What do you think?
Rate this book
Wonder Tales of L. Frank Baum, Vol. 3
619 pages, Leather Bound
First published December 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
L. Frank Baum
3,212 books2,771 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 In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts.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 In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts.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).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 6, 2013
"Wonder Tales of L. Frank Baum" is a collection of 7 books by Baum that are collected in a way not done before with his works & provide we the reader a glimpse into some of the other fiction that the writer best known for his 14 Oz books wrote.
The first book, "The Master Key", published in 1901 tells the story of Rob who comes into contact with a master key for electricity which unlocks a demon who promises Rob gifts similar to those of a genie with regards to electricity itself. The story follows Rob on a number of adventures around the world & we get to see some rather magical devices that become both a help & a hindrance to our inventor & the times he lives in.
2nd up comes 1903's "The Enchanted Island of Yew" in which we meet a fairy who wants to become mortal & becomes Prince Marvel. From there we witness his adventures in the human realm that go all over the place including a penance to a King Terribus amongst other things.
3rd is 1900's "The Magical Monarch of Mo" is 14 very quick chapters dealing with surprises for this particular monarch in various kingdoms & also gives us characters that would eventually be prominent in the Oz books themselves
Next is "Queen Zixi of Ix" published in 1905 which tells the story of an unlikely queen & her magic cloak which gets stolen & eventually found again.
1906's "John Dough & the Cherub" is the story of a gingerbread man who comes to life via an elixir of life he is given & a cherub who is essentially a guardian to John Dough as he tries to run from the man who baked him originally & enters a rather unique set of kingdoms.
1911's "The Sea Fairies" introduces the non-Oz reader to Cap'n Bill & Trot as they go under the sea for an adventure in fairyland & deal with monsters & ghosts galore.
Finally is 1912's "Sky Island" which continues the adventures of Cap'n Bill, Button Bright & Trot as they explore an island in the sky & endure a war between Bluefolk & Pinkies. It also re-introduces Polychrome from the Oz series as a mediator of sorts in this war between the people.
The 7 works themselves are a far cry from the works that we know by this author, but they do show another side of Baum that many people many not have realized is out there. The books themselves all together are a rather odd collection of stories that contain any number of play on words with characters & alliterative references that make them enjoyable to a point, but tiresome at others. These aren't the best works of L. Frank Baum & his masterpiece will always be the Land of Oz, but for the curious child in all of us take a look at these 7 for a slightly different perspective into this early 20th century literary marvel.
The first book, "The Master Key", published in 1901 tells the story of Rob who comes into contact with a master key for electricity which unlocks a demon who promises Rob gifts similar to those of a genie with regards to electricity itself. The story follows Rob on a number of adventures around the world & we get to see some rather magical devices that become both a help & a hindrance to our inventor & the times he lives in.
2nd up comes 1903's "The Enchanted Island of Yew" in which we meet a fairy who wants to become mortal & becomes Prince Marvel. From there we witness his adventures in the human realm that go all over the place including a penance to a King Terribus amongst other things.
3rd is 1900's "The Magical Monarch of Mo" is 14 very quick chapters dealing with surprises for this particular monarch in various kingdoms & also gives us characters that would eventually be prominent in the Oz books themselves
Next is "Queen Zixi of Ix" published in 1905 which tells the story of an unlikely queen & her magic cloak which gets stolen & eventually found again.
1906's "John Dough & the Cherub" is the story of a gingerbread man who comes to life via an elixir of life he is given & a cherub who is essentially a guardian to John Dough as he tries to run from the man who baked him originally & enters a rather unique set of kingdoms.
1911's "The Sea Fairies" introduces the non-Oz reader to Cap'n Bill & Trot as they go under the sea for an adventure in fairyland & deal with monsters & ghosts galore.
Finally is 1912's "Sky Island" which continues the adventures of Cap'n Bill, Button Bright & Trot as they explore an island in the sky & endure a war between Bluefolk & Pinkies. It also re-introduces Polychrome from the Oz series as a mediator of sorts in this war between the people.
The 7 works themselves are a far cry from the works that we know by this author, but they do show another side of Baum that many people many not have realized is out there. The books themselves all together are a rather odd collection of stories that contain any number of play on words with characters & alliterative references that make them enjoyable to a point, but tiresome at others. These aren't the best works of L. Frank Baum & his masterpiece will always be the Land of Oz, but for the curious child in all of us take a look at these 7 for a slightly different perspective into this early 20th century literary marvel.
April 9, 2018
This is definitely a grabbag of fictional goodies. In this volume, Mr. Baum tried his hand at science fiction, fantasy and a dash of the supernatural. The stories are surprisingly good, even when they’re merely whimsical. “The Magical Monarch of Mo” reminds me strongly of the mythical village of Chelm, where fools and idiots live, never realizing how out of step they are with common sense.
I have my favorites, mainly those that deal with female protagonists. Where males can stumble and fall, females can be there to right wrongs, take control, wear crowns, wage war and bestow mercy.
Since most of the stories have no connection to the others, internal consistency doesn’t present the problem for Mr. Baum as it did in his Oz books. Also, Mr. Baum plays with the ideas of good and bad, showing that even despots can have a dash of decency in them, and good people can be rather foolish, even with the best of intentions. He sneaks in his lessons in between the storytelling providing moralistic lessons for children without being too obvious.
As an introduction to the Oz stories, this volume serves quite well and is even superior to some of the full-length Oz novels. I would recommend it to children or even older readers.
I have my favorites, mainly those that deal with female protagonists. Where males can stumble and fall, females can be there to right wrongs, take control, wear crowns, wage war and bestow mercy.
Since most of the stories have no connection to the others, internal consistency doesn’t present the problem for Mr. Baum as it did in his Oz books. Also, Mr. Baum plays with the ideas of good and bad, showing that even despots can have a dash of decency in them, and good people can be rather foolish, even with the best of intentions. He sneaks in his lessons in between the storytelling providing moralistic lessons for children without being too obvious.
As an introduction to the Oz stories, this volume serves quite well and is even superior to some of the full-length Oz novels. I would recommend it to children or even older readers.
Read
January 14, 2010Wonder Tales of L. Frank Baum, Vol. 3 by L. Frank Baum (2006)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews