Tarzan of the Apes was written by Edgar Rice Burroughs and first published in novel form in 1914. It is the story of Tarzan, the son of a British Lord and Lady marooned on the West coast of Africa by mutineers. When Tarzan is a year old, his mother dies of natural causes, and his father is killed by Kerchak, leader of the ape tribe into which Tarzan is adopted. Tarzan meets a young American woman, Jane Porter, who along with her father and others of their party is marooned at exactly the same spot on the African coast where Tarzan's parents were twenty years earlier. When Jane returns to America, Tarzan leaves the jungle in search of her, his one true love, only to learn the bitter news that she has become engaged to William Clayton. Meanwhile, clues from his parents' cabin have proved Tarzan's true identity. Instead of claiming his inheritance, Tarzan chooses to conceal and renounce his heritage for the sake of Jane's happiness. Tarzan follows a "return to nature" philosophy. While he is able to pass within society as a civilized individual, he ultimately prefers life in his native jungle. This publication of Tarzan of the Apes is part of the Qualitas Classics Fireside Series, where pure, ageless classics are presented in clean, easy to read reprints. For a complete list of titles, see: http: //www.qualitaspublishing.com