Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Chessmen of Mars illustrated Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Chessmen of Mars is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the fifth of his famous Barroom series, and focuses on Tara, daughter of John Carter and Dejah Thora's, princess of Helium, whose hand is sought by Gahan, prince of Gather. The courtship is wrought with capture and rescue danger and triumph including survival in the Etan arena, a popular Barwoman board game resembling Chess which uses people as the game pieces on a life-sized board, with each taking of a piece being a duel to the death. Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan, "Lost worlds" and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter.