June 4, 2025 and one hundred and twelve years ago on this day in 1913, ERB offered $25.00 for N. C. Wyeth’s cover “New Story Magazine painting for The Return of Tarzan. Wyeth declined the offer. $25.00 in 1913 had the same purchasing power as almost $900.00 today.
The painting was also used as the cover painting for the A.C. McClurg first edition dust jacket. The dust jacket is one of the rarest, if not the rarest of Edgar Rice Burroughs collectables with only one or two verified copies in existence.
Publishing details about "The Return of Tarzan" abound at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0727.html
My first edition of the novel has a tattered and taped dust jacket with the bottom half of the spine and any identifying information from the flyleaves missing and since I’ve never seen the actual first edition dust jacket, I can’t make any determination concerning what edition it’s from. I paid three dollars for the book at a flea market in Dripping Springs, Texas half a century ago. At the time I didn’t know what a first edition was.
I approach verification like the Schrodinger’s cat paradox. As long as I don’t know, it could be real, but it could also be from an A. L. Burt edition. Don’t send me things to check, I’m happier not knowing.
The drabble for today, “Sign My Copy,” was inspired by book collectors everywhere and it features my old friends, Pat and John from New Orleans.
John said, “Pat, I bought some signed first editions by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Look, he autographed “Tarzan’s Quest.”
Pat looked at it. “Probably not. Ball point pens weren’t around until after WW2 and this signature is dated four years before Pearl Harbor.”
“Wow! I bet you don’t think my signed Canaveral Press editions of Burroughs books are authentic.”
“Only if his spirit became corporeal and signed them.”
“So, you admit they could be real after all.”
“Sure they could be, and Marilyn Monroe could rise from the grave and buy me dinner.”
“Nice, can you get her autograph for me?”
No comments:
Post a Comment