| My name is Charlie - U.S.Army Sergeant Major (retired) and High School English/History/Film/Philosophy teacher (retired) |
| What everyone should know about me---------- I am a hobbyist, not a professional book dealer. I sell dust jackets that I made for books from my own collection. This site will concern itself only with the sale of these dust jackets. If I don't physically possess a copy of an edition of any title, then I don't make or sell a dust jacket for that book. I have sold these DJs for approximately a year and a half on eBay, but their rates have so increased recently that selling there is no longer cost effective. I'll probably keep one or two items on eBay at any given moment, but only to have another means by which I can lead afficianados of Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) to this site. I will continue to sell and trade hardback books on eBay, because for the foreseeable future it remains the best venue in which to find the works of my favorite authors. Again, I'm a hobbyist now retired from public life and finally able to devote as much attention to my hobby as I can. As a hobbyist, I don't have to make a living doing this little cottage industry of mine and can therefore offer the best product I can devise at the lowest possible cost, and at the same time offer timely service—normal turn around is two days on any given order. Always looking for ways to improve my marketing skills and product line, I constantly tinker with this site and with the facsimiles sold on it. Any comparison of the quality of my facsimiles to others available on the net will show that my quality is high, indeed, for the price asked. The little bit of money I might make (if I make any) after I meet costs goes to subsidize my expensive collecting habits. I am a member of the Burroughs Bibliophiles and am active on erblist and the ERBCOF-L. Although I am an omnivorous reader, as a hobbyist I'm interested only in the reading and collecting of the books written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I have some side interest in the movies, comics, and other collectibles, but am really enthusiastic about the novels and shorter works only. As a part of this interest, I've also began to study the history and scholarship associated with the works of ERB. My research has concentrated on three historical eras that seem critical to a complete understanding of ERB publishing in the modern era: (1) ERB's attempts to get out of the pulps and into the mainstream NY magazines, (2) the ERB publishing interregnum that lasted from 1948 to 1962 (If I can I would like to establish why ERB's science fiction disappeared for that time period), and finally (3) the explosion of ERB publishing that started in 1962 and lasted more than ten years. This research has led me to recently release an anthology of essays and articles about Burroughs and his works, Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Master of Pulp Storytelling. For more information follow this link. I have loved these works since I discovered them at the age of fifteen. If you have not read ERB I can't explain why ERB appeals to me or why he should appeal to you, and with a fellow ERB reader, it's not necessary. I am, and will always remain, an unrepentant apologist for these great novels of adventure and romance. As they say in that old theme song to a James Bond movie "Nobody does it better," and they never will. |
| About me and my goal for this website --------- |
| Contact me at mjon6car@gmail.com or cell phone 281-462-7102 |
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| Testimonials about the book EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS: THE MASTER OF PULP STORYTELLING - posted on Amazon: "A Wonderfully Crafted Collection of Articles As a life-long Burroughs fan, I was intrigued by the title, EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS: The Master of Pulp Storytelling. I knew that almost all of Burroughs' stories originally appeared in pulp magazines, but I'd never thought of him as primarily a pulp writer. But the editor and essays in this book delightfully expound on Burroughs gift to tell stories that create worlds of fantastic adventure - the heart of pulp storytelling. Charlie Madison does a wonderful job in selecting and weaving together this wonderful collection of essays using what he calls "asides." These wonderful anecdotes and musings serve as transitions between articles. I found them to be entertaining and full of wit and wisdom. I especially enjoyed Madison’s previously unpublished article on the post-war drama between ERB book publishers. The articles by David Critchfield are fascinating and the choice of John Flint Roy’s chapter from A Guide to Barsoom was a great way to end the book. This is a wonderful