Barsoomian Chess Set

Amanda Gannon brings us this incredibly detailed recreation of a Jetan travel set from Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom. The game, a Martian version of chess, is a major plot point in two books of the series.

I love seeing literary props like this. Movie and videogame props are impressive because the artists obsessively recreate the details of the original in physical form. Items from literature are more interesting. Once you've matched the known features you have to fill in the gaps from your own imagination. Two different people could create equally "accurate" interpretations of the same item with wildly different approaches.