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The Ruby Slippers of Oz by Rhys Thomas
The Ruby Slippers of Oz commanded a stellar price of 165,000! when auctioned at Christie's in New York. Today they are valued at 1,000,000
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First published August 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 27, 2019
Come for the allure of Wizard of Oz history and mystery; stay for the profiles of old queens dying of AIDS fighting over a few pairs of red sequined shoes. This book really should be made into a movie.
September 30, 2011
After learning about another auction of one (yes, in case you didn't know there are several pairs of ruby slippers) of the ruby slippers, I decided to re-read this fascinating book about the rediscovery of the ruby slippers. It is so sad that in the 1960s and 1970s, that the large Hollywood movie studios were trashing their collections, auctioning them off, and even throwing them away. This story is about rediscovering the many pairs (no one knows for sure how many!) of ruby slippers after spending 30 years in deep storage and no one knew exactly where they were. It is also the story of Kent Warner, a costumer, who discovered the slippers and his extraordinary role in saving Hollywood history. The author of the book has done extraordinary research on Kent Warner and his collegues and the mystery of how people acquired a pair of slippers. I was fascinated the first time I read this book and I read it very quickly again the second time forgetting all the twists and turns in the story. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland, the ruby slippers and/or Hollywood history. I remember seeing a documentary on this same subject and found out that you can watch it in several parts on youtube by doing a search on the ruby slippers of Oz. The documentary is based on this book and it uses almost the exact same words and a lot of the same pictures as the book.
June 24, 2012
I must admit I'm not a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz, I checked out this book after seeing a Hollywood Treasure episode on SYFY about the ruby slippers. I thought there was a lot of mystery surrounding the shoes and as a movie fan found it peaking my curiosity, when they brought the author in as an expert and mentioned his book I decided I should learn a little more. I did find the book interesting and learned some fun facts about the actual movie, the history of how Hollywood memorabilia became so promeninent and the grand mystery of the ruby slippers. I did find at time the book kinda kept repeating the same information over and over, while it annoyed me a little, it also kept what was happening at the front of my mind. Just over 200 pages it was also a quick read as I am not a nonfiction fan and was able to breeze through it in two days. Fans of the movies and those that want to know more would love this book. My biggest excite was I live in Orlando area and have seen the ruby slippers on display many times at The Great Movie Ride in the Disney Hollywood-Studios and never really thought much of them until I read this book and found the history of that specific pair and how valuable they really are.
July 31, 2011
As a HUGE fan of the movie, The Wizard of Oz, I loved this book. It read more like a mystery in that it seeks to discover just how many pairs of ruby slippers there actually were, where they were found, and who owns them.
I learned more about the history of the movie and those involved, not to mention the insanity of the 1970s in which MGM decided to rid of their costumes by auctions and yard sales. It was shocking reading about where some of the iconic costumes from Hollywood's Golden Era ended up.
I recommend this to fans of The Wizard of Oz and fans of Hollywood and the movie business.
I learned more about the history of the movie and those involved, not to mention the insanity of the 1970s in which MGM decided to rid of their costumes by auctions and yard sales. It was shocking reading about where some of the iconic costumes from Hollywood's Golden Era ended up.
I recommend this to fans of The Wizard of Oz and fans of Hollywood and the movie business.
October 11, 2019
“Keep tight inside of them. Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn't want them so badly," said Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, talking about the ruby slippers.
In L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the magic shoes worn by the Wicked Witch of the East – and transferred to Dorothy after the Witch of the East’s untimely demise – were silver. In 1938, when MGM began pre-production of the motion picture based on Baum’s novel, it was decided that silver simply would not do for the lavish Technicolor film. With the slash of a pen, the word “silver” was marked out of the script while it was in development, and replaced with the handwritten word ruby. With that simple substitution, Dorothy Gale’s silver shoes became her Ruby Slippers, and a Hollywood icon was created. In the 1989 book, The Ruby Slippers of Oz, journalist and documentary filmmaker Rhys Thomas told the fascinating, and mostly unknown, story of the Ruby Slippers after their time on the silver screen. Now Thomas is back with a revised edition that continues this fascinating tale that has spanned over eight decades.
In both the original and revised editions, Thomas describes how the decline of Hollywood’s studio system of film-making gave rise to the now competitive and lucrative market for props and costumes used in motion pictures. He chronicles the now infamous auction held by MGM in 1970; how and why it was held; and the efforts of one of the costumers, hired to assist with the auction, and his attempts to save what he saw as Hollywood’s history. That costumer, Kent Warner, discovered the ruby slippers while preparing for the sale. He turned over one pair of the shoes to the auctioneers. Prior to the event, they were described as the only pair in existence, and at the time the gavel price was a staggering $15,000. A few days later, a woman in Tennessee came forward and stated that she had a pair of ruby slippers. As a teenager in 1939 she had won them in a contest, and had owned them for the last thirty-one years. How many pairs of the ruby slippers were there? How many pairs did Kent Warner actually find on the MGM lot, and where did the ones not turned over for the auction go? Thomas, like a detective from a classic film noir, pieced together the disparate and tenuous clues to tell the tale of the fabled shoes from Oz. In the revised edition, Thomas returned to the story and revised his original book to update the history of Hollywood’s most famous footwear, and document the last thirty years, including the theft from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and their subsequent recovery in 2018.
