"Unpacking the Appeal: Exploring Why We Love Burroughs' Work"

The Carolina Calots embarked on this chapter driven by a shared passion for the captivating works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Each member brings their unique perspective and appreciation for different aspects of his writings, ranging from the unstoppable heroes to the enchanting damsels in distress, and the creation of fantastic worlds teeming with adventure and action.

Burroughs' ability to craft unforgettable heroes who triumph against all odds is a testament to his storytelling prowess. These characters embody courage, strength, and determination, inspiring readers to believe in their own potential for greatness.

Equally enthralling are Burroughs' vividly imagined worlds, where every detail is meticulously crafted. From lush landscapes teeming with exotic creatures to treacherous terrains inhabited by fearsome monsters and villains, his world-building transports readers into realms brimming with excitement and danger.

But it is perhaps Burroughs' portrayal of damsels in distress that adds an extra layer of allure to his narratives. These captivating female characters not only serve as motivation for the heroes but also possess their own agency and strength. They embody both vulnerability and resilience, making them integral components of Burroughs' gripping tales.

As fans of Burroughs' works, the Carolina Calots aim to delve deeper into these elements that have captivated readers for generations. By exploring his themes of heroism, world-building, damsels in distress, monsters, villains, adventure, and action - we hope to celebrate his enduring legacy while sharing our own insights and interpretations with fellow enthusiasts.

Why are you a fan?

I stepped into the Burroughs portal when I was about seven years old-that would be 1967. My twin and I would spend weekends with our aunt and uncle who owned a farm in rural Jones County. But on the way to the farm, we would stop at a Piggly Wiggly that sold comic books and I was immediately entranced by the painted covers on Gold Key comics. I picked up Tarzan the Untamed-Tarzan is fighting a massive lion, armed with only a knife. And the interior art was just as fantastic. I must have read that comic fifty times.

Then, lo and behold, the local newspaper carried a large Sunday comics section with big half pages of Tarzan and there was that same artist- who signed his name Russ Manning. I started putting two and two together. This was what Tarzan looked like! Also, the local TV Guide carried movie descriptions for a station too far away for us to watch, but suddenly I was reading descriptions of Tarzan and the Mermaids, Tarzan’s Desert Mystery, Tarzan’s Fury. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t see these movies! Little did I know that Tarzan the TV series was just a year away!

Then in the pages of the Tarzan the Untamed comic was an advertisement for the Tarzan novels published by Ballantine, and I asked my aunt for a dollar so I could order two books: Tarzan of the Apes and Tarzan and the Leopard Men (because that was a cool title) and when those books arrived I was on my journey of a lifetime.

- David Hardy

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Burroughs’s stories are fun to read. They are laid in exotic, mysterious places. The characters are compelling; Burroughs makes you care what happens to them. The villains are villainous; the good guys (and girls) are good. ERB was better than his competitors and is better than his imitators.

- Bob Arrington

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Why am I a Burroughs fan? Because he's spoiled me to other fiction. Burroughs wrote so vividly, and his books are basically non-stop action, so when I try to read other fiction I often just plain ole get bored. I am an avid non-fiction reader, but when I go fiction, I pretty much only go Burroughs. Where else am I going to get the world-building, the fighting sequences, the early 20th-century imagineering, and the interwoven plot threads that coalesce at the end (in most of the books, sometimes they careen into each other because he was on deadline.)

- David Hood

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I’ve been an Edgar Rice Burroughs fan ever since the cornfield.

No, not that cornfield. I was never wished into it by Anthony Fremont of Twilight Zone fame, as should be obvious from the evident fact that I am not dead.

When my twin David and I were growing up in the 1970s, we used to spend a good part of each summer toiling in our family’s extensive gardens — cultivating beans, peas, squash, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, okra, and many rows of corn. Our family of seven relied on the produce to shave our grocery bills and went door-to-door in wealthy neighborhoods selling the surplus for extra cash. But our agricultural obligations proved too weak to resist the lure of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Happening upon a copy of A Princess of Mars one summer, David and I took turns reading it while sitting in the shade of cornstalks. Next we devoured other ERB books. Then we played the John Carter: Warlord of Mars strategy game published by SPI in 1979. We were hooked.

I wonder what plants the intrepid farmers of Barsoom grow along their precious canals. And what books their youngsters read when they’re supposed to be working the fields.

-John Hood

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I read my first Burroughs novel (Tarzan and the Ant Men) when I was in eighth grade, and I’ll have to admit I was not overly impressed, although I did enjoy it. However, a couple of years later Ace Books started reissuing Burroughs novels in paperback, followed soon after by Ballantine Books. About this time, I read A Princess of Mars with John Carter, followed soon after by Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars. I loved the John Carter books. I read all they reprinted by Burroughs. These included the Mars, Tarzan, Pellucidar, Caspak, and Venus books, as well as non-series books (or very short series). Among the Tarzan books, my favorites were Tarzan the Untamed and Tarzan the Terrible. About the same time, Ace also reprinted the Mars and Venus books by Otis Adelbert Kline which were also enjoyable. This led me to science fiction and in particular, I have always been a big fan of planetary romances. I have about five years’ worth of “Planet Stories”, a pulp magazine, particularly

known for its planetary romances. I also started a subscription to Analog SF magazine, which I only stopped a year or two ago after 60 years.

-Douglas Vaughan

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It is hard for me to pinpoint a single reason for my deep admiration for Burroughs' work. Each story offers a bunch of elements that I thoroughly enjoy. But, if I were to choose any particular works that encompass all the components I love, it would undoubtedly be "At the Earth's Core" and "Pellucidar." These books moved me from admirer to fan. I dreamed (and still do) of this fantastic world hidden beneath my very feet, filled with extraordinary creatures and endless possibilities for adventure.

-Aaron Oliver

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I can attribute my Burroughs fandom to my mother who was also my teacher, as I was homeschooled. As a young teenager, she wanted to get me more interested in reading and suggested I read Tarzan of the Apes. She had never read it herself but knew it was something a teenage boy might enjoy. She bought me a copy, I read it and loved it, and my Burroughs fandom went from there. I started with the entire Tarzan series and then branched out to Mars, Pellucidar, The Moon, and Venus. I enjoy the imagination and escapist nature of the books and the fact that I always know what to expect. It's comforting and although I do branch out and read other things as well, I am seldom without a Burroughs book close at hand.

-Joel Sellers

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I am a ERB fan because I like the books!  As simple as that!  I grew up on the Johnny Weissmuller movies and the Tarzan comics, although I never got much from the comics at that age.  But when, I discovered ERB in high school, at the urging of some of my friends, I was hooked.  The Ace "Tanar of Pellucidar" was my first ERB story.  I have loved Pellucidar ever since.  Then, when Richard Lupoff's ERB: Master of Adventure came out, I had to find more of the ERB stories.  I was thrilled when Charter issued their 6 more obscure titles. (If you don't know these, let me know.)  Then, the internet came out and I started finding more books I didn't have.  Then the collecting bug bit, and bit hard! I now have several thousand different items in my ERB collection.  Having helped with one ERB bibliography, written one, and having another in preparation, I think I am a hardcore fan.  Then I attended my first Dum-Dum in 2012, and I certainly enjoyed those, having been a part of organizing the 2017 ECOF and the 2022 Dum-Dum.  If one has not been to an ERB Con, you need to go, you will meet some great fans!  That is another reason to be an ERB fan!

respectfully submitted,

-Jim Goodwin