Before he submitted the first half of “Under the Moons of Mars” to the editors at Munsey, Edgar Rice Burroughs had largely proved a flop. He was 35 years old, without a job or money, when he decided to give writing a go.
Although “Under the Moons of Mars” — credited to an unknown author named Norman Bean — never garnered a cover painting, Burroughs’ next published work — published under his own name — appeared complete in the October 1912 issue of The All-Story. Leading Munsey artist, Clinton Pettee, painted the magazine’s cover art.
Burroughs’ novel would be reprinted two years later as a book from A. C. McClurg and Co. It featured jacket art by Fred J. Arting and would be the first of many bestsellers for the author and his publisher. His next book — The Return of Tarzan — featured an N. C. Wyeth dust jacket, while J. Allen St. John began his long association with the author and his work with The Beasts of Tarzan. Frank E. Schoonover got the nod for the first two Mars books to be published by McClurg.
We hope you’ll join PulpFest and ERBFest 2025 on Friday, August 8, at 7:45 pm as we welcome contemporary Tarzan artists, Mark Wheatley and Douglas C. Klauba to our stage for a discussion of “The Masters of Tarzan Illustration.” From pulps to books to comics and more, they’ll be exploring Tarzan’s illustrators as part of this year’s salute to the sesquicentennial of Edgar Rice Burrough’s birth.
Since his teens, Mark Wheatley has been a fan of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, Leigh Brackett, Edmond Hamilton and other pulp authors. His career as an illustrator, TV development artist, and graphic novelist has earned him many awards including the Eisner, Inkpot, Mucker, Gem, Speakeasy, Golden Lion, and the Robert E. Howard Foundation Outstanding Achievement as well as nominations for the Harvey and the Ignatz. He is also an inductee to the Overstreet Hall of Fame. His work has often been included in the annual Spectrum selection of fantastic art and has appeared in private gallery shows, as well as numerous museums. To learn more about Mark, you’ll find his official website at markwheatleygallery.com.
Artist and illustrator Douglas C. Klauba has depicted many of the great popular heroes of the 20th Century, including a host of pulp magazine titans. An admirer of the work of pulp artists Walter Baumhofer, Virgil Finlay, Hubert Rogers, and George Rozen, Klauba declares himself a fan of the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard, as well as a pulp enthusiast.
A Chicago native, Doug graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 1985. He also studied at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. His illustrations have been commissioned for posters, advertising, book covers, magazines, corporate communications, calendars, and collector plates by various national and international agencies and design firms. His paintings have been included in the Society of Illustrators, Spectrum: The Best In Contemporary Fantastic Art, and Imagine FX magazine. Doug has won the Pulp Factory Award for Best Cover Art and the Golden Lion Award, presented by the Burroughs Bibliophiles in appreciation for contributions to keeping alive the works, characters, and the spirit of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
The general public is welcome to attend our evening programming events free of charge. To learn more about our programming, please click the 2025 Schedule button at the top of this page.
For those who also want to enjoy our dealers’ room, you can join PulpFest by clicking the register button at the top of this page. And don’t forget to book a room. The DoubleTree is essentially sold out, but you can click here for nearby hotels. If you’re looking for a roommate, write to Jack Cullers at his email address below.
As of June 8, there were a few rooms available at the convention rate on Saturday night. Click “book a room” on our website and edit your stay for just Saturday night.
Remember, in addition to your membership in PulpFest 2025, you’ll also be a member of Doc Con XXI, ERBFest 2025, and Farmercon XX. That’s four conventions for one price! You can’t beat that deal.
If you’re interested in selling at PulpFest, our dealers’ room is full. However, we are adding a limited number of tables in the pre-function hallway outside of the dealers’ room. These tables will cost $125 each and will be guarded by security overnight. If you are interested, please write to Jack Cullers at jack@pulpfest.com to sign up for a spot. Any attendees who are interested in providing security services, please write to Jack Cullers at his email address above.
Visit our YouTube Channel for more on Doug Klauba.
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Our featured image is excerpted from Clinton Pettee’s cover for the October 1912 issue of The All-Story, illustrating Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel, “Tarzan of the Apes,” printed in its entirety.
Our lead image was adapted by William Lampkin from a limited-edition print of Burne Hogarth’s front cover art for Tarzan of the Apes, a graphic novel by the artist, adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel and published in 1972 by Watson-Guptill.
Our final image is Fred J. Arting’s dust jacket for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan Of The Apes, published by A. C. McClurg in 1914.
Trademarks Tarzan®, Tarzan of the Apes®, John Carter®, Barsoom®, Edgar Rice Burroughs®, Master of Adventure™, and others owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Associated logos, characters, names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Used by Permission.
