Product Description
The Enchanted Island of Yew is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A World of Adventure
The book brings you into everyone's perspective, not just the main character's. Every moment you arre wondering how they are going to get past. The main character basically goes to the wickedest people or groups and turns evil into good.

A true heroic romp
Prince Marvell, the fairy on safari, is unlike any of Baum's other protagonists: a romantic hero, wandering freely through the semi-civilized countryside, looking for good adventure, turning evildoers into good guys.His sidekick, Nerle, is another unique character in Baum; the only one I can think of who's anything like him is Sacho in THE SEA FAIRIES, and they're not VERY similar.Sacho forgives those who hurt him; Nerle actually thanks them.

This book is not without flaws.Like so much of Baum's lower-quality work it suffers from aimlessly-wandering-around syndrome.Oz books are almost all essentially wandering around, but in the better ones like WIZARD it's not aimless and there's more going on as well.This is like DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD and ROAD and most of EMERALD CITY--essentially plotless, a riding tour.Also, the whole Twi adventure is way too long.

Another reviewer criticised the illustrations and the manufacturing quality.The original first edition of YEW had only a few (five?) color plates, plus some early editions had orange line-drawings stamped over the text.I have seen several recent very-badly-illustrated republications of YEW and this may be one. But it's most likely worth it anyway; you'll be glad to have Prince Marvell and Nerle in your family.

A Different Tone than Oz
While this is indeed a fairy tale, it's tone is much different than the Oz books for which L. Frank Baum is best known. It is a very good children's book.

One gets the impression that this book was written independently of the Oz canon. It is not mentioned anywhere in the Oz books. As a child, my only knowledge of it came from the maps found at the beginning of some of that series. The book was also listed in the other works of Baum. The maps kindled my interest as did the references to it in the "By" columns but I was unable to get a copy for 30 years. It was worth the wait.

The story involves a fairy on the enchanted island of Yew. She is tired of being immortal and the sameness of everything and enlists the aid of some girls to aid her in an adventure. She gets transformed into a "mortal" prince for the space of a year and sets out to explore the island and have a good time. In doing so, he comes across several different kingdoms, each with its own peculiarity, rights some wrongs and has a good time.

Yew seems directed at a slightly older audience than Oz but it is still meant for young people and people young at heart. It was worth waiting for.

DO NOT ORDER THE BLUE UNICORN EDITION!!!!!!!
The Blue Unicorn Edition is an incredibly shoddy book-- an InstaBook. It looks like a printout of an unillustrated web page. To top it off, the author's name is given on the cover as "Frank L. Baum," which showed these people had no idea what they were doing, not to mention it's poorly cut and there are blobs of ink all over the book. I'm going to send it back and exchange it for the Wildside edition. I know their books are good quality, since Phyliis Ann Karr showed me hers from them.

Excellent novel, not-so-good illustrations
The novel is a typical Baum fantasy, that is, carelessly plotted, but filled with wonderful creations (there is more invention in one Baum novel than in a basket of trilogies by any current fantasy writer), and often amusing (the reformation of the thieves is hilarious).As for this particular edition:No one can fault the publisher for being stingy withGeorge O'Connor's illustrations--there are approximately fifty--but that isnot necessarily a good thing.O'Connor's work seems crude to me, and hehas an annoying tendency to stray from the text--for example, the hero,Prince Marvel, is repeatedly described as "small" and"slight," yet O'Connor consistently depicts someone who couldwrestle Superman. ... Read more

Product Description
The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

A delghtful fantasy for children
L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) became very famous a loved for his later books on Dorthy and Oz. This book written in 1903, and still delightful today, contains fourteen tales. Baum warns his readers that the stories are not true, "they could not be true and be so marvelous. No one is expected to believe them; they were meant to excite laughter and to gladden the heart."

The monarch of Mo is a king of average size who is "delightfully jolly when he is not sad, and seldom sad if he can possibly be jolly." He does not deal in magic, but "he leads such a queer life in such a queer country that his history will surely seem magical to us who inhabit civilized places." Why is there no map of the land of Mo? Because the map-makers did not know about the land, but the readers who read Baum's book will learn what they do not know, and will enjoy doing so.

Tales of Innocence and Delightful Nonsense
Before we became familiar with a flying squirrel's adventures with a moronic moose, a wiseacre rabbit and his ill-tempered duck friend, and the comic tales of a talking mouse who launched an entertainment dynasty, Lyman Frank Baum told his sons and neighborhood children these tales of innocence and delightful nonsense in the 1890s which resulted in this book.

