What You Need to Know Before Buying Tales of Tarzan Cosimo Classics
The Cosimo Classics edition of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tales of Tarzan is a straightforward reprint of the original serialization material. It is not annotated. It is not heavily introduced. You get the text, a basic layout, and a paperback format that sits in the middle of nowhere quality-wise. I picked one up a few years back because the hardcover editions from Subterranean Press were either out of print or costing three figures. Cosimo was sitting at around twenty bucks on Amazon, and I figured it was worth a shot. The first thing I noticed was the paper. It is thin, off-white, and slightly abrasive. Your fingers will get dirty if you read it for more than an hour without washing. Not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing before you commit to a full read-through.
Where to Find Tales Of Tarzan Cosimo Classics
The Cosimo Classics version is available through several channels. Amazon carries it in paperback consistently. Better World Books often has used copies in decent condition for under fifteen dollars. eBay has listings, but the condition grading on those is unreliable — I once got a copy described as "like new" that had water damage on the bottom three pages and a broken spine hinge. Just saying. If you want something cheaper and don't mind digital, the Project Gutenberg text is freely available and essentially identical content since Burroughs' work is in the public domain. But if you want a physical book to shelf and read, Cosimo is one of the more accessible options. Here is something most buyers miss about this edition. The Cosimo printing uses the original 1919 Bookman's Magazine serialization text, which means the chapter breaks and some paragraphing differ from the later collected-volume editions. If you have read Tarzan of the Apes or The Return of Tarzan in modern reprints and then pick this up, the pacing will feel slightly different. Some paragraphs are split where later editors combined them. It is a minor thing, but it changes how the text flows when you are halfway through a scene and expecting a certain rhythm.
Another detail people overlook: the typeface. Cosimo uses a fairly standard serif font that is legible but not particularly refined. At my desk with warm lighting, it reads fine. In direct sunlight or with cool white LED light, the contrast on the page drops enough that extended reading becomes tiring after about forty-five minutes. I switched to a bedside lamp with a 2700K bulb and it made a noticeable difference. The binding is a simple perfect binding, not sewn. That means if you flatten the book completely, it will resist you and the spine will crack after a while. I learned this the hard way on volume two. Now I crease the spine gently before each reading session and lay the book flat on a weight, which helps it stay open without stressing the glue joints. It adds maybe ten seconds to your process but extends the book's lifespan considerably. There are also some typographical quirks in the Cosimo edition. A few comma splices that look like they slipped through editing, and one instance in Chapter 7 where "Kala" appears as "Kla" in a few printings I have seen across different batches. It is easy to miss, but if you are reading closely it stands out. The online forums have a running list of errata, but honestly most of them are so minor they do not affect comprehension at all.
Get the Full Details
For collectors, this edition is not going to impress anyone. The dust jacket is flimsy and the cover art is a generic stock illustration that does not match the mood of the stories. If you want something that looks good on a shelf, look at the Tauchnitz editions or the hardcover Ballantine prints from the seventies. Those are harder to find but far better constructed. For general readers who just want to sit down and read the Tarzan stories without spending a fortune, the Cosimo Classics paperback does the job. It is readable, it is affordable, and it is complete. Just keep a rag nearby for the paper dust and do not expect it to survive more than a few years of heavy handling.
