#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - October 29, 2025

 October 29, 2025 and eighty-four years ago on this day in 1941, Edgar Rice Burroughs completed the unpublished article, Fall of Democracy. The Second World War was raging in Europe and the attack on Pearl Harbor was less than six weeks in the future when the article was written. Soon America would be embroiled in the conflict and magazines were inundated with such articles, most of which were rejected. I’ve never seen the article. One can only hope that it’s survived in the archives at Edgar Rice Burroughs Incorporated and we’ll see on some future July 4th.

The drabble for today, “It’s Only Wrong in the Third Person,” is 100-words long and it reflects my understanding of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s patriotism.

The war in Europe threatens freedom everywhere. It will ultimately determine whether we live in a democracy or under totalitarian rule. Democracy is delicate balance. It can be toppled by power-hungry men appealing to the worst in us. Divide and conquer. All it takes is the application of freedom and fairness disproportionally. Laws must be applied fairly, especially to those with whom you disagree. Good for the goose, good for the gander. Whenever we limit behavior and rights to those that only agree with our points of view, that very second the Statue of Liberty will tumble into the harbor.

NEW ANTHOLOGY - LURKING IN THE GENE POOL

 LURKING IN THE GENE POOL, the fourth anthology published by THREE COUSINS PUBLISNING, an imprint of WEST MESA PRESS, was published yesterday. Three formats are available from Amazon, hardcover, paperback, and Kindle. Two formats are available from LULU, hardcover and paperback. An EBook version will be available soon from Lulu.

Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXV398DZ/

The book contains the story, ON A FROZEN NIGHT, by CHRIS L. ADAMS. Chris spent years playing guitar in bands and, during that time, was more a voracious reader than writer. After his last band collapsed, he turned from writing songs to writing stories, including "Dark Tides of Mars" and its sequel, "Gauntlets of Mars."

Chris’s first published tale was a supernatural story titled "On a Winter’s Eve" and as it ended up, that tale inspired a retelling of it from a different POV, yielding an altogether different story. Should you enjoy On a Frozen Night, you may wish to read its sister story.

In addition to writing, Chris also dabbles in painting. As a matter of fact, the cover art for his Prehistoric Tales series features his paintings. Chris resides in Southern West Virginia with his wife and kids but may be found on the web at ChrisLAdamsBizarreTales.

#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - October 26, 2025

 October 26, 2025 and on this day thirty-years ago in 1992, Season 2, episode 3, “Tarzan and the Forbidden Jewels,” the Wolf Larson Tarzan television series, aired. A complete list of the episodes, along with a review of each, may be found at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag74/7464.html

It should be noted that the episodes did not always appear in the order they were written and filmed. Hauser, played by James Healy, is back and…wait. He claims he’s a reformed man and none of the regulars, Wolf Larson, Lydie Denier, and Roger Taft Jr. seem to question that he was supposed to serve five years in prison. Is this five years or later? Some sources ---Amazon, for one, claim that this season came out in 1997 (in some countries, namely America, this season didn’t air until then or later and season three in 1998). Did Hauser get out of jail early for good behavior? It would be nice if we were told. If it is 1997 here, everyone is six years older? It would explain why Roger looks older, a bit? The plot involves a lost temple that contains hidden jewels.

The 100-word drabble for today, “Forbidden,” was inspired by the story and by the thought of forbidden items and behavior.

Hauser said, “Tarzan, there’s a lost temple filled with jewels. Take me there.”

“I know the place. The temple is forbidden, as are the jewels.”

“Take me or my men will burn villages. You can’t stop them all.”

“Hauser, you do understand the word, forbidden?”

“I do, but I ask, forbidden by who?

Jane said, “You mean, by whom?”

Tarzan said, “It’s not the whom, it’s the why that matters. An American President said, ‘Forbidden fruit tastes sweeter, but the aftertaste is bitter.”

Hauser laughed, “Who cares. With the jewels, I’m sure I can afford mouthwash and a new toothbrush.”

