The National Capital Panthans, hosts for the 1998 Dum-Dum in Baltimore, are the local Washington - Annapolis - Baltimore area chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles, the worldwide organization of collectors of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Our group came into being as a result of conversations between John Tyner, Bill Ross, and J. G. Huckenpöhler during the 1995 Dum-Dum in Rutland, Vermont. Beginning with a vague idea that "we ought to try to get together from time to time," and drawing on the database maintained by Bill Ross for his fanzine, The ERB Collector, the concept expanded into a monthly gathering of 10 to 20 local collectors, with occasional guests from as far away as New York City, Memphis, Tenn., and Jupiter, Fla. Traditionally, meetings in even-numbered months have been held in a local bookstore which has offered us space and free coffee, while those in odd-numbered months have been held in a member's home, thereby giving us a chance to see each other's collections, sell each other our duplicates, and generally behave as if we were at a Dum-Dum or an ECOF gathering. Unlike many other groups, we have no officers, no official membership, and no dues. However, we do have an unofficial "Quaestor," John Tyner, to manage the funds sent in for our miscellaneous administrative needs. We have two monthly publications available to our Panthan members: Our Panthan Newsletter (which covers the activities at the most recent meeting and location and date for the upcoming month's meeting) is available to all who wish to subscribe at a yearly rate of $15. The Panthan Newsletter is the result of a cooperative editorial effort between J. G. Huckenpöhler and Bill Ross. Responsibility for mailing out the monthly Newsletter rotates among the members, and the meetings at members' homes are contributed by the host. Our other publication, the National Capital Panthan Journal, which first appeared at our organizational meeting in September 1996; goes only to those attending the meeting and/or submitting contributions. Depending upon what members have to contribute in any given month, the Journal may contain as few as 20 pages or as many as 60. Contributions may include fanfic, notes downloaded from one or both of the ERB listservers, artwork from our professional artist members, movie reviews, or cover paintings from foreign language editions. Any member of the Burroughs Bibliophiles is welcome to join our group and subscribe to our newsletter; and, if you happen to be in the area on the first Sunday of the month, give one of us a call or an e-mail and we will be happy to have you as a guest at our next meeting.