Burroughs Books

Edgar Rice started a brilliant series with energy, but in this fourth installment, he fails to capture the full mystery and awe presented in his first three installments of the Pellucidar Series. By "Tarzan at the Earth's Core", you can tell the Pellucidar Series is starting to lose steam.

I found myself less tolerant of the Red Flower of Zoram this time around, perhaps because by forty I had myself been in relationships where you never know if she loves you or thinks you are a jalok. And there seems little reason for it. When David Innes insulted Dian or John Carter insulted Dejah Thoris, those were some heavy insults, for all that the heroes didn't intend them. Jason's crime seems rather minor. I actually found myself wishing she'd just get over herself.

OK, now that that's out of the way...
This is a wonderful adventure story. Pellucidar is it's old horizonless, timeless self, and we see new areas and new peoples. Tarzan is in fine form, and has to deal with a problem he's never had before: he gets lost in the jungle! There are savages, pirates, reptile-men, pterodactyls, and ape-men whom the Lord of the Jungle finds strangely familiar. There are a few many coincidences near the end, but all in all, you can do worse, but might not do better.

In this book, Burroughs had an interesting conceit of crossing his most famous creation into one of his other worlds, thus establishing a patchwork universe where Mars, Venus, Pellucidar, Caspak, Tarzan, and almost all ERB's other stories take place. This book is exciting and colorful but suffers from a single glaring flaw. While in almost every ERB books there is a love interest, in this one, it seems merely perfunctory. Jana and Jason never establish any chemistry during their brief time together, and Jana is a resourceful and blandly attractive if also vapid and petulant heroine. Given the fact that the love story does little but weigh the story down--Jana at one point reflects Jason would not have abandoned her as Tarzan seemed to, though there is no reason she should think this--it probably would have been best to remove it altogether. Probably her uninteresting presentation is why Jana is never mentioned again after this book. In At the Earth's Core, Pellucidar, Tanar of Pellucidar, Back to the Stone Age, and Savage Pellucidar, ERB has his Inner World heroes romance and succeed through sheer determination with their love interests. Here the love story is just dead weight that gets in the way of an otherwise enjoyable adventure story. That said, though, the book is engaging and at least partially makes up for an otherwise unsatisfying romance at its core.

"Tarzan at the Earth's Core" is unique in the Edgar Rice Burroughs ouvre because it is a crossover novel. This was the 13th Tarzan novel and the 4th Pellucidar story and not surprisingly ends up being one of the better offerings in both series. Originally published as a seven-part serial in "The Blue Book Magazine" in 1929-30. The story fits better into the Pellucidar series, where it works mainly as a sequel to "Tanar of Pellucidar," and it is Tarzan fans who would be more lost in this one than readers of the Pellucidar books. The plot is standard fare for a ERB novel, involving a rescue mission, with the key difference between not so much Tarzan's involvement as the idea that the person who needs to be rescued is not a damsel in distress but David Innes, first Emperor of Pellucidar.

Innes is being held in the dungeons of the Korsars, and Jason Gridley (inventor of the Gridley wave that allowed ERB to "receive" the Martian stories from John Carter, which accounts for the other major ERB series) persuades Tarzan to come along fr the fun. Gridley builds a zeppelin and uses it to descend into the land of Pellucidar (do not get me started on the physics involved in a lighter than air ship descending to the Earth's core. Once in Pellucidar Tarzan and Gridley have their separate adventures, and ERB seems to go out of his way to come up with new races of people (e.g., the Horibs) and prehistoric type creatures to beleaguer both of the book's heroes. The romance, of course, happens with Gridley, who meets Jana, the Red Flower of Zoram. Even everybody gets back together and they remember why they came to Pellucidar in the first place.

"Tarzan at the Earth's Core" is a solid ERB pulp fiction yarn all things considered. What makes it work is that Tarzan has some competition for the role of hero in the story. He is more of a major supporting character than the lead, because Gridley is the leader of the expedition and even disadvantaged in the jungles of Pellucidar, where Tarzan finds himself quite at home, even with that weird burning sun in the sky that never sets, manages to hold his own for the most part. Burroughs also includes the set up for the next Pellucidar novel, when Lieutenant Wilhelm Von Horst, the mate of the zeppelin, vanishes. Unfortunately he would have to wait until 1935 to be rescued in "Back to the Stone Age." Meanwhile, Tarzan would go back to his usual run of episodes back in Africa.

Tarzan at the Earth's Core by Burroughs is a heart warming tale of loyalty, romance, and adventure set in the hollow earth setting of Pellucidar. Like all of the other tales set in this world it is full of prehistoric creatures of the various periods and peopled by the most anachronistic cast of characters ever assembled. There are pirates, Vikings, cavemen, and intelligent apes as well as some wonderful made up races such as the evolved reptilian race that enjoy feasting on human flesh. Tarzan, of course, finds himself at home in the jungles of this world, and the supporting characters are heroic and delightful to become acquainted with. Even if you have never read a novel set in this world, a fan of pulp should do oneself a favor and pick this one up. It may not be the best place to start on your journey into hollow earth, but it is at least a start.

...In the Reign of her Most Glorious Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Westward Ho! is great fun to read, although dense in places and most certainly a product of its time. Kingsley was not noted for his tolerance, and this novel is no exception. As a Catholic, I will admit to some moments that made me flinch. I will however also admit that it would be difficult to present the Spanish Inquisition in a positive light.

I picked up Westward Ho! because of my abiding love for Water Babies, one of Kingsley's novels for children. It was interesting to read a book of his that was more aimed at grown-ups. Westward Ho! has all the satisfying elements of a potboiler on the sea. His descriptions of the new world were a testament to his imagination and research-- he goes into details where others barely bother.

