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Old fiction doesn't die; it just enters the public domain. This is good news for spec fic junkies on tight budgets: a wealth of great reading material exists in the public domain and is there for the taking, if one has the time and motivation to look for it. Of course, it's always nice when someone else is willing to do the legwork for you—someone who will dig out the "good stuff" and package it up in tidy installments, ready for you to read. Someone like your friendly neighborhood webzine, for example. |
by Edgar Rice Burroughs We begin our foray into the treasure trove of public domain speculative fiction with a serialization of the Edgar Rice Burroughs classic, "A Princess of Mars." Originally published in All-Story Magazine in 1912 as "Under the Moons of Mars," it was the first professional sale for Burroughs, who deemed his tale so outlandish readers might question his sanity. As a jest, he submitted the story under the pseudonym 'Normal Bean' to indicate there was nothing wrong with his head, thank-you-very-much. The publisher "corrected" it to Norman Bean, and so it ran through 5 issues. The work was re-titled and published in novel format—under Burroughs' real name—in 1917. Although Burroughs is perhaps best known for his Tarzan series, it was John Carter's journey from an Arizona cave to the strange surface of Mars that convinced him writing was a better way to make a living than selling pencil sharpeners (No, really!) and launched a prolific and successful career that influenced an entire genre. So, pull up a chair, settle in, and prepare to be amazed and entertained by the adventures of Captain Jack, courtesy of the Public Domain. New chapters every Monday!
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