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From: Michael Martinez
Subject: WorldFAQ: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar (Earth's core)
Date: 1997/11/25
Message-ID: <65e3dt$24b@drn.zippo.com>
Organization: None
Newsgroups: alt.fan.created-worlds,alt.fantasy.er-burroughs,alt.pulp,alt.books
Note: This WorldFAQ was written by David Critchfield. I
appended sections 5 and 6 of the Amtor WorldFAQ to complete
this document. This document has been reformatted to
compensate for some line wrapping problems.
WorldFAQ:
Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar (Earth's core)
-----------------------------------------------------------
1]. Quick Reference
Pellucidar, as every schoolboy knows, is Edgar Rice
Burroughs' fantasy world which exists within our own
world, at the Earth's core. David Innes and Abner Perry
penetrate the Earth's crust in their newly invented
mechanical mole and travel five hundred miles down
towards the center of the earth, emerging in the
prehistoric world. There they fight for existence
against stone age dangers and the chance to bring
civilization to this world. Primary sources are AT
THE EARTH'S CORE, PELLUCIDAR, TANAR OF PELLUCIDAR,
TARZAN AT THE EARTH'S CORE, BACK TO THE STONE AGE,
LAND OF TERROR, and SAVAGE PELLUCIDAR.
-----------------------------------------------------------
2]. Description
Pellucidar's surface is three-fourths land and with an
inside diameter of 7000 miles, it's a very large world
of 124,110,000 square miles. Its oceans have a combined
area of 41,370,000 square miles. Thus, considering the
land area only, we have the strange anomaly of a larger
world within a smaller one. In the center of this
world hangs Pellucidar's sun, continuously at zenith,
giving an endless eternity of noon. The sun gives no
method by which to measure time and Pellucidar's
inhabitants have little concept of it. "The Dead
World" is Pellucidar's moon which revolves about the
Earth's axis coincidently with the Earth, always a
mile above the same spot. Perpetually in darkness,
this area is known as "The Land of Awful Shadow".
Pellucidar has no horizon since her surface curves
away upward in all directions from the observer,
so that one's line of vision goes onward and upward
until lost in the haze of the distance. A polar
opening exists connecting the outer crust to
Pellucidar, far north of Korsar. It is believed that
the ancestors of the colorful pirates, the Korsars,
came from the outer crust.
Pellucidar's climate is eternally springlike. The
atmosphere near the surface is slightly less dense
than ours because of centrifugence but is also
shallower so it is extremely cold upon mountain
heights. Prevailing winds blow, generally, from
the north to the south for half of the outer-Earthly
year and then the reverse for the other half. Clouds
are practically unknown in her skies.
When Innes and Perry arrive in Pellucidar, the
races of man are being preyed upon by a superior
reptilian race, the Mahars. The Mahars use the
gorilla-like Sagoths as their servants to enslave
men to use in vile experiments and worse.
Eventually Innes wins allies and pulls the kingdoms
of man together into an alliance against their
common enemy. It is thus that the empire of
Pellucidar is formed with David as its emperor.
Innes makes the kingdom of Sari his capital and
takes Dian, the Beautiful One as his mate. Using
innovations obtained from the outer world and
Perry's inventions, the empire drives the Mahars
to the far reaches of Pellucidar. The empire
knows little peace as next they go against the
Korsars, who also possess gunpowder technology.
So enormous is the land area of Pellucidar, so
sparsely populated is it, and so little explored,
that one could travel for many sleeps without
encountering another person. It is, however,
teeming with plant and animal life. It's like
a vast melting pot where animals of nearly all
the geological periods of the outer crust exist
contemporaneously. With beasts such as tandor,
the wooly mammoth, the thipdar, the Pellucidarian
word for pteranodon, the tarag or sabertooth
tiger, and the zarith, the mighty Tyrannosaurus
Rex, the human races of the inner world
constantly fight for survival.
The land's races are just as varied as its animal
life. The Buried People of Amiocap, the Horibs,
the insane Jukans, and the tortured Gorbuses are
but few of the strange tribes which exist within
the inner world. All the races possess a homing
instinct, similar to our pigeons, which allows them
to find their way home, no matter the distance.
This trait is their only tool of navigation as
there are no stars, sun or moon to guide them.
This instinct is all the more amazing when you
consider that the tribes of The Floating Islands
are able to negotiate directly home even when it's
never in the same place!
Burroughs has created a primitive, savage world full
of mystery and surprises and peopled with races and
characters to love and hate. Pellucidar has captured
our imaginations as few worlds have.
-----------------------------------------------------------
3]. Printed Sources Bibliography
Note: These books were originally published from
1914 through 1963 and have been reprinted many times.
AT THE EARTH'S CORE
Innes and Perry set out on a trial run in Perry's
invention, the iron mole, but once in motion, they are
unable to change the machine's course. Travelling five
hundred miles to the center of the Earth, they expect
to meet eternal fires but instead emerge into a new
world. The two encounter strange peoples and
prehistoric beasts as they fight to stay alive,
finally becoming slaves to the reptilian superior
race of Pellucidar, the Mahars. The two gain allies
and Innes falls in love with Dian the Beautiful One.
They eventually escape from Phutra, stealing the
Great Secret of the Mahars, without which, the race
is doomed to eventual extinction for The Secret
contains their method of artificial propagation. The
human races of Pellucidar begin to unite, forming an
empire with Innes as emperor. Needing books and
materials from the outer world to advance their cause,
David returns to the surface. As Innes is leaving,
Hooja the Sly One kidnaps Dian, substitutes a
disguised Mahar in her place, and sabotages the
iron mole, sending it off course to a final
destination in the Sahara Desert. Edgar Rice
Burroughs discovers Innes there and listens to
this story. The author then departs and sends him
supplies for Pellucidar and 500 miles of wire to
establish a telegraph line. It is unclear if Innes
returned to Pellucidar or was murdered by Arabs.
PELLUCIDAR
David Innes returns to Pellucidar in the iron mole,
bringing such implements as might aid him to establish
the empire of his dreams. He finds that his old foe,
Hooja, the Sly One, has caused his empire to decay.
David and Abner Perry journey across Pellucidar,
mapping the land as they go, fighting foes and
savage beasts in the search for Dian. Eventually,
David rebuilds the empire and crushes the rebel
forces of Hooja with the aid of the new fleet of
the empire -- fifty ships armed with cannons.
Rejoined with his mate, David then marches from
one Mahar city to the next, killing or capturing the
Sagoths and driving the Mahars out of the empire.
TANAR OF PELLUCIDAR
An unknown race of sea-faring pirates, the Korsars,
have been harassing kingdoms of the empire. A part
of the force sent to repel them, Tanar the Fleet
One, son of Ghak of Sari, is taken captive. This
is Tanar's story as he wins the love of Stellara,
step-daughter of the mighty Korsar chief, The Cid,
encounters many adventures on the islands of the
Korsar Az, and falls captive to the Buried People.
Coming to Tanar's rescue, David Innes, emperor of
Pellucidar, is taken captive by the Korsars. The
two escape temporarily, marching north and
discovering the polar opening to the outer world.
All but David, who remains in a Korsar dungeon,
win their way back to Sari. This story is
transmitted by Abner Perry to the outer world
where it is received by Jason Gridley and Edgar
Rice Burroughs. Gridley decides to organize a
force and go to Pellucidar to rescue Innes.
TARZAN AT THE EARTH'S CORE
Jason Gridley travels to Africa and enlists the
aid of Tarzan to lead the rescue mission to the
earth's core. They construct the great dirigible,
the O-220, and pick a crew which includes Captain
Zuppner, Lieutenant Wilhelm von Horst, Muviro and
nine Waziri warriors. They enter Pellucidar
through the polar opening but having arrived,
realize the worst was yet before them. For
almost immediately, the team become separated
-- each forced to face the terrors of the unknown
alone.
During their travels, Jason and Tarzan encounter
the Horibs, the lizard-people, who fatten-up their
captives for later consumption by their females
and children. After many adventures, the crew of
the dirigible is reunited and then meets the fleet
of the empire in route to Korsar to rescue David
Innes. The emperor is saved and the dirigible
returns to the outer world. Jason decides to
stay behind with Jana the Red Flower of Zoram,
his love, and to search for the still missing
Von Horst.