Originally titled ADVENTURES IN PHUNNYLAND (1896-four years before the WIZARD OF OZ) and then as A NEW WONDERLAND (1900), it re-emerged in 1903 as THE MAGICAL MONARCH OF MO (in part to capitalize upon THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ and it's success). Essentially, these are the whimsy-filled tales of a Monarch and his subjects in a fantasyland filled with wild irony and boundless imagination.

The good people of Mo deal with wicked rival kings, a robot monster (The Cast Iron Man) the momarch's ill-tmpered daughter (Princess Pattycake) among others. People literally lose their headsand other body parts in confrontations, but no fear, they somehow always manage to grow back. In another story, a donkey wanders into the local schoolhouse after classes and eats all of the books, thus making him "The Wise Donkey" whom the King uses as a confidant and oracle. The King's wooden head makes him rather "hard headed" while his talking dog becomes "quite a wag".

Incidentally, few have noticed that the tale "Timtom and Princess Pattycake" is in some ways a forerunner of the "Wizard of Oz", as Timtom's journey to win the hand of the Princess leads to adventures and characters just was wild as the more famous story.

On the whole, this book could have been a bunch ofsilly, sappy garbage of the Barney/New Zoo Review/Care Bears variety in the hands of a lesser writer. But Lyman Frank Baum fills these outrageous yarns with enough wit, imagination, and snappy prose to keep even the adult reader entertained over a century later. You will truly get the feel of being a child at Baum's house with his sons and their friends with lemonade and candy treats on a pleasant afternoon in 1896 as he regaled them with these lively and wonderful tales. Baum makes it clear introduction that these stories are not for those who did not keep their inner child alive. Be thankful that he wrote them down.

An Amusing Collection of Short Stories by the Creator of OZ
The 1899 publication of A NEW WONDERLAND was almost immediately routed by the 1900 publication of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ--and so L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) re-wrote the book, which was re-published in 1903 as THE MAGICAL MONARCH OF MO.The book has no central plot; it is instead a collection of short stories about the Land of Mo, where almost everything is edible.

Needless to say, The Monarch of Mo figures in many of these tales.His head is bitten off by a purple dragon, he is pushed down into a hole by a naughty son, and he is forced to sort out the truth of various claims on several occasions.But the stories also encompass his various sons and daughters, such as the ill-tempered Princess Pattycake, who is wooed by the commoner Timtom, and the beautiful Princess Truella, whose big toe is stolen by an evil wizard for use in a magic potion.Other characters include the wise donkey, the three foolish wise men, a vicious gigaboo, the clever Prince Thinkabit, and many others.It is all very imaginative and very charming in a period sort of way.

Baum's novels tend to bleed over into each other, and readers will enjoy encountering such characters as an iron man and a talking hen, both of which would undergo adaptation and emerge in OZ stories as Tik-Tok and Billina, but parents who wish to read the stories aloud to children should be slightly forewarned.In some respects Baum was a naive man, and he seemed to have a talent for turning a phrase he considered harmless but which startles others.In MO the faux pas occurs in Chapter Twelve, wherein Prince Zingle is wafted by kite to a monkey kingdom and locked up in a zoo.After some consideration a monkey professor announces "I shall write an article on the creature and claim he is a Homo, and without doubt the paper will create a stir in the scientific world."No doubt, indeed!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Delightful memories
These stories are delightful in their quirky, darkly adventurous meanderings.A root beer river, a topsy turvy land where people live upside down, a king who loses his head and a nasty witch outwitted by a beautiful young princess?What child (or adult) wouldn't be drawn into the magical (truly!) land of Mo?I read and reread these stories when I was little, amazed by the wildly imaginative characters and playful settings.I'm surprised the previous reviewer had such a disappointing encounter with this childhood favorite of mine.I would strongly recommend it.I can't, however, attest to the quality of this particular edition as I own an older one.

Wonderful book, terrible edition
First off, let me say that I love the stories in this book; I read it for the first time many years ago. However, I just ordered this edition (Dodo Press), and the printing is terrible.The illustrations look like they are 3rd or 4th generation: very blurry.I appreciate that Dodo is trying to make books available that would not otherwise be available, but it really looks no better than if I typed the book, copied the PDF files of the illustrations, and slapped a cover on it.I returned my copy and bought the Dover edition (which was also cheaper). ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic; Juvenile Fiction / General; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

This is a delightful fantasy for children by a master writer
L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) wrote many children's books, and achieved enormous well-deserved praise for his books on Oz and Dorothy. This one contains 22 tales and was written in 1911. Baum tells us that he wrote these tales because his many admirers, who were children, wanted information about the beings that live under the sea. Trot, the hero of the tales is a girl, like Dorothy in the Oz stories. An old sailor taught her to love the sea. The sailor told her that "mermaids is fairies, an' ain't meant to be seen by us mortal folk." He explains that mermaids are the most beautiful creatures in the world. They have "pretty faces that smile an' look mighty sweet an' fetchin'." Trot wants to see them, but the sailor says that if a person sees a mermaid, the person will die. One day when she and the sailor are rowing into a cave in the water, a mermaid appears, and so begins the delightful adventures of Trot.

