By 1911, after seven years of low wages as a pencil-sharpener wholesaler, Edgar Rice Burroughs began to write fiction.
During this period, he had copious spare time and began reading pulp-fiction magazines.
In 1929, he recalled thinking that “if people were paid for writing rot such as I read in some of those magazines, that I could write stories just as rotten.
As a matter of fact, although I had never written a story, I knew absolutely that I could write stories just as entertaining and probably a whole lot more so than any I chanced to read in those magazines.”
Aiming his work at the pulps—under the name “Norman Bean” to protect his reputation—Burroughs had his first story, “Under the Moons of Mars,” serialized by Frank Munsey in the February to July 1912 issues of The All-Story. “Under the Moons of Mars” inaugurated the Barsoom series and earned Burroughs $400 (approximately $10,597 today).
It was first published as a book by A. C. McClurg of Chicago in 1917, entitled “A Princess of Mars,” after three Barsoom sequels had appeared as serials.
Burroughs soon took up writing full-time, and by the time the run of “Under the Moons of Mars” had finished, he had completed two novels, including “Tarzan of the Apes,” published from October 1912 and one of his most successful series.
“Tarzan” was a cultural sensation when introduced.
Burroughs was determined to capitalize on his character’s popularity in every way possible.
He planned to exploit Tarzan through several different media including a syndicated Tarzan comic strip, movies, and merchandise. Experts in the field advised against this course of action, stating that the different media would just end up competing against each other.
Burroughs went ahead, however, and proved the experts wrong – the public wanted Tarzan in whatever fashion he was offered. Tarzan remains one of the most successful fictional characters to this day and is a cultural icon. (Wikipedia)
Happy Birthday, Edgar Rice Burroughs!