Kingsley (1819-1875) was a prolific writer. Westward Ho! was published in 1855, midway through his body of work. As a bit of trivia, there is actually a town in Devon named after this book. That should give some measure of the fame and influence of both Kingsley and Westward Ho! at the time that the book was published.

While all the accusations that Kingsley rails against the Catholics are true, the characters in Westward Ho! would not have treated the Roman Catholic Spaniards any better. After all, Philip did wish to bring his inquisition to England and England had just endured Bloody Mary (not the drink, the queen of England who re-introduced Catholocism to protestant England) and it is no wonder that the people would react harshly to the Spaniards. That said, Kingsley does get just a bit carried away, but it makes a fantastic story. Swashbuckling, naval battles, fair maidens, heathen Spaniards, the Spanish Main and its treasures: all this Kingsley combines in a well-written memorable tale with endearing characters and strong passions. Westward Ho! stands out in my mind as powerful literature principally because it tackles a complex and often unexpected plot. This may have all the action of an Errol Flynn movie (and it does) but it also has an intelligent plot and strongiy delineated characters. A fantastic read.

And the N.C. Wyeth paintings are fabulous as usual.

Westward Ho transplants the famous Greek Epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, into Elizabethan England. Complete with Achilles (Amyas Leigh), Patroclus (Frank Leigh), Helen (Rose), Paris (Guzman), and a Trojan War (The Defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588). The Odyssey too comes in, with the great wanderings in distant lands. Rather unexpectedly for a novelist of Kingsley's calibre and values, the book has transformed the Elizabethan English into a noble race of Godlike Heroes and the Spanish into villains far worse than the Trojans have ever been depicted as being. Jesuits are particularly maligned, and Indians are unfairly portrayed. This tends to dampen the reader's enthusiasm somewhat, as he/she realises that the author himself may be more remote in value system from our day and age than the characters he portrays. The one redeeming feature is the high tension it generates, but this is - probably consciously - influenced by the epics, as the author himself hints.

A great period novel for boys, girls, moms and dads. It was very popular in decades past and is at least as much fun as, say, Treasure Island or Tarzan. Although this book takes place in the Elizabethan period and was written in the Victorian era, some Catholic reviewers below seem to feel that the novel lacks a 21st century sanitized viewpoint about Catholicism/Spanish imperialism. I've heard the same sort of argument made regarding the stereotype of Jim in Huckleberry Finn. Similarly in cowboy movies the Indians are usually portrayed as the bad guys (we now know, of course, that this is simplistic at best); likewise, the Spaniards in this book are the bad guys. It shouldn't be too tough to infer that all Catholics aren't bad, unless one is a simpleton. My family is Catholic and we all love the book. This is a fine adventure for young adults that is so much better than the product on most bookshelves today. The wonderful N. C. Wyeth illustrated edition is the one to get.

Kingsley was extremely popular during his lifetime in the nineteenth century, but his works have somewhat fallen into obscurity now. He is well worth taking up again. His books are deeply embedded in the Victorian way of life, so he is very much a writer for his own time. Kingsley wrote quite a few books, but "Westward Ho!" has always been his most popular. It is a story of adventure on the high seas and beyond. The book starts in England, but his hero, Amyas Leigh is a sailor, and the book covers his trip to the West Indies and South America. Amyas meets many unique people and experiences many adventures before he finds himself back on "Jolly Old's" shores. Although a bit preachy, the story is pretty good and certainly kept my interest.

The `Buddha' myth of the Beats is transparent-the truth of the Beats is that they offered simple lust, self-centered desire, and the creation of values for the public that were never real to them. Ginsberg, Burroughs, Cassady, and Kerouac-each remained driven by all-to-real human wants and needs. Whether it was highs, sex (or the never-ending desire for fame and boys that especially drove Ginsberg and Burroughs), the truth is that these never-aging `boys' always wanted one thing and one thing only-what they desired. This is not an argument against the human nature of desire, but rather against the self-inflated myth of the good deeds and generosity of the Beats. That is a lie. Young readers should be aware that even in his later years, Ginsberg, for example, used his fame to get laid, and used it a lot. And Burroughs spent much time thinking about his position as aristocrat of the intellectual world, while giving drugs to young men. They looked down on humanity. The activities of the never-ending boys' club that was created by the Beats included ignoring their own children, their wives (or murdering them in Burroughs case), their friends, lovers (lots of suicides)and anyone else that didn't do exactly what they wanted. The Beats was not a movement of freedom-it was a movement of the Beats, what the Beats wanted, and why YOU had to give it to them. If YOU didn't give them what they wanted-boys, drugs, money, fame-than you were square. Period. What a scam. This collection of Burroughs writings, put together the summer of his death in 1997, was edited by his adopted son, and secretary; and by the former boy friend of the same. It is a closed world, one that does not accept criticism or correction. Buy this book if you want (paper). (Note: there is no documation at all on the biographical data. Burroughs' heir and former lover writes it--you decide whether to believe it or not.) It will save you buying a lot of other books by Burroughs, but it is the continuation of the Beat Myth that you are buying. Enjoy it, but don't think that it was real. It was not.

