# Edgar Rice Burroughs: what's the symbol mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554 "2013-09-24T00:09:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/1 "2013-09-24T00:09:07Z")
There’s a symbol, rather ancient-chinese looking, on the spine of Burroughs’ books (at least the early ones): a long vertical slash cut by two short horizontal slashes, small circle down/right. Where did it come from? What does it mean? I have searched, but my google-foo is weak. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/2 "2013-09-24T00:19:53Z")
On the binding or on the dust jacket? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/3 "2013-09-24T00:23:20Z")
Do you have an image? ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/4 "2013-09-24T00:29:07Z")
The one shown on the spine [here](http://www.erbfirsts.com/mpv-html/m10.aspx)? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/5 "2013-09-24T01:43:14Z")
I don’t know, but it’s all over the Edgar Rice Burroughs website, and on many products they sell. It’s on the navigation arrows for the website, too. I’ve seen it for years, but don’t know what it represents. It’s not his Bookplate (described on his Wikipedia page), but maybe it’s meant to be a highly stylized version of it? > **[Official website of ERB Inc., creator of Tarzan®, Moon Men™, John Carter of...](https://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/)** > > Legacy of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Tarzan > **[Tarzan.com ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs Official Website](http://www.tarzan.com/all/)** > > The Official Tarzan Site from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. - Tarzana, California Bookplate and its explanation here: > **[Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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 and John Carter, he also wrote the Pellucidar series, the Amtor series, and the Caspak trilogy. > Tarzan was immediately popular, and Burroughs capitalized on it in every way possible, including a syndicated Tarzan comic strip, movies, and merchandise. Tarzan remains one of the mo... ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/6 "2013-09-24T02:11:44Z")
It looks like a stylized sword, to me. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/7 "2013-09-24T15:42:04Z")
Possibly his name, written in shorthand? > **[Pitman shorthand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitman_shorthand)** > > Pitman shorthand is a system of shorthand for the English language developed by Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman (1813–1897), who first presented it in 1837. Like most systems of shorthand, it is a phonetic system; the symbols do not represent letters, but rather sounds, and words are, for the most part, written as they are spoken. > Shorthand was referred to as phonography in the 19th century. It was first used by newspapers who sent phonographers to cover important speeches, usually stating (as a c... The top vertical and the first horizontal could be a B and an R. The second horizontal stroke and the long vertical stroke might be an R and a Z, with the circle representing the vowel. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/8 "2013-09-24T16:01:17Z")
If you click on the symbol and open in a new tab, you’ll see that it is stored in a file called dodajcba.jpg. I did a search on dodajcba, and got a bunch of websites in Polish. The one I bothered to translate was just the same ERB page I started at! Not an answer, but maybe someone else can run with that… ---
**Author:** ![Kobalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/41988e/32.png) [@Kobalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobalt)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/9 "2013-09-24T16:12:05Z")
Its the ERB Doodad. It doesn’t actually mean anything, its just a symbol that Burroughs made up while camping. He and his sons used it as a trail marker so they could tell who had hiked in which direction. The location of the circle indicated either Edgar Rice Burroughs (circle to the right) or one of his sons (circle to the left, or below the doodad). ERB liked it so much, that he kept using it as a personal symbol and eventually used it as a publisher’s imprint on the spine of his books when he started his own publishing company in the 1930’s. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/10 "2013-09-24T19:46:07Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > If you click on the symbol and open in a new tab, you’ll see that it is stored in a file called dodajcba.jpg. I did a search on dodajcba, and got a bunch of websites in Polish. The one I bothered to translate was just the same ERB page I started at! > > Not an answer, but maybe someone else can run with that… Well the few hits I saw on Polish websites for “dodajcba” are rendered as “dodaj” (imperative form of “to add”) and “CBA.” On a couple websites, it’s being used in the context of “add [user] CBA to your list of contacts” and in another, it’s a message that says “because you are using Adblock, add CBA to your list of exceptions,” CBA apparently being some Polish web hosting service. So no luck there. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/11 "2013-09-25T02:37:23Z")
> [@Kobalt](#): > > Its the ERB Doodad. It doesn’t actually mean anything, its just a symbol that Burroughs made up while camping. He and his sons used it as a trail marker so they could tell who had hiked in which direction. The location of the circle indicated either Edgar Rice Burroughs (circle to the right) or one of his sons (circle to the left, or below the doodad). ERB liked it so much, that he kept using it as a personal symbol and eventually used it as a publisher’s imprint on the spine of his books when he started his own publishing company in the 1930’s. It sounds plausible, but do you have a cite? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/12 "2013-09-25T07:05:14Z")
[Here ya go, **Cal** : > [@](#): > > The famous ERB Doodad was created during one of their outdoor adventures in the high Sierras in 1924 when Ed sketched it out in the sand on a riverbank. This symbol was to become the famous colophon which appears on most of the ERB books. Each family member, however, had his own special variant of the doodad: Ed’s circle was to the right of the “spear,” Hulbert’s circle was below, and Jack’s was to the left. The family embarked on numerous other auto expeditions: the Grand Canyon area in August, 1926 and Death Valley in April 1933. ]([JCB 0335: John Coleman Burroughs](http://www.johncolemanburroughs.com/0335.html)) [Here is ERB standing next to the tail of his airplane. The craft was named Doodad and featured the ERB Doodad on the tail](http://www.erbzine.com/mag11/ebair3h3.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/13 "2013-09-25T13:12:45Z")
> [@Kobalt](#): > > Its the ERB Doodad. It doesn’t actually mean anything. . . . And that’s the beauty of it? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/14 "2013-09-25T14:07:28Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Here ya go, **Cal** :](http://www.johncolemanburroughs.com/0335.html) > > [Here is ERB standing next to the tail of his airplane. The craft was named Doodad and featured the ERB Doodad on the tail](http://www.erbzine.com/mag11/ebair3h3.jpg). You misunderstand. We all know that ERB used that symbol a lot – that’s not what I’m asking about a cite for. I want corroboration of your colorful tale about its origin. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/15 "2013-09-25T14:28:13Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You misunderstand. We all know that ERB used that symbol a lot – that’s not what I’m asking about a cite for. I want corroboration of your colorful tale about its origin. 😕 You mean like the first sentence that I quoted? > [@](#): > > The famous ERB Doodad was created during one of their outdoor adventures in the high Sierras in 1924 when Ed sketched it out in the sand on a riverbank. Did you notice the website I quoted that from? It’s part of a series of sites owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. ETA: I sent an email to the webmaster asking for more info; I also gave him a link to this thread so he can check out the discussion if he wants to. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/16 "2013-09-25T20:27:24Z")
I heard back from Bill, the webmaster over at [ERB.com](http://ERB.com). Here is his reply to my query: > [@](#): > > Bo: > Here are some refs from my [ERBzine.com](http://ERBzine.com) site: > > [ERBzine 0335: John Coleman Burroughs](http://www.erbzine.com/mag3/0335.html) > JCB bio info in ERBzine: > The famous ERB Doodad was created during one of their outdoor adventures in the high Sierras in 1924 when Ed sketched it out in thesand on a riverbank. This symbol was to become the famous colophon which appears on most of the ERB books. Each family member, however, had his own special variant of the doodad: Ed’s circle was to the right of the “spear,” Hulbert’s circle was below, and Jack’s > was to the left. > > [ERB LIFELINES BIO: 1920-1929](http://www.erbzine.com/bio/years20.html) > ERB Bio Timeline in ERBzine > August 22 - September 1: “Notes on Trip to Mono Creek and Porpoise Lake” - a 10-page description of a fishing excursion with his sons into the Sierras. The famous Doodad is created during this trip. > > [ERBzine 0696: Hyde Odyssey XXVI-XXVII](http://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0696.html) > From Bob Hyde’s ODYSSEY OF A TARZAN FANatic: > Hully explained the origin of the fancy 'T" Doodad, which first appeared on the spine of the Jungle Girl dust jacket (1932). This was originally a directional trail marker used when the family rode horses on the ranch, but had originated on a camping trip in 1924. The placement of the small circle in different locations indicated who had taken a trail, and the bottom line indicated the direction. ERB’s small circle was on the lower right, John’s on the lower left, Hully’s below the line, and Joan’s at the top between the two parallel bars. ERB then later decided to use his marker as the Corporation’s colophon trademark. > > * * * > > EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS: THE MAN WHO CREATED TARZAN ~ Irwin Porges > Page 567 > "In a 1974 interview at Tarzana, [ERB’s son] Hulbert recalled some occurrences of the trip: > > “One afternoon while resting on the bank of Mono Creek, Dad and my brother Jack were doodling in the sand with sticks. It was on this occasion that Dad devised the curious symbol that became his personal mark. He called it the Doodad. It was later used as the now-familiar colophon on the spines of the books his company started publishing in 1930. He frequently signed personal notes and memos with it.” > > * * * > > Bill Hillman > Editor and Webmaster for the > Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute Websites and Webzines > Over 10,000 Webpages in Archive ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/17 "2013-09-25T21:25:53Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You misunderstand. We all know that ERB used that symbol a lot – that’s not what I’m asking about a cite for. I want corroboration of your colorful tale about its origin. No, I didn’t You could’ve placed the information inside a quote, instead of having to search on a page of information for it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edgar-rice-burroughs-whats-the-symbol-mean/669554/18 "2013-09-25T23:09:18Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > No, I didn’t You could’ve placed the information inside a quote, instead of having to search on a page of information for it. You mean the website name? The fucking URL? You have to search for that? What kind of browser do you use??? Next time, google shit for yourself.