book full of warmth and devotion for Mr. Burroughs, but with enough surprises to keep the reader fully engaged." - posted on Amazon: "A Look At The Impact Of A Single Author Upon A Genre I like it. An interesting look at some of the tropes we all know and love; the planetary romance, the lost world(s), and so forth. What pushed it to "4 star" was John C. Wright's review of John Carter (the movie). YES! At last. Someone who understands. It's NOT a bad movie, nor is it a bad story, per se, but it's NOT A Princess of Mars. Another article I found interesting and somewhat humorous was the examination of ERB's use of the 'framing' technique, wherein he was not the protagonist, but was taking down the story FROM the protagonist, or from an eyewitness. Apparently 'Framing' ERB was quite the long-lived chap (but what can one expect when one is descended from Captain John Carter, late of the Army of Virginia). Testimonials received in emails about the operations of this website only: December 2017 Web Master's note about December's lack of sales --- Hurricane Harvey interrupted everything! Oh well . . . There is a saying here: if you live in Houston, you don't pray for rain, you pray for how to deal with the mud. November 2017 - I just received the variant DJ that I purchased from you: A Fighting man of Mars, Hartley variant. It is really nice and I am very pleased with it. Iwas interested in several of your variant DJs, but I hadn’t purchased from you before, so I wanted to buy just one before I bought a few. So, I will be buying more. . . October 2017 - My last order of jackets arrived yesterday and they are just great. My only problem now is I’m out of ERB books to put jackets on. After I put my last order on I took down each book and checked to make sure I had the proper jacket on each one and I do. I’m checking Etsy and EBay for books I need but all I’m finding is comic books. A guy I go to lunch with recently got six Tarzan books from his mother and he was saying none of them have jackets. I’ m going to show him my books with jackets and maybe get him to place an order with you. Again thank you. It was great dealing with someone who got everything right each and every time. September 2017 - (This comment refers to the book listed on the home page) good solid information with no fluff. Now that things are quieting down for me I want to get back to searching out more of ERB’s books. Of course your book came with no damage. The way you package things how could there be any damage? August 2017 - With this last order, your dust jackets are now covering around 100 of my Burroughs and Tom Swift books. All of the jackets in this order were as ordered and the extra Cave Girl cover you added was especially nice. Thanks for the service you provide and a job well done. - The dust-jackets for TARZAN AT THE EARTH'S CORE and THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT arrived and look great! Many thanks for resizing your dust jackets to fit my Canaveral Press editions, they ALL look fantastic. I am extremely pleased with your variant dust-jackets and your willingness to resize them. July 2017 - [A customer in England mentioned in an email, that although his facsimile for The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County was beautiful, the fit on the book seemed small. In response I corrected my printer settings which I thought might be the problem, reprinted the jacket, and mailed it as soon as I could. His response follows.] Sorry, I've not been in touch sooner; I've just returned home from the family summer holiday to find a replacement DJ for Deputy Sheriff waiting for me. I feel a bit guilty about it as it really wasn't necessary for you to go to the trouble and expense of doing this; I was very happy with the original DJ and as I stated [in my first email] I wasn't complaining, simply feeding back. However, the replacement jacket is now absolutely perfect. There is no doubt it is a better fit than the original one that you sent. A beautiful job! I cannot fault you on customer service here. You clearly take a pride in providing the best possible jackets that you can. Rest assured that when I am ready for my next facsimile jacket you will hear from me! Thank you once again for all you have done to make me completely satisfied, which I am. - My latest order of your terrific dust jackets arrived today. When I open the package I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. The quality is excellent. My [A. L. Burt] copy of The Return of Tarzan has the original dust jacket, but it is so faded and ragged that the title on the spine was unreadable. When I put your dust jacket next to my original I can finally see the beauty of it. I took my DJ off and put yours on my book (which is in really nice condition) and it just