Severely inferior to the Oz books
This book is a real let down after reading all the Oz Books.It doesn't have anywhere near the sparkle and pop of Baum's other series and seems much more like a list of what-could-be sightings than a worthwhile story.That's truly a shame because I was hoping to "keep the magic alive" (as it were) for my young children after finishing all the Oz books.

The story line is simple - Trot and Cap'n Bill (both migrated to Oz after a few more books) are temporarily transformed into a mermaid & merman for undersea adventures.They get captured by an evil wizard and eventually freed.The drawback is that the sea offers less of a chance for Oz's remarkable imagination since he has to work with observable items and make them seem fantastical.He just doesn't have as much room to work with as he does in Oz, which offers boundless opportunities for his near-endless imagination.

Maybe a Baum completist would enjoy this more, but it wasn't for me.

Visiting an enchanted realm
This is the first of two books (the other is Sky Island) recounting the adventures in "fairy countries" of Marye "Trot" Griffiths and her dear friend, the one-legged sailorman known as Cap'n Bill, who live with Trot's mother in a cottage on the California seacoast while her father is off sailing the seas.One day Trot expresses the wish to see a mermaid, but Cap'n Bill insists that "nobody ever [did it] and lived to tell the tale," because "mermaids is fairies, and ain't meant to be seen by us mortal folk."The mermaids, who overhear, have other ideas, and invite the pair to visit them under the sea, even giving them half-fish forms and the ability to breathe underwater.

The mermaids' society is fascinating, as even Cap'n Bill admits, but the ocean holds other creatures less benevolent; while sea serpents are "bashful and shy...[and] kind-hearted," the "terrible deep-sea devilfish," which have almost as much power as the mermaids, "are evil spirits who delight in injuring all who meet them" and are in league with the wicked sorcerer Zog.

The story is a bit slow getting started, as the two humans explore the mermaid realm and learn something of life in this very damp fairy country; but just about halfway through they are captured, along with two of their mermaid hostesses, by Zog's devilfish and taken to his castle.Zog is a vengeful villain who "was created part man, part bird, part fish, part beast and part reptile, and such a monstrosity could not be otherwise than wicked;" he's lived a long and weary 27,000 years and hates everything and everyone around him--especially the mermaids, who are immortal too but seem to enjoy it.Only one living thing has the power to destroy him--Anko, the sea serpent King of the Pacific.But as his prisoners, how are Trot and her friends to summon Anko to help them?

Baum's imagination is in high gear here as it is in the better-known Oz books, and though not always exciting, the story is interesting and enjoyable.All 78 of the original illustrations by John R. Neill are included.

Stop! Do not buy this edition!
Not only does the Aegypan Press hardcover edition lack the cover illustration depicted (or any dust-jacket at all) and any interior illustrations, it literally appears to have been printed with a dot-matrix printer prior to being bound.Held at normal reading distance, you can easily see the dots composing the letters. You would be better off downloading the text from Project Gutenberg and printing it yourself, or taking it to Staples.At least then you'd get a readable copy.

No plot, but still worth knowing.
Sure, SEA FAIRIES is plotless, and SKY ISLAND is much better, but SEA FAIRIES has some strange, thought-provoking characters (besides the first appearance of Trot and Cap'n Bill).Starting with Zog himself, one of the few villians in Baum who is totally, unredeemably evil, and the only one who correctly perceives exactly how evil he is.Satan-like, he mourns his own absurd existance, frowning when happy and smiling sweetly when angry.Equally thought-provoking is his slave Sacho, maybe the most Christ-like character in Baum.I never knew, and still don't, what to make of Anko.Baum's other comedic-but-formidable good-guys like the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger are different because they are vulnerable and troubled; even Quox the Dragon is easier to believe in than Anko, who is one of the mightiest natural forces on the planet and represents good in one of Baum's most epic good-vs-evil battles (the only greater one is in SANTA CLAUS)--and the jokes he unconsciously spouts and riffs on are too lame even for Baum who used some very bad ones!Mistaking Nebuchadnezzar's name for "Nevercouldnever"--someone explain that to me please.It's not even good baby-talk.** UPDATE: On the other hand, upon rereading I find that some of it is just gut-bustingly funny.For instance:

"Oh, I'm very well, thank you," answered Anko. "I never remember to
have had a pain but three times in my life. The last time was when
Julius Sneezer was on earth."