BACK TO THE STONE AGE
Lost and separated from his friends, Wilhelm von
Horst wanders from one adventure to the next amid
the unexplored terrors of this primeval land. His
resourcefulness is tested first when he survives
being eaten in a trodon's nest, though paralyzed
from the neck down. During his travels he meets
and falls in love with the slave girl La-ja,
formerly the proud daughter of a chief. The two
fall captives to the cave-dwelling Gorbuses,
those white-skinned people who have fleeting
memories of a former world where they were all
murderers or sinners. They escape from them only
to be enslaved by the fierce mammoth men. Von
Horst is forced to fight for his life against
mammoths and saber-toothed tigers in a natural
arena. Saved by an old and wise mammoth he once
befriended, Old White and Von Horst become travel
companions. Eventually found by a search party
of Sarians lead by David Innes, Von Horst
decides he is content to stay with his little,
yellow-haired cave-girl.
LAND OF TERROR
David Innes, emperor of Pellucidar, falls captive
to the bearded warrior-women of Oog while
returning to Sari. David has to fight for his
life as he encounters some of the strangest races
of the inner world including the insane warriors,
the Jukans. It is in their palace that he becomes
friends with Zor of Zoram and the two plot to win
their freedom and also that of David's mate, Dian
the Beautiful One. Escaping the madmen and
pursuing his mate and her captor, the treacherous
Do-gad, across new territories, David falls captive
to the man-eating giants of Azar, man-size ants,
and the natives of The Floating Islands. Finally,
near death on the waters of the Bandar Az, he is
rescued by a vessel from his fleet commanded by
Ja the Mezop.
SAVAGE PELLUCIDAR
David Innes and Hodon, the Fleet One are among
those that travel to the aid of the kingdom of
Kali which is being threatened by the Suvians. On
the trip, Hodon meets his mate-to-be, O-aa,
daughter of a king. At the same time, Dian, the
Beautiful One tests out the latest invention of
Abner Perry -- a hot air balloon. Those endeavors
go awry and begin a series of adventures which
lead both David and Hodon in near hopeless searches
for their mates across the lands of Pellucidar.
Both women end up being worshipped as goddesses,
because of their unusual methods of arrival, in
two cities of the bronze age which exist on the
other side of the nameless strait which divides
Pellucidar's known and unknown lands.
During their travels, the men encounter an old
sailor from the outer crust. Eventually reunited,
the friends fight their way 700 miles overland
through stone age terrors to return to their home
at Sari.
-----------------------------------------------------------
4]. Visual Sources Bibliography
DC Comics published a brief adaptation of AT THE EARTH'S
CORE in the early 1970s.
-----------------------------------------------------------
5]. Related Materials Bibliography
There is a biography of ERB, EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS: MASTER
OF ADVENTURE, by Richard A. Lupoff, published by Canaveral
Press in hardcover and then published by ACE in 1865 and
reprinted in 1968.
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS: AN EXHAUSTIVE SCHOLAR'S AND
COLLECTOR'S DESCRIPTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY, McFarland, 1996.
ERB fan clubs which publish magazines (according to the
1979 ACE imprints and the ERBCOF-L welcome message)
include:
ERB-dom & THE FANTASTIC COLLECTOR -- $12 for
4 issues (only partially related to Burroughs)
Ed., Caz Cazedessus
P.O. Box 2340
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
THE BURROUGHS BIBLIOPHILES -- $28/Year
George McWhorter 505-852-8729
BURROUGHS BULLETIN and THE GRIDLEY WAVE
Ekstrom Library - Burroughs Memorial Collection
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY 40492
GTMCWH01@ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU
ERBANIA (old, possibly outdated info)
8001 Fernview Lane
Tampa, Florida 33615
TBN (THE BURROUGHS NEWSBEAT) (old, possible
outdated info)
110 South Shore Drive
Clear Lake, Iowa 50428
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATION
Ed., John Martin (Limited
Membership)
P.O. Box 157
Galvin, WA 98544
THE L.A. Sub-ERB NEWSLINE
From the L.A. Chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles
Ed., James Van Hise* (619) 365-5836
57754 Onaga Trail
Yucca Valley, CA 92264
ERB-NOTIZEN (in German)
Ed., Kurt Denkena
Postfach 750 331
D-28723 Bremen, Germany
Fan publications include:
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS NEWS DATELINE -- $12 for
4 issues
Ed., Mike Conran 616-457-1446
1990 Pine Grove Drive
Jenison, Michigan 49428
ERBANIA -- $8 for 4 issues
Ed., Pete Ogden 813-884-8144
8410 Lopez Drive,
Tampa, FL 33615
FANTASTIC WORLDS OF ERB -- $17.50 for
4 issues
ED., Frank Westwood
77 Pembroke Road
Seven Kings, Ilford
Essex, IG3 8PQ
England
THE EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS LIBRARY OF ILLUSTRATION, edited
by Russ Cochran and printed by Russ.
