In the last issue of ERB-APA, we looked at The Beasts Of Tarzan as if it were in an 1888 chronology. We showed that in an 1888 chronology, there was no lunar eclipse in Jungle Tales Of Tarzan like ERB described in chapter twelve. If the jungle lord's son was born in 1911 or 1912, events described by ERB, it would be impossible for Jack to be old enough, age seven or eight, to fight as a soldier at the Argonne Front which took place between September 26, 1918 through November 11, 1918.
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| ERB-APA #76 |
If this is not enough by itself to convince a person, here is the clincher. The Return Of Tarzan ended in 1912 and is followed by The Eternal Lover in spring 1913 The Beasts Of Tarzan began in October 1913. At the end of The Beasts Of Tarzan, Rockoff dies. At the beginning of The Son Of Tarzan, Pulvitch takes Akut, the great ape, to London ten years after Rokoff's death. 1913 plus ten years is 1923. The question is how could ERB pen the events of 1923 on January 21, 1915?
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| J. Allen St. John |
If it is impossible by ERB's storyline for Tarzan's adventure to begin in 1888, when did it? After many many years of research, I have found 1872 to be the perfect replacement for 1888. My countless articles in ERB-APA #2 through #76, and other ERB fanzines, have shown how the author's story freely flows in an 1872 chronology to the end of The Return Of Tarzan.
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| The Return Of Tarzan |
At this point, we must change our mindset on how we view things. Up until now, we have viewed Tarzan's world by the way the books were published. Let us put that aside for a few minutes and view a Tarzan chronology based on the story's writing dates. If a researcher follows the events as written by ERB, the order in which the books occur would change in an 1872 timeline. Take a quick look at the following chart so you can get a better understanding of what I am saying.
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| The Tarzan Series |
The Outlaw Of Torn 1240-1264
Not a Tarzan book but a Greystoke is a character.
Tarzan Of The Apes/Jungle Tales Of Tarzan 1872-1873
The lunar eclipse occurred on Nov. 4, 1892.
The Return Of Tarzan 1894 through 1895
Tarzan and Jane marry.
Korak born offstage early 1896.
The Beasts Of Tarzan 1897
We are introduced to Tarzan's first African plantation which was built in Uziri, the land of the Waziri which is located in Portuguese Angola.
The Son Of Tarzan 1906-1912
Jack/Korak is Tarzan's born son. Jack marries at age 17. Tarzan And The Jewels Of Opar 1912 Oct. through early Nov.
The Eternal Lover 1913
Occurs in early spring. Jackie is Korak's son, Tarzan's grandson.
The Man Eater Jul.10, 1914,
Mrs. Clayton is visiting Scottsville, Virginia.
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| The Tarzan Series |
The pushback theory using Tarzan's 1872 birth presents the same storyline that is presented by ERB, the author. ERB, the narrator, forced ERB, the author, in one way or another to protect the Greystokes' true identity. To do this ERB, the author. moved the Claytons' sailing date up sixteen years. This means Tarzan Of The Apes, Jungle Tales Of Tarzan, The Return Of Tarzan, The Beasts Of Tarzan, The Son Of Tarzan, and Tarzan And The Jewels Of Opar all occurred sixteen years sooner than 1888 chronologists believe. The Eternal Lover, The Man Eater, Tarzan The Untamed, and Tarzan The Terrible get back on the publication timetable.
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| The Tarzan Series |
Using this 1872 approach there is a real-life lunar eclipse that fits perfectly into the Jungle Tales Of Tarzan. The two-year span of Jungle Tales Of Tarzan fits perfectly into Tarzan Of The Apes without being butchered up into short stories. Tarzan and Jane get married at the right described age, have a baby at the described age, the baby's growing events occur at the ages ERB described, and Korak was at a believable age to fight in WWI.
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| John Buscema |
Basically, the bottom line is this... Do you want to keep the 1888 Greystoke sailing date and have hacked-up stories all throughout the series? Or, do you move the Greystokes sailing date back sixteen years and have a Tarzan story that flows from book to book in an uninterrupted flow just as ERB intended? The choice is yours, I've done everything I can do to make readers see the light.
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| The Tarzan Series |
There is one more thing I would like to say. If you can not accept my 1872 pushback theory I strongly urge you to read up on John F. Roy's ERB Universe theory, or Alan Hanson's Chrono-log Of The Tarzan Series. Alan did a quality timeline based on ERB's provided information. As great and informative as it was, Tarzan Alive is not about the jungle man of ERB. Phil Farmer plainly tells all that his ape-man is about the real-life man that ERB based his stories on. Tarzan Alive offers a completely different and independent twist to ERB's series. Please do not be led astray when comparing Farmer's Tarzan to ERB's. Now back to The Beast's Of Tarzan.
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| The Beasts Of Taran |
No matter which chronology you choose The Beasts Of Tarzan tells the same story. The difference between the chronologies is the date The Beasts Of Tarzan occurs. In an 1888 chronology, The Beasts Of Tarzan takes place in October 1913. In an 1872 chronology, The Beasts Of Tarzan events begin on July 28, 1897. ERB does not just come out directly and provide dates, but he does provide clues. The first dating clue in The Beasts Of Tarzan is the mention of the beginning rainy season in Portuguese Angola which occurs from October through May and is hot and humid. The other dating clue is provided at the end of The Beasts Of Tarzan. The ape-man's arch enemy Rokoff dies. In The Son Of Tarzan Pulvitch brings Akut, the great ape, to London exactly ten years after Rokoff's death.
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| Frank Frazetta |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Over the past forty-five years, Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines. 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 accepted date, May 1888.
James Michael Moody also authorizes the action-packed Sci-Fi fantasy adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, published December 31, 2019, Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022, and, Swordsman On Unium published on July 15, 2024.
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