"You mean Julius Caesar," said Trot, correcting him.

"No, I mean Julius Sneezer," insisted the Sea Serpent. "That was his
real name--Sneezer. They called him Caesar sometimes just because he
took everything he could lay hands on. I ought to know, because I
saw him when he was alive. Did you see him when he was alive, Cap'n
Bill?"


Here's a question: does this edition include the incredibly beautiful color plates from the early editions?If yes, do they have the metallic border-pictures?These plates are some of Jno. R. Neill's very best work, fully as beautiful as the original color plates in THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ with the green metallic ink, and the wonderful water-colors in DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD. ... Read more

Product Description
Glinda of Oz is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

my least favorite in a beloved series...
In many ways this is a typical Oz book, with all the usual fun elements and characters.

But I've just re-read the series, and found something really troubling.Often in the other books the "bad" antagonist characters (the Nome King, Kalidahs, etc.) advocated or committed acts of violence. In the other books those characters are always foiled by their own foolishness and the kindness, gentleness, cleverness, and magic of our heroines and heroes.Unfortunately, in this book there are some disturbing moments of terrible behavior on the part of our beloved characters.Among other things, Dorothy talks about "whipping" the Pink Kitten! What the ?!?!?!?!?!? (Yes, the Pink Kitten is incorrigible and ultra-naughty, but still!)

I had forgotten how much these things upset me as a little girl. In the other Oz books Dorothy and Button Bright would never try to hurt another creature.This is so un-Ozish that it troubles me.

Glinda of Oz is still fun, but not a book I'd give my little girl. In my opinion better choices include Ozma of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, and The Lost Princess of Oz.

part of the "Books of Wonder" series
I don't know why Amazon's page doesn't mention this, but what Amazon is calling their "Glinda of Oz (Oz, 14)" is indeed in the "Books of Wonder" series that the other hardbounds are in, all with dust jackets and illustrations by John Neill.

He saved the best for last
One of the better books in the series, with a very valuable message - duty means performing some tasks that are unpleasant, but performing those very tasks can make life better for everyone.Having read them all in sequence, I am almost sad to know this is the last one I can read to my boys.

Synopsis - Dorothy and Ozma travel to a remote section of Oz in an attempt to arbitrate between the Skeezers and Flatheads, two fairy races on the verge of war of a fish supply.Both are made captive by the leader of the Skeezers, who has no interest in peace, and are nearly made permanent prisoners when the Skeezers city becomes trapped under a lake.The entire court of Oz comes to their rescue, led by Glinda the Good and the Wizard, and the group learns a valuable lesson about performing one's duty.

A great Baum Oz book
If WIZARD is Baum's ODYSSEY, this one is his ILIAD.It's the most conflict-centered piece except RINKITINK and maybe THE LAND OF OZ.

More than most, this book has a plot which begins, develops, and concludes.More than most, it lets you watch the magicians at work together, pooling their resources to accomplish a complicated task.More than most it raises interesting long-term questions about distant local wars and the responsibilities of great powers.

It offers some of the most interesting secondary characters: not just the Su-Dic and Coo-ee-oh who are plausible, vivid personalities, but Red Reera, Ervic, the "three fishes" and even the Su-Dic's golden pig wife.All outstandingly Ozzy characters.

This book also has a more sci-fi quality to it than usual, with a deadly poison capable of inflicting major environmental damage and an island held in place by an expanding metal column.(Baum shows he's not senile, by remembering that if you lower the water level and then raise the island, it goes way above the lake's surface.)The pictures of Coo-ee-oh's hi-tech magic instruments enhance the sci-fi feel.There's also a greater sense of real danger in this book than many others.The Su-Dic and Coo-ee-oh are as serious and ruthless as any of Baum's villians and there's nothing comical about either of them except maybe the idea of canned brains, which is presented as dead serious.

Some readers complain that it's not really about Glinda.OK, but is WIZARD really about the Wizard?Is EMERALD CITY about the Emerald City AT ALL?Also, SCARECROW.

More objectionable is the inconsistancy that Dorothy was wearing the Magic Belt the whole time, and should have been able to teleport home.Plus, didn't she learn in LOST PRINCESS to make wishes on it?Baum invested way too much power in the Magic Belt from the very beginning.Lifted it from the Tarnhelm in DAS RHEINGOLD but that's another review.

My Oz set is complete!
We got the other 13 books a while ago in the Oz series and Glinda of OZ wasnt available.It came very quickly and is the edition I prefer, with the larger size page and full page artwork. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This title has fewer than 24 printed text pages.

