Edgar Rice Burroughs

Date of Birth: September 1, 1875

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Date of Death: March 19, 1950

Biography

Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author best known for his prolific output in the adventure and science fiction genres. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Burroughs initially pursued a variety of careers, including soldier, gold miner, and salesman, before finding success as a writer. He is most famous for creating the iconic character Tarzan, first introduced in the 1912 novel “Tarzan of the Apes.” This character became a cultural phenomenon, spawning numerous sequels, films, and adaptations. Burroughs also created the “Barsoom” series, set on Mars, which influenced many later works of science fiction. His vivid imagination and knack for storytelling made him one of the most popular and enduring authors of the early 20th century.

5 Interesting Facts about Edgar Rice Burroughs

1. Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote nearly 80 novels during his lifetime.

2. His home in Tarzana, California, was named after his famous character, and the community itself later adopted the name.

3. Burroughs served as a war correspondent during World War II, despite being in his late 60s.

4. He was an early adopter of new media; his works were among the first to be adapted into radio shows and comic strips.

5. Burroughs created a fictional universe that included not just Tarzan and Barsoom, but also the “Pellucidar” series set in a prehistoric world within the Earth’s core.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Edgar Rice Burroughs

1. “I write to escape; to escape poverty.”

2. “I had this story boiling in my mind for some time, and I just had to write it.”

3. “We are, all of us, creatures of habit, and when a man has been doing something for a certain length of time, he naturally hates to stop doing it.”

4. “Imagination is but another name for super intelligence.”

5. “The more one knows, the less one believes.”