Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Unavailable
Tarzan of the Apes
Unavailable
Tarzan of the Apes
Unavailable
Tarzan of the Apes
Audiobook9 hours

Tarzan of the Apes

Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Narrated by Jeff Harding

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

This classic story encompasses the life of John Clayton, the son of English aristocrats, who was abandoned in the jungle as an infant after the untimely death of his parents. He is adopted by the caring ape Kala and is raised in her tribe of gorillas lead by the intimidating Kerchak. Growing up an outsider among his peers, Tarzan gradually earns the respect of his ape tribe through physical feats and his hunting abilities. This sparks jealously in Kerchak, which forces Tarzan into the fight of his life. Follow Tarzan on his wild jungle adventures and his search for his true identity as he discovers what the world is like outside of the jungle.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 14, 2016
ISBN9781520007991
Author

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950) is best known for his creation of Tarzan of the jungle and of the heroic John Carter who adventured on Mars, although he is also the author of many other novels in a range of genres.

More audiobooks from Edgar Rice Burroughs

Related to Tarzan of the Apes

Related audiobooks

Action & Adventure Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Tarzan of the Apes

Rating: 3.7536919816455696 out of 5 stars
4/5

948 ratings62 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, boards a ship for British West Africa with Alice, his bride. During their travels, the crew mutinies, but a kind sailor makes sure that the Englishman and his wife will not be killed, instead he abandons them in a wilderness harbor with all of their luggage and a few supplies. The site has a river mouth for water, and John and Alice gather and hunt to live after their supplies run out. Although not a tradesman, John builds and furnishes a log cabin with a clever door latch for protection against wild beasts. Their son is born there. A year later, Alice dies, and Clayton is killed by an ape, Kerchak.

