. From the Lee Chase Personal ERB Collection
Now available to serious ERB collectors from Heritage Book Shop:
A Unique Collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs Letters 
to his Daughter, Joan Burroughs Pierce.

A collection of thirty-three Autograph Letters, and Typed Letters signed, along with two Postcards and twenty photographs with typed descriptions, a  total of fifty-five items. All correspondence in the collection is to Burroughs' daughter, Joan Burroughs Pierce, who was married to James Michael Pierce, the last silent movie actor who played "Tarzan".

In the early 1930s James and Joan played Tarzan and Jane in the radio show, and Burroughs in a letter dated November 8, 1933, refers to her as a being the "Popular Jane Porter of the air." An extremely personal collection of correspondence from Burroughs to his daughter, Joan, discussing his impressions of his travels to Hawaii, Las Vegas and Panama, as well as reflections on his writing, thoughts on life, etc. [Burroughs dedicated The Beasts of Tarzan to his daughter in 1916], mostly dated from 1930-1940, though a few are dated a little earlier.  A fine collection in wonderful condition, illustrating a  fathers devotion and love towards his daughter. A unique, unpublished collection in fine condition.

These candid and revealing pages have not been offered for sale and were even unavailable to biographer Irwin Porges, author of Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Man Who Created Tarzan; (1975). HBS 7225.

$25,000 [collection] 
All items are offered subject to prior sale unless other arrangements have been made.
Also available is a large selection of Burroughs first editions including two copies of Tarzan of the Apes in the original jackets.

Chad S. Reingold
Heritage Book Shop, Inc.
8540 Melrose Ave.
 Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 659-3674
Fax (310) 659-4872

APACHE HOTEL
Las Vegas, Nevada
April 4, 1933
Dearest Joan,

Well, we have had some day!

Left Barstow about 8 and reached Las Vegas at 11. Mr. Wilson, manager of Beacon Towers? at Barstow gave us a letter introduction to Mr. Russell?, manager of this hotel, asking him to arrange that we might see more of the Boulder Dam construction than the ordinary tourist sees. 

So Mr. Russell? brought Mr. Squires, proprietor of the morning paper here up to the room and Mr. Squires telephoned to Mr. Crow, chief engineer of the dam, with the result that when we got there we were taken over by one of the heads of a department.

Mr. Squires and Mr. Russell went with us. We were taken down into the bottom of the canyon (where few people are allowed) and into one of the tunnels, then up to the summit where we got aboard a "skip" and rode across the canyon on a cable. It was about 1200 feet above the canyon bottom, was I petrified! At one place the skip rocked like a ship in a storm. Mamma side stepped this part of the entertainment. Hulbert, Jack, and I took pictures form the skip - I to hide my terror. 

You cannot imagine the sensation of haning on that little wire cable over that terrifying abyss.

Coming back I was not at all nervous, and could look over the edge with eclat and aplomb -- but I was damn glad when they lowered the skip to the ground.

A skip looks like this:

I think they are about 10 feet by 10 feet. They hold about forty men.

Every one has been wonderful to us here. 

We found a bar in the hotel building. The boys took port wine and did not like it. We had Old Fashioneds.

Then Mr. Squires took us to the Silver Club, a gambling house -- running wide and open like the bars, and to the Golden Camel bar which adjoins the Silver Club -- here the boys took sherry and did not like it.

A young lady telephoned Jack - a Miss Carol Williams - and they are at a show tonight. She was a Pomona girl.

Hulbert has gone to bed and we are going.

Tomorrow we drive to Furnace Creek.

We are having a lucky? trip; and, though tired, have been very comfortable.

Lots of love, my darling, in which Mamma and the boys join.

OB

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
Tarzana Ranch
Tarzana, California
Palm Springs
December 27, 1935
Darling Joan:

Thanks so much for the Christmas remembrance. I'm sure no one will recognize me now, I shall smell so good. Please thank Jim, too, for the telegram. I appreciated it very much.

