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Series

Tarzan

The Tarzan sequence follows John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, from his childhood among the great apes through decades of adventure in Africa and beyond. Across the series he moves between aristocratic Europe, colonial Africa, the First World War, the interwar years and, eventually, the Pacific conflict of the Second World War.

Burroughs repeatedly combines recognisable modern settings with lost cities, isolated peoples and fantastic survivals. Opar, Pal-ul-don and many other societies are inventions, while steamships, aviation, colonial travel and wartime campaigns give successive adventures the changing texture of the early twentieth century.

Reading order

Books in this series (23 books)

Tarzan of the Apes cover

1. Tarzan of the Apes

Edgar Rice Burroughs

John Clayton, the orphaned son of an English aristocratic couple marooned on the west coast of Africa, is raised by the great apes and becomes Tarzan. His self-education from the books left in his parents’ cabin leads to a first encounter with Europeans and Americans, including…

The Return of Tarzan cover

2. The Return of Tarzan

Edgar Rice Burroughs

After leaving Jane Porter, Tarzan attempts life in Europe, becomes involved with the French Secret Service and disrupts a Russian espionage plot. A sea voyage returns him to Africa, where he joins the Waziri, discovers the treasure of the lost city of Opar and is drawn…

The Beasts of Tarzan cover

3. The Beasts of Tarzan

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan and Jane’s life is shattered when Nikolas Rokoff and Alexis Paulvitch kidnap Jane and their infant son Jack. Stranded on a jungle island, Tarzan forms an improvised alliance with Akut and the great apes, Sheeta the panther and the warrior Mugambi, then pursues the kidnappers…

The Son of Tarzan cover

4. The Son of Tarzan

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Jack Clayton, the son of Tarzan and Jane, is drawn to the trained ape Akut and eventually escapes with him to Africa. Growing up in the jungle as Korak the Killer, he rescues and befriends Meriem, and their relationship develops while enemies, traders and rival claimants…

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar cover

5. Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Financial disaster sends Tarzan back to Opar in search of treasure, where the priestess La and rival Oparians again place him in danger. An earthquake leaves him with memory loss while Jane becomes entangled with the disgraced Belgian officer Albert Werper and a band involved in…

Jungle Tales of Tarzan cover

6. Jungle Tales of Tarzan

Edgar Rice Burroughs

These linked stories return to Tarzan’s youth among the great apes, showing his experiments with language, weapons, belief, friendship and his growing recognition that he is different from the Mangani who raised him. The collection fills the years before the arrival of Jane Porter and the…

Tarzan the Untamed cover

7. Tarzan the Untamed

Edgar Rice Burroughs

The First World War reaches Tarzan’s African estate when German troops attack and Tarzan believes Jane has been killed. Driven by revenge, he wages his own campaign against German forces, works alongside Allied troops and later crosses dangerous country toward the isolated valley of Xuja. The…

Tarzan the Terrible cover

8. Tarzan the Terrible

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Continuing directly from Tarzan the Untamed, Tarzan follows the trail of Jane and her German abductor into the inaccessible land of Pal-ul-don. Jane must survive captivity and escape while Tarzan moves through rival cities and peoples in a primeval lost valley. The novel continues the wartime…

Tarzan and the Golden Lion cover

9. Tarzan and the Golden Lion

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan’s adopted lion Jad-bal-ja becomes a powerful companion as plots around Opar and the priestess La draw the ape-man back into danger. Esteban Miranda, a criminal who closely resembles Tarzan, uses that resemblance for deception while treasure hunters and rivals pursue wealth and power. The story…

Tarzan and the Ant Men cover

10. Tarzan and the Ant Men

Edgar Rice Burroughs

A solo flight ends in disaster when Tarzan crashes beyond the Great Thorn Forest. He encounters the Alali and then the miniature people of Trohanadalmakus, only to become a captive in a war between rival Ant Men communities and be reduced to their size by their…

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle cover

11. Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan becomes involved with an American safari and a hidden community descended from medieval Crusaders. Rivalries, captivity and romantic intrigue bring modern travellers into a society that has preserved chivalric customs far from Europe. The safari setting and international travellers belong to interwar colonial Africa, while…

Tarzan and the Lost Empire cover

12. Tarzan and the Lost Empire

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan searches for Erich von Harben, the son of an old missionary friend who has disappeared while exploring remote mountains. The trail leads to two rival cities whose inhabitants claim descent from ancient Romans, drawing both Tarzan and von Harben into arenas, political rivalry and escape…

Tarzan the Invincible cover

14. Tarzan the Invincible

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Foreign adventurers and political conspirators seek the gold of Opar, bringing Tarzan into another struggle around the lost city and its priestess La. The story mixes treasure hunting, armed intrusion and the continuing conflicts inside Opar with Tarzan’s determination to protect his allies. The novel returns…

Tarzan Triumphant cover

15. Tarzan Triumphant

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan confronts raiders and pursues danger into the Ghenzi Mountains, where an isolated community descended from ancient settlers has developed a violent and distorted society. Lady Barbara Collis and other travellers are caught in the conflict, forcing Tarzan into another rescue mission. Aeroplanes, expatriate travellers and…

Tarzan and the City of Gold cover

16. Tarzan and the City of Gold

Edgar Rice Burroughs

After rescuing a stranger, Tarzan learns of the hidden rival cities of Athne and Cathne. In Cathne, the City of Gold, Queen Nemone is fascinated by him while political rivalries and the city’s use of trained lions place him in repeated danger. The adventure carries the…

Tarzan and the Lion Man cover

17. Tarzan and the Lion Man

Edgar Rice Burroughs

A Hollywood company travels into Africa to make a Tarzan-like jungle film, bringing trucks, cameras, actors and studio assumptions into terrain they do not understand. The expedition encounters violence and a bizarre hidden society, while a look-alike named Stanley Obroski complicates Tarzan’s identity. The expedition reflects…

Tarzan and the Leopard Men cover

18. Tarzan and the Leopard Men

Edgar Rice Burroughs

After an accident leaves Tarzan with confused memories, he becomes involved with Orando and the Utengas in their struggle against the feared Leopard Men. A missing-man search and the presence of the American Kali Bwana add further threads to a story of ritual violence, betrayal and…

Tarzan’s Quest cover

19. Tarzan’s Quest

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan follows reports of the Kavuru after they abduct the daughter of Muviro, chief of the Waziri. At the same time Jane and a group of aeroplane-crash survivors struggle to survive in the jungle, and the two trails converge around the Kavuru’s guarded settlement. Aircraft, safari…

Tarzan and the Forbidden City cover

20. Tarzan and the Forbidden City

Edgar Rice Burroughs

At Paul d’Arnot’s request, Tarzan guides an expedition searching for the missing explorer Brian Gregory. Rival treasure-seeker Atan Thome also wants the legendary Father of Diamonds, and both parties are drawn toward the remote city of Ashair and its dangerous priesthood. Motorised expeditions and international treasure…

Tarzan the Magnificent cover

21. Tarzan the Magnificent

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan meets Stanley Wood, whose story of a powerful diamond called the Gonfal leads back toward the women warriors of Kaji and their enemies. Hypnotic influence, captivity and rival hidden communities turn the rescue into another expedition beyond the mapped colonial world. The adventure is framed…

Tarzan and the Foreign Legion cover

22. Tarzan and the Foreign Legion

Edgar Rice Burroughs

During the Second World War, an American bomber carrying RAF Colonel John Clayton crashes in Japanese-occupied Sumatra. Clayton resumes his identity as Tarzan, gathers the survivors and local allies, fights occupying troops and tries to lead the party through the jungle to the coast. Japanese occupation…

Tarzan and the Madman cover

23. Tarzan and the Madman

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Reports spread that Tarzan is kidnapping women and attacking communities, but the culprit is an unstable impostor who claims both Tarzan’s identity and divine powers. When Sandra Pickerall is abducted, the real Tarzan follows the trail to rescue her and restore his name. The manuscript belongs…

Tarzan and the Castaways cover

24. Tarzan and the Castaways

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan is stranded with an uneasy group of castaways on an uncharted Pacific island. Mutineers threaten the party while an isolated community claiming Mayan descent adds another danger, and a transported collection of African animals becomes an unexpected factor in the struggle for survival. Written around…