    Among the attacking apes is Kala, a female whose own baby has died. Finding the now-orphaned, hairless white baby, she takes it up as her own. After ten years, the puny and slow Tarzan—“white ape” in their tongue—begins to mature in both body and brain. Although he knows nothing of his connection with the cabin, he is fascinated by it. He discovers how to open the cabin latch,where he finds many books, including a brightly illustrated alphabet book. The “bugs” on the pages fascinate him, and in time he teaches himself to read them. I marveled at how the author described the wayTarzan taught himself to read. He also finds a sharp hunting knife and, when a huge gorilla attacks him, he accidentally discovers the knife’s usefulness. With it, he gains status as the tribe’s greatest hunter and fighter.
    Later, a tribe of black Africans settles in the area, and Kala is killed by one of the tribe's hunters. Avenging himself on the killer, Tarzan begins an antagonistic relationship with the tribe, raiding its village for weapons and playing cruel pranks on them. They, in turn, regard him as an evil spirit.
    Later, a new party of white travelers become marooned on the coast, including Jane Porter, the first white woman Tarzan has ever seen. Tarzan's cousin, Tarzan spies on the newcomers, aids them, and saves Jane from the dangers of the jungle. Eventually Tarzan learns how to behave among white men, as well as serving as his guide to the nearest colonial outposts. In the end, Tarzan travels to Jane's native Baltimore, Maryland only to find that she is now in the woods of Wisconsin. Tarzan finally meets Jane in Wisconsin where they renew their acquaintance and he learns the bitter news that she has become engaged to William Clayton. Meanwhile, clues from his parents' cabin have enabled D'Arnot to prove Tarzan's true identity. Instead of claiming his inheritance, Tarzan chooses rather to conceal and renounce his heritage for the sake of Jane's happiness.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed reading this early 1900's book. As expected, some of the material was not politically correct. The writer is skilled as it was not laugh at loud, even though a lot of it was ridiculous / absurd. The only complaint I had was with Jane Potter's father, Archimedes. His dialog and moments I think were supposed to be funny, but failed.1/13/2018; 3,526 members; 3.76 average rating
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Tarzan is the most famous of Edgar Rice Burroughs' creations. In general, however, I find the character to be less interesting, and less believable than many of his others. This seems odd, since Tarzan ostensibly lives in early twentieth century Earth, while for example, John Carter wanders about the red sands of Barsoom, and Julien is a reincarnating individual fighting invaders from our own moon. The problem is that Tarzan is essentially a cartoon of a character. He is apparently the strongest, most agile, handsomest, and most intelligent individual alive - so much so that he almost resembles a Mary Sue character. Tarzan has superhuman strength - apparently all that is needed for that is living in the wild. Wild living also enhances one's agility to superhuman levels, and enhances one's senses to a level that one can track prey by smell and hear whispers spoken miles away. With nothing more than a small collection of books and no assistance at all, Tarzan is able to teach himself how to read despite the fact that he cannot speak English (or any other language other than "Ape").No real explanation is given for Tarzan's incredible gifts. Most people know the basics of Tarzan's story: a foundling raised by apes in the jungles of Africa who rises to the top of his band of primates and has adventures across the whole of the dark continent. In addition to the couple dozen books featuring him, Tarzan has been the subject of numerous movie adaptations, cementing him onto the cultural landscape like few other characters. As most people have come to know Tarzan through these somewhat watered down movies, the brutality and violence of the Tarzan featured in this book will come as something of a shock to some: Tarzan fights and kills a couple apes in bloody, graphic combat, explicit descriptions of hunting and killing prey are in the book, and for a portion of the book Tarzan essentially terrorizes an African village by abducting and killing residents because he thinks it is "funny". (It is apparently okay though, after all, they are only black cannibals, did I mention that the book has some pronounced racist overtones?)The racism and classism prevalent in the era when the book was written is apparent through the book. All common sailors are presented as little more than criminal rabble kept in line by the firearms carried by their officers. The book gets kind of muddled with respect to Tarzan himself - at turns his brutality is excused as