Newnes Editions |
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Tarzan of the Apes |
The Return of Tarzan |
The Son of Tarzan |
1929 | 1929 | 1929 |
Ransome Editions |
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Tarzan of the Apes |
The Return of Tarzan |
The Son of Tarzan |
19?? | 19?? | 19?? |
Newnes colophon |
The
illustration by Woolley shown here above appeared on the
cover of the first known paperback publication of TARZAN
OF THE APES in London, England in May 1929. The
publication contained 128 pages (excluding the front and
back covers) of which 123 pages were of actual text. It
was published by George Newnes, 8-11,
Southampton Street, Strand, London, WC2 and was typeset
in the two column format (very reminiscent of that era)
and printed by Morrison & Gibb Ltd., London and
Edinburgh. The price was 6d. Six old English pennies in
a decorated circle. The size is 8¼" x 5½". It is bound
in four sections and secured with two staples. The
artwork on the softcover of this edition has a far more
manly version of Tarzan than on the Ransome edition, in
the Ransome edition the 6 penny price is an upturned
isosceles triangle. The artist who illustrated the cover
of the Ransome edition also seems to be Woolley, but if
so, after painting such a manly looking Tarzan for the
Newnes edition why did he paint such a weak-looking
character to portray the Ape Man for this edition. There
is not too much indication as to when it was published
(the publisher in this instance was C.A. Ransome
& Co., 26, Paternoster Row, London, EC4), but
it would have to have been published within a year or
two of the Newnes edition as a reprint; so why not by
Newnes? It contains the same number of pages as the
Newnes edition albeit with some changes, for example
there is no contents page on page 4 as in the Newnes
edition, but it is printed by Morrison and Gibb. The
typeset, stapling, size and price are identical to the
Newnes edition, quite possibly the same plates. George
Newnes possibly created a company to sell other
publications, but some of the first titles, were reprint
editions of the three Burroughs' titles that he had
published - TARZAN OF THE APES, THE RETURN OF TARZAN and
THE SON OF TARZAN. The colophon used in the Ransome
editions was not as artistic as the Newnes, and was only
used on Tarzan of the Apes and The Return of Tarzan, but
The Son of Tarzan used the Newnes title page and of
course, the corresponding colophon. Adapted from an article entitled: "Covers from the Past" by Frank H. Westwood published in The Fantastic Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs 44: 10 (Autumn/Winter 1998). |
Ransome colophon |