Barsoom

Edgar Rice Burroughs is known to the general public for his Tarzan of the Jungle tales, long read by generations of young people and seen by millions on the screen. But, at the same time as Tarzan was making his creator world famous other readers were being treated to Burroughs' adventures of John Carter, a soft-spoken Virginian who found himself on Mars. Carter was the epic adventurer, but it is not he but Mars itself that is the star and central character of the many stories and novels ERB laid there. Unlike the rather standard romantic jungle and pedestrian lost cities of Tarzan's domain, Mars was a totally alien world peopled by strange beings and unhuman civilizations. To many, Richard Lupoff included, it was Edgar Rice Burroughs' greatest creation, and yet, strangely, it has been almost ignored in serious examinations of fantastic literature. Lupoff, a science fiction writer himself, has been a Burroughs fan since he could read; later he became-and continues to be-the world's most respected authority on ERB. It is only natural, then, that this first in-depth examination of Burroughs' Mars should be by Mr. Lupoff. As a science fiction writer, Mr. Lupoff is well aware that the SF writer's greatest challenge is the ability to be an absolute god-to create entire worlds, new forms of life, new cultures unrestricted and unlimited by earthly laws or taboos. This book examines that world as Burroughs gave it to us, in a way that will please the most demanding scholars and critics, yet uniquely personal and consistently entertaining. So, come along with us as we enter a very different world. Learn-and, most of all, enjoy.