To many, Richard Lupoff included, Barsoom 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.