Zings now. I took my copy and slipped it into the Mylar package you use in shipping and it now lays safe, flat and out of the light in my sock drawer. - I have no idea how long you worked perfecting you method of packaging your great dust jackets. All my life I’ve been a problem solver. I look at something and my thoughts go to “how could I do this better?” I look at your packaging and the only thing I can come up with is to have the Playmate of the Month deliver it. As for the dust jackets themselves, they are terrific. In my book they are as good as the original jacket and at a much more affordable price. I have at least twenty-five books left in my collection that need your dust jackets. I’ve been ordering four at a time and when my new order arrived I got to thinking. “Why not go ahead and order them all at one shot? I have the money. One shot and I could put my entire collection in order”. My answer was that I’d have nothing left to do with my ERB books. Re-read them again, but I’ll do that, jackets or no jackets. The fun I’m getting looking at my books, deciding which books to get jackets this time and then waiting for them and finally opening the package and there they are, that is the best fun I’ ve had with my books in a long time. So, I’ll be placing another order for four dust jackets shortly and after they arrive another order for four until I’ve run out of books to cover. Thank you again for the wonderful jackets and great packaging/shipping. I’m looking into The Burroughs Bibliophiles information you sent me. Thanks for that too - Yes, the SAVAGE PELLUCIDAR dust-jackets have arrived and look fantastic! I am very pleased with your dust-jacket designs and was pleasantly surprised to find the Canaveral variant, that was very kind of you. The ACE and Canaveral variants are quite nice and will make up a unique looking set. I will be ordering more dust-jackets from you. My order and your kindness have surpassed any expectations I may have had. Kudos to you sir. - I just placed another order for some of your great dust jackets. On your website you have a lot of good information there. I read over your information on the dust jacket for A Girl from Hollywood and I think the one I ordered will be close to the original jacket. No where else have had as much good information as you provided on that book. A lot of the early ERB books I have in my collection came from a “dealer” whos place of business was his garage and the back of his car. I found the price penciled in showing that I paid $3.50 for this “scarce” book. My Cave Girl was $12.50. My sister-in-law gave me a half-dozen Burroughs books that had been in a box of family books. Four in really good shape but The Master Mind of Mars and The Land That Time Forgot are in really rough shape. With your DJ’s I can now bring them out of the closet and display them with pride. Dealing with you has awakened my interest in ERB again. In looking over my book collection I’m finding out all sorts of things. I have three of the 1948 books with what looks like smoke damage along the bottom of them. Not much, but it is there. I have only one book that was printed during WWII and the pages are very yellow/brown and brittle. It’s one I’ll be replacing soon. My copy of Synthetic Men of Mars is a cut-down ex-library re-bound book. I found a nice one on eBay with dust jacket (your illustration showed me that the red circle in the lower right-hand corner makes it a 1948 copy). I have several ex-library books which I’ll replace in time. But in the meantime, I have lots and lots of my books that need DJ’s so just to let you know you’ll be hearing from me a lot. June 2017 - They arrived today in great shape. I take my hat off to you on the packaging. At long last my Tarzan of the Apes has a wonderful DJ. The fit is perfect. The DJ’s on the three Mars books are just great . . . I always loved Roy Krenkel and always felt that he captured the spirit of the book he illustrated. I have a copy of The Moon Maid by A.C. McClurg & Co. (blue with black lettering). At sometime in the future I’ll buy a McClurg DJ but until then I’m really pleased with the variant you sent me. - Your alternate DJs are amazing! They're all great, but I especially like the alternates you did of OUTLAW OF TORN, SKELETON MEN OF JUPITER, MAID OF MARS, AT THE EARTH'S CORE (Modest Stein painting), and THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (Popular Mechanics illo). They're all really quite nice. I'll be looking for more to get! - My dust jackets arrived today. Your packaging was great. They went on my books with no problem. The Thuvia, Maid of Mars dust jacket is greatly appreciated. I have about fifty Burroughs books in my collection. Probably half of them I was able to purchase for twenty-five cents each. Then came along