Summary
Summary of The Mad King
The Mad King at a glance
Summary: 8 min to read
- Reading time
- About 6 h4 h 45 min fast, 7 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 85,300 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1926by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
Key ideas
Key idea 1
A joke becomes a royal trap
Barney Custer arrives in Lutha for a hunting trip, wearing a beard he must keep because of a lost bet. The escaped King Leopold has the same gray eyes and reddish-brown beard. When Barney rescues Emma von der Tann from a runaway horse, he jokingly introduces himself as the mad king.
Emma believes him, and his confession only convinces her that her king is confused. By the time Peter’s troopers arrive, a playful claim has become an identity that others refuse to question.
Key idea 2
Courage matters more than a title
At Blentz Castle, Barney cannot persuade his captors that he is an American.
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Key idea 3
Mistaken trust creates a real obligation
Men offering to guide Barney instead deliver him to Yellow Franz and his bandits.
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Key idea 4
Barney refuses a crown within reach
In a sanatorium, Barney finally finds the real Leopold, whose resemblance explains the repeated mistakes.
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Key idea 5
Loyalty brings exile rather than thanks
Restored to his throne, Leopold wants Barney’s service hidden rather than honored.
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Key idea 6
The disguise becomes a deliberate choice
With an Austrian army crossing into Lutha, the conspirators draw Emma toward Blentz through a false message about her father.
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Key idea 7
Loyalty means choosing what comes first
Loyalty in Lutha is not simply obedience to whoever wears the crown.
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Key idea 8
Appearances keep the adventure in motion
Barney and Leopold share the features that persuade others they are the same man.
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Key idea 9
Courage and fairness must be earned
Barney’s face places an ordinary American inside a struggle over royal power.
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About 6 h 10 min to read.Who it’s for
You will love this if you enjoy swashbuckling adventure, daring escapes, hidden doors in old castles, look-alike heroes and fast, humorous storytelling.
What this book is
What if a joke made you a king? Barney Custer, a young American from Beatrice, Nebraska, is touring the mountain kingdom of Lutha with a reddish-brown beard he must keep because he lost an election bet. He rescues a girl from a runaway horse, then introduces himself as the mad king of Lutha. She believes every word.
The Mad King is an adventure novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan.
In this summary
- 1A joke on a mountain road backfiresFree
- 2Blentz Castle holds him and Maenck threatens her
- 3Bandits, a loyal boy, and a king's ransom
- 4The real king appears and a coronation is stopped
- 5Ingratitude, exile, and a bomb in Nebraska
- 6A firing squad, a sewer, and a stolen car
- 7Back in Lutha, the king is lured and lost
- 8A man proves himself by what he does
- 9Loyalty, honor, and love pull in different directions
- 10Told at a gallop with humor, doubles and secret doors
Key point 1 of 10
A joke on a mountain road backfires
Barney arrives in Lutha for a hunting trip, wearing a reddish-brown beard he must keep until the fifth of November. The country is in uproar, because the mad king Leopold has escaped from Blentz Castle after ten years. His uncle Peter of Blentz, the regent, posts a notice describing a man with gray eyes and a reddish-brown beard.
Soon a girl on a runaway horse flashes past his roadster. Barney catches her as she jumps and goes over the cliff with the car. He climbs out unhurt. Feeling mischievous, he calls himself the mad king of Lutha. She goes white and kisses his hand. She is Emma von der Tann, whose father has always said the king is not mad.
Barney confesses it was a joke, but it is too late. She decides to humor a king who has lost his mind. Then Peter's troopers arrive to find Emma weeping over what they take for the dead king. A careless joke can bind you to a role that others are eager to believe.
That’s 1 of 10 key points.
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Check yourself
Why does Emma continue to believe Barney is the king after he admits his joke?
Right. “She decides to humor a king who has lost his mind.”Not quite. “She decides to humor a king who has lost his mind.”
What does Barney do when the crown is within his reach?
Right. “Barney refuses a crown that is not his, even when no one could stop him.”Not quite. “Barney refuses a crown that is not his, even when no one could stop him.”
What does the contrast between Barney and Leopold suggest about personal worth?
Right. “Worth is measured by what a person does when others are in danger.”Not quite. “Worth is measured by what a person does when others are in danger.”
Go deeper: the whole of The Mad King
About 6 h 10 min to read.Paperback, hardcover and large print, printed for you at cost, are on their way.Email me when it is printed
Questions about The Mad King
What is The Mad King by Edgar Rice Burroughs about?
It follows Barney Custer, an American who looks exactly like the missing king of the small country of Lutha. Mistaken for the king, he is drawn into plots, escapes, a coronation and a war, all while falling in love with a princess.
Who is the mad king in The Mad King?
Leopold, the young king of Lutha, is declared mad by his uncle Peter of Blentz and held in Blentz Castle for ten years. Whether he is truly mad, or only kept from his throne, is one of the questions the story answers.
Is Lutha a real country?
No. Lutha is an invented mountain kingdom, though its neighbors in the story, Austria and Serbia, are real and appear as the First World War begins. The setting gives the adventure a European backdrop of castles, courts and borders.
Why does Barney Custer keep his red beard?
Barney lost an election bet and must keep the beard until the fifth of November, or else wear a green wastebasket bonnet with red roses. The beard makes him resemble the missing king, and that resemblance drives the plot.
Is The Mad King an easy book to read?
Yes, the style is clear and lively, with short chapters that end on cliffhangers. Barney's humor and the steady action make it easy to follow, and the two parts each have a clear goal and a new set of dangers.
Cite this edition
Burroughs, Edgar Rice. The Mad King. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mad-king.
Burroughs, E. R. (2026). The mad king. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mad-king (Original work published 1926)
Burroughs, Edgar Rice. The Mad King. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mad-king.
@book{burroughs2026mad,
author = {Burroughs, Edgar Rice},
title = {The Mad King},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mad-king},
note = {First published 1926}
}