The one book by William S. Burroughs you should buy. The unique genius that William truly was-yes, indulgent, odd and unsettling at 80, but how great it would have been to have known him young and probably pretty in 1950-is best understood with the direction of J. Grauerholz, although a bourgeois beatnik, for sure, who did love him and is the world expert on him. Ira Silverberg is a true young publishing genius, the new Ferlinghetti, and most responsible for the book. My earlier review I withdraw. Although true, it did not reflect the genius and truth of William-and Jack, Allen, Anne, Philip, Lawrence, Gregory, Gary, even Neal and Huncke, et al. View their literature with a full and clear understanding of their weaknesses and that we, the readers, are almost certain to have less ability to `drive-on' pass the drugs, sex, parties, confusion-to produce as they could or can. At least be warned. A lot of souls have been lost on the beat road.

Every book that anyone owns will, upon reflection, remind them of the period of their life in which they read the book. Sort of like music.

If I look at my bookcase, I can run my eyes over the spines of a hundred or so spines, and by extension, a hundred or so feelings given to me from those books.

'Word Virus' is by no means an exception to this rule. If anything, it proves it. Simply due to its extensiveness, and the complexity (or stupidity depending on how you look at it) of Burroughs' writing, it took me a few months to hack through in my final year of high school. Even now, the glaring red spine amongst my other books manages to evoke my feelings of that time even now.

But by god it's worth it. There is nothing more frightening than Burroughs' prose. Everything he writes cannot be understood intellectually, but rather emotionally. You read his words, trying to make head or tail of what is printed in front of you, but that's not the point. You just have to let his ideas, his experiments simply wash over you and you'll understand them in due course.

A true shining light in literature.

Belive the myth.

This book was a hard one to review. The writings sampled are inconsistent-but then again, so was Burroughs's output, so in that respect the writings are a true representation of Burroughs's corpus. The chapter introductions by Grauerholz are especially valuable for readers who are removed from Burroughs's original context, and assist in further illuminating Burroughs's writings. The later works (after the "cut-ups") are especially prophetic; it was interesting to read Burroughs's commentaries on Hussein and another Bush in 2003. All in all, a useful and comprehensive introduction to one who is seeking to get acquainted with the wide range of work that came from the pen of Burroughs.

A very exspansive and definitive collection for the Burroughs enthusist. This does not have it all, but it does offer a generous portion of this man's work. Including the forementioned, in the other reviews, colaboration with Jack Kerouac. Grauerholz really put togther this labor of love. I'd recomend it for first timers as well as old time collectors. Inbetween each chapter biographical information pertinent to that era is included. Also features a cd spoken word sampler, that pulls material from the Giornio boxed set. I'd also recomend that hefty delight.

A pilot can't find peace with his space princess girlfriend.

If he takes her home, the father-in-law will have him killed. If he leaves her there, he might kill her.

So, off to do some adventuring and try and find a place to live.

This time, it involves getting in the middle of your civil war type scenario, complete with espionage, propaganda, torture, swordplay, shootouts and kidnapping.

A lot of work just to find somewhere to live is ahead of this intrepid pair.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, third book in the series... What you AREN"T going to read it because of a review!?

Be aware that the ERB editions on Amazon are kind of a mess. If you are a budding collector you need to get in touch with the Burroughs Bibliophiles or one of the good internet Burroughs sites for solid information.
Here we have the 1979 Ace edition listed for Carson of Venus. Frazatta did the cover for the first Ace Edition in 1963, F-247-40cents. Then Frazetta did a second version of the Carson of Venus cover in 1974-Ace 09203 $1.50. Later there was a reissue of the 2nd. Frazetta cover with a white border, which should be the only one shown for 1979.

Carson Napier and his beloved Duare, princess of Vepaja, are still searching for a place where they can live in peace. They think they find such a place in the city of Sanara, which is under siege by the Zani. Complications arise as the traitorous ruler of Sanara sends Carson on a secret mission to the rival city of Amlot, supposedly on a vital mission but in reality to get him out of the way so that he can claim the lovely Duare.

Edgar Rice Burroughs satirizes the Nazis (rearrange the letters in 'Zani') in this story, which was published in the late 30s. The constant cries of "Malthu Mephis!" in praise of the cretinous leader of Amlot, the ridiculous salute which consists of standing on one's head until the great man passes, the fear of every citizen that they may be reported to the authorities by friends, family, or others all point to ERB's contempt of the German government of that time in probably his most political series. Of course, there is plenty of adventure and it benefits from being one of the least episodic of his stories. Unfortunately, it becomes a bit unfocused at the end. Naturally, the story ends with Carson and Duare separated once again, but there is only one book left in this series, so I'm sure they'll work things out soon.

"Carson of Venus," the third novel in the Venus series of Edgar Rice Burroughs, was published on the eve of World War II, which explains the thinly disguised political commentary in this pulp fiction yarn. This time around Carson Napier, the adventurer who ended up on Venus despite the fact he was trying to get to Mars in his rocketship (he forgot to take the moon into account when he did the math), has to deal with a political faction called the Zani, a rather obvious anagram of (gasp!) Nazi. ERB develops some strong parallels: the Zanis come to power because their nation had lost a war, and then them discriminate, imprison, and torture those of an inferior race (the Atorians in this case). To top things out, the ruling tyrant is named Mephis and his followers cheer "Maltu Mephis!" whenever he appears. The first two volumes in the Venus series took aim at communists of the Soviet Union under Stalin, but this time ERB has a different target.