the librarian and the price for the rest went up, and up. I was always more interested in his Mars books. What I plan on doing is going through my collection and getting one of your great dust jackets for all. I could not be more pleased with your dust jackets. The quality and pricing is fantastic. I guarantee you will be hearing from me again, and again. May 2017 - I received my order on Monday. They look great on my books. . . I’m very pleased with the quality of your DJs. . . P.S. Thanks very much for including the jacket for At The Earth’s Core. Now I will be on the hunt for a book to put it on. - You do good work for a reasonable price. Thanks for the bonus cover, I truly appreciate it. . . I am a science fiction geek. I have a huge library of science fiction books, first editions and reprints collected over the past thirty years. Most of my collection was acquired at estate sales and rare book stores (those that are left). Once in a while, I will find something at an antique store. I’ll buy anything that is in the genre, but I go nuts over Asimov, EE Smith, Heinlein, John W Campbell, Clarke. I am a big fan of Burroughs’ science fiction books. Which is what brought me to you. Maybe fifteen years ago, I bought a Burroughs’ sci fi lot which had a bunch of Tarzan books mixed in. None had covers so I just put them in a box and stored them in my basement. Last week I just happened upon that box and pulled three books out. I did the research on them and found your site. So I thought I would cover them and add them to my shelves. They look great. I have a couple more that I just pulled out of another box, so I will be ordering those as well. And since I have now added the Tarzan series to my list of “buy on sight”, I will be ordering the covers more often. -Thank you very much for the DJs I received on the 19th. They arrived in excellent condition, and I could hardly wait to wrap them around my books. They fit perfectly, and look beautiful! I could not be more pleased! I also wish to thank you for the bonus DJ for THE MAD KING. I've been a Frazetta fan ever since I bought the ACE edition of TARZAN AND THE LOST EMPIRE. Thank you again, and I expect to be ordering more DJs soon. April 2017 - I should have known that once I started reading the Tarzan books, my childhood would come back on me! Hahahaha! Ive started collecting hardback Tarzan books, and only Tarzan, and of course, if they need dust jackets, I go straight to you! I appreciate the free one you always give me, and thats what started me back down this road! I had to have a book for it!!! Actually, I like your variant dust jackets that you create. Once I get rolling, I may order some extra books just to put your variants on them! Many thanks! - From a customer in the UK - Just a quick note to let you know that the two dust jackets (Oakdale Affair and Moon Maid) arrived recently and in good shape. I was on holiday last week and they were waiting for me when I got back so they may have arrived a little while ago. Anyway, I'm really pleased with the jackets. They fit perfectly and significantly enhance the appearance of the books on the shelf. If I have any further requirements for facsimile jackets then I will definitely be in touch. Thanks again for the prompt service and the bonus jacket - . . . I recently received the replica dust jacket you sent for my first ed. Tarzan of the Apes. I have purchased numerous jackets from [recoverings.com], but wanted one that looked used, like my book. I ran across your website and lo and behold, there it was. I was skeptical about a scan and print version but decided to take a chance. When it came in the mail I was thrilled. Even my wife, who is not particularly a fan, was impressed. My book was either lost or stolen for more than a decade. It was returned to me about a month ago and now it seems complete. Thank you that I have been a recipient of the product of your "hobby". Best regards, . . . - I received the covers and they are absolutely gorgeous. As we complete our collection, I’ll definitely be coming back to you for our covers. Thank you so much for the additional cover of Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar. I’ll be gifting these to my husband next month. He’s going to be floored! Thank you so much!!! March 2017 - I have received the Moon Maid facsimile and variant bonus The Cave Girl DJ, and they look fantastic. I was in Thailand for two-weeks and just got back late Wed and picked them up at the PO yesterday, Thurs. I'll probably be ordering more from you as I pick up a few more ERB books. You have a really interesting hobby recreating these old dust jackets. I buy a few old books but really can't afford the prices for the pristine old dust jackets. I don't have a very extensive collection, but affordable DJ repros make the books so much more appealing to display. They really had some top notch artists creating these older dust jackets. ---------I did not log these customer comments by month until the end of Mar '17.