Tarzan and the Lost Empire
Dust-jacket illustration of Tarzan and the Lost Empire | |
Author | Edgar Rice Burroughs |
---|---|
Illustrator | A. W. Sperry |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Tarzan series |
Genre | Adventure |
Publisher | Metropolitan Newspaper Services |
Publication date | 1928-1929 |
Media type | Print (hardback) |
Pages | iii, 313 |
Preceded by | Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle |
Followed by | Tarzan at the Earth's Core |
Tarzan and the Lost Empire is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twelfth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. The story was first published as a serial in Blue Book Magazine from October 1928 through February 1929; it first appeared in book form in a hardcover edition from Metropolitan Newspaper Services in September 1929. This was the first Edgar Rice Burroughs book not published by A. C. McClurg, with whom Burroughs had cut off business ties due to a dispute over royalties.[1]
Plot
Erich von Harben, a young German specialized in archaeology and dead languages, with a passion for mountain climbing starts investigating the legend of The Lost Tribe of the Wiramwazi Mountains and disappears. His father meets and asks Tarzan for help.
Tarzan in his search for Erich von Harben finds a lost remnant of the Roman Empire hidden in the mountains of Africa. They are inhabitants of two rival cities Castra Sanguinarius, ruled by Sublatus Imperator, and Castrum Mare, ruled by Validus Augustus.
Erich von Harben was captured and brought to Castrum Mare, where he meets Mallius Lepus, who takes him to his uncle, Septimus Favonius, introducing him as a barbarian from Germany. Erich von Harben falls in love with Favonia, the daughter of Septimus Favonius and makes an enemy of Fulvus Fupus.
Tarzan reaches Castra Sanguinarius, the city being ruled by Sublatus Imperator. Trying to get information about von Harben, Tarzan makes an enemy of the Emperor and his son Fastus. Protecting Dilecta, the daughter of Dion Splendidus, from Fastus he makes a friend out of Maximus Praeclarus, the young patrician officer who brought him to Castra Sanguinarius. Maximus hides him in his house.
Betrayed by a servant, Tarzan and Maximus Praeclarus are captured and chained in the dungeons beneath the Colosseum of Castra Sanguinarius. Here he meets Cassius Hasta, the nephew of Validus Augustus. They fight as gladiators against man and beast and win in the end. Still the emperor does not grant them their freedom. With help of Appius Applosus, a friend of Maximus they escape and lead a revolution against Sublatus with help of the slaves from the nearby villages and the Waziri, brought by Nkima. Once Sublatus is defeated, Tarzan installs Dion Splendidus as Emperor and leaves for Castrum Mare to find Erich and support Cassius Hasta in ascending to the Throne.
In the meantime Erich von Harben and Mallius Lepus were taken prisoners due to the intrigues of Fulvus Fupus. They were brought to the arena as participants to the games. Just before the games start, Gabula, a companion black slave of Erich slays Sublatus in his imperial loge and in the confusion Erich and Mallius escape and take refuge in a deserted house near the Colosseum. Favonia, abducted by few thieves is brought by chance to the same location where Erich and Mallius free her.
Cassius Hasta returns to Castrum Mare together with Tarzan and the Waziri and encounters no resistance, since without Sublatus, Cassius is the rightful ruler. Tarzan finishes this quest by meeting Erich von Harben.
This novel is notable for the introduction of Nkima, who serves as Tarzan's monkey companion in it and a number of later Tarzan stories. It also reintroduces Muviro, first seen in Tarzan and the Golden Lion, as sub-chief of Tarzan's Waziri warriors.
Comic adaptations
The book has been adapted into comic form by Gold Key Comics in Tarzan nos. 194-195, dated February–March 1971, with a script by Gaylord DuBois and art by Paul Norris and Mike Royer (Inker).
References
- ^ Bleiler, Everett (1948). The Checklist of Fantastic Literature. Chicago: Shasta Publishers. pp. 67.