The plot pretty much picks up from where we last left our heroes and ERB does a recap by picturing himself musing about the fate of Carson and Duare, wondering is they managed to escape from Havatoo and make their way to Vepaja. Then Carson sends him the next installment of his saga by telepathy. Of course it does not take long for Duare to be recaptured and Carson has to rescue her, and the standard ERB romantic adventure is being spun out once again. It is not until Carson encounters the Zani that the real world subtext of the story makes things a bit more interesting. Adolf Hitler is not the only one disguised in "Carson of Venus," as our hero dons a series of disguises throughout this adventure (the best of which is prince Vodo of Vodaro). That makes the title rather ironic since Carson is probably the least used name by which our hero is called in the entire novel. The main problem with this novel is that towards the end ERB abandons several promising subplots and suddenly wraps everything up in a few pages. "Carson of Venus," which was originally serialized in "Argosy" magazine in early 1938, had the potential of being one the best of the Venus books, but the abrupt ending really works against it reaching that level.

Burroughs was a great writer; in many ways he was even revolutionary. However, by the time he got around to writing this VERY short novel, there was nothing new in his bag of tricks. Every sentence and situation feels like it's been pulled from the pages of one of his other books. He's said the same things before, and said them far more effectively. I finished this book because it's Burroughs and only 58 pages long, not because it was particularly compelling.

This is the first book by Burroughs I've read, and one I found quite disturbing. If this is one of his minor efforts, I just wonder what effect the most respected thomes in the Burroughs canon would have on me.

"Ghost of Chance" deals with extinction, both of animal species due to human stupidity and of man by exotic plagues. And that's just a simplified description. Burroughs adds commentary on Christianity, language as an evolutionary evil and man's stuborness in trying to capture time.

This was a quick read, taking me under an hour to finish. Yet, it resisted being easily grasped: Starting with the story of Captain Mission, a pirate settled in Madagascar and obsessed with preserving the native lemurs, moving then to the hipocrisy of Jesus Christ as Savior, and ending with plagues scarier (and more surreal) than ebola, the book packs into a small bottle a big punch. So big, in fact, that I wasn't able to describe my reaction to it clearly enough to write this review. (I hope I didn't babble too much here!)

Burroughs shows a wicked sense of humor, specially in the Notes at the end. And with imagery as wild and scary as a bad trip, this is a good introduction to one of the most discussed authors of the last half of our century.

This book is excellent. It explores the nature of mankind and how it will one day wipe itsself out along with all of its fellow species. Definitly a recommended read

I read this book and found nothing in it that Burroughs didn't already write in previous novels. The only difference is that this one advocates a charity cause: the lemur. Burroughs really has written better. If you're a hard core Burroughs fan, go ahead and get it, but otherwise, there is plenty of other (much better) Burroughs to choose from.

There is nothing more exhilirating than discovering an author who disgusts the established academic community and thrills them at the same time. Not to mention the rest of us. Granted, this is one of Burroughs' minor efforts, but that may only be said due to its length. I found the 50-odd page a book to be read in one hour, or ten years, depending on what you were looking for. With his usual genius, Burroughs lets you get out of his prose EXACTLY what you are willing to put into it. Read this one slow... it pays.

After reading five ERB books prior to this one, I was starting to think I might be a little burnt out on him for a while, but this book pulled me in with hardly a hesitation. The story is standard Burroughs, sticking pretty well to his formula - man falls in love with girl, rescues girl, loses girl, rescues girl, loses girl, ..., man and girl live happily ever after.

ERB's heroes are seldom less than perfect and when they are (as in this book) they usually rise above it through the love of a good woman, this story remains true to that form. It looks to have been serialized, as many of his stories were, with many a shift of location. The reader is taken from Chicago to Hawaii to a Pacific Island to New York to Mexico with the all of the accompanying naivete of the times. Whether he is battling pirates, head hunting samurai, evil hoboes, Mexican bandits or his own personal demons you can't help but enjoy the raw power of the main character.

For all of it's simple story and predictable events, this remains a fun book to read, excellent for pre and early teens and those of us that just want a little old fashioned escapism.

For further adventures of Bridge see the Oakdale Affair. P-)

I give this version printed by Quiet Vision one star because the quality of the printing is abominable - this book looks like it was printed by some third-rate vanity publisher. Even small independent publishing houses put out better looking books than this! I bought the book new and the spine was already creased, the typeset looks like it was done on a home PC, and the illustration reproductions looks like it was done in a high school photo shop! The clarity of the illustrations was almost nonexistent and the color on the cover art was faded. The worst was the almost condescending attitude of the guy who wrote the forward - he must think Burroughs' readers are either immigrants who don't know English, mentally retarded or three years old! Don't waste your money on this version. Go hunt down a much better used copy from either Ace or Ballantine. This title deserves better.

Most of Edgar Rice Burroughs' heroes are highborn, chivalrous, and heroic. The Mucker is none of these things. He is a gangster, a hoodlum, a boxer, and a hobo. He is also one tough cookie. Of course, he cannot remain a thug. Over the course of the book he becomes noble, chivalrous, and heroic. One of Burroughs' best non-Tarzan books.

The Mucker by Edgar Rice Burrroughs is a wonderful epic adventure that doesn't leave you wanting. Beautiful descriptions sumptuous writing, this is a novel that you can truly set your teeth in. You'll cheer for Edgar's anti-heroe as he travels through 1920's seedy Chicago, to the decks of sailing vessels, to unusual distant lands. The characters are so well fleshed out, that you truly understand the psychology of the protagonist and you know why he behaves the way he does. In his world he has no other choice for he is the mucker. This is a far cry from Tarzan, this character is real and raw, and in some ways more primitive than Tarzan of the apes. It was a joy to read and is a joy to reread. Anyone who likes high adventure cannot help but love this book. It is almost a genre unto itself. Why this film has not been converted into a movie is unimaginable to me.

