The Wizard of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

208 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2024

About the author

also 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 In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts.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).

Reviews

[Pearl Acevedo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to read this book because Wicked came out and it reminded me that I’ve never actually read the original Wizard of Oz story—only watched (and loved) the movie. I was hoping the book would give me that same feeling but honestly, I was disappointed.

There were a few quotes that absolutely stood out and felt really touching, and the illustrations throughout were cute. But overall, I just didn’t connect with the story the way I hoped. I wanted to love it more than the movie, and I definitely didn’t. There are many versions and a whole Oz collection, but this particular book just wasn’t for me.

I only finished it hoping the ending would redeem the experience—and it didn’t. I’m glad I finally read it for context, but I definitely won’t be rereading it.

[Chance Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED

Just read this cause i watched wicked in theaters and realized that I have actually never seen the original Wizard of Oz! I then went to my campus bookstore and happened to see this nice puffin classics copy of the book and said fuck it. I will say that I think the inspiration for this book (very very obviously) is way better, shout out Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Still an easy fun read, now I can watch the movie!

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slight Spoilers:

Would be a banger bedtime book as a kid (aside from the 100s of animals dying and general violence?? but I fear it’s too childish to be entertaining on a first read for me (Their problem solving feels too magical/convenient, its always instant and struggle-less I never got invested

also reminds me a lot of Alice in Wonderland, never thought the premises were similar before- idk how I missed that