John Carter is the hero of Burroughs Barsoom series He first appeared in Under the Moons of Mars later retitled A Princess of Mars the story which catapaulted Burroughs into the limelight It was the first of many novels and several sequels followed over the next three decades further extending Burroughs vision of Barsoom This Purple Rose book is a collection of the first five stories in Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series A Princess of Mars 1917 The Gods of Mars 1918 The Warlord of Mars 1919 Thuvia Maid of Mars 1920 and The Chessmen of Mars 1922 It contains all of the original frontispieces by Frank Schoonover and J Allen St John enhanced and enlarged and is a high quality book with clear formatting and detailed contents The world of Barsoom is a romantic vision of a dying Mars based on now outdated scientific ideas made popular by Astronomer Percival Lowell in the early 20th century While depicting many outlandish inventions and advanced technology it is a savage frontier world of honor noble sacrifice and constant struggle where martial prowess is paramount and where many races fight over dwindling resources It is filled with lost cities heroic adventures and undiscovered ancient secrets The series has inspired a number of well known science fiction writers and also key scientists involved in both space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life It has informed and been adapted by many writers in novels short stories television and film
