I first read Philip Jose Farmer’s Tarzan Alive over twenty years ago. (And I must say that at the age of twelve I was a little confused about how to take it.)
Apparently, it has spawned a cult following that have a created a world containing just about every fictional heroic character known.
What does a beginner need to know? How do I get started? Is there a canon or a list of must-reads? Where are these works available? Some of the Farmer works are now out-of-print and I’m sure most of the amatuer stuff has only been published on the net.