Tarzan of the Apes

By: Edgar Rice Burroughs

Narrated by: David Ian Davies

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

Why has this classic been so popular over the years with its presence in films, books, radio, and television? It is the mythology of the primordial steps of man's advancement. We follow the fascinating progress of mankind from the savage jungle to our present time in every one of Burroughs' 28 chapters. David Ian Davies has achieved great success in capturing each character with their own unique sound. This removes the overall effect of just listening to a narration, but takes us to a more realistic imagery similar to hearing a full-cast performance.

© One Voice Recordings, All Rights Reserved

I did not know that!

I took up this download because the price was really good, and anyway why not? I haven't heard any pulp fiction, and I am waiting for my next subscription date to roll around,

This is the "true" story of Tarzan -- the original book before the movies got to it. It is quite an excellent story and I was surprised how affecting it was.

The movies are good, but the novel is really rather better. I did not know that Tarzan had taught himself to read English. The author loved showing how Tarzan was not as barbaric as some of the civilized people in America.

The story portrays the very essence of male and female differences and relationships -- and then we have culture ... to mix it all up and make it more complicated and interesting, I guess. Few men resemble Tarzan today, nor have his personal ethics, and I am not sure how many women resemble Jane today. The characters are three-dimensional, by the way, and "real."

How on earth did Tarzan end up in Wisconsin???

's true.

The reading was good but patchy in technical quality. I thought it kind of added to the idea of a book read from straight out of the jungle itself so I wasn't offended at all.

Ben

13 of 13 people found this review helpful

Great Story, Flawed Production

I had never read or listened to the original Tarzan story until now - it's very captivating. I really liked how ERB mixes the timeline to show what various characters are doing at the same time. However, as much as I enjoyed the story, David Ian Davies and One Voice Recordings have produced a very low quality audiobook. Editing is horrible as mistakes are corrected with spliced in audio. The voice Davies uses for Esmeralda is his voice inconsistently sped up! His pronunciations are off - he used the American pronunciation for guillotine when it was a French character who spoke it! He called the French city of Lyons "lions".

There are two other audiobook versions of this novel available at audible.com. I recommend you stay away from this one and choose one of the others

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Wow a true classic

There is a reason that Tarzan has become part of our culture from comic books to novels to movies. Having grown up watching Tarzan movies, I found myself curious as to its origins. Being out of premium listener program credits and just about fed up with the dry 9/11 report. I went looking for an under $10.00 value. Lo and behold I stumbled on Tarzan of the Apes.

I truly enjoyed and could not put down this classic tale. From his origins which where much more plausible than any others I have seen before, through his modernization to what we call civilized, I was at the edge of my seat. I think this is a phenomenal value and highly recommend this book. I wish it was longer since I could not get enough.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

More than I had expected...

Being the bargain shopper that I am, I was first attracted to this title by its cost per minute ratio.

What a surprise I was in for. The story was very fascinating and really shades a different light on Tarzan. After 8 hours of listening, I was not ready for the story to end.

The narrative may seem a bit dry and outdated at first, but the story really makes up for it!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Very entertaining, if dated, reading

I decided to read Tarzan of the Apes based on the reviews here, and I must say, I was not disappointed. I can barely remember anything from any of the Tarzan movies, but I understand that they did not adhere very closely to the original. I suspected that even the orginal would not be great literature. However, it is indeed a great yarn. If you are curious to know how the legend of Tarzan, first conceived by Edgar Rice Burroughs, became an industry, you will be richly rewarded. The story does not lag, although many parts are ridiculously implausible. (If you think of it as mythology, you may find it easier to swallow!) Also, it should be noted that perhaps one of the reasons that this book is not read so much these days is that it is very politically incorrect. The portrayals of the American "Negress" and the tribes of black Africans are horrendously racist. The narrator's reading is clear and entertaining. He has a clearly recognizable voice for each character. However, Professor Porter and his daughter Jane, both from Baltimore, would have been better served by an American accent than the elevated British accent this reader uses. Professor Porter's assistant Mr. Philander is done with a Scottish accent - again, I'm not sure this was the best choice. This story is both an adventure and a romance. After hearing it, one can easily understand the public of a century ago being captivated by this legend.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A Classic Well Done

I've read the original many times and quite a few of the sequels, too, and this is the first audio version of a Tarzan book I've tried. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend it.

