Leonard Robinson wrote:


Lowell, however, was part and parcel of the late 19th (Edwardian) Era; his
Mars books became the basis for a number of science fiction writers
(Burroughs' Carter series, much of early Heinlein & Clarke, perhaps del Rey
& Smith).


And "The War of the Worlds" also; H.G. Wells' brother read about the
canals and mentioned the possibility that if the Martian's were that
ancient, their technology would make Earth's armies look pretty backward
by comparison- at this point all the bells and whistles started going
off in H.G.'s head.

Pat