Okay, first, to set you mind at ease, a "mucker" is slang for "a coarse vulgar person, esp. one capable of offense against courtesy of honor." I believe it is originally British slang which made its way across the pond in the early 20th century in time for Edgar Rice Burroughs to feel comfortable using it for the title of a pair of pulp fiction yarns collected in this volume. As you would expect from the title, this is the story of a low borne brute, Billy Byrne, who wins the hand of an upper class lady, Barbara Harding . "The Mucker" ran in "All-Story Cavalier" in 1914 with "The Return of the Mucker" being published two years later in "All-Story Weekly." Now both stories are published in a single volume.

Billy Byrne is basically a street thug whose notion of honor is based more on a sense of territoriality rather than anything else. Just when things are starting to become too hot in Chicago he gets shanghaied and ends up on the brigantine "Halfmoon," a 20th century pirate vessel. Surviving and rising in the ranks because of his ability to beat any other man to a bloody pulp, Billy participates in the taking of the yacht "Lotus," where one of the captives is Barbara Harding, the millionaire's daughter. Of course he insults her, as is the way of the mucker, but when she calmly calls him a coward and a beast he finds himself thinking about how he much look to others, thus beginning his quest for moral regeneration. When she gets captured by headhunters, take a wild guess as to who is going to rescue her. Of course, at the end of the first part Billy takes the high road, knowing he is not good enough for Barbara and leaving her to return to the world to which she belongs, and then we repeat all the action in the second part and change the ending.

You will find a little bit from several different early works by Edgar Rice Burroughs in "The Mucker." The story starts in Chicago, a city that ERB knew well, and then turns into a sea yarn with a mutiny, which is how "Tarzan of the Apes" began, except that this time the "hero" is one of the pirates. You will also find one of ERB's lost races, which would become a staple in the last half of the Tarzan series. The second half, which takes place after the Mucker does the noble thing at the end of part one, goes off into the Mexican desert and turns into a western. So there is certainly a little bit of everything here, although the strongest comparison is to the first two Tarzan novels, not only because the romantic plot follows essentially the same pattern, but because it also provides the brute becoming civilized. In that regard it is one of ERB's more interesting pulp yarns, totally devoid of the science fiction elements found in most of his better stories, but retaining his strong sense of human nature.

The correct image for the Del Rey 1991 edition features the Richard Hescox painting of a running Carson holding a sword and a pistol. Ballantine 37011.
And, yes, the Venus series is not the Barsoom series, but if you take your time with them, you will find a lot to like. Burroughs is usually in more of a light-hearted mood, and they are all vintage late work ERB.

In the final novel of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Venus series, stalwart Earthman Carson Napier and his mate, the beautiful Duare, are trying to find their way back to Korva, the country that became their home in the previous book. We follow them from mishap to mishap as they encounter a nation of fishmen, the cult of a strange goddess, a macabre museum whose living exhibits are paralyzed then mounted, and a war between navies of huge land-bound ships on a great plain. The story is episodic, reflecting its genesis as a quartet of pulp magazine stories, but lots of fun if you like this sort of thing. Duare gets her own solo adventure this time around, a rare opportunity for an ERB heroine!

Shut Up man! I've read these books and they're awsome, so just SHUT UP! It's true, the Venus series may not have been as good as the Martian series, but there 5 stars in my book!

While Burroughs remains a craftsman of science fiction, the Venus series never contained that special spark that the Mars books had. This book was originally published as four novelettes in pulp magazines, and while that's not really strange, in this case the set up for each was so similar that it really shows.

Begin with the Mars books. Read these if you're a die-hard fan.

Edgar Rice Burroughs began his Venus series in the 1930s and the five novels become increasingly colored by the coming World War. The first two novels included an indictment of communism and the third novel, "Carson of Venus," had a thinly veiled attack of Hitler and his Nazis. However, "Escape on Venus" offers something rather different, especially when you look at it in the context of all of ERB's pulp fiction adventures. Starting with John Carter and his adventures on Barsoom (Mars), Burroughs had placed a premium on men of honor who wielded military strength in a righteous cause. Yet as the world plunged into a war that would claim millions of lives, ERB had a rather significant change of heart. In "Escape on Venus," as well as in his "Beyond the Farthest Star" series and "Tarzan and the Foreign Legion," Burroughs rather explicitly rejects the value of military might.

"Escape on Venus" was originally published during 1941-42 as a four part series of stories that could stand on their own: "Slaves of the Fishmen," "Goddess of Fire," "The Living Dead," and "War on Venus." Once again Carson Napier is telepathically relaying his adventures to Burroughs, who was living in Hawaii (where he would witness the attack on Pearl Harbor). Having been the prisoner of Mintep, jong of the tree city of Kooaad on Amtor (what the people of Venus call their planet), Carson had fallen in love with the princess Duare. After a series of adventures, during which Carson build the first airplane, when last we left our hero and his lady Carson had rescued Duare from her own father, who was upset she had lowered herself to love an Earthman. First off they head for Karbol, the frozen wasteland that the Amtors believe is the edge of their world. There of course, Duare is captured, Carson has to rescue her, and the next set of romantic adventures is on.

The stories collected in "Escape on Venus" provide some standard Burrough adventure. Compared to the other ERB series you find with the Venus book that Duare tends to be more in the vicinity than you usually find with an ERB heroine, like Jane Clayton or Dejah Thoris. Also, Carson has more of a sense of humor than pretty much all of the other ERB heroes put together. However, Burroughs does not pay as much attention to the details of the strange new world in which Carson is making his way, but that is understandable given how late this is in ERB's career as a pulp fiction writer. I would recommend that you try and work through most of the other ERB series before you check out this one simply because of the place it has in defining the final stage of his writing career.