A Kidnapped Santa Claus is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Kidnap the Sandy Claws!
Harper Collins released this small hardcover graphic novel based on L. Frank Baum's original book, A Kidnapped Santa Claus, adapted by Alex Robinson(Box Office Poison). The book was a followup to Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus which told Santa's origins. In this story, Santa gets captured by some evil demons, so a bunch his elves and fairy friends(including Zurline)mount a rescue. This actually turned out to be a great comic for young readers, and I highly recommend it as a holiday gift.

Spirited Adaptation of a Minor Christmas "Classic"
There's a reason that L. Frank Baum's "A Kidnapped Santa Claus" has always been less than classic when it comes to Christmas tales: The mythology is too much to grasp in the span of a short story. The "daemons" that kidnap Santa go by the names of Selfishness, Envy, Hatred, and Repentance (a fifth, Malice, is not included in Robinson's adaptation). As a way to teach children the perilousness of vices, "A Kidnapped Santa Claus" would seem to have a daunting task.

Baum goes several steps further, though, complicating matters with layers of original mythology. His Santa doesn't live at the North Pole--instead, he lives in Laughing Valley on the border of the Forest of Burzee. Instead of elves, he's assisted by knooks, ryls, fairies, and pixies. Over the course of Baum's novel "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus," things are easier to understand. As a standalone tale, though, there's too much going on.

Comic book artist Alex Robinson does an admirable job, illustrating Baum's story with beautiful black-and-white line art. His original dialogue and creations are welcome additions, updating the story for modern readers. (One of the Santa's fairies, Wisk, is now a female with a crush on her co-worker Kilter, providing some much-needed humor.) Still, Robinson can't solve the central problem of the short story, which is that it is ends up too complicated for a children's book...and too silly for adults to appreciate. It's probably better suited to an animated film--it would be interesting to see what Tim Burton (or even Pixar or Dreamworks) could do with Baum's story, Robinson's new creations, and 90 minutes of screen time.

classic Robinson
Alex fills out this short story with such thought and care that I wish it was longer! I love that the morality story brings everyone, even the "bad" kids to become "good." The stark black and white artwork gives the story another good vs bad edge. It's a classic story that you should read to your kids before they go to bed on Christmas Eve. ... Read more

Product Description
L. Frank Baum's Oz series has captivated generations of readers. These books are as magical today as they were when they first appeared. Collected here in on volume are all 15 books. Now you can read the entire series again! This omnibus edition includes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz, Tik-Tok of Oz, The Scarecrow of Oz, Rinkitink in Oz, The Lost Princess of Oz, The Tin Woodman of Oz, The Magic of Oz, Glinda of Oz. Now you can bring home all of the magic Ozin one attractive oversized Volume. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The not so complete tome of Oz
I was rather disappointed in this item. The book is so large/heavy that it is not comfortable to hold and read and has been further condensed by taking out all of the illustrations (a major part of the stories charms IMO). A chapter in one of the single story books is now 1 page in this aptly named omnibus.

This was a great disappointment
I ordered this book for my granddaughter, with memories of the wonderful stories of Oz beyond the Wizard of Oz.I expected it to be a reprinting of the original books, with black and white illustrations throughout.There were no illustrations! That is unacceptable!

bought as a gift
i bought this as a gift for an 11 year old that wanted all of the stories. great gift, but its really a huge book!

They're All Here
When I was 18, I went into an antique book store and discovered for the first time that L. Frank Baum had written further adventures in the Land of Oz. The bookseller proudly displayed a very expensive collection of all of these books. Needless to say, they were beyond a poor college student's budget. Ever since then I had been curious to find out what had become of Dorothy and the others, and this publication made that effort very easy.
The book has all of the stories by Baum, although other authors continued the adventures even further. The only shortfall of the book is its layout. The large pages and 2-3 page chapters make it seem more like reading a text book than reading a story.

Great stories in a sub-par format
The Complete Book of Oz offers all of Frank L. Baum's "Oz" stories in one volume, but still leaves a lot to be desired. While the stories are all included, unedited, this over-sized volume omits all illustrations. If you're looking for the William Wallace Denslow-drawn illustrations from the original books, they're not here. Instead this volume packs in all the stories in a plain text-only format. The beautiful cover art is simply a tease for what you won't get in this volume.

The layout of the pages is somewhat sloppy too. With a strange margin width, pages are visually text heavy. The stories are laid out in sequential order with no breaks or images between. The only way to tell what book you're reading is to flip backwards to each book's table to contents, as the pages' headers do not reference the individual book titles.

