A Princess of Mars is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the first of his famous Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs first novel, predating any of his famous Tarzan novels. Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 - March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan, although he produced works in many genres. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... In 1911, Edgar Rice Burroughs, now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan, began his writing career with A Princess of Mars, a rousing tale of pulp adventure on the planet Barsoom or Mars. ... Tarzan, a character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1914 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in twenty-three sequels. ...

Though later published in book form, the story was first published in serial form as "Under the Moons of Mars" in All-Story in 1912. It was written with the pseudonym of "Norman Bean". Burroughs chose a pseudonym of "Normal Bean" as a type of pun, but it was changed by a typesetter who thought the name was a typographical error. Burroughs was concerned he might suffer ridicule for writing such a story, which is why he chose a pseudonym. 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ...

The story

John Carter, an American Civil War veteran, goes prospecting in Arizona and, when set upon by Indians, is mysteriously transported to Mars. Called "Barsoom" by its inhabitants, Carter finds that he has demigod-like strength on this planet, due to its lesser gravity. Carter is soon captured by "Tharks", the planet's warlike, four-armed, green inhabitants. In 1911, Edgar Rice Burroughs, now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan, began his writing career with A Princess of Mars, a rousing tale of pulp adventure on the planet Barsoom or Mars. ... The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-three mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right of secession from the... A veteran refers to a person who is experienced in a particular area, particularly referring to people in the armed forces. ... Prospecting is the act of searching for minerals or ore deposits. ... State nickname: The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State Other U.S. States Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Governor Janet Napolitano (D) Senators John McCain (R) Jon Kyl (R) Official language(s) English Area 295,254 km² (6th)  - Land 294,312 km²  - Water 942 km² (0. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... A demigod, a half-god, is a modern distinction, often misapplied in Greek mythology. ... Gravity is the force of attraction between massive particles. ...

Eventually Carter escapes from the Tharks and rescues the princess Dejah Thoris, one of the humanoid red Martian race. This article is about the noble title. ...

Except for some jewelry, all of the planet's races seem to eschew clothing and look down upon Earth's inhabitants because they do wear clothing. Burroughs describes Dejah Thoris, more or less representative of the red Martian race, thus: Jewelry (the American spelling; spelled jewellery in Commonwealth English) consists of ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ... Earth, also known as Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ...

And the sight which met my eyes was that of a slender, girlish figure, similar in every detail to the earthly women of my past life... Her face was oval and beautiful in the extreme, her every feature was finely chiseled and exquisite, her eyes large and lustrous and her head surmounted by a mass of coal black, waving hair, caught loosely into a strange yet becoming coiffure. Her skin was of a light reddish copper color, against which the crimson glow of her cheeks and the ruby of her beautifully molded lips shone with a strangely enhancing effect.

She was as destitute of clothes as the green Martians who accompanied her; indeed, save for her highly wrought ornaments she was entirely naked, nor could any apparel have enhanced the beauty of her perfect and symmetrical figure.

Full of swordplay and daring feats, the story is a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction. Though considered science fiction at the time of its publication, A Princess of Mars, due to its inaccuracies in astronomical information, is today regarded more as pure fantasy. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Pulp Fiction is a 1994 film directed by Quentin Tarantino and written by Tarantino and Roger Avary. ... Astrometry: the study of the position of objects in the sky and their changes of position. ... Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ...

Legacy

This book and its series are noted as inspiration of many later science fiction authors and scientists. Ray Bradbury and Carl Sagan note these stories as early inspiration for their work. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... A scientist is a person who is an expert in at least one area of science and who uses the scientific method to research that area. ... Ray Bradbury in 1945. ... A respected astronomer and dogged critic of pseudoscience, Carl Sagan is best known for his enthusiastic efforts at popularizing science. ...

Alexei Tolstoy's novel Aelita (1922) also presents a princess of Mars, but has a Leninist point of view. Aleksei Nikolaevich Tolstoi (Russian: Алексей Николаевич Толстой) (January 10, 1883 (December 29 1882 (O.S.)) - February 23, 1945), nicknamed the Comrade Count, was a Soviet Russian writer who was most famous for science fiction and historical novels. ... Aelita, also known as Aelita: Queen of Mars, is a silent movie directed by Soviet filmmaker Yakov Protazanov and released in 1924. ... See also: 1921 in literature, other events of 1922, 1923 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism (the forerunner of Communism) and is a branch in its own right (it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ...

The copyright for this story has expired and, thus, now resides in the public domain. The text is available via Project Gutenberg. For copyright issues in relation to Wikipedia itself, see Wikipedia:Copyrights. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... Project Gutenberg (often abbreviated as PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ...

Feature film

A full-length feature film of this story has been attempted and aborted many times. Finally, a project is underway that may actually come to fruition. The feature film version of the story was originally called A Princess of Mars, but was renamed John Carter of Mars during pre-production. Due in 2006, Jon Favreau (Zathura, Elf) is slated to direct, while Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News is producing. Films are produced by recording actual people and objects with cameras, or by creating them using animation techniques and/or special effects. ... John Carter of Mars is a 2006 film adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs first successful novel, titled A Princess of Mars. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A rare picture of Favreau and his longtime partner. ... Direct is associated with a number of meanings: A direct route or service is the one that goes between the start and end points without diverting to a third location en route. ... Harry Jay Knowles (born December 11, 1971 in Austin, Texas), is an online film critic best known for his movie news and review website, Aint It Cool News. ...

See also

• The Gods of Mars, the next novel in this series.
• The Warlord of Mars, the third novel in this series.

The Gods of Mars is a 1918 Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the second of his famous Barsoom series. ... The Warlord of Mars is a Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the third of his famous Barsoom series. ...

External links

• Text of the novel at Project Gutenberg
• Hypertext version of Project Gutenberg text of A Princess of Mars