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The Wizard of Oz: And Other Wonderful Books of Oz: The Emerald City of Oz and Glinda of Oz
This stunning collectible hardcover edition of L. Frank Baum's classic features gorgeous printed and sprayed edges and colored endpapers designed with an Ex Libris bookplate
In time to celebrate the forthcoming film adaptation of Wicked starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, and Jonathan Bailey, and directed by Jon M. Chu
A Penguin Hardcover Classic
This fully annotated volume collects three of Baum's fourteen Oz novels in which he developed his utopian vision and which garnered an immense and loyal following. The Wizard of Oz (1900) introduces Dorothy, who arrives from Kansas and meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and a host of other characters. The Emerald City of Oz (1910) finds Dorothy, Aunt Em, and Uncle Henry coming to Oz just as the wicked Nome King is plotting to conquer its people. In Baum's final novel, Glinda of Oz (1920), Dorothy and Princess Ozma try to prevent a battle between the Skeezers and the Flatheads. Tapping into a deeply rooted desire in himself and his loyal readers to live in a peaceful country which values the sharing of talents and gifts, Baum's imaginative creation, like all great utopian literature, holds out the possibility for change. Baum's classics spawned many adaptations, including the 1939 Judy Garland-starring classic film The Wizard of Oz and Gregory McGuire's novel 1995 WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITH OF THE WEST, which was adapted into the second-highest grossing Broadway musical of all time Wicked (with a film version forthcoming in 2024 starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande). Also included is a selection of the original illustrations by W. W. Denslow and John R. Neill, a jacketed hardcover, and colored and printed endpapers.
In time to celebrate the forthcoming film adaptation of Wicked starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, and Jonathan Bailey, and directed by Jon M. Chu
A Penguin Hardcover Classic
This fully annotated volume collects three of Baum's fourteen Oz novels in which he developed his utopian vision and which garnered an immense and loyal following. The Wizard of Oz (1900) introduces Dorothy, who arrives from Kansas and meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and a host of other characters. The Emerald City of Oz (1910) finds Dorothy, Aunt Em, and Uncle Henry coming to Oz just as the wicked Nome King is plotting to conquer its people. In Baum's final novel, Glinda of Oz (1920), Dorothy and Princess Ozma try to prevent a battle between the Skeezers and the Flatheads. Tapping into a deeply rooted desire in himself and his loyal readers to live in a peaceful country which values the sharing of talents and gifts, Baum's imaginative creation, like all great utopian literature, holds out the possibility for change. Baum's classics spawned many adaptations, including the 1939 Judy Garland-starring classic film The Wizard of Oz and Gregory McGuire's novel 1995 WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITH OF THE WEST, which was adapted into the second-highest grossing Broadway musical of all time Wicked (with a film version forthcoming in 2024 starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande). Also included is a selection of the original illustrations by W. W. Denslow and John R. Neill, a jacketed hardcover, and colored and printed endpapers.
496 pages, Hardcover
Published October 29, 2024
About the author
L. Frank Baum
3,335 books2,816 followersalso wrote under the names:
* Edith van Dyne,
* Floyd Akers,
* Schuyler Staunton,
* John Estes Cooke,
* Suzanne Metcalf,
* Laura Bancroft,
* Louis F. Baum,
* Captain Hugh Fitzgerald
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, part of a series. In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book became a landmark of 20th-century cinema.
Born and raised in Chittenango, New York, Baum moved west after an unsuccessful stint as a theater producer and playwright. He and his wife opened a store in South Dakota and he edited and published a newspaper. They then moved to Chicago, where he worked as a newspaper reporter and published children's literature, coming out with the first Oz book in 1900. While continuing his writing, among his final projects he sought to establish a film studio focused on children's films in Los Angeles, California.
His works anticipated such later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).
