A Princess of Mars - Phoenix Science Fiction Classics (with Notes and Critical Essays)

Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 - March 19, 1950) was an American writer best known for his creations of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.Aiming his work at the pulps, Burroughs had his first story, Under the Moons of Mars, serialized in The All-Story in 1912 - under the name "Norman Bean" to protect his reputation. Under the Moons of Mars inaugurated the Barsoom series and earned Burroughs $400. It was first published as a book in 1917, entitled A Princess of Mars, after three Barsoom sequels had appeared as serials and McClurg had published the first four serial Tarzan novels as books.Burroughs soon took up writing full-time, and by the time the run of Under the Moons of Mars had finished he had completed two novels, including Tarzan of the Apes. Burroughs also wrote popular science fiction and fantasy stories involving adventurers from Earth transported to various planets (notably Barsoom, Burroughs's fictional name for Mars), lost islands, and into the interior of the hollow earth in his Pellucidar stories. He also wrote westerns and historical romances.Tarzan was a cultural sensation when introduced. Burroughs was determined to capitalize on Tarzan's popularity in every way possible. He planned to exploit Tarzan through several different media including a syndicated Tarzan comic strip, movies and merchandise. Experts in the field advised against this course of action, stating that the different media would just end up competing against each other. Burroughs went ahead, however, and proved the experts wrong - the public wanted Tarzan in whatever fashion he was offered.

*** The Phoenix Science Fiction Classics series has been designed for the convenience of students. Special margins provide liberal space for students to take notes. *** These distinctive trade paperbacks have also been priced to make them one of the most affordable critical series in the market today, making them easily accessible to students of all economic means. *** Each book includes notes, critical essays, chronologies, bibliographies and more. *** *** Dejah Thoris, Princess of the red humanoid race on Mars, is captured by the four-armed green 'Tharks.' John Carter, mysteriously transported from Arizona (and now possessing super strength) rescues the Princess resulting in grand romantic adventure. *** One of the great pulp science fictions of the early twentieth century, A Princess of Mars inspired many future science fiction writers including Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury. Carl Sagan, who read the book as a child, was fascinated by it. A map of Mars, as imagined by Burroughs, hung outside Sagan's offices in Cornell University.*** This edition includes critical essays by acclaimed author and senior lecturer (Arizona State University) Paul Cook and by Alexei and Cory Panshin (adapted from their Hugo-winning work on science fiction, The World Beyond the Hill).