This eighteenth of November marked the one hundred and fifth anniversary of the debut of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar in All-Story Magazine. Its publication was momentous at the time and—many decades later—that novel was my real intro to the world of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs and much, much more. Since--unlike previous years--I won't be celebrating Tarzan's Wold-Newtonian 'birthday' in 2021, I will let this tribute suffice.

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar was a big deal when it first hit the newsstands in 1916. Of course, anything 'Tarzan' was a big deal at the time. However, 'Opar' was a harbinger of things to come. Tarzan of the Apes was a classic novel that might outlast the burning-down of Western Civilization. The Return of Tarzan tied up some threads from the first novel and briefly introduced the lost city of Opar. The Beasts of Tarzan was great in many ways. The Son of Tarzan was quite cool as an alternate version of Tarzan's own origin story.

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar created the template for the era of 'classic' Tarzan novels. This is the first novel where we see Lord Greystoke firmly ensconsed in his bungalow situated in the the heart of Africa from whence he wanders out to find adventure. Scurrilous Europeans and Arab slave raiders--and brave Waziris--abound. Above all, the lost city of Opar--the first of many Tarzanic lost cities to come--shines in all of its ruined glory.

So, there I was, seven years old and looking for something cool to read in my hometown library. There was a Ballantine edition of Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar on a shelf I could barely reach. I had never seen any of the Tarzan movies, but I'd read a few of DC's Tarzan and Korak comics. There were other Tarzan novels on the shelf. Three things made me pick that one to check out, rather than the others.

The Bob Abbett cover was cool. I had no idea at the time, but Abbett had done plenty of art for the "men's adventure" mags back in the 1950s, right alongside bad-asses like Earl Norem and James Bama. Bob would go on to become "one of America's contemporary masters of sporting and wildlife art". You can see all of that in his Tarzan covers. There's a touch of Robert McGinnis to the 'Opar' cover...and that is a very good thing.

Doing some quick checking, I discovered that this was the earliest/lowest numbered Tarzan novel the library owned. I've always preferred to start at the start in a book series, though it's not a deal-breaker.

This was a 'converted' paperback which had been hardbacked for library use. The original blurbage was still there. All of this talk about lost cities of Atlantis, Arab slave raiders and whatnot sounded pretty cool to me. I was always a sucker for Atlantis.

Taking that book home, I was immediately drawn into the world of Tarzan. Even many of ERB’s detractors admit that the man was born to tell tales of high adventure. Burroughs piles one riveting scene atop another in this novel. There are great villains like Werper and Achmed Zet to despise. There is plenty of heroism to admire from the likes of Mugambi, Jane and Tarzan himself. As always, the tragic and tormented La of Opar tends to steal any scene she’s in. Here’s what I said about it in a previous DMR Blog post:

“Human sacrifice! Jungle adventure! Arab slavers! I was enthralled. This was a hero who had adventures that cast shade upon those of Mowgli. I had to read more of them.”

Reading Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar led me to devouring my library’s entire ERB collection at the rate of two or three books a month. Tarzan’s Africa, Barsoom, Amtor…all of that had me primed and ready for when I saw that copy of Conan the Barbarian #38 on a spinner-rack. That led me to the Gnome Press edition of Conan the Conqueror, which eventually led to me blogging here.

Yeah, for me, Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar was—and is—a pretty big deal.

ERB’s classic novel has inspired many cool covers over the years. Check some out below.