One of the classic editions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars is the first printing, published by A.C. McClurg & Co. in 1917. Frank E. Schoonover, a top illustrator of the day, painted the cover and interior plates. Schoonover was a student of the master Howard Pyle, as was NC Wyeth, and there are definite similarities between the artists.

Frank E. Schoonover A Princess of Mars Cover

A Princess of Mars, 1917 First Edition, cover by Frank E. Schoonover


Taking a scan of the original painting, I explored what we might do today – with classic and modern typefaces – to create a cover.

Frank E. Schoonover A Princess of Mars Cover

Download the free ebook. This book and its art are in the public domain.

A Princess of Mars Schoonover ePUB

New to ebooks?

ePUBs can be read on iBooks, Sony Reader, Nook, Kobo and other devices.

You can also read ePUBs on Mac, Windows and other systems. I recommend Adobe Digital Editions and the Sony Reader app. Both are good for basic ePUBs and are free to download.

For Mac only, Bookle is an inexpensive program that brings much of the iBooks reading experience to OS X.

On Android, the modestly-priced Mantano Reader Premium is very good.


Frank E. Schoonover A Princess of Mars Cover

Frank E. Schoonover A Princess of Mars Cover

Frank E. Schoonover A Princess of Mars Cover

Frank E. Schoonover A Princess of Mars Cover

Frank E. Schoonover A Princess of Mars Cover

Frank E. Schoonover A Princess of Mars Cover