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - I received the facsimiles and thank you very much! They are beautiful and are already on my books by ERB. The extra one by Frazetta is very beautiful, much more so than the original one that I have now of Tarzan and the Lost Empire. - I have received the dust jackets. I shared them with (name omitted) when I picked up the six firsts that she restored. It was great witnessing her exclamations of wonder at your work. I love The Eternal Savage [variant]. Thank you! - I received your dust jackets today. Beautiful! I love the form-fit pre-crease in them! - I received my covers and I like them very much. Beautifully replicated book jackets that bring new life to these great classic editions. They spruce up my Tarzan books nicely and thanks for the bonus variant DJ. . . - Charlie, Thank you for your prompt shipping of my dust jacket order. I very much like the variant cover for "Tarzan of the apes". I have an extra AL Burt edition I am going to try to fit it to. Keep up the great work. Thanks again, - I received the jacket covers from you. They looked great! You do a great job printing facsimiles for First Editions as well as reprints. I enjoyed the history of the Frazetta variant. I have quite a few of the original ACE paperbacks and always wondered why Krenkel did some of the covers and Frazetta did others. Thanks for the covers as well as the history. Now, I need to find a copy of Son of Tarzan on which to place the cover. - I purchased several Tarzan books from Heritage Auction the other day. Two of them were First Editions and the others were reprints. I was excited to find your website, so that I could place covers on them. So, I ordered three covers just to see if it was worth it. The answer is definitely ‘yes’ so expect another order soon for the rest. - The dust jackets arrived yesterday. They're all great! It was a fun time unpacking them and looking them over and wrapping them around the books I had for them. You certainly have more on your website I'm interested in, so I'll be placing another order one of these days. Thanks for the extra you included of Tarzan the Trimphant!! Nice looking jacket. And the dark spines are cool! - I received the Return of Tarzan Dust Jacket [variant based on MGM poster] last week and I must say that you did a fine job with it. I find it strange that ERB, and Grosset & Dunlap did not take advantage of the popularity of the Weismuller films to issue additional photoplay editions of Tarzan novels. With the variant dust jackets you are creating using images from the original movie posters you are filling this void, admittedly on a belated basis. I am never disappointed when I open your latest shipment. You seem to be able to reach back in time and capture an image true to that era and turn it into a dust jacket that seems to fit with that time-frame. You have my deepest encouragement to continue with this endeavor. - I got another batch of Jacket Covers today. It was the batch with the two different Mad King copies and the free McClurg Son of Tarzan that you sent along with the others. These jackets sure improve the old books. I especially like the ones that are "antiqued", they look far more natural with the old books. - I just got my DJs and am so pleased with them that I had to email you directly. They are awesome! Also thanks so much for the gift of "The Mad King" variant DJ. It looks great on my G&D reprint. It's great that you are able to create such wonderfully colorful DJs at such an affordable price. I'll be looking through my collection so I can order more. - I received all 6 of the jackets I had ordered and have already left positive feedback on Ebay for the 3 I bought there. Many thanks for that and also for the Mucker variant. Although I don't think anyone will ever beat St. John's original jacket for that title, Cutta did an extremely good job and I found it interesting as to both style and composition. The uniform Kline variants using the Krenkel illustrations were the best, though. I have always preferred Krenkel's ERB and Kline paperback covers to anyone else's so it was fun to wrap these around hardcover editions of Kline's books. I thought that the changes you made to the Planet illustration were a vast improvement over the original Ace presentation; so much so that I now think that it tops the Prince picture, which up until now I felt was the best of the three. - The jackets arrived today, and they look great. Thanks for the extra piece. I still need to add some more Kline to my collection, so I’m sure I’ll be using it. Contrary