Mr. Davies' gentleman's English accent seems perfectly suited for this story, and his ability to change his voice for the different characters worked well for me because he didn't overdo it.

For some listeners: Burrough's "pulp" dialogue can be a little overwhelming at times, but if you understand the context and the time period (1912), it will be clearer. Those familiar with early adventure/fantasy fiction will recognize the genre.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A great story, and a great audiobook

I was amazed at the quality of the writing, the story, and the narration. As pulp fiction, I was expecting a lot of cliches or gaudy situations, but was pleasantly surprised. The only unusual aspect of this book (and not the audiobook), is the ending. I searched for an actual copy of Tarzan to confirm that that was the real ending.

For those with small children, you should reconsider listening to this audiobook in the car with them as there is violence and an unrealistic portrayal of gorillas. Older children will enjoy it.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

The story is excellent as always. The narration is a bit sketchy but in some respects it adds a bit of authenticity.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not Hollywood's version...

I enjoyed this story until the end. The end seemed to me like he was running out of paper and had to finish things off. I actually groaned at the end (though I did make it to the end) because it was just such a bummer of an ending. Skip it and see the movie. I actually think that Hollywood did it better on film (for once).

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Burroughs' Noble Savage

Tarzan is one of those characters who came out of the post-Victorian, pre-WWI age that seem almost to exhibit a place larger than the actual book(s) he was born in. Like Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan is both a type and a rejection of type. It is amazing to see the arc this character has taken over the last century. From the actual books written by Burroughs to the various movies, comics, cartoons, and the eventual Disneyfication of the story.

I read this book shortly after getting LOA's 100 year anniversary edition of both Tarzan and Princess of Mars. It was classic pulp. Like other magazine stories told during this time (the Most Dangerous Game, etc) it points to a certain level of supple, straight, superman that exists beneath the clothes of civilization. There must be some base-level appeal for us modern men where we feel compelled to dream we could, with only a knife and a rope, if put in the right situation, conquer the wilderness. There is a king of the jungle/nobel savage in all of us. It is the same impulse that drives viewers to watch 'Man Vs. Wild' and 'Naked and Afraid', etc. Civilization provides us with many comforts, but it also robs us of something. Burroughs recognized this missing treasure. His Tarzan novels (and to a degree his Mars novels) exploits and explores this missing link to our past. He is able to illustrate that underneath our jackets and ties there might be a bit of the savage inside this actuary and a beast inside that accountant, just waiting an opportunity to break free.

This recording's narration was good, but the recording's overall quality was poor.

12 of 18 people found this review helpful

As enthralling as ever

Tarzan must tap into the need for a myth because this is as fascinating on tape as I found the book as a young teenager. Some is politically incorrect but that was the climate of the time it was written and shows how far we have come since. Besides, the story rips along at such a pace that you are totally caught up in the events. A great listen which all ages would enjoy.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A real ripping yarn! Well worth a listen!

What made the experience of listening to Tarzan of the Apes the most enjoyable?

The story is fabulous, and one that I had not read, although I saw the films when I was a child. More details in the book than in the films. If you can get over the old fashioned attitudes to non-white people then you will be Ok. I suppose this was how "foreigners " were regarded when the book was written .

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tarzan. A very vulnerable but likeable person.

What does David Ian Davies bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He brought it to life..

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but I was infuriated with the father of "Jane" ..and his pomposity. I think we were supposed to be, so it worked!

A great classic, well read.

I never read this as a youngster, and had only seen various film and TV adaptations of the Tarzan stories.
Well, the book is FAR better, and this audio book was very enjoyable. It is, of course, dated, unintentionally racist, sexist etc, but if one puts one's PC attitude on hold, and listens to a fascinating tale of a heroic and brave young Englishman, then you'll enjoy this book!