This is a chronologically, thematically, well documented history book of the adult education movement in the USA since the initiation of the field around 1700 up to modern society, 1980s.
From the colonial period to the present, America has experienced many difficulties including racism, immigration problems, conflicts between Whites and Native Americans, and problems of industrial development and labor. At the same time, many events occurred to upgrade educational environments to include higher percentages of people, including lower-classes, women, minorities, immigrants, black-Americans, industry workers, farmers, rural area residents, and so on. There were also many organizations either private or public, informal and formal programs, inside or outside educational activities aimed at elevating society to a higher level of literacy and advanced education. Without our history, we would not have such a rich and sophisticated society of today.
In the work place, religious groups, folk schools, community centers, libraries, museums, formal educational institutes, private discussion groups, book clubs, and other groups were the managers of implementing public adult educational programs. Sometimes, they spent their own funds, but many times grants and budgets from governmental and other agencies supported these adult educational movements.

This book, Adult Education in the American Experience; From the Colonial Period to the Present by Stubblefield and Keane, has introduced events, activities, and occurrences during this period that are connected to the adult education field of today. Stubblefield and Keane also have organized themes around diverse social movements, social injustices, such as racial and sexual inequality, and all classes of society during this era. This book is divided into five parts: Adult education in early America; The early national and antebellum Eras; adult education in an Era of Modernization; The nation amid crisis and recovery; America at the peak of world power. In the beginning of the book, Stubblefield and Keane briefly introduced the basic knowledge about the book contents, including definition of the term adult education, American Associate for Adult Education (AAAE), Carnegie Corporations, some famous revisionists who have influenced adult education, purposes and essential themes of the adult education field, formative adult educational influences for Native Americans, new settlers of the early colonial period, and colonial concerns about education. In part one, Stubblefield and Keane briefly but helpfully introduced the wise man, Benjamin Franklin, and his Junto, the phases, spirit, and educational level of the times.

In the body of the book, there is a wealth of information about diverse purposes of libraries, museums, world fairs, societies, institutions, apprenticeships, evening schools, published materials, and the unique philosophies of the times, including the utopian society. Stubblefield and Keane also discuss plenty of information about women, workers, African-Americans, immigrants, and Native Americans' adult educational activities in the USA according to the time periods of World War I and World War II. Moreover, there are lots of citations of magazines about adult education, media, social conflicts, labors and religious educations for adults. In the last few chapters of the book, Adult Education in the American Experience, Stubblefield and Keane compared once more the past and present social environments of the USA specifically to help the readers adjust to all of the historical changes of the adult educational movement in this country.
In addition, Stubblefield and Keane organized and enumerated for readers all social and cultural backgrounds of the adult education, main adult organizations, famous journals, and scholars of the adult educational field periodically, so the information was extremely helpful to illuminate the fundamental knowledge of the field. While this is not a very large encyclopedic series of handbooks about adult education, this book would prove to be a useful encyclopedia for me and other adult educators and learners.

Reading about how adult education has progressed from the environment of a segregated agricultural society to a more modern and civilized America gives me a much clearer picture of the development of the adult educational movement in the USA. However, I think this book is a difficult book to understand for some readers, especially foreigners, who do not have a basic knowledge of the history of the USA. Nonetheless, I did not have any difficulty understanding the book, Adult Education in the American Experience, because I already had a basic background of information concerning the colonial period of this country through reading several books about adult educational movement in the USA, such as Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson, How the Other Half Live by Riis, The Idea of Highlander by Frank Adams, and The Meaning of Adult Education by E. C. Lindeman, which were indicated in this book, Adult Education in the American Experience, by Stubblefield and Keane.

Therefore, I would recommend this book to any adult educators and students of the field who only have a foundational knowledge in the history of the USA. As a result, readers would gain insight into the roots of the adult educational movement in this country; these facts would provide a vital background for them.
"In Adult Education in the American Experience we critically address the broad context of adult learning and its relationship to social, economic, and political movements" (Stubblefield and Keane, xii).

Harold W. Stubblefield & Patrick Keane have written a veritable encyclopedia of the American Education Movement with all the key players and influences. For those who enjoy a multi-faceted historical approach, Stubblefield and Keane keep the reader apprised of other movements and historial events happening concurrently and influencing American Education. This book is a necessity for the education student, educator, and researcher seeking to understand American Education and its history.

I highly recommend this book for scholars, as well as students, of Adult Education. Stubblefield and Keane not only provide a linear look at the progression of adult education from the Colonial Period today, but demonstrate the effects societal trends impacted the demand for adult education. A easy and enjoyable read.

Very interesting book! As a scholar of adult education, understanding the history of this educational movement is paramount. We can only progress if we understand our roots and learn from the past. Although written as a historical book about adult education, "Adult Education in the American Experience: From the Colonial Period to the Present" by Subblefield and Keane focuses on the societal effects of adult education on the development of the American people.

The book is well documented and thorough, yet an easy and interesting read. I highly recommend this book to all scholars of adult education!

Stubblefield and Keane did a splendid job in Adult education in the American experience. The whole book was well documented and informative. The great volume of information was constructively arranged. Even though their immediate audience was adult educators, practitioners, scholars and legislators, it could be understood by anyone on a lower academic level.

The preface and the precise summaries of each chapter made it easy to grasp the information. While this is so, one finds that the purposes of the book were not clearly stated. It was expected that they would have been as clearly stated as were the five themes that emerged through the authors' exploration. The implication is that the purposes are in the overall goal of presenting a history of adult education in America.