#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - October 25, 2025

 October 25, 2025 and thirty-three years ago on this day in 1992, the Gray Morrow illustrated and Don Kraar scripted Sunday Tarzan story arc, “Bayou Fever,” concluded. The story began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, moved to Morgan City, and finished in the swamps. It ran for 14 weeks.

A wealthy architect had commissioned the capture of a rare black leopard from Africa. He planned to have it released in the Louisiana swamps for he and his friends to hunt and kill the animal. Tarzan planned to intervene.

You can read the entire story arc at:

https://www.erbzine.com/mag35/3542.html

The drabble for today, “Okay By Me, If It’s Okay Bayou,” was inspired by the story.

Tarzan joined a game warden to prevent illegal hunting of a rare black African leopard in the Louisiana swamps. Tarzan found the hunters and shot an arrow into a beehive.

The angry bees swarmed. The hunting party’s leader dove into the bayou water. An alligator came after him. Tarzan jumped into the water and saved the man.

Handing the hunter over to the game warden, Tarzan said, “He was a big man, but I caught him. Are you ready to take this scoundrel to jail?”

“I am, but I'd hoped you’d let the alligator cut him down to size first.”

#edgarericeburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - October 24, 2025

 October 24, 2025, and ninety-five years ago on this day in 1929, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote “My Diversions,” an essay prepared for Metropolitan Books. It remained unpublished until it was included in the Burroughs Bulletin Issue No. 53, Winter 2003. The complete essay is available to read at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag9/0948.html

The drabble for today, “Live and Let Live, is 100 words written by Edgar Rice Burroughs for that article.

What do I want? I should like to have a comfortable home and a few saddle horses. I would have no telephone and no radio. I should like to have a single gate leading into my grounds and this gate would be fastened with a padlock which could not be picked or broken, and I should have a sign on the gate that would doubtless be both rude and profane, but it would inform the world that I am minding my own business and suggest that it do the same.

#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - October 23, 2025

October 23, 2025 and seventy-six years ago on this day in 1949, the Burne Hogarth and Rob Thompson, Sunday Comic story arc, “Tarzan and the Ononoes, concluded after a run of twenty-five weeks. The Ononoes looked like Kaldanes on steroids, but a little more spherical. They weren’t adverse to just rolling along. I was never sure of the exact pronunciation, but I’m going with OH – N0 – N0S. Not unlike some people I’ve know whose response to almost everything is OH NO!.

In TARZAN AND THE GOLDEN LION, the Ononoes were a tribe of fierce cannibals, but these little bowling ball people aren’t them.

There’s a complete list of the Tarzan Sunday pages at www.erbzine.com, but unfortunately, the Hogarth pages aren’t available online.

The drabble for today is “No! No!” inspired by the name.

Tarzan was bowled over by a tribe of creatures who had rolled down a hill. They were spheroidal, with small arms and legs. Tarzan followed them. They were scattered about dazed from colliding with trees and boulders.

Tarzan helped one of them and asked, “’Are you okay.”

“Oh, no. I crashed into this big stone. Broke my spear and my nose.”

“You rolled very quickly. Is that how you usually stop?”

“Oh, no. Sometimes I hit a tree, but I always aim for a rock.”

“Perhaps you should walk.”

“Oh, no. Oh, no! I’ll never give up rock and roll!”

Told in the East by Talbot Mundy

 The Campbell Classic book published today is TOLD IN THE EAST by Talbot Mundy, who wrote adventure novels in the early 20th Century. Most were based on his personal experiences in Colonial India.

Here are two links where you can purchase the novel:

https://www.lulu.com/shop/talbot-mundy/told-in-the-east/paperback/product-yv97j84.html?q=told+in+the+east&page=1&pageSize=4

and

https://westmesapublishing.myshopify.com/products/told-in-the-east?_pos=1&_psq=told+in+the+east&_ss=e&_v=1.0