Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs (“ERB”) is known as the creator of the Tarzan craze that began in the early 20th century. On gutenberg.org, you can find some of his classic books, like Jungle Tales of Tarzan. You can also visit the town named after the fictional character that spawned stories, films, and even a famously silly “Tarzan yell” of comedic actress Carol Burnett.
Through YouTube and other online tools, you can listen to a free audio book of Tarzan or a Spanish-language video created by “Wild Frank.”
Tarzana
With the Burroughs ranch property long ago sold, the best opportunity for the public to see the Burroughs memorabilia is at the Tarzana Community and Cultural Center (mytarzana.org) or the Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. headquarters, both located on Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley, south of the 101 freeway. Visitors must schedule appointments in advance during business hours, Monday-Friday. TCCC can be reached at (818) 705-1286 and the ERB, Inc. headquarters can be reached at (818) 344-0181.
Tarzana is a midsize town situated northwest of Los Angeles. In addition to its tribute to “ERB” and collection of posters, comic books, and other rare finds, a distinct part of the Tarzana Community & Cultural Center, which was built in the 1940s, is a large medallion of Tarzan (contributed by ERB, Inc.) in the park-like courtyard, which also includes a gazebo, a vintage bell, a statue of a lion, shade trees, and gardens. The facility is made available for private event rentals.
The Secret Garden
Another literary spot at the Center is a walled-off garden modeled after the setting in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic children’s book, The Secret Garden.
Read more about ERB through our Idaho and Michigan pages.
The Tarzana Community & Cultural Center and the ERB Inc. headquarters are the eighth and ninth stops on our Southern California Author Adventures Trail.
Patricia Smart
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