The content is still the classic, top-notch fantasy fiction we've all come to know as children. For those that only know of Oz through the 1939 MGM film, you will be shocked and delighted to know that the history and people of this fictional land are much bigger and richer than the screen portrays. Further stories expand on themes introduced in the first book as well as bring in a variety of characters you've never heard of before.

This is a great value for someone that wants to read all the books without having to chase down the individual volumes. Children will NOT enjoy this format, since the inside resembles a college text book more than a storybook. I'd only suggest this particular edition for adult readers or for literary study.
... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
The Wizard of Oz was just the beginning of this classic children's series of books. Due to popular demand, the "Official Historian of the Land of Oz," as author L. Frank Baum called himself, wrote many tales continuing the saga of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and even Dorothy's dog Toto!

The publisher of this edition has worked hard to make the layout clear and with large letters for young readers. (Unfortunately, some other editions have crammed many books into one or two volumes, sacrificing legibility.)

Volume One contains the first 4 stories.

Children of all ages will delight in these classic tales! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Silly publishing errors
I understand that Baum's Oz stories are now out of copyright and that this book was compiled by these freely available stories. I apologise if I'm wrong. But this would take into account the somewhat shoddy layout that this and Volume 2 possess.
Lines of text will inexplicably break into two paragraphs. Inverted commas are in the wrong places. Capital letters of names come and go. While it does no harm in the reading of such lovely tales (my first time and enjoying them immensely), these grammatical and printing errors do jar a smooth reading. Punctuation and the like should be invisible to the reader and, at times, I can't help wishing that the publishers had taken just a little bit more effort and its production.
Also, two columns would have made this so much easier to read, both for the eye and for ease in reading.
It should be noted that these annoyances can't ruin a good tale, and the Oz books are good tales, so points lost only for the publication, not for the content.

Return to OZ
I love these books. I read everyone of the orginials. I am such a fan of oz and i think any one who loved the 1930's movie shcould get this set!

Oz, the great and not terrible.
I'm reading all of Oz aloud to my daughters, 10 and 7.We are loving the experience, and it's great to have all 14 stories plus short tales in a 2-volume set.Highly recommended! ... Read more

Product Description
Ozma of Oz is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

Lovely story, but...
This title apparently has no images.None of the original great art of the novel.And that's a problem, because there's at least one place in the store where the narrative stops, and the reader is supposed to read from the image in the book.Then the story continues as if you've read the image.But this version has no images, and no replacing text.So there's a discontinuity in the story where the image should have been.The story itself is great, but this version really does suffer for not having the original art.

Rock on, Billina!
I recently took off my shelf the first four books in L. Frank Baum's Oz series, which I originally got in my childhood, for reading on the elliptical machine. I've been so entertained by them that I've been buying up the other 10 books one by one online, sticking with these Del Rey editions illustrated by John Neill.

In this third book of the series, the character that I like the most, now in my adulthood, is the no-nonsense Billina the hen! She says it straight and to the point, and unlike Dorothy's animal sidekick in the fourth book, that gruesome kitten, Billina doesn't have a malicious streak. I remember reading this book as a kid, thinking my own name could be Billina -- which is Dorothy's variation for the hen's real name, Bill.

Dorothy meets the hen and quickly adopts her as she encounters further adventures with Tik-Tok the mechanical man, the Hungry Tiger and Ozma, the boy from the previous book transformed back into the true heir to the throne in Oz. Together they take on the Nome king to free the Royal Family of Ev. And let's just say that the smart Billina factors in big!

Another Great Oz Book By L Frank Baum
Though LONG past my childhood, I still find delight in re-reading Baum,s books about Oz and all the wonderful characters in each story. My dad used to read these stories to us when my sister and I were children. How we used to beg for 'just one more chapter, please.'I have not yet introduced our little granddaughter to these marvelous books, but will do so on her very next ' overnight visit'. She already is an excellent reader, so perhaps we'll take turns reading aloud to each other. I will start with THIS book because I think she'll quickly be enthralled by not only Dorothy but Bellina, the Wheelers and the wonderful trees that grow lunch boxes. She'll love the whole storyI'm sure, but her interest will quickly be gained in the opening chapters. She's already eight but I don't think ANY age is ' too grown up ' for these charming, delightful, adventurous tales. Mr. Baum was a greatly talented author, one with a wonderful ability to capture the interest of readers of all ages - though I feel certain he expected that children would be his only avid fans. He would be surprised to know how MANY adults still re-read and continue to LOVE his books.

Wagner's DAS RHEINGOLD for kids
Before you read this read an English translation of the words to Wagner's opera DAS RHEINGOLD.Don't worry, it's very short, you can read it in twenty minutes.Besides, it'll help you appreciate JRR Tolkien too.

