory).instead of the more excepted date May 1888.

James Michael Moody is also the author of the action-packed Sci-Fi fantasy adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, published December 31, 2019, and Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022. Swordsman On Unium is going through the publishing process.