In What Order Were The John Carter Barsoom Books Originally Published?

My dad has old pulp magazines with the first Martian tales, but we can't recall if Princess of Mars or Warlord of Mars came out earlier.
2026-07-25 07:08:41
130
Share
ABO Personality Quiz
Take a quick quiz to find out whether you‘re Alpha, Beta, or Omega.
Scent
Personality
Ideal Love Pattern
Secret Desire
Your Dark Side
Start Test

5 Answers

IanWilson
IanWilson
Spoiler Watcher Doctor
The practical answer: search for 'John Carter series in order' on any bookseller site. They'll list them 1 to 11. Buy them, borrow them, download them. Start with Book 1. It's not rocket science, even if the stories are about rocketships to Mars. Don't overthink it.

The stories are fun, fast-paced, and inventive. The order is a guideline, not a prison. If you bounce off one, try another. They all have that core spirit of adventure. The publication sequence is the recommended path, but the goal is to enjoy the wild ride, not to pass a test.
2026-07-27 14:34:57
1
GoodFox
GoodFox
Ending Guesser Engineer
Just chiming in to say that 'The Chessmen of Mars' is the one with the living game of Jetan, right? That concept has stuck with me for years. The order is important because that book comes after the establishment of the world and the main family. It feels like a natural expansion of the weirdness Barsoom can offer.

If you read it first, the setting wouldn't be as grounded. You need the baseline of red deserts, dying oceans, and airborne battles from the earlier books to appreciate how truly bizarre the chessmen are. Publication order gives you that steady ramp-up into the surreal.
2026-07-28 13:09:10
4
RobWilson
RobWilson
Book Scout Pharmacist
A minor correction to some lists: 'John Carter of Mars' (1964) actually contains two stories: 'John Carter and the Giant of Mars' (though that one's controversial) and 'Skeleton Men of Jupiter'. It's a posthumous collection, so it's considered the 11th book but isn't a novel in the traditional sense. The last proper novel published in Burroughs' lifetime was 'Llana of Gathol' in 1948.

So the core 'writing career' sequence ends with 'Synthetic Men' in 1940, with 'Llana' being a collection of later novelettes published as a book. This nuance matters to purists who separate the novels from the story collections. For most readers, just going 1 through 11 works perfectly fine.
2026-07-29 02:40:37
1
EmilyBlue
EmilyBlue
Story Interpreter Driver
Comparing the publication order to the internal chronological order is a nerdy deep dive. For the most part, they align. But there are minor short stories and references that create tiny anachronisms. Purists will argue about where 'The Oakdale Affair' or 'The Monster Men' fit, but those are Earth-based stories with tangential connections.

For the main Martian saga, publication order is chronological order. That's a blessing. With other series, you often have to choose one or the other. Here, you get both. You experience the story as it happened and as it was told. It simplifies everything and lets you just read.
2026-07-29 23:11:41
6
NoelLewis
NoelLewis
Plot Detective Nurse
The publication order debate is less intense than for some series, since the internal chronology mostly matches. But it's still worth noting. For instance, 'Thuvia, Maid of Mars' (1920) focuses on Carthoris, John Carter's son, and happens after the first trilogy. 'The Chessmen of Mars' (1922) follows his daughter, Tara. So the family saga expands in release order.

Later books sometimes circle back to John Carter himself. It's a web of connections that makes sense if you read them as published. Jumping around might spoil the introductions of these legacy characters. Seeing the bloodline of Carter unfold is part of the fun.
2026-07-31 09:14:19
8
View All Answers
Scan code to download App

Related Books

Related Questions

How do the John Carter books in order connect the Barsoom wars

7 Answers2026-07-25 06:17:31
It’s all about lineage and inheritance, too. By 'The Warlord of Mars', Carter isn't just fighting for his wife; he's fighting for the future his son will inherit. The later wars in the series (like in 'Llana of Gathol') even involve his grandson. The conflicts evolve from 'save the princess' to 'secure a dynasty.' The Barsoom wars become the Carter family business, which is a wild but compelling through-line.

In what publication order were the John Carter of Mars books released?

