The John Carter Trilogy of Edgar Rice Burroughs

The original interplanetary swashbuckler:
John Carter is a fighting man of Earth (or is he?) transported suddenly to the surface of a strange planet full of fierce green giants, savage white apes, and noble but warlike humans -- including the one he loves. But can he save her from the doom that threatens to destroy the entire planet?

In a little over 100 years, the Martian tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs have changed the literary world, launching science fiction as a literary category and inspiring generations of young readers to spin their own wildly imaginative tales of distant planets and strange civilizations. This collection, gracefully and unobtrusively annotated, comprises the first three books of the series, which combine as a trilogy to tell the story of Captain Jack Carter's adventures among the many strange civilizations of a dying planet.

About the Author:
Edgar Rice Burroughs came to the craft of fiction writing late in life, after trying his hand at a wide variety of trades and business ventures. By the time he sat down to write his first novel, A Princess of Mars, he had been a high-plains cowboy, a U.S. Cavalry soldier, an industrial gold miner, a railroad policeman, a door-to-door salesman, a store owner and a serial entrepreneur.

Then one day, while working as a wholesale representative for a going-nowhere pencil sharpener maker, Burroughs decided to while away some of the extra time by getting started on a crazy story to submit to one of the pulp fiction magazines. The result was A Princess of Mars -- and the launching of the literary career of one of the most prolific, successful authors in history.