Edgar Rice Burroughs had never been to Africa when he started writing his Tarzan tales.His main influence was however an old Africa hand Rider Haggard the author of King Solomon's Mines and She both of which have been filmed several times.Rider Haggard was as prolific a writer as Edgar Rice Burroughs and he even created a hero adventurer the white hunter Alan Quatermain an obvious ancestor of Indiana Jones.The stories blend the African settings that Haggard was familiar with and lost world themes built on the legacy of the Ancient World.All seem to be available free online for anyone who wishes to read them. Rider Haggard's
Alan Quatermain has recently been revived by Alan Moore in his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel series.The pulp fiction of the 20th century now largely exists on line or in ancient paperback collections filling the book shelves of the over fifties.They are a rich treasure but one which may be lost to younger generations.Hopefully the steam punk genre may come to the rescue as it is easy to go from Wells and Verne to Burroughs and Haggard. An Update in November 2013. Dennis Wheatley's back catalogue is now becoming available on Kindle with most of the black magic stories now available at reasonable eBook prices.
No comments:
Post a Comment