to what some collectors think, I think these facsimile jackets add value to a book aesthetically, and add protection to the books as well. - Just a quick note to let you know that I have been very pleased with the dust jackets that I have received in the past few months. They have gone a long way towards dressing up the Burroughs section of my collection (not to mention those old Tom Swift books). I even went so far as to buy some other editions of Burroughs so that I would have somewhere to put the variant jackets that you do such a nice job on. I am trying to finish up my collection of ERB before I retire in two years. Of course in the current unstable political and economic conditions I might have to endure a few more years. Anyway I am sure that I will be making another order soon. So thank you in advance for the great service you provide - The variants you produce have put back the old excitement of experiencing something new which had been missing for a long time with my Burroughs collecting. Even if I did not have copy of a particular dust jacket, I knew what it looked like so there was no surprise when I was finally able to obtain one. I really like the Tarzan and the Lion Man variant you produced. I had never seen a picture of that movie poster and I feel it is a significant addition to ERB art that has long been unavailable. . . I did see on your list of testimonials that at least one person liked the Tanar of Pellucidar dust jacket. He seemed as thrilled about it as I was when I first saw it. . . . I want to express my gratitude for the work you are doing to produce these variant dust jackets. When I receive a dust jacket order from you . . . I have always been delighted with the treasure that awaits inside. - (from a customer in England) Just to let you know I received the Canaveral variants today and they look really great. Once again you've done a great job, and thanks for the bonus jacket. I've never seen this . . . illustration before or the one for the Jewels of Opar variant you sent as a bonus jacket last time, so it's great to have them, thank you. - Hello Charlie, just to let you know i received the two jackets you sent. I'm so pleased with them that i had to let you know straight away. The Lion Man variant looks incredible. You've done a fantastic job with your design. Thank you so much for the Lost Empire jacket. . . . . . . .I have the Metropolitan hardback and it now looks stunning with it's new jacket! Thanks once again for the great dust jackets. - (This customer and fellow ERB enthusiast decided he would cover the jacket-less books in his Tarzan collection.) Hi Charlie, Received the last of the Tarzan dust jackets today, and thank you so much for variant "Tarzan and the Lost Empire" jacket. I had never seen that jacket before at all, and, as you, that novel was always one of my favorites. With this shipment I guess that our business together has been concluded. I am very pleased with all the jackets and enjoyed ordering from you and corresponding with you. If I would ever have the opportunity to recommend you I would do so in a heartbeat. Thanks again for everything. - Got the great new jackets today, along with your letter. Thanks, they are all gorgeous and I have put them all onto their titles. Those two 1st editions, Escape and Jungle Girl, are 100% improved in their appearance with the new jackets. . .Your unique jacket designs are creating a very special, one of a kind ERB collection on my shelves. Thanks! - The Girl from Hollywood and Bandit of Hell's Bend jackets [variants] arrived today. I agree that both are striking. The scenes are completely different from their American counterparts [and] so provide a fresh view for the book." - I just got my new dustjackets and they are absolutely gorgeous and fit like a charm ! I'm absolutely thrilled and can't thank you enough for this beautiful art that you have perfected ! - Nice job, Charlie. Your jackets are a decided improvement over Canaveral's efforts. - I received the "At the Earth's Core" and "Pellucidar" dust jackets today. As always it is a delight to see the finished product. You continue to do a excellent job in visualizing and preparing these variant versions. - Thanks again for the great covers, including the variant for The Outlaw of Torn. As fate would have it, I had recently purchased a coverless hard copy edition of this book and it is now properly attired in what you have sent. - I received the dust jackets I ordered and I cannot tell you how satisfied I am … actually, I can. I am satisfied to the hilt. I am extremely impressed not only with the product, which was way much more than I expected in terms of quality of reproduction, but you also adhered a plastic outer-coating [Brodart Library Protector] to preserve your product. - The Tanar