Carson of Venus

Lore & Background

Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote Carson of Venus in July and August 1937. The novel was serialized in six weekly installments from January 8 to February 12, 1938, in Argosy, the same publication that carried the previous two Venus novels. It was published in book form a year later by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Burroughs originally submitted the novel to several 'slick' magazines—Liberty, The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, and Ladies' Home Journal—all of which rejected the story.

Reader's Guide

Carson of Venus is significant as a transitional work in Edgar Rice Burroughs's Venus series, shifting from wilderness adventure to spy intrigue and war. Its satirical portrayal of Nazi Germany and Benito Mussolini, written two years before World War II, reflects the author's evolving political commentary, moving from earlier anti-Communist themes to anti-fascist ones. The novel's nomination for a Retro-Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of 1939 underscores its lasting recognition within the genre, though the award went to T. H. White's The Sword in the Stone. The copyright for Carson of Venus has expired in Australia and Canada, placing it in the public domain there, and the text is available via Project Gutenberg Australia and Faded Page in Canada, ensuring continued accessibility for readers and scholars.

Did You Know?

• The novel satirizes Nazi Germany through a fascist faction called the 'Zani'.
• The character 'Muso' is a reference to Benito Mussolini.
• All four 'slick' magazines—Liberty, The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, and Ladies' Home Journal—rejected the story.
• The copyright has expired in Australia and Canada, making it public domain there.
• Though published in 1939, Carson of Venus was not nominated for the Retro-Hugo Award for Best Novel; that award went to The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White.