A Princess of Mars

Credits and rights

Original writer

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Publisher of this edition

BoingyBooks Classics

Original publisher

Project Gutenberg

Adaptation credits

John Shoufler / BoingyBooks Classics — digital edition

Original source / edition

A Princess of Mars (1912)

License

Public Domain

License link

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

Rights and adaptation notice

This work is in the public domain. John Shoufler published this digital edition through BoingyBooks Classics. The original work remains public domain and may be copied, adapted, and shared.

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1912)

Civil War veteran John Carter is mysteriously transported to Mars (Barsoom), where he discovers a dying planet of warring alien races, four-armed green warriors, and the beautiful princess Dejah Thoris. The novel that inspired Star Wars, Avatar, and modern science fiction.

Historical Significance:
Serialized as "Under the Moons of Mars" in All-Story Magazine in 1912 (the same year as Tarzan), A Princess of Mars created the "planetary romance" genre. George Lucas has cited it as a major influence on Star Wars — the desert planet, the warrior princess, the fish-out-of-water hero transplanted to an alien world. James Cameron's Avatar drew heavily on Barsoom's ecology and warrior cultures. Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, and Carl Sagan all acknowledged Burroughs' influence on their love of space exploration. Disney's 2012 film adaptation John Carter, while a box office disappointment, introduced a new generation to Burroughs' imaginative world.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1912. Free to read and share.