Classic Free Sword and Science Fantasy Fiction Download - The 1917 Version Of Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess Of Mars

Get the original 1917 edition for down load right over
HERE

This is the 1917 version of  ERB's A Princess of Mars. I know what your thinking. "Hey I can download this version from anywhere on the internet."
This was an original 1917 version of a Princess Of Mars scanned by Google from Harvard.
Its sort of like looking at the original version of the book if you will. Comparable to viewing issue #1 of a classic comic book or another piece of literature. Here's what's going on with with this version of the 'A Princess of Mars'. 
 According to Wiki: 

By 1914, Burroughs had become very popular with the reading public, and A.C. McClurg & Company decided to print a number of his formerly serialized tales as novels. McClurg began with three Tarzan novels, and then published A Princess of Mars on October 10, 1917.^[13]Although Metcalf thought that the chapter "Sola Tells Me Her Story" slowed the story's pace, and thus omitted it from the magazine serialization, this chapter was restored for the novel version.^[10] The novel was illustrated by Frank E. Schoonover, who carefully read the descriptive passages on the costumes and weapons of Barsoom and developed an overall concept for the artwork, even ensuring that John's Carter's pistol and belt in his cover illustration reflected their origins in Green Martian craftsmanship

 You can find a ton more about the book over on wiki HERE

The original publication of "Under the Moons of Mars" in The All-Story, February 1912

Possible Inspirations for ERB's A Princess of Mars And Gaming on Barsoom

I've been reading  Richard A. Lupoff' ,book Master of Adventure: The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs, which I grabbed from the New Hartford public library. Its a good solid read and much of the following is in the book.
According to wiki: 

The first science fiction to be set on Mars may be Across the Zodiac: The Story of a Wrecked Record, by Percy Greg, published in 1880. Another Mars novel, dealing with benevolent Martians arriving on Earth, was published in 1897 by Kurd Lasswitz, Auf Zwei Planeten. Not translated until 1971, Burroughs likely did not know of it.^[32]

H. G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds (1898) was influenced, as was Burroughs' novel, by the ideas of Percival Lowell starting with publication of the book Mars (1895). It assumed Mars being an ancient world, nearing the end of its life, being the home of a superior civilization, capable of advanced feats of science and engineering.^[25][33] Burroughs, however, claimed never to have read any of H. G. Wells' books.^[34]

It is possible, as Richard A. Lupoff argues in the book Master of Adventure: The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs, that Burroughs took some inspiration from the 1905 novel Lieut. Gullivar Jones: His Vacation, by Edwin Lester Arnold, which also featured an American military man transported to Mars. Lupoff also suggested John Carter has strong similarities to Phra, hero of Arnold's The Wonderful Adventures of Phra the Phoenician (1890), who is also a master swordsman who appears to be immortal.
Much of the material of both Lieut. Gullivar Jones: His Vacation and The Wonderful Adventures of Phra the Phoenician (1890) could be used to expand Barsoom easily. Generally I've got to say that both books are excellent in their own right for entertainment for the years that they were written. They do make for curious reading now though. To use them for gaming I'd suggest taking a look at the excellent articles of Den Valdron GULLIVER JONES ON BARSOOM? 

Available HERE APOCRYPHAL BARSOOMS I And II
Available HERE And HERE

 I might also recommend Dale R. Broadhurst John Carter Sword of Theosophy series Revisited as both counter point and rocket propelled gaming fuel. There is a ton of stuff there to use as the author puts the hammer down on some possible connections of Burrough's books.
Available right over HERE
For gaming on Barsoom, I can't recommend Jason Vey's Dungeon's And Dragon's Warriors of Mars book enough. Its pretty much got everything you need to download and go to Barsoom.
That's available right over HERE  
The book is right under the 

The Age of Conan and Warriors of Mars material, just so that there's no confusion. For my own Post Apocalyptic Mars setting I use a mix of PD 1950's sci fi movies, ERB, and a good dose of free PD pulp material which I set in the post Colonial Period. Since Warriors of Mars is oriented right towards OD&D its an easy snap into about 90% of the retroclones on the market. Especially Stars Without Number, the conversions are quick easy and I do them in my head.  Anyhow we've got more classic Sword and Science Fantasy action coming up. Happy gaming!