The Ruby Slippers of Oz: Thirty Years Later is a fascinating, and at times labyrinthine tale that will enthrall fans of The Wizard of Oz, enthusiasts of Hollywood history, or anyone that likes a gripping tale of intrigue and fabulous shoes.
Reviewed by Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library
In L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the magic shoes worn by the Wicked Witch of the East – and transferred to Dorothy after the Witch of the East’s untimely demise – were silver. In 1938, when MGM began pre-production of the motion picture based on Baum’s novel, it was decided that silver simply would not do for the lavish Technicolor film. With the slash of a pen, the word “silver” was marked out of the script while it was in development, and replaced with the handwritten word ruby. With that simple substitution, Dorothy Gale’s silver shoes became her Ruby Slippers, and a Hollywood icon was created. In the 1989 book, The Ruby Slippers of Oz, journalist and documentary filmmaker Rhys Thomas told the fascinating, and mostly unknown, story of the Ruby Slippers after their time on the silver screen. Now Thomas is back with a revised edition that continues this fascinating tale that has spanned over eight decades.
In both the original and revised editions, Thomas describes how the decline of Hollywood’s studio system of film-making gave rise to the now competitive and lucrative market for props and costumes used in motion pictures. He chronicles the now infamous auction held by MGM in 1970; how and why it was held; and the efforts of one of the costumers, hired to assist with the auction, and his attempts to save what he saw as Hollywood’s history. That costumer, Kent Warner, discovered the ruby slippers while preparing for the sale. He turned over one pair of the shoes to the auctioneers. Prior to the event, they were described as the only pair in existence, and at the time the gavel price was a staggering $15,000. A few days later, a woman in Tennessee came forward and stated that she had a pair of ruby slippers. As a teenager in 1939 she had won them in a contest, and had owned them for the last thirty-one years. How many pairs of the ruby slippers were there? How many pairs did Kent Warner actually find on the MGM lot, and where did the ones not turned over for the auction go? Thomas, like a detective from a classic film noir, pieced together the disparate and tenuous clues to tell the tale of the fabled shoes from Oz. In the revised edition, Thomas returned to the story and revised his original book to update the history of Hollywood’s most famous footwear, and document the last thirty years, including the theft from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and their subsequent recovery in 2018.
The Ruby Slippers of Oz: Thirty Years Later is a fascinating, and at times labyrinthine tale that will enthrall fans of The Wizard of Oz, enthusiasts of Hollywood history, or anyone that likes a gripping tale of intrigue and fabulous shoes.
Reviewed by Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library
February 16, 2025
So much to say about this book. To summarize: it was a very well written investigation of the iconic shoes and their impact. Happy. Sad. Tragic. I learned more and more about the Wizard of Oz every day.
April 6, 2025
Love, love, loved this book. For most of my young life The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie. As an adult I love collecting vintage toys. So a book all about the rubbed slippers and memorabilia collecting is right up my alley.
I learned so much about the shoes!
I learned so much about the shoes!
March 13, 2020
This book was written over 30 years ago. . . While it was a fascinating read. . .I wish it had an update!
January 28, 2025
fascinating read (but in need of an editor) The "ruby reds" have held a special place in my heart for decades👠👠... and I followed the recent auction of the stolen pair which sold for $28million!
March 18, 2015
Even if you have seen The Search for the Ruby Slippers documentary, this firsthand account of Rhys Thomas's investigation of the ruby slippers -- their mysterious origin and the truth behind what remains -- is a page-turner. An added bonus is insight into now-defunct studio costume/wardrobe operations.
My only regret is that Thomas has released an update edition that includes the 2005 "traveling shoes" theft and the 2013 "Witch's shoes" auction and purchase by Leonardo DiCaprio (and Angel Donors) for the forthcoming Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences museum.
Regardless, highly recommended to any Oz fan, costumes fan, and the Hollywood studio system fan!
My only regret is that Thomas has released an update edition that includes the 2005 "traveling shoes" theft and the 2013 "Witch's shoes" auction and purchase by Leonardo DiCaprio (and Angel Donors) for the forthcoming Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences museum.
Regardless, highly recommended to any Oz fan, costumes fan, and the Hollywood studio system fan!
November 23, 2017
I loved this book. The fascination with the Ruby Slippers doesn't end. It's history is one of drama and intrigue. Especially fascinating to me was learning the ins and outs of Hollywood in the 1970s, the characters and the underworld of Hollywood. It was a time when the past was little valued but some had the foresight and love for the glamour of the past to save these rare costumes - costumes that the studios were willing to let go in basic garage sales. This is such a fascinating book, I want to read it again!
August 28, 2008
I'll bet you thought the Ruby Slippers were in the Smithsonian. Well, they are - but that's only one pair! This book follows the history of each pair made for the film - where they are now and how they were discovered, along with the fakes. Fascinating stuff, well-told. For any fan of the film, this is must reading.
November 23, 2011
This nonfiction book reads like mystery novel as the author exposes the uncovering of several pairs of the coveted Ruby Slippers of Oz. Who knew there was such intrigue regarding the famous children's tale. Worth the read for all fans of all things Ozian as well as fans of film history.
April 17, 2012
"BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW IT'S REALLY ALL ABOUT THE SHOES!" :)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews