George RR Martin on how we are Obsessed with Mars

mars with water

A very interesting piece in The Guardian from the author of Game of Thrones himself:

Once upon a time there was a planet called Mars, a world of red sands, canals and endless adventure. I remember it well, for I went there often as a child. I come from a blue-collar, working-class background. My family never had much money. We lived in a federal housing project in Bayonne, New Jersey, never owned a car, never saw much of anywhere. The projects were on First Street, my school was on Fifth Street, and for most of my childhood those five blocks were my world.

Read the full article at The Guardian

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Anniversary of “The Land That Time Forgot” Humble Beginnings

Edgar Rice Burroughs Fan reminds us that:

Land That Time Forgot
On this day in 1917, ERB began work on ‘The Lost U-Boat,’ a story which became THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT. He completed it in about five weeks, and it was the first installment of his intended Caspak trilogy.

In 1918, ‘Blue Book Magazine’ editor Ray Long was responsible for renaming Burroughs’ novella THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT.

Read their full Facebook Post with more interesting details and pictures!

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The Martian Legion: In Quest of Xonthron

The Martian Legion:
In Quest of Xonthron
Presenting a Pantheon of ERB Heroes Conceived by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Brought to life by Jake (Buddy) Saunders, Russ Cochran and Team

The Martian Legion In Quest of Xonthron 3

(February 10, 2015 – Tarzana, CA) In 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs contemplated penning a crossover tale uniting his two greatest creations, Tarzan and John Carter of Mars. He ultimately gave the idea up as unworkable, concerned that he couldn’t do justice to both heroes in one novel. In an alternate universe, Burroughs not only wrote that tale, he lived it—and presented the manuscript to author Jake “Buddy” Saunders’ grandfather. Decades later, Saunders has chosen to share it with the world. Visit www.TheMartianLegion.com for more information.

The Martian Legion In Quest of Xonthron 3

Big ideas deserve a big stage, and Martian Legion delivers on all counts. It’s a story too big to be contained in one pulp hero franchise, one world, one age, or one universe. A pantheon of heroes, including Tarzan, John Carter, Doc Savage, The Shadow, Carson Napier, Alley Oop and more gather to combat a foe across planets, dimensions, and time. The epic account unspools across a quarter of a million words, and takes readers not only to Africa and Barsoom, but to new worlds, with new heroes in the grandest Burroughsian tradition. See www.TheMartianLegion.com to purchase this collector’s book set.

The Martian Legion In Quest of Xonthron 3
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Tarzan: Return to Pal-ul-don Book!

Announcing the latest addition to the Tarzan lore, written by Will Murray

Tarzan Return to Pal-ul-don
With the African continent engulfed by World War II, John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, abandons his role as Lord of the Jungle in order to combat the spreading Nazi menace.

Flying a P40 Tomahawk warplane, Clayton is sent on his first mission: to rescue the missing British Military Intelligence officer code-named Ilex. But the daring task plunges him into his savage past after he’s forced down in a lost land that seems hauntingly familiar.

When Tarzan of the Apes returns to the prehistoric realm called Pal-ul-don, he must revert to his most savage persona, that of Tarzan-jad-guru—Tarzan the Terrible!

Purchase it here!

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8 Science-Backed Reasons to Read a (Real) Book

Great article in Times magazine:

Timeless_Books

Although more and more people own e-books, it seems safe to say that real books aren’t going anywhere yet. Eighty-eight percent of the Americans who read e-books continue to read printed ones as well. And while we’re all for the convenience of digital downloads and a lighter load, we can’t bring ourselves to part with the joy of a good, old-fashioned read.

Read the full story Right Here!

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Limited Edition of “Back to the Stone Age” Reprint!

[Tarzana CA, April 24, 2014] This Limited Edition BACK TO THE STONE AGE novel was first printed in 1937 and is now being reprinted for the first time using the Original Printing Plates! These plates were discovered stored in their original wooden shipping crates and are thought to be the only surviving set of plates for any of Mr. Burroughs’ books.

Each book is signed and numbered [edition of 300] and features spectacular full-color illustrations – stunning works by some of the best ERB artists past and present. In addition to BACK TO THE STONE AGE you will receive an original printing plate from the book!

Original Book Printing Press

BACK TO THE STONE AGE has been printed the same way ERB books were printed 50 years ago – only better. A master printer has used the original plates to letterpress print on premium paper which has been sewn and cased into a vintage-style binding, and covered in a dust jacket produced by Phil Normand with art by John Coleman Burroughs.

Limited Edition of Back to the Stone Age Reprint 2

Each limited edition book is numbered individually and certified with six original signatures.

Limited Edition of Back to the Stone Age Reprint 3

Each book also comes with a beautifully illustrated map of Pellucidar – inspired from several maps created over the last 50 years.

Limited Edition of Back to the Stone Age Reprint 4 The book, dust jacket and the plate comes housed in a custom clamshell presentation box. Limited Edition of Back to the Stone Age Reprin 5t For more information and to order this exciting set, see http://www.bsalimited.com.
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Tarzan Books Printed Over the Last 100 Years

Tarzan_425_20off tarzan of the apes book cover

Excellent article about all the Tarzan books that have been printed over the last 100 years by the Owl:

The literary Tarzan was born in October, 1912 when he appeared in a special issue of The All-Story, a popular magazine which usually serialized its stories in several issues, but the editors were so impressed with “Tarzan of the Apes” that they published the entire story in one issue. The author was, of course, Edgar Rice Burroughs, who was born in Chicago in 1875 and was virtually unknown to the reading public before Tarzan leaped into print in All-Story. Actually, it was the second story of Mr. Burroughs to be published in All-Story. His first story was a Martian romance which ran as a six-part serial from February to July, 1912, published under the pseudonym of “Norman Bean.” The story had been retitled by the editor as “Under the Moons of Mars.” Burroughs had used the pseudonym of “Normal Bean” to convince readers that he was not off his rocker by writing a fantasy of little green men from Mars. But the editors thought it was a typo and changed the name to “Norman Bean” when they published it. This ruined Burroughs’ little joke, so he dropped the alias and submitted all future stories under his own name. When Tarzan was first published in 1912, the title page read: “Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Norman Bean)” to identify the real name of the author of “Under the Moons of Mars” for the reading public.

Read the Full Article Right Here!

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Real scientists like ERB books

Real scientists like ERB books

Huffington Post has just put up an interesting article interviewing 15 different real-world scientists about their literary preferences. From cosmology and physics professors at MIT to astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, these men of science shared what their favorite sci-fi and fantasy books are. Among them, Dr. Jane Goodall from the UN Messenger of Peace listed the Tarzan of the Apes classic. It is great to hear the ERB stories inspired such creative and important minds!

Full article at Huffington Post

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Tarzan – In The City of Gold (Vol. 1) reviewed on PopMatters

tarzan

PopMatters reviews the Tarzan – In The City of Gold (Vol. 1): The Complete Burne Hogarth Sundays and Dailies Library, providing and interesting retrospective on the genre. Jeremy Estes’s review reads more like an interesting and in-depth article about the world of Tarzan and pulp comics. It goes through the history of the franchise and covers the various of media which featured the king of the jungle. The main gripe of the author is that “Tarzan’s world never opens up” and despite its diversity and number of reincarnations, it never transcends its original premise. At the same time, however, the collection covers mostly the early days of Tarzan, and an age when many of the conventions and archetypes were the standard.

Read the full review at: PopMatters

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