* Edith van Dyne,
* Floyd Akers,
* Schuyler Staunton,
* John Estes Cooke,
* Suzanne Metcalf,
* Laura Bancroft,
* Louis F. Baum,
* Captain Hugh Fitzgerald
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, part of a series. In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book became a landmark of 20th-century cinema.
Born and raised in Chittenango, New York, Baum moved west after an unsuccessful stint as a theater producer and playwright. He and his wife opened a store in South Dakota and he edited and published a newspaper. They then moved to Chicago, where he worked as a newspaper reporter and published children's literature, coming out with the first Oz book in 1900. While continuing his writing, among his final projects he sought to establish a film studio focused on children's films in Los Angeles, California.
His works anticipated such later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 25, 2025
3 stories out of more than 14 that give a taste of the cute historical fairy land that has delighted people with goodness and kindness
December 6, 2024
Dorothy is unhinged
February 28, 2026
Dorothy lives on a farm in Kansas with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. As a tornado is approaching Dorothy is trying to make it to the storm shelter with her dog Toto she and her home are taken by the tornado. She arrives in an odd place and she is told to head to Emerald to speak to the Wizard. Along the yellow brick road she meets a scarecrow, tin woodsmen, and cowardly lion. They decide to travel together to the Wizard. Once there he says he will grant their wishes but they need to kill the wicked witch first. This proves to be a very daunting task but Dorothy is determined to make it home.
I am a huge Wizard of Oz fan and it is crazy I have waited this long to read the book! It was so interesting to see how different the book was from the movie but at the heart it still has the same message there’s no place like home!!
I am a huge Wizard of Oz fan and it is crazy I have waited this long to read the book! It was so interesting to see how different the book was from the movie but at the heart it still has the same message there’s no place like home!!
December 10, 2024
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
Penguin Classics has put together three Oz books under one cover: The Wizard of Oz; The Emerald City of Oz; and Glinda of Oz. These are NOT the first three books in the Oz series. They are the first, the 7th, and the 14th (the last written by Baum). I’m not entirely sure why we get these specific three books – I thought I had read an explanation, but if I did, I can’t seem to find it.
Editor and folklore specialist Jack Zipes provides a really great Introduction, giving us a snapshot of L. Frank Baum and how and why he came to writing the fourteen books in the Oz series between 1900 and 1920. This brief biography is worth the price of the book.
I’ve read and reviewed the first book years ago, but I’ve copied (and edited/updated) it here.
THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ
So many people think they know this book because they are so familiar with the classic MGM movie. Of course there really is so much more in the book that it might surprise people.
I have a very distinctive memory of when I first read this book in January 0f 1969. I was home from school for a snow day, bored, and I read this entire book in one day. It was the first actual novel I’d read in one sitting.
The book doesn’t seem to have the same excitement or energy that the movie has. However, I read this book aloud twice now. Once to my daughter, and once to my two boys. Each time it managed to hold my children’s interest – and they have seen the movie as well. They’ve all agreed that we should consider reading book two in the series.
I can see where this easily would have/could have been the Harry Potter of it’s day. Chock full of fantastic people and places and things. This definitely has a high, creative, fantasy element. But I often felt that we got something creative just for the sake of ‘adventure’ or even for the sake of creativity, rather than for moving the story forward.
The most recent edition that I’ve read is annotated and it was interesting to note how Baum was commenting on social and political mores of his time which explains some of the random-seeming scenes.
More people ought to read this classic.
4 stars
THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ
Things are looking bleak (even bleaker than normal) in Kansas, where Uncle Henry is likely to lose the farm. Dorothy makes contact with Ozma and gets transported back to Oz for good. She convinces Ozma to bring her aunt and uncle to Oz as well. Oz is pretty strange territory for good, American plains folk, but Dorothy takes her family on a tour of the country, meeting all sorts of odd characters.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the land of Oz, the Nome King is preparing for an invasion of the Emerald City where he plans to enslave of all of Oz’s citizens and destroy the country. He’s got a tunnel that will lead his army right up to the gardens of the palace. Ozma gets wind of the plan, but not until quite late and, worse yet, has no magic that will defeat the Nome King. This is going to take some serious thinking … someone with a lot of good brains is going to need to figure a way to save Oz. Now who in Oz has brains…?
According to the notes in my collection for this book, author L. Frank Baum was growing a little tired of the Oz books and had every intention of making this, the sixth book in the series, the final entry. Of course we now know that this didn’t turn out to be the end. It’s a funny thing about the need to have an income and how supply and demand works….
Of the Oz books that I’ve read (maybe four of them now?) this is my least favorite. The Nome King story is slightly interesting but very one-note and repetitive. The story of Dorothy bringing her aunt and uncle to Oz is not at all interesting. They don’t have much to do and it feels very much like what it is – meeting everyone we’ve met before to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’.
Ozma does not come across very well, as far as I’m concerned. She’s a bit flighty and does not seem to have the people of Oz in mind at all.
I guess there’s a reason that the entire Oz series isn’t more popular and based on this book, I have a pretty good idea as to why. In a literary world devoid of truly fanciful stories, one can see why these were popular in their day, but they don’t hold up particularly well.
Looking for a good book? The Emerald City of Oz, the sixth book in the Oz series by L. Frank Baum, was intended to be the last of the series. Perhaps it’s good that it was not because it wouldn’t have ended on a very high note.
2 stars
GLINDA OF OZ
Glinda of Oz … the 14th and final book in the Oz series, written by L. Frank Baum. Once again Baum has decided that he’s had enough with the series and he’ll finally put it to rest. This time he was right, though, as he died not long after this was published.
Life in Oz appears idyllic, thanks in large part to Princess Ozma’s compassionate rule. But words comes to Ozma that in some of the most remote reaches of Oz, two tribes – the Flatheads and the Skeezers – are preparing for war against each other. Taking her trusted advisor, Dorothy Gale, with her, Ozma travels to remote Oz to see if she can broker peace.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Dictator of the Flatheads is set on a war. Ozma hopes that Queen Coo-ee-oh of the Skeezers will be more reasonable. The Skeezers Queen captures Ozma and Dorothy and traps them in the submersing city.
Glinda the Good comes to the rescue, gathering all sorts of friends and acquaintances of both Dorothy’s and Glinda’s.
This definitely feels like a final book. I haven’t read the entire series, but everyone I’ve ever read about in the series, and a few others, make an appearance. It’s like a 1920’s version of The Love Boat – lots of guest star appearances!
Although the plot is relatively simple, I really liked the submersible city concept. If we’ve seen it before in the series I am not aware of it, but it’s worthy of being seen in more than just this one book. (Perhaps another author has picked up on this concept within the series?) Glinda’s solution to rescuing Dorothy and Ozma is clever.
In addition to a finale feel, this also had some of the most fantasy elements which I quite enjoyed. This definitely has me interested in reading the entire series. It is a little bit ‘simple’ – but if we bear in mind the target audience (as well as the era in which it was written) it holds up quite nicely.
Looking for a good book? L. Frank Baum’s final book in the Oz series, Glinda of Oz, is a delightful children’s fantasy, but start at the beginning and enjoy the entire series.
4 stars
This collection:
In regards to this volume which includes the three books reviewed above… I’m not entirely convinced that selecting these three books in particular is the best choice. I can understand the reasoning – Baum’s first, and then two ‘final’ editions – but we miss so much.
Editor and scholar Jack Zipes provides a lot of historical background and lets the reader know what they might have missed in previous books. Mostly this is quite helpful. I did get a bit tired of reading about how Baum was trying to influence readers to his political views (to be fair some of this may have come from other sources I was reading while confirming what Zipes was noting).
If the scarecrow was made from a Munchkin farmer’s clothes, would the Scarecrow be Munchkin sized?
I’m glad to have read this. It never hurts to reread a classic like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz but to get to invest in two more books from the series was a joy. I do wish they were sequential, but I can solve that by going back and reading the series.