Best of the Bunch
Ozma of Oz has always been one of my favorites of the Oz series.I loved seeing Dorothy back in the land of Oz, and her reunion with all her old friends was amazing.I also highly enjoyed her meeting with Ozma, and the friendship there is a really great one.[Also, Glinda!Oh, all the connections to the original Oz book, amazingness :D]Never did like the Nome King, but the challenge set by him was pretty clever, and kudos, kudos, kudos to Billina!Baum's cleverness never dies, as we see with his lunch and dinner pails, the green tin pig-whistle, the Nome king's belt, and the picture on the wall, and you know you're really back in Oz.The thing is, I get the feeling that lots of people don't even know these books exist.They are under the impression that the story of Oz began and ended with The Wizard of Oz, and this is just wrong.There's a whole series of storeis out there, a series everyone should read because it never loses the magic and charm found in the first book, and if anything, just adds to it.LOVE the books, always have, always will, I just wish Dorothy could stay in Oz forever :D ... Read more

Product Description
A charming collection of short wisdom stories about Oz's leading citizens, Little Wizard Stories of Oz includes:The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry TigerLittle Dorothy and TotoTiktok and the Nome KingOzma and the Little WizardJack Pumpkinhead and the SawhorseThe Scarecrow and the Tin WoodmanWonderful fun to read, and an excellent little resource for storytellers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Delightful tales for children
Baum, also known as Lyman (1856-1919) rewrote many of the Oz tales for children. This volume contains six tales:

The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger
Little Dorothy and Toto
Tiktok and the Nome King
Ozma and the Little Wizard
Jack Pumpinghead and the Sawhorse
The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman

In the first tale, for example, the Lion and Tiger stand as guards for the princess of Oz, but there is no need for guards, for every one acts nicely in Oz. The two tell one another that they are tired of this job because "no one pays attention to us." The tigar says it wants to leave this job and go off and eat fat babies. The lion wants to tear people into chop suey. The two think that this will gain the people's attention and cause the people to fear them. They leave the palace and find a fat baby who is lost. She is looking for her mother. Her mother rushes up to the baby, falls, and hurts her head. Will the tiger eat the fat baby? will the lion tear up the mother? what kind of reputation will the two have after this adventure? will they be satisfied?

The stories are written in simple English and they contain moral lessons for children.

for the very young at heart - Oz stories for the littlest readers
A charming little volume containing six very short Oz stories involving many of the major characters that had featured in the first 7 or so books in the series proper, originally published in 1913 in separate booklets just as Baum was allowing the Oz books to get underway again with THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ.The six stories are:

"The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger"
"Little Dorothy and Toto"
"Tiktok and the Gnome King"
"Ozma and the Little Wizard"
"Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse"
"The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman"

Clearly aimed at an even younger audience than the regular books, most adults will probably find these a little too silly -- though some of the wordplay that both Baum and his successors are known for is in evidence (the Imps -- Udent, Olite and Ertinent, for example).One also wonders if the storyline in the lion/tiger vignette, with the two ferocious beasts desperately desiring to commit mayhem, but finding that they simply cannot do anything but be nice, tame pets, mirros in some ways Baum's ambivalence about re-starting the series which he had tired of - but was his only sure hit.Regular series artist John R. Neill's illustrations are among his best and are the high point for me, especially the double-page ones. The Books of Wonder facsimile reprint is up to their usual high standards.

Great for smaller children who can't get through full-length novels
A nice introduction to the Land of Oz for children who can't handle full length novels.The stories are the perfect length for a nightime story and carry with them the wonderful imagination of L. Frank Baum.

A magical treat!
A delightful read for your children - especially if they loved the Wizard of Ox.I highly recommend it.

