A Princess of Mars

Pros: Nicely put together. The book is a quality print.

Cons: Only slight irritation with this Edition is the introduction by Junot Diaz. The dude is a flaming liberal and he had to make his flaming liberal commentary about the story. He went way overboard wrote a 50-page introduction complete with profanity, which I skimmed. He went on about Homo-erotic themes in the book and modern race issues. First off, I didn't see anything homo-erotic about the story to say the least. Also the book was written in the early 1900s. Yeah there's going to be material we consider racist stuff nowadays...it wasn't written in the modern age. He goes on to say Burroughs promotes white supremacist ideals in the book also...Yeah the guy is just another annoying over-thinking overeducated blowhard who apparently likes to hear himself run his mouth. I wish they hadn't included this garbage as an introduction to a classic work and in an otherwise really nice printing of the book.

Burroughs doesn't need to be introduced by this hack. The fact that he is still read 100 years later is all the intro that the author needs.

I would gladly have paid $5 more for this book if they had removed the 35 page introduction. The intro was a huge and fantastic screed that called Burroughs "a rootless doof", the content of the book as "S--t, S--t, S--t, and rambled on in the sort of screed I used to hear from idiot professors during my grad school years. Endless discussion of "white, male supremacy" was the one constant and managed some how to bring in Tarzan as a one man lynch mob!

First, I would have commissioned an introduction from someone familiar with pulp fiction of the first half of the 20th Century and one who actually liked and had read the book. Secondly, I would have spent some real time on what made Burroughs and the book influential, thirdly, not picked someone with some sort of racial axe to grind to write it.

Burroughs is/was important as a writer for his imagination. His books have been mined for ideas and read for pleasure by most Sci-Fi authors of the 20th Century. The plots and stories aren't especially complicated and were intended to be read as escapist fiction, NOT high literature.

I find it interesting that most college students today lack the vocabulary to read, unassisted, the works of Poe and Burroughs, both considered low fiction when written. In any event this intro writer is so off base that he's almost funny, except for the pervasive weird racial prejudice that all white American men are supposed to be destroying everything with.

The book is nicely printed on nice paper stock and boards, but would have benefitted from having more of the original period art, and of course, a different introduction.

PLEASE READ EXPLANATION FOR 1 STAR RATING!
I have read the whole thing through on more than one occasion and am getting ready to introduce it to my sons. I have all praise and few detractions for the books and second the many praises herein. I will not bother duplicating them. Unfortunately my copies have gotten lost over the years and our library has some of the books but, not the beginning story. So I thought to get and read this, let my boys read it and then donate the book to the library. That won't be happening.

This book, this copy or edition, of this book, could have been a great copy of this story introducing the great Barsoomian series. The cover art and few interior illustration are classical works by noted artist Frank Earle Schoonover (1877-1972) This book is hardbound with dust cover and could have been everything a Burroughs book should have been but...
BUT- and this is the reason for the one star rating.
The "INTRODUCTION" is a 48 page long racist, anti-Burroghs diatribe totally unbefitting. If this is what the publisher thinks of Burroughs and his works, why publish the book to begin with? Maybe they did it just to spread the diatribe (Of which I could only stand to read half). I do not know who "Junot Diaz" is but he must have a big axe to grind and he grinds it here. The dust cover proudly proclaims his introduction.
The tone is set in the first sentence- "Pulp writer Edgar Rice Burroughs is usually remembered, when he is remembered at all..." It goes down hill from there. Diaz makes approving noises while making sure to drag them down quickly there after. In one sentence he refers to Tarzan as one of Burroughs "great creations" (which it is) and in the next sentence he refers to the earlier Barsoom novel as saving Burroughs as a "thirty five year old nine time loser on the brink of financial ruin..." The statement may be accurate but, it could hardly be less complimentary. The complaints begin to come on the heels of the revelation that Carter is a Confederate veteran and a "southern gentleman of the highest type..." Diaz clearly does not consider this a positive recommendation. He soon makes the comment that cater is adrift in post (Civil) War America "unable to practice the trade he is most gifted at- slaying." makes Carter sound less than admirable.
Here we go now. The racial commentary starts here. Diaz describes Burrough's Barsoom as found by Carter to be "thoroughly inhabited not only by hexapodal Green Martians who immediately take him captive but by a whole array of prismatically colored races that A) have a universal allergy to clothes and B) HELP SUPPLY OUR HERO'S WHITE IDENTITY (emphasis added)with much needed antipodal Manichean "other" figures." This is just the first of a number of references to the fact that our hero is WHITE in a world of non whites. I guess that the beastial savage apes of barssoom are also white failed to escape Diaz notice, or maybe that being the case merely met with his bigoted approval.
These lines call attention to another problem. Diaz has a penchant for tossing around "big words." Now, I have no problem with "big words." They have and serve a purpose. But, where they are not part of normal daily speech, they have little use in a literary work, especially one popular with children of lower education grades. Furthermore, this introduction gives the appearance that Diaz is a refugee from the barrio looking up words in the dictionary in a vain attempt to impress the readers with his education. He makes it all too clear that education is no substitute for intelligence.
Diaz comments prompting my "barrio comment." Referring to the "hilarious" romance of Carter and Deja Thoris Diaz reveals his roots thus- "Carter might be the foremost fighting man on two worlds but back in my neighborhood he would have been the number one pariguayo." (on-line definition- "A pariguayo is Dominican slang for a guy that's all talk and no action. Someone who is full of s---. A punk, poser, bull s---er, etc.") Along here Diaz reveals his lack of true education by referring in comparison to "John Smith finding his Pocahontas." It would appear Diaz is getting at least some of his 'education' at the school of Disney animation. Of course, there was no Smith/Pocahontas Romance since she was only 10 or 12 at the time of her alleged rescue of Smith. But then, the name of her husband is seldom heard, and it wasn't Smith.
About here I just skimmed forward a bit. Diaz does periodically drop his big words to drop an occasional sh-- and F'word. Just what I want my boys to read. NOT! From here on the pretense of praise gives way more fully to diatribe.
Personally, I am going to cut all 48 pages from this otherwise fine book and burn them. But first, I will make myself read the whole thing, record every bad thing in it and give the publisher a detailed nasty letter.
I have only one thing to say in Diaz defense. Yes, the book is dated. It was written a hundred years ago by a man with the mores from the preceding generation of that time. I do not deny there are things that could be read to have racial over tones. But he goes out of his way with it. Commentary like "Burroughs goes out of his way to use polarizing racial Otherness on Barsoom to fortify his protagonist's WHITE MALE IDENTITY(emphasis added)- the savage Green Martians providing Carter with an instant whiteness power-up..." he goes on further with that line of thought. AND on to commenting about Carter being "... married and siring a mixed-breed son with a red skinned...) I guess the fact that "green men" predates Burroughs creation of Barsoom and that therefore populating the planet with at least one green species might not just be that natural thing to do.
Anyway, speaking of diatribes, it appears that I have just written one myself. But, I wanted to make it clear just WHY I said what I did about this "introduction." I think Diaz makes the point.
Don't buy this book. If I could return it, I would but, this is not the seller's fault. I strongly suggest that, if you are a Burroughs fan, you write the publisher ["a spicial publication of the Library of America."] and ask why the story's introduction is one long bigoted hate speech.

