ERB Firsts
TARZAN BOOKS  ·  27 First Editions  ·  1914–1995
1Tarzan of the Apes2The Return of Tarzan3The Beasts of Tarzan4The Son of Tarzan
5Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar6Jungle Tales of Tarzan7Tarzan the Untamed8Tarzan the Terrible
9Tarzan and the Golden Lion10Tarzan and the Ant Men11The Tarzan Twins12Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
13Tarzan and the Lost Empire14Tarzan at the Earth's Core15Tarzan the Invincible16Tarzan Triumphant
17Tarzan and the City of Gold18Tarzan and the Lion Man19Tarzan and the Leopard Men20Tarzan Twins with Jad-bal-ja
21Tarzan's Quest22Tarzan and the Forbidden City23Tarzan the Magnificent24Tarzan and the Foreign Legion
25Tarzan and the Madman26Tarzan and the Castaways27Tarzan: The Lost Adventure
❮❮ The Son of Tarzan⬆ All TarzanJungle Tales of Tarzan ❯❯
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar DJ
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Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

Reprint Editions
SeriesTarzan #5
PublisherA.C. McClurg & Co.
First PublishedApr. 20, 1918

First Edition Identifiers

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar detail

This book was printed twice in 1918 by A.C. McClurg. Both are identical other than the lettering on the spine for “A.C. McClurg” is narrower on the first state — approximately 15/16 of an inch (24mm), versus approximately 1 1/8 inch (29mm) wide on the 2nd state.

In 1919 A.C. McClurg had two print-runs, both having 1919 on the title page. The total for both the 1918 & 1919 printings is 50,000 copies making this one of the easier First Edition ERB books to find. There are 8 full-page coated illustrations by J. Allen St. John.

There also exists a “mixed edition”, published in 1927, which has red boards and Grosset & Dunlap is on the spine of the book but A.C. McClurg is on the title page.

Collector Joe Lukes provided photos of his books to show differences in book colors. My 1918 1st state shown below appears darker than Joe’s copy.

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar detail

Photographs

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar spine
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar first edition
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar dust jacket

Above is a reproduction of the first edition dust jacket purchased from the defunct ERB Jacket Store.


Reprint Editions

A.L. Burt Reprint Editions

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From 1919 until 1928 A.L. Burt reprinted this title in a number of variations as shown above. The lettering on the front cover and spine is in black. “A.L. Burt” is printed on the spine and title page. A.L. Burt did not include the date of the printing so many a novice incorrectly assumes the book to be a first edition as the only date listed is the copyright date.

Grosset & Dunlap Reprint Editions

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From 1927 until 1967 Grosset & Dunlap reprinted this title in a number of variations with some of them shown above. Mostly the colors of the books are some hue of red. Grosset & Dunlap did not include the date of the printing so many a novice incorrectly assumes the book to be a first edition as the only date listed is the copyright date. The age of the book can often be approximated by examining the advertisements in the back of the book for other Edgar Rice Burroughs titles.

Auction Sales Data
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar  |  Last sale: 12/16/2005  |  Avg. days between sales: 9.0  |  Total sold: 122
LowModalAverageHighAvg. ConditionQty Sold
Without Dust Jacket$2$41$49.02$240Good+117
With Dust Jacket$75$430$480.00$826Good5
❮❮ The Son of Tarzan⬆ All TarzanJungle Tales of Tarzan ❯❯