Orphaned as a babe in the African jungle, tiny John Clayton, the only child of Lord and Lady Greystoke, is rescued by a tribe of great apes. The child, now named "Tarzan," grows to manhood in this savage world among the fierce anthropoids. Aided by his keen knife and innate intelligence, Tarzan ascends to become king of the apes, able to face any peril and conquer all foes. When men come to Tarzan's jungle, they bring danger that is motivated by greed...

This collection of interconnected short stories takes Tarzan back to his early years and tells of the exciting and formative events of his youth. These twelve tales show the ape-man before he learned of civilization or truly understood his human heritage. Tarzan finds an unlikely first love and first heartbreak, befriends an elephant, and tries to adopt a child with predictably mixed results. Gentle humor tempers tales of ferocious and violent action...