The Flying Girl

The Flying Girl #1

by Edith Van Dyne (pseudonym), L. Frank Baum, David Maxine (Editor)

The Flying Girl is a novel written by L. Frank Baum, author of the Oz books. It was first published in 1911. In the book, Baum pursued an innovative blending of genres to create a feminist adventure melodrama. The book was followed by a sequel, The Flying Girl and Her Chum, published the next year, 1912. Both books were illustrated by Joseph Pierre Nuyttens, the artist who also illustrated Baum's Annabel and Phoebe Daring in 1912.

More Details:
From the author of The Wizard of Oz comes a high-flying adventure featuring intrepid girl aviator Orissa Kane. Like Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, Orissa is intelligent, self-reliant and always persevering.

Circumstances force young Orissa Kane into the air in her brother’s innovative new airplane. But a deadly foe is intent on sending her crashing back to earth. Soar to new heights with the Flying Girl as she braves countless dangers to achieve worldwide acclaim.

Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Classics, Womens, Childrens

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

Pen name for L. Frank Baum and Emma Speed Sampson

Reviews

[R. Ware · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baum wrote several books that are entirely unrelated to the Oz stories, and that are not aimed at children. This is my favorite. The background is the competitive field of early aeroplane design before World War I. College-age siblings Orissa and Steve enter this field when Steve invents a new aircraft design, and they become business partners, facing many challenges. (He wrote the book under the pen-name "Edith Van Dyne".)

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m all filled up right now with the state of women in America at the turn of the 20th Century -- I recently read a book of poems by a woman of that era, and then a paper on the British and American Sufferage movements and how they were impacted by WWI. So this book came to me at exactly the right time. I was perfectly primed to find this feminist little adventure suggesting that – gasp! – girls could actually pursue daring adventures just like boys, and do just as well at it if not better – delightful!

I really love that L. Frank Baum hid behind a female pen name for this book. Throughout history it had always been women who had to hide behind male pen names to get published. And I suspect there was a certain knowing awareness of that in his choice, although, presumably he felt a book about an “adventurous” girl would sell better if perceived to have been written by an “adventurous” woman (as any woman willing to “put herself out there” by writing and publishing was still somewhat perceived).

I LOVE the view of “aeroplanes” here when they were so, so, SO new. And I marvel that anyone ever survived that period where people blithely climbed into contraptions they had just cobbled together. The whole look at this infant stage of aviation is delightful.

I might have been annoyed at the end by the protagonist’s extreme humility and desire only for her brother to gain glory – since he was male and she was female and that was only proper – but I was so primed-up for the time period by all my other reading, that I was able to sit back and enjoy this tale of the period, written by a man for the purpose of insisting that women are amazing creatures who can achieve just as great things as men and might even be better suited for those things. And never fear! They’ll still be beautiful, kind, wonderful and feminine as they do it (and will get dinner on the table too!).

[Nathan Dehoff]

Originally published under Baum's pseudonym Edith Van Dyne, which he also used for Aunt Jane's Nieces and Mary Louise, his series books marketed specifically to girls. It's included in the third volume of Oz-Story Magazine, which is how I read it. Baum wrote this in the early days of aviation, with inventor Stephen Kane working on a new kind of biplane that he thinks will be a vast improvement over the others. The real protagonist, however, is his sister Orissa, who is working as a secretary to a real estate mogul to help support the family. She finds out that her boss, Mr. Burthon, is in a rivalry with his brother-in-law Mr. Cumberford, and is trying to rip him off. When Burthon learns about the aircraft, he at first tries to buy into it, only for Cumberford to offer a much better deal. He then resorts to trickery and sabotage, and even proposes marriage to Orissa. I hadn't realized when I started reading this that much of the conflict is centered around cutthroat business practices. Orissa ends up flying the plane after Stephen is injured, and becomes famous as the Flying Girl (although the characters are quick to point out that she isn't the first female aviator). I know there's a sequel, The Flying Girl and Her Chum.

[bup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who reads this book has no cause to complain that their expectations weren't met. If you know a book called The Flying Girl was written by L. Frank Baum in 1911, using a pseudonym, and are surprised by what's in here, that's on you. Well, I guess you could think it was about a girl who could actually fly, rather than pilot an aeroplane. OK. That would be totally on-brand for Baum. But if you know a book called The Flying Girl was written by L. Frank Baum in 1911, using a pseudonym, and see the picture on the cover, and are surprised by what's in here, that's on you.

Of course there's sexism (though arguably less than was probably typical in that day) and flying and stilted phrasing and characters and lots of wonderful words peculiar to early aviation.

Still, I got caught up in it - honest to God. And was angry at the protagonists at the end for ***spoiler***






letting the scoundrels off! Orissa, if that cad Tyler kills someone in the future, there's blood on your hands, girl.




*** end spoiler ***


If you want to while away a few hours with a wistful look at the flying era just before WWI, this isn't the worst way to do it.

[Coral Hayward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading The Flying Girl, I definitely learned a lot about early aviation which was very interesting. It is definitely a product of its time, and while it was pretty feminist and progressive for the era, I would recommend caution if you are particularly sensitive to domestic violence mentions.

[Perry Whitford]

- back to the time when aviation was a new science and a real craze
- Baum thanks both Glenn H. Curtiss and Wilbur Wright, who he spoke with
- Orissa Kane, 17, beautiful and honest
- brother Steve invents his own aeroplane: "the science of aviation is as yet unwritten."
- neither a monoplane nor a biplane, according to accepted ideas of such machines, but was what Steve called “a story-and-a-half flyer.”

- bad prediction from Steve:
“The airship of the future will not be a passenger affair,” he predicted, “but an individual machine for personal use. They’ll be cheaper than automobiles, and more useful, for they can go direct to their destination in a straight ‘air-line.’ Men will use them to go to business, women to visit town on shopping expeditions or to 162take an airing for pleasure; but I’m sure they will be built for but one person.”

[Deryk Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a joy to read again, i first read this book 50 years ago i think, it's even better now.

[David]

A very readable, suspenseful adventure story by L. Frank Baum (writing as Edith Van Dyne). It takes more than a few unbelievable turns, but I can see how this would be well-received by girls interested in aviation in the first decades of the 20th Century. A far sight better written than most of the youth-oriented adventure fiction of the era.

[David]

A cut far above the standard youth-adventure novels of the early decades of the 20th century. Baum (writing as Edith Van Dyne) has a keen hold of human nature and realizes his characters in a very engaging manner.

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've already reviewed the Project Gutenberg ebook version of this novel. So I'll let that review stand.

This version is an audiobook produced by Librivox, so various chapters are read by different volunteer narrators. Here it is: https://librivox.org/the-flying-girl-...

[LOL_BOOKS]

DID YOU KNOW BAUM WROTE A SERIES OF BOOKS ABOUT A GIRL FLYING ACE? LOL BEFORE RL FLYING ACES WERE EVEN RLY A THING! AND THEY HOLD UP REMARKABLY WELL TO A MODERN READER, TOO.