Looking for a good book? The Wizard of Oz: And Other Wonderful Books of Oz: The Emerald City of Oz and Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum and edited by Jack Zipes is a classic children’s book set that everyone should take the time to read.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
3-1/2 stars
Penguin Classics has put together three Oz books under one cover: The Wizard of Oz; The Emerald City of Oz; and Glinda of Oz. These are NOT the first three books in the Oz series. They are the first, the 7th, and the 14th (the last written by Baum). I’m not entirely sure why we get these specific three books – I thought I had read an explanation, but if I did, I can’t seem to find it.
Editor and folklore specialist Jack Zipes provides a really great Introduction, giving us a snapshot of L. Frank Baum and how and why he came to writing the fourteen books in the Oz series between 1900 and 1920. This brief biography is worth the price of the book.
I’ve read and reviewed the first book years ago, but I’ve copied (and edited/updated) it here.
THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ
So many people think they know this book because they are so familiar with the classic MGM movie. Of course there really is so much more in the book that it might surprise people.
I have a very distinctive memory of when I first read this book in January 0f 1969. I was home from school for a snow day, bored, and I read this entire book in one day. It was the first actual novel I’d read in one sitting.
The book doesn’t seem to have the same excitement or energy that the movie has. However, I read this book aloud twice now. Once to my daughter, and once to my two boys. Each time it managed to hold my children’s interest – and they have seen the movie as well. They’ve all agreed that we should consider reading book two in the series.
I can see where this easily would have/could have been the Harry Potter of it’s day. Chock full of fantastic people and places and things. This definitely has a high, creative, fantasy element. But I often felt that we got something creative just for the sake of ‘adventure’ or even for the sake of creativity, rather than for moving the story forward.
The most recent edition that I’ve read is annotated and it was interesting to note how Baum was commenting on social and political mores of his time which explains some of the random-seeming scenes.
More people ought to read this classic.
4 stars
THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ
Things are looking bleak (even bleaker than normal) in Kansas, where Uncle Henry is likely to lose the farm. Dorothy makes contact with Ozma and gets transported back to Oz for good. She convinces Ozma to bring her aunt and uncle to Oz as well. Oz is pretty strange territory for good, American plains folk, but Dorothy takes her family on a tour of the country, meeting all sorts of odd characters.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the land of Oz, the Nome King is preparing for an invasion of the Emerald City where he plans to enslave of all of Oz’s citizens and destroy the country. He’s got a tunnel that will lead his army right up to the gardens of the palace. Ozma gets wind of the plan, but not until quite late and, worse yet, has no magic that will defeat the Nome King. This is going to take some serious thinking … someone with a lot of good brains is going to need to figure a way to save Oz. Now who in Oz has brains…?
According to the notes in my collection for this book, author L. Frank Baum was growing a little tired of the Oz books and had every intention of making this, the sixth book in the series, the final entry. Of course we now know that this didn’t turn out to be the end. It’s a funny thing about the need to have an income and how supply and demand works….
Of the Oz books that I’ve read (maybe four of them now?) this is my least favorite. The Nome King story is slightly interesting but very one-note and repetitive. The story of Dorothy bringing her aunt and uncle to Oz is not at all interesting. They don’t have much to do and it feels very much like what it is – meeting everyone we’ve met before to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’.
Ozma does not come across very well, as far as I’m concerned. She’s a bit flighty and does not seem to have the people of Oz in mind at all.
I guess there’s a reason that the entire Oz series isn’t more popular and based on this book, I have a pretty good idea as to why. In a literary world devoid of truly fanciful stories, one can see why these were popular in their day, but they don’t hold up particularly well.
Looking for a good book? The Emerald City of Oz, the sixth book in the Oz series by L. Frank Baum, was intended to be the last of the series. Perhaps it’s good that it was not because it wouldn’t have ended on a very high note.