a result of his life in the wild, at others his heritage as the son of an English lord (a lord who is killed when Tarzan is an infant, after which the lord of the apes has no contact with humans until he is an adult) is used to explain his instinctive chivalry and magnanimity. Apparently one's bloodline is what makes you treat women well and rescue wayward French officers from evil cannibalistic natives.The first part of the book is devoted to telling the story of how Tarzan's parents came to be marooned in the wilds of Africa, and how Tarzan came to be adopted by an Ape. The second portion details Tarzan's life among the Apes as he grows from an infant to a superhuman adult. In the third section of the book, Tarzan's world is turned upside down by the arrival of another band of white castaways (including Jane Porter, the Jane from "me Tarzan, you Jane" fame of the movies). The final section concerns the civilizing of Tarzan, as he is taught French by an officer he rescues, and then travels to Paris and the United States.Tarzan is, in the end, an entirely unbelievable character. More so even that characters who tramp about on other planets or inside the bowels of the Earth. He is also a contradictory character, at times excusably savage, at other improbably civilized. On the whole, it seems odd that Tarzan is the one Burroughs' character who has become the one everyone knows about as he is one of the most absurd of all of them, and since Burroughs' books are pure pulp, that's saying a lot. On the other hand, it may be because Tarzan is so over the top that he has become so popular. In any event, while I found this books to be reasonably good, it was not one of my favorite Burroughs' works.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The story of Tarzan is a twist on the noble savage theme, except with a white man as the "other" (ironically among other whites). The book is full of embarrassing artifacts such as racial stereotypes, social Darwinism, superiority of white culture. A few scenes involving the affair with Jane and Tarzan are well done. Given its influence on popular culture it's still a worthwhile read, only just.I have a theory about Tarzan. When superheroes arose in the late 19th and early 20th century in pulp fiction and dime store novels, it was in response to a changing world for white males. Colonialism was being questioned, female suffrage was at its height, the western frontier was closed - the white male was suffering a crisis of identity. The superhero offered a new found outlet to express a sense of superiority. By identifying with superheroes, he could live out his traditional mandate of conquest and patriarchy, which the real world was increasingly making impossible. Thus we don't find many black superheroes, even to this day. This historical insight makes me a little wary of the whole superhero enterprise and perhaps helps explain what made Tarzan so popular on a certain level.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Following Clayton as he grows up in the wild is a treat. You cannot go wrong with Burroughs, His characters are awesome.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Well-written classic literature. Much better than his sci-fi.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A great, classic escapist adventure melodrama.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lord Greystoke and his Lady Greystoke was going to Africa. On the ship they was an old angry captain that hated the crew except for the high ranked me. He would shoot or beat the men if they dare to say no to his order. Lady Greystoke died and then her husband was killed by the king ape leaving their son behind. He was raised by the apes in the jungle. He became known as Tarzan instead of using his name John. He does not know that he is human, yet he felt out of place in the tribe of apes because he was the only one that was hairless. He soon found his parents cabin and in this way he found out that he was a human being. He also wanted to be the leader of the apes and he challenge White Eyes to a fight. Tarzan won the fight and became the leader. He was bought back to England by D'Amot where he met his grandfather and fell in love with a girl name Jane. Jane taught him English, French and how to dance.This book is very adventurous. Tarzan is a great hunter with skills like no other. He is able to fight and teaches himself to read. Tarzan also killed a gorilla who attacked him. He mourned and screamed when his mother ape was killed. It is amazing that he also learn to speak english
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Why did it take me so long to pick up this classic? This is your typical little adventure from a time when adventure series were very popular. Nothing complicated here, just good fun in the classic way. People who have seen various movie versions might be disappointed in the book because it won't be what they expect, but movies never follow a book exactly and I think most of us are aware of that by now. I have to say in most cases I enjoyed this book much better than the theatrical equivalents.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A surprisingly entertaining book -- far different from my preconceptions of what to expect. It makes me want to read the next book in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very enjoyable adventure story though the colonial and class attitudes overwhelm the story at times.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Tarzan is a classic for a reason. Fun, romantic, exciting, adventurous--But its sequels leave much to be desired, in my opinion. It's a great read, and it's good to read the original version of Tarzan before watching the millions of movies that have come out over the years.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was surprised at how much I liked this book. For its genre, the writing is excellent. It is fast-paced, evocative,and dramatic. I was drawn in immediately. I'm actually reading this book to my partner at bedtime each night. Not every book reads well out loud, but this one does. Clearly, the book was written in another era that was unconscious about issues like white supremacy and colonization. While understanding the historical context, it still leaves me uneasy with the realization that this book would be offensive to Black people, who are depicted as "savages", in contrast to Tarzan, who is at the same time the ape-man and also the noble Lord Greystoke. The book is a classic, not because it's high literature, but because it's a rolicking good adventure. It also has had a major cultural impact, particularly, as an earlier reviewer pointed out, on Hollywood. This book is inspiring me to return to some of the other classic adventure stories that I haven't read for decades.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    So wonderful to finally read the book which spawned all of the cartoons and children's versions of the story. This version is much more mature in wording and in subject matter and the story is one which well deserves it's classification of a literary classic.The story begins with the tale of Tarzan's parents, who board a ship but never arrive at their intended destination. After their demise, only Tarzan lives and he is taken in by a female ape who has just suffered through the death of her own baby. Tarzan's story is a remarkable one, as he not only adapts to the life of the apes but also manages to find his own ties back to humanity, all on his own.I was thrilled that the "Me Tarzan, You Jane" bit was not a part of this, the real story.The ending, though, was sad. I wish that it had ended in a happier way....I won't give it away though.....Yet....in the final paragraphs of the book, Tarzan shows that he is more of a civilized, mature man than any other person in the entire tale.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyed the details left out of the movies. Very entertaining
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Well, this is a simple childhood story, I don't really need to review it as we all are probably familiar with it. My generation grew up watching TV movies about the ape man. I liked them a lot back then. My granddaughters have sat in front of the TV watching Disney DVDs. Tarzan is the orphan child of Lord and Lady Graystoke who were put ashore after a mutiny on a ship they were sailing. Lady Greystoke dies when Tarzan is a baby and Lord Greystoke is killed by an ape leaving the infant boy in the crib. The female ape who's baby is dead exchanges it for Tarzan and thus Tarzan is raised as an ape. He teaches himself to read English. The story is one of survival, adventure, combat with nature and romance. It is surprising that the book has lasted because it also can be described as racist and sexist. On another level, the book idealizes man's relationship with nature verses civilization. You have the contrast of Tarzan and Clayton. Tarzan who ate by the laws of nature and Clayton who ate with the manners of society.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Really just a very entertaining book. He really wrote it as a cliffhanger so you'd have to read "The Return" quickly. A lot of humor, a good story, reasonably good characters (Jane is a bit insipid) ... just suspend disbelief and go with it!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A good read from an antiquated age.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This Librivox recording is fabulous! Mark Smith reads a public domain version of Burroughs's man of the jungle and it all comes to life. It is apparent that Smith, a Librivox volunteer reader, likes his material and that he wants you to enjoy the story and characters. Free for download, and highly recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5