The data was chronologically arranged in the discussion. One could still see how each of the five themes was covered in the thesis. The first theme, which shows that Americans value education in adulthood and have created many education systems for adults, is covered in nearly all of the chapters. But chapters one, three, four, five and seven show more of this than any of the others. The second theme of the US being a land of opportunities, but certain groups were limited to pursue these, could be seen in chapters three, four, six, eight and nine. The third theme reveals that a dynamic society called for new forms of adult education from the background of agriculture, to that of industry, to that of information. Elaboration on this could be seen in chapters seven, ten, twelve, thirteen and sixteen. To see the fourth theme in experience, one may look at chapters three, eight, nine, eleven and sixteen. This theme speaks of the creation of forms of adult education to shape the individual and society. The last theme stating that adults began to use existing information system is elaborated on in chapters four, five and six.

Two negatives should be mentioned here. The first one is the failure of the authors to list what are the thirteen colonies they referred to repeatedly. These were mentioned in the preface and on pages twelve and nineteen, but they were never listed. A non-American reading this book would be at a lost here. What are the thirteen colonies? The second is the inclusion of a statement on page two hundred and eighty-seven that said it was the insecure to whom religious best sellers brought the message of religion as peace of mind. Those who seek after God and what He offers are not insecure. This may only be true if this insecurity is the same as that which drives anyone to self-actualization.

It was thought that this critique should have shown the shortcomings in not tracing the development of adult education universally. Upon reading, it was discovered that it was never in the minds of the authors to do such documentation. Comments on such have therefore been excluded.

In comparison with other books on a similar topic, this book is top rated for what it set out to do. It was indeed a work to the audience it sought to reach. Works of a similar nature for regions outside the US do not put this in their shadows. This book reveals impartiality in clearly stating the prejudices in adult education, in America, against different groups. Stubblefield and Keane have produced a job well done.

This is one of Edgar Rice Burroughs most obscure works. It is about the year 2137. North and South America have been out of contact with the rest of the world for over 200 years, with no one being allowed to cross 175 degrees longitude to the west or 30 degrees longitude to the east. The title "Beyond 30" refers to an aero-submarine Captain who accidently crosses 30 degrees longitude and ends up in Europe. There, he discovers that World War I never really ended, and Europe has been reduced to barbarism. This being Burroughs, he naturally meets a beautiful half-naked barbarian princess to fall in love with. This is an enjoyable enough example of pulp fiction, although the ending feels a bit rushed. But fans of ERB should enjoy it.

This is one of the most interesting and unusual of Burroughs' stories. Written shortly after World War I, "Beyond Thirty" follows the assumption that the war in Europe ultimately results in the destruction of European civilization and the complete isolation of the American continents for nearly two hundred years following. Everything between 172 degrees and 30 degrees West longitude is American territory; everything outside these lines is no-man's land. The story begins when an aerial patrol boat is sabotaged and its captain forces a landing near the forbidden 30th longitude line and takes the survivors across into Europe and no-man's land. On the whole, "Beyond Thirty" is a very good adventure story, but could have greatly benefitted from more thorough treatment of its subject. The first few chapters are marvelously detailed in their description of the post-war history, and the adventures toward the middle of the story are typically Burroughsian, with beautiful heroines, strong heroes and low villains. Unfortunately, the latter third seems rushed and most of the plot resolutions appear contrived as a result. "Beyond Thirty" is a good read, and can be rather amusing to the modern reader.

During the Burrough's revival of the 1960s, I bought and read virtually all of the books released. But the only one that stuck in my memory as more than a pleasant way to pass the time was this book (published by Ace as "The Lost Continent"). When I found this edition of the book available under the original title with critical commentary, I immediately bought it, even though I still have the Ace version. I was not disappointed. In addition to the story itself being as exciting and though-provoking as I remembered, the commentaries (a foreward and two afterwords) were all excellent. I won't bother to repeat other reviews as to plot, etc, but just say that if you enjoy alternate history, you won't go wrong with this book.

First published in 1915, the motivations for this story are obvious. The nations of the western hemisphere have taken an extreme isolationist stance in the early years of World War I, to the point that 200 years later they do not even know whether anything or anyone has survived the massive armed conflagration that began in the early 20th century. The hero inadvertently gets stranded in Europe and makes all of the startling discoveries of the outcome of the conflict and ensuing 200 years.

The story is ERB's standard fare. However, like many of his books from this period, there are a few themes to the story that are of interest above and beyond the light adventure story. The elements foremost in this novel are the destructive nature of war and racism. There is also a certain amount of naivete from the period and the relative newness of the United States as a world power.

Most of Burrough's books are good reading for pre-teen to early adolescent, and nostalgic adults; this one is no exception.
P-)

In "Beyond Thirty: The Lost Continent" Edgar Rice Burroughs provides an interesting combination of adventure and social commentary. The premise behind this novel is that the United States did not get involved in the "Great War" in Europe but instead followed its isolationist tendencies to such an extreme ("The East for the East...The West for the West") that no one from the United States has gone past 30 degrees or 175 degrees latitude for over 160 years. It is now 2137 and a raging storm has thrown the Pan-American aero-submarine "Coldwater" past the 30 degree mark. The damaged vessel under the command of Lt. Jefferson Turck lands in England and German helmet and Felis tigers. In time, the crew will discover what happened to "The Lost Continent" of the Old World. Of course, since this is a ERB novel we know that there will be a damsel in distress for Lt. Turck to save from the great evils that he finds.