I would have given this book 5 stars, but the preface by Junot Diaz was awful. Diaz hates white people, southerners, America, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. What was the publisher thinking when he included Diaz's racist screed to such a fine book?

Buy a copy of this book; it's a great read. JUST DON'T BUY THIS SPECIAL EDITION.

I love old books, and this is exactly what this release from LOA has done right; capturing the original beauty of the book from the time period. It looks and feels like a mint edition find from a local bookstore. The best part I love about this story is it's the COMPLETE RELEASE. Disney's publications of these books have left out a crucial point to the story: The introduction Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote about obtaining the manuscripts that added such a great detail beyond the actual story. Just a little something, but I'm glad this edition has it included as well as a wonderful introduction by Junot Diaz. Any book lover will wish to add this to their collection.

This Library of American edition of A Princess of Mars is a beautiful book! It's about time Edgar Rice Burroughs, one of the USA's bestselling authors for about 20-25 years starting in 1914, had one of his books published by the Library of America. LOA has also published Tarzan of the Apes.

I have the 1st edition of A Princess of Mars, by McClurg, and this Library of America edition is close (but not quite) a fascsimile 1st edition. All five of the original illustrations are present, but they are not on "coated" paper like they are in the original 1st edition. The dust jacket is beautiful.

I short, if you're looking for a very nice edition of this book, buy this one!

Before closing, note that I also give the story itself 5 Stars! And the second and third books of the trilogy, The Gods of Mars and The Warlord of Mars, are equally as good!

Read ERB's Barsoom series for a thrill!

John Carter and the Princess of Mars is an amazing, revolutionary science fiction novel and has been a favorite of mine ever since I was little.

BUT the introduction, the 50 PAGE INTRODUCTION. The guy who introduces it is awful, twisting details and the barsoomian culture to something about white supremacy. The barsoomians weren't even white and were more advanced that earth and John Carter never talked about their race as something terrible, like "oh this person is red or yellow so I hate them." No! He only disliked them after they started shooting at him or his comrades! (or did something dishonorable.) And there was nothing homoerotic! Has this guy read anything put out today in adult AND young adult fiction?

The people in the novel did have different skin tones and markings, and different numbers of arms all sorts of things but never did Burroughs make John Carter hate them simply because of it or treat them lower than himself. The introduction author is just trying to shove his twisted, overthinking, manipulating opinion down your throat.

John Carter was honorable and a martian superman. Please don't be turned away from this novel. Enjoy it. Just buy a different version and save your time and money.

I ordered all 11 of the Burroughs books because I have never read them. I saw the new movie called John Carter and that's what prompted to order the series. To anyone looking for some reading entertainment, I would suggest reading any of these books if you like this type of reading.............