    The trials and tribulations of Tarzan and his friends are, without doubt, interesting. It's actually surprising the story is as short as it is. I'm debating on reading the others, but then again most books in a series pale in comparison to the first book, so I'm still at a bit of a loss there. The cast of characters is quite wonderful, and diverse, in a way. I love how the author made Tarzan play on the superstitions of the native tribes. I feel as though it added a sort of authenticity to him somehow, though I truly can't explain why I feel this way.

    This was a lovely change from your traditional classic novel; it was short, sweet, & to the point. It was, however, mildly disappointing. I suppose that's because I have this lovely Disney image of the story in my head, but I was really hoping, after all the work he went through, that Tarzan would get the girl.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A classic. Burroughs knows how to write action. I had thought it would be trite and unbelievable. I was very wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and lost the sense that I was reading. I strongly recommend Tarzan of the Apes even though it appears archaic.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was surprised at how interesting and well written this book still is.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Very strong first half - like a Jack London survival tale, but the second act gives way to social farce & plodding romance with a very rushed, sloppy ending.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    " Jane her lithe, young form flattened against the trunk of a great tree, her hands tight pressed against her rising and falling bosom, and her eyes wide with mingles horror, fascination, fear, and admiration - watched the primordial ape battle with the primeval man for possession of a woman - for her. As the great muscles of the man's back and shoulders knotted beneath the tension of his efforts, and the huge biceps and forearm held at bay those mighty tusks, the veil of centuries of civilization and culture was swept from the blurred vision of the Baltimore girl."Edgar Rice Burroughs knew how to tell a good story; his prose carries the reader along effortlessly page after page. Pulp fiction it may be, but it is so well written and at times so convincing that he makes his fantastical stories seam real. I used to gobble these books up as a teenager, and re-reading Tarzan today I was soon under it's spell and could hardly put the book down. Burroughs was in love with his male characters especially his hero Tarzan and if his descriptions of that perfect body are going to put you off then perhaps it's not for you:She watched him from beneath half-closed lids, Tarzan crossed the little circular clearing toward the trees upon the further side. She noted the graceful majesty of his carriage, the perfect symmetry of his magnificent figure and the poise of his well-shaped head upon his broad shoulders. What a perfect creature! There could be naught of cruelty or baseness beneath that godlike exterior. Never, she thought had such a man strode the earth since God created the first man in his own image." Burroughs Tarzan is a savage creature, but he is also a noble savage and this is the hook that makes him so attractive. Episodes of the Tarzan story first appeared in 1912 and it was published in book form in 1914 and while the story is very much of it's time as regards attitudes to women and black people, I did not find it overtly racist or sexist; a black maid is singled out as a figure of fun, but then so are two English academics. The black natives are savage and cruel, but Burroughs points out that this is the result of even crueller barbarities practiced on them by white officers of Leopold II's of Belgium regime. Tarzan is still a rip roaring adventure yarn with a super hero who one could almost believe in and one you might want to believe in. If ever I am in a reading slump I shall just pick up one of these stories, hell I might pick one up if I am not in a slump especially as the Tarzan and Jane story in this first of the series ends in a cliff hanger. Great fun and a four star read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Tarzan has never been my favourite character, be it the comics or the cartoons - now Mowgli was an entirely different story! And the irony strikes. In the last year or so, I have read both the Jungle Books, which were barely readable, the characters nowhere as snappy as I remembered them from my childhood cartoons.And so, it was with great skepticism that I started with Tarzan of the Apes, and was I surprised! The writing was very simple, the story captivating and the characters endearing, even if stereotypical - be it the pretty, pretty Jane, the absent minded Professor or the mighty Tarzan. The never ending victories of Tarzan were not dull, nor were the highly noticeable and distinct villains bothersome. The repetitive fainting of poor Esmeralda did get on my nerves a few time, but well, she had a character to play as well, did I mention stereotypical?The ending of the book didn't lack in flourish either and I am left wondering, whether to dare the sequel and risk getting my impression shattered or go the way of Dune and Ender's Game and leave the series on a high with fond memories and none of the regrets.4/5
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The first and best book about Tarzan. The credibility of this kind of stories is questionable, but it reads well, and you do not see the flaws immediately. Simply a good and entertaining read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It is necessary to get past the awkward dialogue, especially toward the beginning of the book, and the ridiculously offensive character of Jane's black maid, who spends most of the book in a faint. And there are a few more silly things along the way--but, nevertheless, the narrative, especially the growing infatuation of Tarzan with Jane, will grab you and hold you to the satisfying conclusion. I have only read Burroughs' science fiction before--and that was many years ago, but I'm glad I finally picked up Tarzan. For the most part, Burroughs does his best to give his far-fetched story the semblance of believability, such as his explanations of how Tarzan, orphaned as an infant, learns on his own how to read English--but not speak it. The characters are memorable, too, though they are hardly complex. I will definitely continue reading the series--especially since Burroughs ends this one on a cliffhanger!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What I love about Tarzan of the Apes is how so very different the book is from all the adaptations that came after it. Because of that, this book is full of wonderful unexpected surprises in plot and character.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is a tremendous story, full of excitement. The prose is purple and very enjoyable. Jane Porter's black maid is an offensive stereotype deployed for comic relief. The two academics are a slightly less offensive stereotype, also deployed for comic relief. Burroughs was aware of the scandal of the abuses in the Belgian Congo; Tarzan's father is marooned while on an investigative mission and the tribe of Mbongo that Tarzan persecutes is fleeing from treatment that Burroughs describes as even more cruel than that that they inflict on their captives. The cliff hanger ending leaves you wanting more. The last part of the book occurs in the north woods of Wisconsin.Burroughs was fairly confident about the innate superiority of well-bred Englishmen to everybody else, and civilized Europeans to everybody else. Uncivilized Europeans were not depicted so positively; the brutal captain of the ship on which Tarzan'a father sails is nothing like the courtly French officer who rescues Jane Porter's stranded party.The way Tarzan kills the tribesmen of Mbongo isn't all that different from the way he kills lions and he does it for much the same reason: he wants their poisoned arrows and their fancy clothes just as he wants the lion's skin. While Burroughs was certainly racist and probably felt correctly that his European readers would not be troubled by Tarzan killing native Africans for their clothes and equipment as much as they might be troubled by his killing Europeans, Tarzan's behavior is actually consistent and not inherently racist. Tarzan's apes are unknown to modern zoologists; they are far too big to be any of the other great apes but they consider gorillas their enemies.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    read many years ago; i should re read