6 Answers2026-07-25 06:08:29
Library archives are great for this. You can often find scanned copies of the original 'All-Story' magazines with the first serialized installments. That's the true first publication, before the books. It's a deep dive, but seeing the stories alongside ads for soap and cars from 1912 is a trip. The book order is a simplification of that messier, more exciting serial publication history. So when we talk about 'publication order', we usually mean books. But the truest order is the magazine release, which is almost the same but with multi-year gaps within a single story's publication.

In what order were the original John Carter books published

4 Answers2026-07-25 10:08:14
I just checked three different sources to be sure. Consensus says: A Princess of Mars (1917), The Gods of Mars (1918), The Warlord of Mars (1919), Thuvia, Maid of Mars (1920), The Chessmen of Mars (1922), The Master Mind of Mars (1928), A Fighting Man of Mars (1931), Swords of Mars (1936), Synthetic Men of Mars (1940), Llana of Gathol (1948), John Carter of Mars (1964). The last two are technically story collections, but they're considered the 10th and 11th volumes in the series. Some omnibus editions might combine them differently, but as originally released, those are the eleven books. It's a long series, but surprisingly breezy to read. The chapters are short and the action is non-stop.

What is the John Carter book reading order including all Barsoom novels

4 Answers2026-07-25 18:25:31
Waiting for someone to post a fancy infographic with arrows and a timeline. That would finally settle this debate. Until then, I'll just lurk and read the arguments.

How does the John Carter book series order follow Barsoom chronology

8 Answers2026-07-25 12:35:47
For a visual learner, imagine a timeline. 'Princess' starts it. 'Gods' and 'Warlord' continue immediately after. Then there's a gap. 'Thuvia' and 'Chessmen' happen in that gap, focusing on the next generation. Then the timeline jumps forward for 'Master Mind' and beyond, with John Carter still active but older. It's not linear, but it's not incomprehensible.

Where do the John Carter of Mars books fit within the Barsoom series order?

3 Answers2026-07-25 10:48:58
The series order question comes up a lot in old-school sci-fi forums. It's nice to see new readers discovering these classics. The community usually points people to ERBlist.com for definitive info, but the short answer is always publication order.

In what order were the John Carter books by Edgar Rice Burroughs published

6 Answers2026-07-25 11:11:15
It's not just about plot order. The themes evolve. Early books are big on honor and romance. Later ones delve more into the weird science of Barsoom and the moral dilemmas of immortality. You miss that progression if you jump into the middle.

How do the John Carter Barsoom novels connect in timeline order?

7 Answers2026-07-25 13:06:39
Does the timeline hold up under scrutiny? For pulp adventure, yes, remarkably well. Burroughs kept notes. Characters age roughly appropriately. Technologies introduced (like improved fliers) persist. Political maps evolve. There aren't major retcons that break the timeline. The connection is consistent. If a city is destroyed, it stays destroyed. If a character dies, they stay dead (barring the occasional miraculous revival, which is a pulp staple). This consistency makes Barsoom feel like a real place with a real history. You're not just reading isolated stories; you're reading the annals of a planet, which makes the swashbuckling and romance feel grounded in a tangible, progressing reality.

What is the correct reading order of the John Carter books?

5 Answers2026-07-25 12:49:54
The audiobook narrator for the first three, Gene Engene, is fantastic. He captures that old-school, melodramatic pulp tone perfectly. If you go the audio route, listen to those three in order, then you can switch to other narrators for the later books without missing a beat. The performance adds so much to the experience.

Who wrote John Carter of Mars book series originally?

3 Answers2025-05-23 12:47:53
'John Carter of Mars' is one of those series that just sticks with you. The original author is Edgar Rice Burroughs, the same genius who created 'Tarzan'. He started the series back in 1912 with 'A Princess of Mars', and it's wild how fresh it still feels. Burroughs had this knack for blending sci-fi and fantasy before those genres were even properly defined. His writing transports you to Barsoom with such vivid detail, you can almost smell the Martian air. The guy was way ahead of his time, crafting a universe that inspired everything from 'Star Wars' to modern pulp adventures.
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status