Tarzan of the Apes (1912) is a classic novel by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs. The novel tells the story of the boy Tarzan being raised by apes in the African jungle. The novel is the first in a series two dozen books about Tarzan. As a man, he encounters humans again when an expedition of white men comes into the jungle. In 1888, John Clayton II and his wife Alice get marooned in a jungle on the coast of West Africa. After a mutiny on the ship, they put ashore with all their possessions, along with some food and tools. The young English couple holds the title of Lord and Lady Greystoke. In September of 1889, their son John Clayton III is born. When the baby boy turns one, he loses both his parents. First, his mother dies. Next, his father gets killed by Kerchak, the king of the apes. A female ape named Kala adopts the infant boy and raises him as her son. Tarzan helps Kala to replace her own dead baby. Kala names him Tarzan, which means "white skin" in the language of the apes. The baby boy is raised as an ape. He learns their language, gains a strong sense of family, and understands the ways of the apes. He becomes a skilled hunter. The strongest among the apes are at the top of the hierarchy. At first, Tarzan does not know about his human parents. He recognizes that he is physically different from his ape peers. His differences make him feel alienated. Tarzan thinks his differences prevent him from being fully accepted by his peers.