The green warrior decided to close in and end the battle; just as he rushed
me, a blinding light struck full in my eyes, so that I could not see Zads approach and could
only leap blindly to one side to avoid his mighty blade....
from the novel

Suddenly projected to Mars, John Carter finds himself the captive of the savage green men
of Thark. With him is the lovely Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium. And between them and
rescue lie a thousand miles of deadly enemies and unknown dangers.

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), born in Chicago, was educated at Michigan Military Academy and served briefly in the U.S. Cavalry. His early life was marked by several attempts at careers. While working as a pencil-sharpener salesman, he began writing, first advertising copy and then fiction. His first published piece, "Under the Moons of Mars," appeared in 1911 and was so successful that Burroughs began writing full-time. The first Tarzan story appeared in 1912, followed in 1914 by Tarzan of the Apes, the first of twenty-five such books. The area where he lived north of Los Angeles later became the suburb of Tarzana.