2 stars
GLINDA OF OZ
Glinda of Oz … the 14th and final book in the Oz series, written by L. Frank Baum. Once again Baum has decided that he’s had enough with the series and he’ll finally put it to rest. This time he was right, though, as he died not long after this was published.
Life in Oz appears idyllic, thanks in large part to Princess Ozma’s compassionate rule. But words comes to Ozma that in some of the most remote reaches of Oz, two tribes – the Flatheads and the Skeezers – are preparing for war against each other. Taking her trusted advisor, Dorothy Gale, with her, Ozma travels to remote Oz to see if she can broker peace.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Dictator of the Flatheads is set on a war. Ozma hopes that Queen Coo-ee-oh of the Skeezers will be more reasonable. The Skeezers Queen captures Ozma and Dorothy and traps them in the submersing city.
Glinda the Good comes to the rescue, gathering all sorts of friends and acquaintances of both Dorothy’s and Glinda’s.
This definitely feels like a final book. I haven’t read the entire series, but everyone I’ve ever read about in the series, and a few others, make an appearance. It’s like a 1920’s version of The Love Boat – lots of guest star appearances!
Although the plot is relatively simple, I really liked the submersible city concept. If we’ve seen it before in the series I am not aware of it, but it’s worthy of being seen in more than just this one book. (Perhaps another author has picked up on this concept within the series?) Glinda’s solution to rescuing Dorothy and Ozma is clever.
In addition to a finale feel, this also had some of the most fantasy elements which I quite enjoyed. This definitely has me interested in reading the entire series. It is a little bit ‘simple’ – but if we bear in mind the target audience (as well as the era in which it was written) it holds up quite nicely.
Looking for a good book? L. Frank Baum’s final book in the Oz series, Glinda of Oz, is a delightful children’s fantasy, but start at the beginning and enjoy the entire series.
4 stars
This collection:
In regards to this volume which includes the three books reviewed above… I’m not entirely convinced that selecting these three books in particular is the best choice. I can understand the reasoning – Baum’s first, and then two ‘final’ editions – but we miss so much.
Editor and scholar Jack Zipes provides a lot of historical background and lets the reader know what they might have missed in previous books. Mostly this is quite helpful. I did get a bit tired of reading about how Baum was trying to influence readers to his political views (to be fair some of this may have come from other sources I was reading while confirming what Zipes was noting).
If the scarecrow was made from a Munchkin farmer’s clothes, would the Scarecrow be Munchkin sized?
I’m glad to have read this. It never hurts to reread a classic like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz but to get to invest in two more books from the series was a joy. I do wish they were sequential, but I can solve that by going back and reading the series.
Looking for a good book? The Wizard of Oz: And Other Wonderful Books of Oz: The Emerald City of Oz and Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum and edited by Jack Zipes is a classic children’s book set that everyone should take the time to read.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
3-1/2 stars
![Profile Image for Saranya [catching up].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1777133106i/187457635._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
March 21, 2026
How could anyone resist such a gorgeous edition of the book? I finally decided to read this because of a beautiful botanical Wizard of Oz exhibit that's on at my local botanical gardens. I never read the original books as a child so the only nostalgia I have is for the movies, and tbh I don't think the books hold up for an adult reader. They are nice fables for children but they don't have the depth you'd find in other classics such as "The Chronicles of Narnia". I'm giving it 3-stars more out of respect for its legacy than personal enjoyment.
This collection contains books 1, 6, and 14 in the Oz series. The first book was unsurprisingly my favourite since it is the basis for the Wizard of Oz. It's a cute fable. It follows a more traditional fairy tale structure where the adventures are episodic rather than having an overarching villain or quest. I was surprised that the Wicked Witch of the West played such a small part in the story. Dorothy meets with new characters nearly every few chapters, so I just assumed that the witch at the beginning was Glinda when it turns out it was an entirely different good witch! While to a modern adult audience the story isn't very memorable, I have to honour it because it is the basis of the movie and so many other creations. You can't beat the iconography.
In all the novels but most especially in my least favourite one - #6 The Emerald City of Oz - the conflicts and dialogue are very simplistic. Characters will quite literally be like "we like to be evil, you also like to be evil, let's be evil together and destroy all happiness". Again that's fine for kids, but very tedious for me. I also found Dorothy to be rather a brat in book 6. When she encounters a village where all the people and objects are made entirely out of bread, she complains about how hungry she is until the villagers cave and let her eat some of their possessions. But then when Toto eats one of the PEOPLE, Dorothy gets all huffy at the villagers' anger and claims that she's treated them very nicely considering they are made of food. I will remind you that one of Dorothy's companions is literally a talking chicken and only a few chapters earlier Dorothy explains to Aunt Em that chickens are no longer considered food because they can talk. What gives Dorothy?
Narrative inconsistencies are nothing to L. Frank Baum. He's more than happy to make up a new city, magical object, or macguffin if he feels like it, whether or not this contradicts the rules of his world. The appendix author likes to label this as clever.... and well that's one way of putting it. It's more like he doesn't really care about consistency and just makes it up as he goes along. But again it's for kids it's fine, but it's not some indication of genius.
For a book that's aimed for kids and is for the most part very whimsical and cheerful, it is surprising how gruesome it can be on occasion. The Tin Woodman's story of the enchanted ax that chopped off his limbs and head one by one until he was completely remade of tin was rather horrific.
The humour was rarely for me, but there were several occasions that made me chuckle. In a city where all its inhabitants are made of utensils, a collander claimed to be an expert in religion because he was the holiest. There was also a funny interaction between the evil Troll (or something) King and his advisor in which the King was very angry so his advisor responded that:
"Why, if you are angry because you want to do magical things and can't, and if you don't want to get angry at all, my advice is not to want to do magical things." What a little shit of a response lol.
This was the type of syntax you will regularly encounter in Baum's novels. Characters will spell out every plot point and development by saying "if this is what is happening, and this is our problem, and these are our resources, this is what we must do." Very straight forward, very simple.
At the end of the day it's fine that a book is written just for kids! Especially at a time when likely there were fewer fantasy options for children. It was honestly really sweet how the author seemed to involve the children in his writing. This author's note had the cutest passage dedicated to his readers.
This collection contains books 1, 6, and 14 in the Oz series. The first book was unsurprisingly my favourite since it is the basis for the Wizard of Oz. It's a cute fable. It follows a more traditional fairy tale structure where the adventures are episodic rather than having an overarching villain or quest. I was surprised that the Wicked Witch of the West played such a small part in the story. Dorothy meets with new characters nearly every few chapters, so I just assumed that the witch at the beginning was Glinda when it turns out it was an entirely different good witch! While to a modern adult audience the story isn't very memorable, I have to honour it because it is the basis of the movie and so many other creations. You can't beat the iconography.
In all the novels but most especially in my least favourite one - #6 The Emerald City of Oz - the conflicts and dialogue are very simplistic. Characters will quite literally be like "we like to be evil, you also like to be evil, let's be evil together and destroy all happiness". Again that's fine for kids, but very tedious for me. I also found Dorothy to be rather a brat in book 6. When she encounters a village where all the people and objects are made entirely out of bread, she complains about how hungry she is until the villagers cave and let her eat some of their possessions. But then when Toto eats one of the PEOPLE, Dorothy gets all huffy at the villagers' anger and claims that she's treated them very nicely considering they are made of food. I will remind you that one of Dorothy's companions is literally a talking chicken and only a few chapters earlier Dorothy explains to Aunt Em that chickens are no longer considered food because they can talk. What gives Dorothy?
Narrative inconsistencies are nothing to L. Frank Baum. He's more than happy to make up a new city, magical object, or macguffin if he feels like it, whether or not this contradicts the rules of his world. The appendix author likes to label this as clever.... and well that's one way of putting it. It's more like he doesn't really care about consistency and just makes it up as he goes along. But again it's for kids it's fine, but it's not some indication of genius.
For a book that's aimed for kids and is for the most part very whimsical and cheerful, it is surprising how gruesome it can be on occasion. The Tin Woodman's story of the enchanted ax that chopped off his limbs and head one by one until he was completely remade of tin was rather horrific.
The humour was rarely for me, but there were several occasions that made me chuckle. In a city where all its inhabitants are made of utensils, a collander claimed to be an expert in religion because he was the holiest. There was also a funny interaction between the evil Troll (or something) King and his advisor in which the King was very angry so his advisor responded that:
"Why, if you are angry because you want to do magical things and can't, and if you don't want to get angry at all, my advice is not to want to do magical things." What a little shit of a response lol.
This was the type of syntax you will regularly encounter in Baum's novels. Characters will spell out every plot point and development by saying "if this is what is happening, and this is our problem, and these are our resources, this is what we must do." Very straight forward, very simple.
At the end of the day it's fine that a book is written just for kids! Especially at a time when likely there were fewer fantasy options for children. It was honestly really sweet how the author seemed to involve the children in his writing. This author's note had the cutest passage dedicated to his readers.
"I am merely an editor or private secretary for a host of youngsters whose ideas I am requested to weave into the thread of my stories. These ideas are often clever. They are also logical and interesting. So I have used them whenever I could find an opportunity, and it is but just that I acknowledge my indebtedness to my little friends. There will be no lack of fairy-tale authors in the future. I am sure."
February 17, 2025
Dorothy concludes her journey by saying, “I am so happy to be at home again,” yet as I was reading the book this question kept coming into my mind: Why does Dorothy desperately wish to return to her gray life in Kansas?
This seems entirely contrary to what is presented at the beginning of the book. Aunt Em has lost the sparkle in her eye and has become lifeless. Uncle Henry works all day and night and seemingly has no relationship with Dorothy or Em. Toto is the only thing in Dorothy’s life that has color and gives her joy, yet she fears that this too will go away.
Why then does she wish to return to Kansas, after making such amazing friends and experiencing the colorful life she has seemingly always wanted?
The counselor in me is saying that Dorothy wishes to return to what is familiar, rather than be challenged by a (possibly) greater future. In Oz, Dorothy is a hero. Well respected by her comrades, and an adventurer. In Kansas, Dorothy is no one.
At first, I thought the takeaway I was going to get from this book was through the supporting characters. The scarecrow didn’t need brains to be respected, the Tin-Man didn’t need a heart to care, and the Lion didn’t need courage to have self respect. However, each of these characters got their wish fulfilled; albeit through self-belief. Dorothy did not receive her wish. She had to hunt for it.
I don’t know. The point was to not think this much after completing a children’s story, so I’m going to stop here.
This seems entirely contrary to what is presented at the beginning of the book. Aunt Em has lost the sparkle in her eye and has become lifeless. Uncle Henry works all day and night and seemingly has no relationship with Dorothy or Em. Toto is the only thing in Dorothy’s life that has color and gives her joy, yet she fears that this too will go away.
Why then does she wish to return to Kansas, after making such amazing friends and experiencing the colorful life she has seemingly always wanted?
The counselor in me is saying that Dorothy wishes to return to what is familiar, rather than be challenged by a (possibly) greater future. In Oz, Dorothy is a hero. Well respected by her comrades, and an adventurer. In Kansas, Dorothy is no one.
At first, I thought the takeaway I was going to get from this book was through the supporting characters. The scarecrow didn’t need brains to be respected, the Tin-Man didn’t need a heart to care, and the Lion didn’t need courage to have self respect. However, each of these characters got their wish fulfilled; albeit through self-belief. Dorothy did not receive her wish. She had to hunt for it.
I don’t know. The point was to not think this much after completing a children’s story, so I’m going to stop here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2025
This was difficult to rate because it is technically a collection of children’s books - and therefore the endings are predictable and the plot uncomplicated.
However, I lovvvedd getting further insight into Baum’s creativity - I had previously only seen the movie “The Wizard of Oz” with Judy Garland.
As well, it was interesting to see how complex the language was - the growing illiteracy of children in the 21st century continues to baffle me. :( I know for sure that many of my pre-teen students would not understand words such as “despondently” or “forthwith”. But a lot of them are bilingual - so perhaps I’m being pessimistic.
To continue along that theme, this was an interesting bit from The Emerald City of Oz:
(Regarding the Rigamaroles) “If those people wrote books,” Omby Amby remarked with a smile, “it would take a whole library to say the cow jump over the moon.”
… “Some of the college lecturers and ministers are certainly related to these people,” observed the Shaggy Man; “and it seems to me that the Land of Oz is a little ahead of the United States in some of its laws. For here, if one can’t talk clearly, and straight to the point, they send him to Rigamarole Town; while Uncle Sam lets him roam around wild and free, to torture innocent people.”
This was published in 1910, lol. Some things never change.
However, I lovvvedd getting further insight into Baum’s creativity - I had previously only seen the movie “The Wizard of Oz” with Judy Garland.
As well, it was interesting to see how complex the language was - the growing illiteracy of children in the 21st century continues to baffle me. :( I know for sure that many of my pre-teen students would not understand words such as “despondently” or “forthwith”. But a lot of them are bilingual - so perhaps I’m being pessimistic.
To continue along that theme, this was an interesting bit from The Emerald City of Oz:
(Regarding the Rigamaroles) “If those people wrote books,” Omby Amby remarked with a smile, “it would take a whole library to say the cow jump over the moon.”
… “Some of the college lecturers and ministers are certainly related to these people,” observed the Shaggy Man; “and it seems to me that the Land of Oz is a little ahead of the United States in some of its laws. For here, if one can’t talk clearly, and straight to the point, they send him to Rigamarole Town; while Uncle Sam lets him roam around wild and free, to torture innocent people.”
This was published in 1910, lol. Some things never change.
January 7, 2026
A fun compilation of varying quality. “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” is obviously the best volume included here and has stood the test of time for a reason. Those familiar with the mainstream Oz canon might be shocked with how violent this first volume in particular is. “The Emerald City of Oz” is also a very solid installment and really should have been the final installment. Its influence in Narnia’s final installment, “The Last Battle,” is apparent. “Glinda of Oz” is clearly the weak link here. It is still worth the read considering A) this is the final volume Baum wrote and B) the darker tone of the novel reflecting anxieties of World War I. I would have maybe included “Ozma of Oz” instead of “Glinda of Oz,” the former volume is much more impactful to the extended Oz canon, and the plot of this installment is only truly tied up with “The Emerald City of Oz.”
August 18, 2025
I did thoroughly enjoy the book, my biggest complaint is that the three books in it are the 1st, 6th, and 14th book (which were still good btw) so I felt like I was missing a lot of plot points, especially when new characters were introduced and other plots mentioned. It kind of made me not want to read it as much. But nonetheless, still a classic and for a good reason.
April 9, 2026
A wonderful classic story, I thoroughly enjoyed Dorothy’s adventures in Oz. The physical book and sprayed edges are beautiful. I did not like the introduction or notes from Jack Zipes and could have done without his perception of the classic tale. I highly recommend reading the classic tale for any who love the movie or Wicked as well.
Currently Reading
December 26, 2024Enchanting with pleasant and friendly mystery.
August 5, 2025
3.5 // Physical and Audiobook
a fun time. the 2nd book tho was why it took me 6 months to finish
a fun time. the 2nd book tho was why it took me 6 months to finish
November 15, 2025
I did not expect Oz to be an imperialist power.
January 3, 2026
Aside from the beautiful sprayed edges of this edition, the best part is the introduction and biography of L. Frank Baum.
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