I hope you all had a very happy Christmas. I am sure you did. I missed you all. Perhaps some day we can be together again. We might, if we could all forgive the other fellow's mistakes; but that is almost too much to ask of human beings.

We had a long hard day on Christmas, though very pleasant. Florence was worn out by seven and went to bed. I was reading in the living-room and fell asleep. About eight Virginia and Charlie Farrell and Katherine and Ralph Bellamy came. They (the men) were so intrigued with the children's mechanical toys that they almost forgot a dinner engagement.

Fred Mandel gave Lee a very complete mechanical railway set. We played with it and let Lee watch us.

Fred was able to get tickets for the Rose Bowl game through the Hearst people in Chicago; so he has invited us to go with them. Not hard to take!

Lots of love, dear, and all my best wishes for a Happy and PROSPEROUS New Year.

Kiss the children for me.

Love, 
Papa

. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
Tarzana, California
7-8-36 (July 8, 1936)
Dear Joan,

Just a line. I don't seem to get any time to write. 

Had an interesting, although tough, trip. We met trouble from Barstow to Omaha, with constant overheating of car and delays. Came through in reasonable driving time, however.

Hope you, Jim, and the children are well and happy and that the weather is good -- also visibility.

The Mandels are wonderful hosts, but I shall be a wreck. Am glad that I've quit drinking or I'd be more of a wreck, little as I drink.

Have to rush off to an appointment, but wished to drop you a line. May be home sometime yet.

Lots of love,
Papa

FROM: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. ~ Tarzana Ranch ~ Tarzana, California
TO: Mrs. Joan Burroughs Pierce ~ 11113 Hortense ~ North Hollywood ~ California
POSTMARK: July 8, 1936 ~ 12:30 PM ~ Chicago, Il ~ 2 Old P.O. Annex ~ Washington 3 cent stamp

.
Burroughs - TARZAN - Pictures, Inc.
Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, California
Mrs. James H. Pierce
11113 Hortense
North Hollywood
California
March 13, 1937
Dear Joan,

Thanks for your letter. Am so sorry to know that Joan has been ill. I hope that it is nothing serious and that she will soon be well. How in the world does a child contract anything like that? I thought those troubles were reserved for old age along with the numerous other "miseries" with which people who live too damn long are afflicted.

Was very glad to know of change in hour of your broadcast. I shall be much more certain of hearing you now. Nine-thirty Saturday is a bad hour, for if there is any one day of the week that people are invited out, it is Saturday. Six-fifteen will just about permit me to hear it while I am dressing - if anyone asks me out. 

I think of you all so very often and want to see you, but I have really been very busy trying to write enough stories and articles to keep the old mill grinding. Then, of course, the attitude that your mother has taken toward Florence and me has made it very difficult to see any of you children unless you care to come and see me. It is so stupid and, it seems to me, very wicked.

With lots of love and the hope for a brighter day when we can all be broad enough to forgive,

Always,
Papa

.
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
Tarzana Ranch
Tarzana, California
Mrs. James R. Pierce
10849 Whipple
North Hollywood, California

April 14, 1937

Dear Joan:

Of course you may have your saddle and bridle. I would send them to you tomorrow if I were sure I could pick them out.

Next time you are out you can either take them with you or mark them so that we will know which are yours.

Love, 
Papa

.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Tarzana, California
Mrs. James H. Pierce
3714 Vantage
Studio City, California
December 13, 1939
Dear Joan:

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I am sending you the enclosed: 

(A TWA document with photo and public announcement by Jack Frye, president of Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc.)

It seems to me that we had a Jack Frye and his father as our guests at the Horse Show many years ago, or was it Jack Frost?

Every time I see this chap's name I have wondered if he is the boy whom we knew.

Love,
Papa

FROM: Edgar Rice Burroughs ~ Tarzana, California
TO: Mrs. James H. Pierce ~ 3714 Vantage ~ Studio City, California
POSTMARK: Tarzana, Calif. ~ 6 PM ~ Dec. 13, 1939 ~ 3-cent Washington Stamp