Savage Pellucidar

Hodon and O-aa was written from September 7 to September 15, 1940. It appeared in Amazing Stories Vol. 16 No. 9 in February 1942 as The Return to Pellucidar. The magazine has a non-Pellucidar cover by L. Raymond Jones. Inside are two black and white illustrations by J. Allen St. John. Contained within this story, but not included in the book version, is an 850-word footnote recapping the Pellucidar story thus far. These “lost words” were reprinted in the article, Girl of Pellucidar, by Paul Spencer in ERBANIA #55 in April 1986.

Men of the Bronze Age was written from October 6 to October 13, 1940. It appeared in Amazing Stories in March of 1942. Inside are two black and white illustrations by St. John.

Tiger Girl was written from November 6 to November 10, 1940. It appeared in Amazing Stories in April 1942. Inside are two black and white illustrations by St. John. He also did a color painting intended for the cover, but it was used a month earlier for the Burroughs story, War on Venus, in Amazing’s sister magazine, Fantastic Adventures. Phil Normand created an alternate dust jacket for the Canaveral edition of Savage Pellucidar using this picture. Buy one at his website. The closing paragraph of Tiger Girl was discarded when Burroughs expanded the three-episode story into four. This paragraph was reprinted in the article, Girl of Pellucidar, by Paul Spencer in ERBANIA #55 in April 1986.

The first three stories were reprinted with the original interior art in Amazing Stories Quarterly, Fall 1942. It has a cover illustration by Julian S. Krupa.

Savage Pellucidar was written from October 2 to October 26, 1944. It appeared in Amazing Stories nineteen years later in November 1963. It has a back cover and two black and white interior illustrations by Larry Ivie.

The four novelettes were first published as a book in November 1963 by Canaveral Press (83,000 words). It has a dust jacket and six interior illustrations by St. John (the original magazine illustrations). It has a map as endpapers. This is map #4 in the article, No Homing Instinct Required. The book has a blue cover with blue lettering. The copyright page was tipped in due to errors. The book was dedicated to James Michael Pierce, ERB's grandson. Burroughs’ tentative title for this book was Girl of Pellucidar. After the book was published, a jacket blurb by Burroughs was found. This can be read in Richard A. Lupoff’s Master of Adventure: The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

1964 Ace paperback with cover and title page drawing by Frank Frazetta (three printings)

David Innes takes a company of warriors northeast toward Kali as the King of Suvi is threatening that village. Arriving on the coast, David sends a runner, Hodon the Fleet One, inland to Kali. Hodon is captured by Suvians who have taken Kali.

Failing on his attempt to make a plane that also flies, Abner Perry constructs a balloon.

Hodon escapes the Suvians and meets O-aa, daughter of the King of Kali. She has eluded the Suvians.

Meanwhile, Ghak the Hairy One sends a thousand warriors on two ships toward Kali.

David Innes and company are tricked and captured by the Suvians at Kali. Hodon frees David and some of the Kalians. Hodon fights Blug who desires O-aa. During the fight, O-aa runs off due to a romantic misunderstanding. The Kalians leave to search some caves farther up the coast for the rest of their routed warriors. David and Hodon remain near Kali to free the remaining Sarian prisoners.

While hunting, Hodon discovers O-aa and saves her from a ta-ho (cave lion). Then the sabertooth men capture them. A fellow prisoner is an old man from the outer crust.

Meanwhile, Dian the Beautiful One decides to be the first to go up in Abner's new balloon. An unsecured mooring rope causes her to drift away at the mercy of the upper air currents.

David rescues Hodon, O-aa, and the old man from the sabertooth men, but they pursue them to a cave. Hodon takes O-aa to be his mate while the sabertooth men try to starve them out. They are saved by Ghak's warriors, fresh from Kali, where they were victorious over the Suvians.

Hodon once again has to fight Blug and once again O-aa runs off during the fight thinking Blug will be victorious. Hodon kills Blug but cannot find O-aa so the Sarians set sail for home.

Meanwhile, the runaway balloon carries Dian over The Land of Awful Shadow and then over the nameless strait where it is punctured by a thipdar.

O-aa is captured by La-ak of the island of Canda and taken by him in his canoe toward home. O-aa manages to kill La-ak and drifts until picked up by The Sari. The fleet had been struck by a hurricane and its ships driven apart.

Dian's balloon comes to ground near the Xexot city of Lolo-lolo. These men of the Bronze Age worship her as a goddess, their Noada. The high priest of Lolo-lolo is overtaxing the people. Dian cleverly returns the money to them.

