Scott Tracy Griffin is an American writer, actor and "one of the world's leading experts" on author

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...

and his works. He is the author of ''Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration,'' the "only official commemorative illustrated history" of Burroughs' literary character

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

, which book was a 2013

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. Originally a poll ...

finalist for Best

Art Book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that engage with and transform the form of a book. Some are mass-produced with multiple editions, some are published in small editions, while others are produced as one-of-a-kind ob ...

."Locus Award Winners," Locus online, June 29, 2013
/ref> Griffin began writing professionally in 1993, covering the film industry for magazines including ''

Cinefantastique ''Cinefantastique'' is an American horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine. History The magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset printed quarterly in 1970 by publisher/ ed ...

'', '' FilmFax'', and ''

Alter Ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...

''. He scripted the ''Tarzan'' Sunday comic strip in 1996 and has consulted on and appeared in documentaries and news programs, including '' Investigating Tarzan'' and '' Tarzan: Silver Screen King of the Jungle'' to discuss

and

. Griffin said he became deeply interested in the Tarzan character through the "Tarzan Family" and "Korak, Son of Tarzan"

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

as well as reprints of Tarzan strips by cartoonist Russ Manning.

''Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration''

Griffin took an idea for a commemorative book to

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. is an American holding company founded in 1923 by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is based in Tarzana, California. The company holds the rights to the literary estate of Burroughs that are still protected by copyright ...

, which owns the Tarzan trademark, and the company contracted with him to "compose the franchise's history." Griffin's "lavish" and "well-researched" coffee-table book" on Burroughs was published by

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of the British entertainment company Titan Entertainment, which was established as Titan Books in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cine ...

in 2012.Susan King, "Hollywood Books: 'Tarzan The Centennial Celebration' Is Wild for Him," ''Los Angeles Times,''; November 28, 2012
/ref> Burroughs biographer and retired

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. It originally o ...

professor Robert Zeuschner said of the book that "Until now, there has never been a single source which could be used to examine the original pulp magazine art, the dust jacket covers for the early printings, the comic book covers and interior art, and the huge number of Tarzan movies made after the silent era."

Personal life

Griffin was born in

Starkville, Mississippi Starkville is a city in and the county seat of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, Starkville's population is 24,360, making it the 16th-most populated city in Mississippi. Starkville is the largest ...

, the son of Jesse E. Griffin, an

optometrist Optometry is the healthcare practice concerned with examining the eyes for visual defects, prescribing corrective lenses, and detecting eye abnormalities. In the United States and Canada, optometrists are those that hold a post-baccalaureate f ...

, and Sarah D. Griffin, who worked as "a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...

and later for Alexander's Home Health." As a child, he told an interviewer for List Film, he was an "animal lover" who was "captivated by the notion of interacting with apes, elephants and other exotic species."Henry Northmore, "Interview: – Scott Tracy Griffin – Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration," List.co.uk, October 19, 2012
/ref> He became fascinated with Tarzan at age 9 when he saw an image of the character on the side of a

lunchbox A lunch box (or lunchbox) is a hand-held container used to transport food, usually to work or to school. It is commonly made of metal or plastic, is reasonably airtight and often has a handle for carrying. In the United States In the Unit ...

.Michael Aushenker, "Welcome to the Jungle," ''Argonaut'' online, January 22, 2014
/ref> Griffin graduated from Starkville Academy and received a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology from

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded ...

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

. He moved to California around 1988 to become an actor and a writer. He lives in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

.Brenton Garen, "Santa Monica Author Celebrates Tarzan in New Commemorative Book" ''Santa Monica Mirror'', November 29, 2012
/ref>

References

External links

Griffin website

* ttp://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=54873 "SDCC: What's New With Tarzan, John Carter & Edgar Rice Burroughs," ''Comic Book Resources,'' August 16, 2014 (Griffin as panel moderator)
“Glossary of Caspakian Words,” prepared by Griffin for ''The Land That Time Forgot,'' by Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1999
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Scott Tracey American male writers Living people People from Starkville, Mississippi Tarzan Year of birth missing (living people) American male actors