One of the main strengths of Burroughs was his ability to create ancient civilizations. "The Lost Continent" is actually atypical for Burroughs who usually plunges his heroes into these strange new worlds a lot quicker than what happens in this novel, so this time around there is much more of a sense of mystery to the proceedings. Still, by the last half of the novel we are definitely on familiar and well-trod ground in terms of a ERB adventure story. Before World War II Burroughs wrote "Beyond the Farthest Star," about a distant planet that had been at war for centuries and where technological advances in warfare threatened to destroy all life, which makes it the other ERB novel to check out if you are interested in looking at another example of his rare attempts at social commentary. I do not think the payoff is worthy of the set up in "The Lost Continent," but it is intriguing to think that the United States completely cutting all ties with Europe was a viable basis for telling a futuristic adventure.

David Innes is ruler of Pellucidar, but there is still opposition. This includes a large bunch of pirates. During the conflict, young Tanar is captured by said buccaneers.

They want to learn the secret of the new weapons technology that they are faced with, and young Tanar's force of warriors is equipped with.

So, it is time for a bit of escapology.

"Tanar of Pellucidar" was the third pulp fiction novel Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote in his Pellucidar series, which was his third longest after the Tarzan and Barsoom series. Burorughs wrote the story as a six-part serial in late 1928 and it was first published in "The Blue Book Magazine" from March to August of 1929. "Tanar" was written after "Tarzan and the Lost Empire," and after completing it Burroughs wrote a sequel to both works when his next novel presented his only book to be in two different series, "Tarzan at the Earth's Core."

Although the title for the novel is taken from a character native to the inner world of Pellucidar, the most interesting character in Burroughs' novel is Jason Gridley, who is introduced in the prologue as a friend of the author. An orphan, Gridley has graduated from Stanford and built a lab at Tarzana (ERB's home). There he discovers the "Gridley Wave," which is the means by which Burroughs will receive his "true" stories from the Earth's core and Mars. That is the case with this story, which is sent by Abner Perry from Pellucidar, where he and David Innes have been living for fifteen years. Perry reports that Innes is being held a captive in the north of Pellucidar. Althought the Mahas and their Sagoths have been driven beyond the border of the Empire of Pellucidar, the Kingdom of Thuria in the Land of the Awful Shadow is now under attack by a savage race of men led by Goork.

Tanar, son of Ghak, is who Innes sends to deal with the situation, along with 10,000 warriors armed with the "modern" firearms created by Innes and Perry. Tanar is captured by Korsar pirates who want to learn the secret of the strange weapons that control the balance of power in Pellucidar. Innes heads off to rescue Tanar, ordering that a fleet of 50 ships be built to follow him as soon as possible. Meanwhile, back on the Kosar ship Tanar and the lovely Stellara are busy ignoring each other, so the romantic interest of the novel has been established. That means that we can get on with the standard ERB adventure yarn, which is that Tanar and Stellara escape, get recaptured, get separated, so on and so forth. But ERB keeps the action moving at a brisk place and I always liked the way that the Pellucidar novels involved interjecting "modern" technology into the equation. Besides, in conquering this inner "New" world, Innes is much more beneficent than the European who arrived in this particular hemisphere.

Be forewarned that the novel ends with David Innes still being held in the prison of the Cid, covered by snakes no less, so there is a cliffhanger ending.. Jason Gridley promies to help, thereby setting up the rescue effort by Tarzan in the next book. I have to admit, that given how redundant and repetitive the Tarzan books became that having Tarzan actually be in a strange new world and not just another uncharted part of the African continent was a decent little twist. Of course, Tarzan is always going to be the lord of whatever jungle he ends up in, so some things remain constant.

The third book in the Pellucidar series, 'Tanar of Pellucidar' concerns the exploits of of Tanar, and his adventures within the world lying under the "outer crust", Pellucidar.

Burroughs doesn't deviate too far from his formula, nor would you want him to.

Tanar is the honorable, fallible, romantically-driven hero, Stellara his love, and a whole host of bad guys interfere with them getting together. This time, they're from a place called Korsar, and look remarkably like pirates.

Yup. Yo ho, yo ho pirates.
Like the other books, there are set pieces aplenty, written in ERB's thrilling simple style. Jungles chases and oceanic clashes...dungeons, dinosaurs...oh it's all here as usual.

This time, however, there is a bit more elegance and sophistication slipping in to his prose. First, Mr. Burroughs appears in the prologue/epilogue. The jarring anachronistic presence of the pirates is given a possible explanation, in a tantalizing fashion. He gives us enough information to put two and two together, but you still want to read more, and I think he's setting us up nicely for the subsequent novels.
Which I now absolutely MUST read.

One last humorous note: Some of the exotic locales, like Anoroc and Amiocap, I've just noticed to be cities in California spelled backwards...

Although Edgar Rice Burrough's style can get predictable at times, he can come up with some literary gems such as the first few Tarzan novels and (if he had just foregone the "sequals") "the Land that Time Forgot". "Tanar of Pellucidar", along with "Escape on Venus" stand out for their simple, straightforward observations (often humorous) of human nature as expressed through the practices of various societies. Even if you aren't a Burroughs fan, these two titles I recommend for any lover of good fiction.

I must admit to have cut my reading teeth on Edgar Rice Burroughs and his ilk so am inclined to be a big fan. Burroughs contines his wonderful fantasy stories with the Pellucidar series and this work is one of the best. As one reviewer has already pointed out, Burroughs' observation on the human conditon can be quite acute and down right funny. As a old man, I recently reread this one (along with several others by this author) and found they have lost none of thier charm. The are "page turners" in every way and simply fun to read. Granted, some of the author's writing can indeed be a bit predictable, but somehow that is comforting for me. Recommend this one highly.