It is three oversized volumes beginning with J. Allen
St. John (the majority of the surviving St. John works
are reproduced here), and then John Coleman Burroughs,
some Frazetta and RG Krenkel, and comic book art.
These are out of print and rather expensive, running
from $300 to $600 for the set.
ART OF EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, Joe Jusko. (Paperback &
hardback)
Devoted to reproducing many of the illustrations done
originally for the card sets.
-----------------------------------------------------------
6]. Online References
A) News Groups
alt.fantasy.er-burroughs.
Also Burroughs' works can be discussed in
rec.arts.sf.written, alt.pulp and
alt.fan.created-worlds.
B) Mailing/Discussion Lists
The Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain Of Friends List
(ERBCOF-List). Send email to:
LISTSERV@APSU01.APSU.EDU
[Note: That is APSU.]
Send one or more of these function commands to
the Listserver in the body of the mail message:
SUBSCRIBE ERBCOF-L
Subscribes you to ERBCOF-L. [Replace
with your own full name.]
UNSUBSCRIBE ERBCOF-L
Removes you from the list. [Replace
with your own full name.]
To participate in the ERBCOF-LIST discussion,
send your e-mail "post" [message] to ERBCOF-L
itself at:
ERBCOF-L@APSU01.APSU.EDU
[Note: ]
The Edgar Rice Burroughs List (ERBlist)
To Subscribe to the ERBlist listserver send
e-mail with the word SUBSCRIBE as the message
subject to
ERBList@beginners.net
Moderated by Tangor
(bruce.bozarth@worldnet.att.net) To
Unsubscribe: email erblist@beginners.net
put UNSUBSCRIBE in the SUBJECT line
The TARZAN-L list is devoted to discussion of
the new TV series TARZAN: THE EPIC ADVENTURES.
To subscribe, send the word 'subscribe' (without
quotes) to:
Tarzan-L-request@cuenet.com
C) Web sites
The Edgar Rice Burroughs Website
http://www.tarzan.com/
The Barsoomian Blade
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/5236/
Although it's main focus is Barsoom parody, there is
also quite a bit of stuff relating other ERB worlds.
D) Online services
No special forums.
E) IRC
None.
F) Comprehensive lists of resources
The ERBCOF-L welcome message, which is sent to you
after subscribing to the list, contains
bibliographical information, a brief history of
the ERB Circle of Friends, and contact information
for various ERB groups and publications.
Other WorldFAQs posted in alt.fan.created-worlds and
alt.fantasy.er-burroughs are "Edgar Rice Burroughs'
Barsoom (Mars)", "Edgar Rice Burroughs' Amtor
(Venus)", and "Edgar Rice Burroughs' Vanah (Interior
of Luna)".
The article ONLINE BOOKS: THE WORKS OF EDGAR RICE
BURROUGHS is posted occasionally to
alt.fan.created-worlds and alt.fantasy.er-burroughs.
It may also be cross-posted to other groups like
rec.arts.sf.written and alt.pulp. This article
lists ERB books that can be downloaded from Project
Gutenberg.
Tangor has developed the ERBFAQ for ERBList and it
is posted to alt.fantasy.er-burroughs and
alt.fan.created-worlds.
-----------------------------------------------------------
7]. Maintainer Information
FAQ owner: David Critchfield
Last Updated: November 25, 1997
Some information was supplied by:
Pat Adkins
Michael Martinez
Bob Zeuschner
----------------------End of WorldFAQ--------------------
--
++ ++ "Well Samwise: What do you think of the elves now?"
||\ /|| --fbaggins@mid.earth.com
|| v ||ichael Martinez
++ ++------------------------------------------------------
|
