Best Edgar Rice Burroughs Books

The best books by Edgar Rice Burroughs — 8 titles spanning Literature & Fiction, Sci-Fi, averaging 3.83 BLT stars.

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Edgar Rice Burroughs invented the template for escapist adventure fiction that an entire century of pulp, science fiction, and fantasy would follow. His Barsoom series — starting with A Princess of Mars — drops a Civil War veteran onto a dying Mars populated by warring civilizations, four-armed warriors, and telepathic codes of honor, and never once slows down to explain itself. The prose is breathless and confident, built for momentum over nuance, with action sequences that tumble forward like a man falling off a cliff. Tarzan of the Apes works the same instinct in a jungle register: primal, romantic, and utterly committed to its own mythology. Burroughs isn't a stylist in the literary sense, but he understood — better than almost anyone — how to make a reader turn pages against their better judgment. For fans of planetary romance, lost-world adventure, or anyone curious where pulp heroism came from, he's essential.

Edgar Rice Burroughs's highest-rated book in our collection is Tarzan of the Apes (4.04 BLT stars). Browse the full list below.

Where to Start with Edgar Rice Burroughs

  1. 1
    Tarzan of the Apes cover

    Tarzan of the Apes

    Tarzan • Book 1

    by Edgar Rice Burroughs

    ★ 4.04 BLT Score (48.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.9 Goodreads (48.2K)
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  2. 2
    John Carter in The Warlord of Mars (Barsoom) cover

    John Carter in The Warlord of Mars (Barsoom)

    Barsoom • Book 3

    by Edgar Rice Burroughs

    ★ 4.02 BLT Score (15.7K ratings)
    ★ 3.87 Goodreads (15.7K)
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  3. 3
    John Carter in A Princess of Mars cover

    John Carter in A Princess of Mars

    Barsoom • Book 1

    by Edgar Rice Burroughs

    ★ 4.00 BLT Score (60.8K ratings)
    ★ 3.81 Goodreads (60.8K)
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  4. 4
    John Carter in The Gods of Mars (The Barsoom Series) cover

    John Carter in The Gods of Mars (The Barsoom Series)

    Barsoom • Book 11

    by Edgar Rice Burroughs

    ★ 3.97 BLT Score (4.7K ratings)
    ★ 3.83 Goodreads (4.7K)
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  5. 5
    Llana of Gathol cover

    Llana of Gathol

    Barsoom • Book 10

    by Edgar Rice Burroughs

    ★ 3.70 BLT Score (2.8K ratings)
    ★ 3.79 Goodreads (2.8K)
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  6. 6
    A Fighting Man of Mars cover

    A Fighting Man of Mars

    Barsoom • Book 7

    by Edgar Rice Burroughs

    ★ 3.67 BLT Score (4.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.86 Goodreads (4.1K)
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  7. 7
    Synthetic Men of Mars - 02039 cover

    Synthetic Men of Mars - 02039

    Barsoom • Book 9

    by Edgar Rice Burroughs

    ★ 3.66 BLT Score (3.3K ratings)
    ★ 3.8 Goodreads (3.3K)
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  8. 8
    The Barsoom Collection: John Carter Books 1-6 cover

    The Barsoom Collection: John Carter Books 1-6

    Barsoom #1-6 • Book 1

    by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Christopher Ragland

    ★ 3.56 BLT Score (2 ratings)
    ★ 5 Goodreads (2)
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Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

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