Play Audiobook Sample
Tarzan of the Apes Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 14,485 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
The legend begins when Tarzan's parents are placed on a jungle shoreline by mutinous seamen. Here they establish a crude residence and survive for a time until attacked and killed by a band of apes.
Download and start listening now!
"As a teenager reading the Tarzan books back in the '60s, I wanted to be Jane and go live in the jungle with the strong, silent Tarzan. Tarzan was an adventure that took me completely out of my time and place and set my imagination free. It was a hoot!"
— Dorothy (4 out of 5 stars)
Tarzan of the Apes Listener Reviews
-
" Burroughs obviously did little research before he wrote this story. I think that's what bothers me the most. The rampant racism and sexism is bad, but it can (sort of, not really) be excused because of when this book was written. But he really could have looked in to animal behaviour. And language acquisition. Tarzan teaching himself to read when he has no concept of reading and no knowledge of English is, in my opinion, impossible. He might have been able to teach himself concrete nouns, since he had a picture dictionary, but abstract nouns, verbs, prepositions, articles--no. Sorry. That seriously bugged me. I guess that's my linguistic training coming out. I probably would have been more annoyed with weird animal things (apes do not kidnap human women. And what are apes, anyway?) had I studied biology, although they annoyed me plenty. The only part I liked was the end, which had two advantages: Jane made a good decision (she and Tarzan wouldn't have been happy) and it meant the book was over. "
— Melanie, 2/5/2014 -
" Surprisingly good. Some of the colonial themes are overtly racist and the stereotypes are myriad, but overall a good story. "
— Alex, 1/26/2014 -
" Total pulp - supremely silly! "
— Sarah, 1/25/2014 -
" [Book:] Great read, lots of action! The version I read was edited as a children's version of the book, 200-ish pages. "
— Mark, 1/10/2014 -
" It was a very interesting book, didn't like the ending, kind of abrupt. I hope there is a sequel somewhere because right now I am disappointed. "
— Kathy, 1/6/2014 -
" Funny and interesting to read the imaginative "true" story - well, the original story at least - of Tarzan. Not hard to understand why this iconic myth, this fable about the superhero of the jungle, arrest the attention. Filled with cliches - but great escapism and adventure. "
— Carsten, 12/25/2013 -
" I was torn between 4 and 5 stars. Hollywood has captured about 20% of the story. "
— James, 12/23/2013 -
" Read this for school, I remember thinking it was a decent adventure story except for its racist overtones. "
— Rob, 12/18/2013 -
" Corny, but hey, I like corny!!! "
— John, 11/16/2013 -
" A million times better than I expected! Wonderful writing style! "
— Kailey, 11/15/2013 -
" This story was fantastic, I love the language Burroughs uses. "
— Krista, 10/5/2013 -
" This is great writing, I enjoyed this book more that I thought I would. "
— Janice, 8/17/2013 -
" Gotta say that I really enjoyed the book. It ended in a way that I wasn't expecting but that's all good. Definitely worth your while to pick it up and give it a go. A little over two hundred pages and a day or two will get you through it. "
— Brad, 7/3/2013 -
" What an effort to, as my Children's Lit prof terms it, suspend disbelief. We sliced and diced this story---racist, classist, sexist, you name it. Ape man suddenly turns up in Wisconsin, takes train, etc. etc. Ape man kills lion with full-Nelson. Never saw the movie, probably won't. "
— Pam, 5/17/2013 -
" I enjoyed this book for what it was, a story of high adventure. Some very well written pulp that kept me interested from the first pages. I look forward to reading the later books in the series as well. "
— Latewood, 3/18/2013 -
" An excellent novel about human instincts, love, survival, and the world viewed from an outsiders perspective. I enjoyed reading this book a lot and recommend it to anyone who can stomach some moderately graphic scenes "
— Matthew, 9/27/2012 -
" Just re-read from when I was a kid. Sure, there are some stylistic gaffes, and Burroughs hadn't entirely found his voice for dialogue, but it's a great, rip-roaring story. "
— Patrick, 8/24/2012 -
" A rip snort of a good time. Glad I finally read it. "
— Miik, 7/11/2012 -
" I absolutely loved it! So adventurous and exciting. I can't wait to read or again with my little sons. Perfect for younger boys! "
— Cat, 4/5/2012 -
" Awesome book, until he became a modern gentleman. Seriously? The first scene of him in Return of Tarzan, he's smoking cigarettes and sipping absinth? I guess back in the day it was more believable. "
— Dreyden, 11/21/2011 -
" If you can get over Burrough's racism, then these books are a lot of fun. I've read about 20 of them. They're great. "
— Kevin, 11/14/2011 -
" Just LOVED this! Wish I could give 4.5 stars. My poor Tarzan education prior to this was only from Disney, but the novel is just fascinating and so much MORE than I thought it could be. The writing is beautiful. Want to read more of the series. "
— Charise, 11/9/2011 -
" This really was a fun read, even if it was more than a little ridiculous at parts. Unfortunately, it's impossible to ignore how incredibly racist it is. "
— Nicole, 7/9/2011 -
" I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. Really fun read. "
— Curious, 5/18/2011 -
" An excellent novel about human instincts, love, survival, and the world viewed from an outsiders perspective. I enjoyed reading this book a lot and recommend it to anyone who can stomach some moderately graphic scenes "
— Matthew, 4/29/2011 -
" It's on the 1001 list. I had never read it, so I figured why not? I actually enjoyed this one! "
— Kristen, 4/26/2011 -
" I only gave it three stars because I'm torn about the ending. "
— Lynn, 4/25/2011 -
" This is where all those grade-C movies -- Johnny Weissmuller, anyone? -- got their start. As a grade-schooler, I thought these fantasy-adventure novels were great. As an adult I can see the limitations in the writing, but . . . "
— David, 4/11/2011 -
" I've read at least 10 of these books, but honestly, only the first 3 are any good. Actually pretty good novels. I've re-read those three 2 more times. Later down the road, Tarzan fights Nazi's, but I haven't read those books yet. "
— Anna, 4/10/2011 -
" Read it. You won't be disappointed. "
— Michael, 3/30/2011
About Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950), born in Chicago, was educated at Michigan Military Academy and served briefly in the US Cavalry. He began writing while working as a pencil-sharpener salesman, publishing his first piece in 1912 to great success. He authored numerous science fiction and fantasy series but is most famous for his Tarzan books; the suburb of Los Angeles where he lived eventually became known as Tarzana.
About David Sharp
James Oliver Curwood (1878–1927) was born in Owosso, Michigan, where he lived for most of his life. He studied journalism at the University of Michigan, and in 1900 he left the university and married Cora Leon Johnson. This was also the year he sold his first story, “Across the Range,” for five dollars. He went to work for the Detroit News-Tribune covering funerals and for a pharmaceutical company until he was able to support himself through his writing. In 1909 Curwood divorced Cora and married Ethel Greenwood. That was also the year he took his first trip into the Canadian Northwest and thereafter would spend up to six months each year in the arctic wilderness. This was where he set some of his most successful books. Over his lifetime, Curwood wrote over thirty books. Among them were The Grizzly King, The Wolf Hunters, The Alaskan, The Country Beyond, and Son of the Forests.