Edgar Rice Burroughs (1 September 1875 – 19 March 1950) was a prolific American writer of fantasy, science fiction and adventure stories. Perhaps best known for being the creator of the Tarzan and John Carter of Mars series, he is an inductee into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
Despite the acclaim Burroughs has received for his work, and in a similar fashion to H. P. Lovecraft himself, he was vocal in espousing the tenets of eugenics and scientific racism, and included instances of these in some of his most popular works. Again similarly to Lovecraft, he was also something of an Anglophile.
Influence on Lovecraft[]
Critic William Fulwiler has suggested that Burroughs' At the Earth's Core was the inspiration for "The Nameless City" and "Dagon". Additionally, he has suggested that "Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family" was influenced by The Return of Tarzan and Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar.
Scholar Robert M. Price has put forward the possibility that the Barsoom (John Carter of Mars) books were a template for The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, although others have pointed out the lack of similarities between the protagonists.
Comparisons have also been drawn between Lovecraft's "The Temple" and The Land That Time Forgot.