Bidspirit auction | 1930s-1940s Two Tarzan Better Little

1930s-1940s Two Tarzan Better Little Books by Edgar Rice Burroughs with Original Dust Jackets - This lot features two hardcover Better Little Books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, published by the Whitman Publishing Co. of Racine, Wisconsin. The volumes are characterized by the Big Little Book format, featuring a square, thick-paper text block with a full-page black and white line-art illustration accompanying every page of text. The first book, Tarzan and the Golden Lion, shows a copyright page stating Copyright, 1930, 1931, 1948, by EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, Inc. Printed in U. S. A. The spine is marked with the series number 1448. The interior front flyleaf contains a handwritten inscription in black ink reading Clarabell Morgan Oct. 13, 1943 from Mother. The second book, Tarzan’s Revenge, features a copyright page reading Copyright, 1938, by EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, Inc. Tarzana, Calif. Printed in U. S. A. Its spine is printed with the series number 1488. Both volumes are bound in pictorial boards and retain their original dust jackets, which are currently housed in protective clear covers. The back cover of Tarzan and the Golden Lion features a yellow promotional list titled Your Favorite Characters in BETTER LITTLE BOOKS including names such as Dick Tracy, Mickey Mouse, and The Lone Ranger. Internal illustrations include captions such as Tarzan Spent Hours in Training, Kraski Explained the Expedition, and The Ape Picked a Captive in the Golden Lion volume, while Tarzan's Revenge includes Ben Alleu Bey Joined His Safari and The Reed Party Waited. Both books exhibit heavy wear consistent with age and high-acid pulp paper construction. Tarzan and the Golden Lion shows significant paper loss and fraying to the spine edges (photo 4) and bumped, exposed corners on the boards (photo 2). The interior pages are heavily toned to a dark tan color throughout. Tarzan’s Revenge shows visible moisture damage and dark tide marks along the upper edge of the text block and interior pages (photos 13, 14, 15, and 16). The spine strip of Tarzan’s Revenge has significant rubbing and surface loss at the head and foot (photo 12). Both dust jackets show edge wear, small tears, and surface rubbing visible through the protective covers (photos 1 and 2).