The planet Mars has always maintained a strong grip on the human imagination. These 17 wide-ranging essays explore the study of Mars through history and the ways in which Mars has figured in literature, the arts and popular culture. Topics covered include the role of scientific discovery in the development of science fiction as a genre and the ways in which science fiction and popular discourse have, in turn, influenced science; the extent of life in the solar system; and the presence of Mars in the work of popular writers such as Philip K. Dick and Ray Bradbury.