variant arrived today. I think the Post Office lost the package for a while. No matter, it has arrived safely. I really love that jacket. I had a jacketless G & D ripe for enhancement. Now it’s, by far, the coolest looking book on that shelf. The circling thipdars on the spine and the beautiful blues and greens really make that one stand out. Now the rest of the shelf looks shabby in comparison. - The variants you produce have put back the old excitement of experiencing something new which had been missing for a long time with my Burroughs collecting. Even if I did not have copy of a particular dust jacket, I knew what it looked like so there was no surprise when I was finally able to obtain one. I really like the Tarzan and the Lion Man variant you produced. I had never seen a picture of that movie poster, and I feel it is a significant addition to ERB art that has long been unavailable. . . I did see on your list of testimonials that at lest one person liked the Tanar of Pellucidar dust jacket. He seemed as thrilled about it as I was when I first saw it. . . . I want to express my gratitude for the work you are doing to produce these variant dust jackets. When I receive a dust jacket order from you . . . I have always been delighted with the treasure that awaits inside. - The Girl from Hollywood and Bandit of Hell's Bend jackets arrived today. I agree that both are striking. The scenes are are completely different from their American counterparts so provide a fresh view for the books. I think your Bandit jacket looks just as good as the original. . . - Your site is awesome Charlie. I especially like the explanations about ERB, yourself, G&D, Burt variations. |
| The Moon Maid. J. Allen St. John. Collection of ERB, Inc. When I was 16 years old and already an ardent reader of ERB in the early ACE editions, I visited ERB, Inc where a very cordial Hulbert Burroughs spent an hour talking to my brother and I. Why this very busy man took the time to talk to us at all still astonishes me. But ERB's son did more than talk, he spent an hour answering shallow questions from a callow, awe-struck 16 year old. He was patient and friendly throughout the interview, making us feel welcome and appreciated. This glorious painting, the first St, John I had ever seen was on the wall in his office. I couldn't stop staring at it. As we got up to leave Mr. Burroughs reached to the shelf behind his desk and took down a paperback, the as-yet- unreleased Carson of Venus, first ACE edition to be released in December 1963, and gave it to me, endorsing it on the title page. As a young reader, I read and reread that book not realizing it's ultimate sentimental worth to me. That tattered paperback has traveled the world with this now-retired professional soldier. It remains the prize in my collection, and I will always remain an admirer of the cordial gentle- man who allowed us to spend some time with him that day. |
| As an eighteen-year-old, fresh off the farm (literally, I worked the summer following high school on a large farm/ranch operation in South Dakota) I joined the Army Security Agency (ASA) rather than be drafted. In basic training, I heard that the ASA had a base in Asmara, Ethiopia. I immediately began to finagle my way to an assignment there. I had to see Tarzan's Africa. There I learned the lesson that all young romantics must learn. The world is a dangerous place, superstitious, harsh and cruel in the extreme. Yet in the learning of that lesson, I never really expunged ERB's Africa from my psyche, and to this day, in some ways, ERB's Africa is just as real to me as the geopolitical- postcolonial-nightmare-Africa that changed me so much. |
| When I was stationed in Germany, I took up drawing and painting, first in water colors, later in acrylic. With new hobbies, my attention span is often limited, but I've always managed to keep this hobby up. Check out a few samples here. When I retired from the military after twenty-seven years, I went to work as a high school teacher in Killeen, Texas, the city near Fort Hood, Texas which was my last assignment. I figured that high school students would be just another group of trainees, so what the heck. I spent fifteen years teaching school and still think of the profession of teaching, like I do that of soldiering, with fondness and pride. With my beloved wife of over forty years, who in that time had to put up with the trials of a military wife and the tribul- ations of a teacher's wife, I am now retired. I spend my time helping my children become better adults (I hope they think it so), visiting my grandchildren and working on my hobby, which encompasses Edgar Rice Burroughs and his world, this web site, and the facsimiles that I love to make and sell. |
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