The Illustrated Stark: 70th Anniversary Edition

Cirsova Publishing has teamed up with StarTwo to create an all-new, fully-illustrated 70^th Anniversary Edition of Leigh Brackett’s original Eric John Stark Trilogy. Cirsova Publishing aims to bring the action, adventure and romance of Leigh Brackett to a new generation of readers.

First published in the Summer of 1949, Queen of the Martian Catacombs introduced the world to Eric John Stark, the black mercenary swordsman. Stark’s adventures continued on Venus in 1949’s The Enchantress of Venus, and the swordsman returned to the Red Planet in 1951’s Black Amazon of Mars. While Brackett would revisit the character in 1970s with the Skaith trilogy, the original novellas are significant as one of the last iconic Sword & Planet cycles of the pulp era.

These stories will be presented like never before, featuring all new original artwork, including new covers paying homage to Allen Anderson’s originals for Planet Stories and 33 interior illustrations. Each has been checked and corrected against the original texts as they appeared in Planet Stories magazine and will feature introductions by Nathan Housley, aka the Pulp Archivist, Jeffro Johnson, the author of the critically acclaimed Appendix N: The Literary History of Dungeons & Dragons, and culture commentator, critic, and pulp enthusiast Liana Kerzner.

The 70^th Anniversary Illustrated Stark will be released as individual volumes, in a softcover omnibus, and in a coffee-table hardcover art edition.

Queen of the Martian Catacombs + Illustrated Stark (Hardcover) – 4/30/2019
The Enchantress of Venus – 5/31/2019
Black Amazon of Mars – 6/28/2019
The Complete Illustrated Stark (Paperback) – 7/31/2019

Our end-goal is to put these classic works of science fiction back in the hands of readers, young and old.

Due to the wide number of editions and ebooks available, the following links and pages will ensure that you will be buying our new edition.

All print versions can be order / pre-ordered through Cirsova’s new Aero store or from Amazon and Barnes & Noble as indicated below.

The Illustrated Stark: 70th Anniversary Edition Hardcover Omnibus (Available 4/30/2019)

This 8.5″ x 11″ hardcover presents the stories magazine-style in two-columns with full-page illustrations. Additionally, this edition contains an appendix of character art and unused sketches. This print-only edition contains over 100 illustrations!

Hardcover Template for Omnibus-Case Final front cover only

Queen of the Martian Catacombs (Available 4/30/2019)

This 6″ x 9″ volume contains Queen of the Martian Catacombs, fully illustrated, with an introduction by Nathan Housley.

Cover Only JPG

The Enchantress of Venus (Available 5/31/2019)

This 6″ x 9″ volume contains The Enchantress of Venus, fully illustrated, with an introduction by Jeffro Johnson.

Enchantress Cover for ebook

Black Amazon of Mars (Available 6/28/2019)

This 6″ x 9″ volume contains Black Amazon of Mars, fully illustrated, with an introduction by Liana Kerzner.

Black Amazon of Mars Front Only

The Illustrated Stark: 70th Anniversary Edition Softcover Omnibus (Available 7/31/2019)

This collects all three fully illustrated stories in a single 6″ x 9″ volume. Note that it does NOT include the bonus content from the Hardcover Omnibus.