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John Carter Cover Art
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Barsoom (Martian) Bibliography of
the Mars Books by Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars books (The Classic Mars Trilogy) plus the last
Mars book, with John Carter as the central character :
Brief Synopsis of the Mars Books Trilogy with John Carter as the main character The first three volumes in the Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs originally appeared between 1912 and 1914. They are actually a single super-epic, much like "Star Wars" ( and "Star Trek," as well)-with many elements in them that were precursors to the Star Wars saga (cloaking devices, similar teminology, etc.) John Carter, the Confederate Officer who is no longer in service at the close of The Civil War is somehow (see previous page) transported to the Planet Mars (or, "Barsoom" as Edgar Rice Burroughs and the Mars inhabitats named it). He arrives in the middle of a desert, naked and with no weapons. He has no knowledge of the inhabitants customs or language. John Carter is soon taken as a prisoner and at that point, death from slavery seems his fate. Through acts of courage and bravery and skill as a military officer John Carter attains the position of "Warlord of Mars" having fought fought all over the enite the planet of Mars. He returns to Planet Earth for a few years and then goes back to Barsoom, in which the adventures get even more bizaar. He has also, by now, attained the somewhat lesser title of the "Prince of Helium" (Helium is the main city and metropolis of Barsoom). He also has won over Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium). Brief Synopsis of the book John Carter of Mars This book was published in 1964 by Canaveral Press and for the first time the stories "The Giant of Mars" and "The Skeleton Men of Jupiter" are presented in book form. The book was illustrated by Reed Crandall. It is the eleventh and final book in the Martian series and was published 16 years after "Llana of Gathol," the last book that Edgar Rice Burroughs saw published during his lifetime. Interestingly, the title "John Carter of Mars" was a title that was never used by Burroughs himself for a serious book, but was used in juvenile adaptations (a Big Little book and a comic) . The two novellas that constitute "John Carter of Mars" are "John Carter and the Giant of Mars" and "The Skeleton Men of Jupiter."
"John Carter of Mars" made its first appearance in the "Amazing Stories" magazine in January 1941. The authorship was disputed by readers because of Barsoomian "setting" conflicted somewhat with the setting originally constructed by Burroughs and of placing cities in desert and swamp regions previously not done. Also injected into the tale were creatures not present in the other Barsoomian tales. Actually what appears to have happened was that Burroughs had earlier written in collaboration of his son John, the Big Little Book version of the book and later expanded it for adult readership for the story "John Carter and The Giant of Mars." Records from the publisher and the family verify this. "The Skeleton Men of Jupiter" appeared in "Amazing Stories" magazine in February 1943. The action takes place on Jupiter, but the main character is John Carter. What is important and interesting about this novella is that Edgar Rice Burroughs intended that it was to be used as an opening piece for a string of inter-connected novels starring John Carter. Sadly, World War II, Burroughs' age and health prevented this from occurring.
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Copyright John Anthony Miller 1999, 2002. With thanks to Danton Burroughs.
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