Meanwhile, the crew of The Sari decides to abandon the crippled ship and make for land in the rowboats. O-aa remains alone on the ship, as the trip by rowboat seems too risky to her. Adrift, The Sari eventually enters the nameless strait, finally coming to rest on the shores of an unknown land. She is surrounded by Xexots of the other Bronze Age city called Tanga-tanga who think that she is the true Noada.

Later, the warriors of Tanga-tanga raid Lolo-lolo, killing many and taking prisoners. Dian begins to lose control over her people and she and Gamba, the king, are forced to flee the city.

The survivors of The Amoz, David, Hodon, Ghak, and the old man from the surface, now called Ah-gilak, finally make it back to Sari and learn of Dian's fate. Perry builds a second balloon for David to follow his mate's path. Hodon leaves to search for his O-aa.

David's balloon lands at Tanga-tanga where some people think he is Pu, father of their Noada, who is actually O-aa.

Dian and Gamba build a canoe to cross the nameless strait, but the current pulls them toward the Korsar Az. They reach the sea, and then a storm drives them to land on the island of Tandar where they are captured by the Tandars.

David and O-aa continue to gain support among the people of Tanga-tanga while the go-sha (king) spreads lies.

Meanwhile, Abner and Ah-gilak build a clipper ship and with a crew of Mezops and Sarians, sail toward the nameless strait to find David and Dian.

Dian manages to escape from the Tandars with the help of three tame tarags of the Tandar tribe.

David and O-aa's loyal followers defeat an uprising by the go-sha's men and banish the go-sha and high priest from the city. At peace finally, David has his people construct a canoe.

Gamba kills his slave-mistress and flees the Tandars.

During an attack by the people of Lolo-lolo, O-aa takes the canoe from shore, intending to stay close and wait for David, but the strong current takes her away.

Dian is attacked and captured by the Manats, and their ta-hos kill her tarags.

Meanwhile, Hodon and his Mezop crew aboard The Lo-har sail through the nameless strait into the Korsar Az and land on Tandar.

The crew of The John Tyler finds O-aa, and they rescue David during the battle. Hodon and the Mezops rescue Dian from the Manats and also meet up with Gamba.

Searching for Hodon and The Lo-har for many sleeps on the Korsar Az, the crew of The John Tyler becomes weary of the sea and so David, Ghak, and 200 Sarians decide to fight their way back to Sari by the shorter route across land. Ah-gilak, Ja, O-aa, and the Mezop crew decide to continue across the sea. Later as they sail by an island, O-aa decides to abandon ship because of two enemies she has made on board. Just past that island, The John Tyler runs aground. The Mezops leave the ship, and thinking Ah-gilak is responsible for O-aa's disappearance, leave him on board. A little later the wind shifts, taking The John Tyler back out to sea.

Meanwhile, aboard The Lo-har, Hodon, Dian, Gamba, and the Mezops continue their search.

O-aa escapes being eaten by a Tylosaurus, and then encounters a tame jalok she calls Rahna. Finding the jalok owner's canoe, O-aa and Rahna leave the island for the mainland, there meeting a warrior named Utan and his jalok. He convinces her to follow him to his home with the tribe of Zurts.

Meanwhile, The Lo-har meets The John Tyler with Ah-gilak on board. Everyone boards the superior ship, and Ah-gilak guides them to the spot where he last saw O-aa.

The chief's son, Zurk, lusts after O-aa and pursues her. She wounds him badly with an arrow, and Rahna kills his attacking jalok. Fearful of his tribe's vengeance, she strikes off toward home.

Hodon is washed off the ship in a storm and swept to land. He meets the wounded Zurk and carries him back to the Zurts.

Meanwhile, on board The John Tyler, Dian, Ah-gilak, Gamba, and the Mezops decide to turn back and go to Sari, thinking Hodon lost. At the same time, David, Abner, Ghak, and the Sarians meet Ja and his Mezops traveling around the Terrible Mountains.

q The reproduction dust jacket picture above is from Bruce Wood's site. Fine reproductions can be purchased there.

q Some of the magazine pictures are from Bill Hillman's Bibliography of Pulp Magazines, an excellent source of information.

q The Exhaustive Scholar's and Collector's Descriptive Bibliography by Robert B. Zeuschner (1996)

q A Golden Anniversary Bibliography of Edgar Rice Burroughs by Henry Hardy Heins (2001)

q Price and Reference Guide to books written by Edgar Rice Burroughs by James A. Bergen, Jr. (1991)

q Findings On Collecting Ace Paperback Books for 29 Years by Bill Ross from ERB Collector #48

q The Edgar Rice Burroughs Collector's Pocket Checklist by J. G. Huckenpöhler

q Master of Adventure: The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs by Richard A. Lupoff (1965)