External links
- Edgar Rice Burroughs Summary Project page for Tarzan and the Lost Empire
- Tarzan and the Lost Empire public domain audiobook at LibriVox
- Tarzan and the Lost Empire at Faded Page (Canada)
- Text of the novel at Project Gutenberg Australia
- Map of the Lost Empire
- Link to formatted ebook version on edgar-rice-burroughs-ebooks.blogspot.de
Preceded by Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle | Tarzan series Tarzan and the Lost Empire | Succeeded by |
- v
- t
- e
- Tarzan of the Apes (1912)
- The Return of Tarzan (1913)
- The Beasts of Tarzan (1914)
- The Son of Tarzan (1915)
- Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916)
- Tarzan the Terrible (1921)
- Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1922/23)
- Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924)
- Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1927/28)
- Tarzan and the Lost Empire (1928/29)
- Tarzan at the Earth's Core (1929/30)
- Tarzan the Invincible (1930/31)
- Tarzan Triumphant (1931/32)
- Tarzan and the City of Gold (1932)
- Tarzan and the Lion Man (1933/34)
- Tarzan and the Leopard Men (1932/33)
- Tarzan's Quest (1935/36)
- Tarzan and the Forbidden City (1938)
- Tarzan and the Foreign Legion (1947)
- Tarzan and the Madman (1964)
- Tarzan: The Lost Adventure (1995)
- Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1919)
- Tarzan the Untamed (1920)
- Tarzan the Magnificent (1939)
- Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins (1963)
- Tarzan and the Castaways (1965)
short stories
- Tarzan's First Love (1916)
- The Capture of Tarzan (1916)
- The Fight for the Balu (1916)
- The God of Tarzan (1916)
- Tarzan and the Black Boy (1917)
- The Witch-Doctor Seeks Vengeance (1917)
- The End of Bukawai (1917)
- The Lion (1917)
- The Nightmare (1917)
- The Battle for Teeka (1917)
- A Jungle Joke (1917)
- Tarzan Rescues the Moon (1917)
- Tarzan the Untamed (1919)
- Tarzan and the Valley of Luna (1920)
- The Tarzan Twins (1927)
- Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins with Jad-Bal-Ja the Golden Lion (1936)
- Tarzan and the Magic Men (1936)
- Tarzan and the Elephant Men (1937/38)
- Tarzan and the Champion (1940)
- Tarzan and the Jungle Murders (1940)
- Tarzan and the Castaways (1941)
adventures
- The Man-Eater (1915)
- The Cave Girl (1925)
- The Eternal Lover (1925)
- Jungle Girl (1932)
- The Lad and the Lion (1938)
- A Princess of Mars (1917)
- The Gods of Mars (1918)
- The Warlord of Mars (1919)
- Thuvia, Maid of Mars (1920)
- The Chessmen of Mars (1922)
- The Master Mind of Mars (1928)
- A Fighting Man of Mars (1931)
- Swords of Mars (1936)
- Synthetic Men of Mars (1940)
- Llana of Gathol (1948)
- John Carter of Mars (1964)
- At the Earth's Core (1914)
- Pellucidar (1915)
- Tanar of Pellucidar (1929)
- Tarzan at the Earth's Core (1929)
- Back to the Stone Age (1937)
- Land of Terror (1944)
- Savage Pellucidar (1963)
- Pirates of Venus (1934)
- Lost on Venus (1935)
- Carson of Venus (1939)
- Escape on Venus (1946)
- The Wizard of Venus (1964)
- The Land That Time Forgot (1918)
- The People That Time Forgot (1918)
- Out of Time's Abyss (1918)
speculative fiction
- Beyond Thirty (1915)
- The Moon Maid (1926)
- The Monster Men (1929)
- "The Resurrection of Jimber-Jaw" (1937)
- Beyond the Farthest Star (1941)
- Tales of Three Planets (1964)
- The Bandit of Hell's Bend (1926)
- The War Chief (1927)
- Apache Devil (1933)
- The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County (1940)
- The Outlaw of Torn (1914/1927)
- I Am a Barbarian (1967)
- The Rider (1918)
- The Mad King (1926)
novels
- The Mucker (1914/16)
- The Girl from Farris's (1916)
- The Oakdale Affair (1918)
- The Efficiency Expert (1921)
- The Girl from Hollywood (1923)
- Pirate Blood (1970)
- Marcia of the Doorstep (1999)
- The Oakdale Affair and The Rider (1937)
- Beyond Thirty and The Man-Eater (1957)
- Minidoka: 937th Earl of One Mile Series M (1998)
- You Lucky Girl! (1999)
- Forgotten Tales of Love and Murder (2001)
- Brother Men (2005)