L. Frank Baum's Book tells 6 Short Adventure Stories in Oz
L. Frank Baum first wrote these 6 short stories separately in their own volumes, with the title of each book bearing the names of two characters (see the 'Books of Oz' site).Later they were reprinted, but this time into 1 volume, with the former book titles now as chapters, shown here.
I bought this book along with Roger S. Baum's "Dorothy of Oz" book (see my review) and Greg Hildebrandt's (abridged) illustrated edition of "the Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (I would like to review that).
The pictures are excellent.The chapter-title images are black-and-white, and the rest of the pictures are in full-page colour, sometimes taking over two pages.I liked how the Lion was drawn walking on 2 legs and once wearing a pair glasses on a string.The following chapters (once individual book titles) are as follows:
'The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger' are tired of constantly being known for their cowardliness/hunger and therefore not being feared, so they decide to go out and make themselves be feared.But Tiger refuses to eat a baby who has lost its mother, and Lion refuses to hurt a mother who hurts herself while trying to save her baby, so they change their minds.
'Little Dorothy and Toto' take a walk through Oz (despite the Wizard's disapproval of concern) and result in getting captured by the Giant Crinklink and are taken to his castle.Toto saves Dorothy and reunites with the Wizard.
'Tik-Tok and the Nome King'.Tik-Tok's machinery needs a few extra springs and the Wizard suggests for him to go to the Nome King, who unfortunately is in a bad mood and accidently destroys Tik-Tok.But Kaliko, the Chief Steward, fixes Tik-Tok up.His reappearance scares the Nome King (that was funny!), but Tik-Tok explains the situation and he returns to Oz, with jewels for Princess Ozma by the Nome King.
'Ozma and the Little Wizard' go through Oz making sure everything is fine,and come upon three mischievous Imps (named Olite, Udent and Ertinent) who are constantly causing trouble.The Imps take on enchanted forms and constantly attack Ozma and Wizard, until he overpowers them, with a plan to stop them from making further trouble.
'Jack Pumpkinhead and the Saw-Horse' are sent by Ozma to rescue 2 children lost in a forest.They find the children, but the Squirrel King refuses to let them go.As Jack sets the children free he looses his head, but the Saw-Horse manages to get them out and the Wizard gives Jack a new pumpkinhead.
'The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman' ride in a little boat along a forest stream, but Nick Chopper falls into the bottom of the sea, so Scarecrow does whatever he can to get his friend out, even with the help of some mischievous crows.Once they're out of the water, the Wizard appears to give them a helping hand.
I found the story of the Lion and the Tiger very helpful because it made me realize and understand the Lion's "Cowardly" term, as many times I wondered why afterwards he couldn't be called the 'Courageous Lion'.I loved reading these adventures and was amused by the book itself because true to its "Little" title, this book is published in a size which is smaller than the other Oz Books of Wonder, AND the Wizard himself appears in almost all 6 Stories (thus the 'Little Wizard' title).
However there are a few mistakes: the Lion has a red bow instead of blue and Ozma's gown changes from sleeveless to long sleeves.Also, the Tin Woodman still manages to talk even when he's rusted at the bottom of the water.It should also be noted, that since these stories were first published as 6 short books, they of course had different covers than now shown (which can also be seen in the 'Oz Project; Books of Oz' Site).I would have liked (and wished) to see the original book covers reprinted here as full-colour chapter title pages before the story begins on the next page or as the endpapers.In this book, the endpapers of the Scarecrow riding Lion's back and Tin Woodman on Tiger's back are orginially from 'the Patchwork Girl of Oz', but without the orginal background with a castle.
Another good thing about this book was the Afterward saying what makes the next book, "the Patchwork Girl of Oz" so worth reading (which I would like to get soon). ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the story of how three brave American girls sacrificed the comforts and luxuries of home to go abroad and nurse the wounded soldiers of a foreign war. By L. Frank Baum (creator of the Oz books), originally written under the pseudonyn "Edith Van Dyne." ... Read more

Product Description
She turned the next leaf, and saw a big picture of a clown, dressed in green and red and yellow, and having a very white face with three-cornered spots of red on each cheek and over the eyes. While she looked at this the book trembled in her hands, the leaf crackled and creaked and suddenly the clown jumped out of it and stood upon the floor beside her, becoming instantly as big as any ordinary clown. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Funny well-written tales
Baum, who lived between 1856 and 1919, collected thirteen tales in this volume. The stories are humorous. They seem to be new stories, not versions of fairy tales found in other cultures. The Box of Robbers is a good example. A young girl is left alone at home, goes up to her attic, finds an ancient chest, opens it, and discovers that it contains three Italian robbers. Her reactions to the robbers and theirs to her and to America are funny. They insist that they must continue their profession, so they go down stairs and bring up to the attic a lot of the girl's parent's possessions. After awhile, the girl finds a funny excuse to lure the robbers back into the chest. "The story should teach us," Baum writes, "not to interfere in matters that do not concern us. For had Martha refrained from opening Uncle Walker's mysterious chest she would not have been obliged to carry downstairs all the plunder the robbers had brought into the attic."

Clever
What a nice surprise this book was.

Baum wrote a dozen short, fable-like fantasies for children that have a bright, modern (well, 1901) voice to them.They should please adults as well because of the tongue-in-cheek humor and irony.Baum's voice and personality come through clearly enough to give him a presence as the story teller, which is a nice plus when reading the stories to someone else.

Be sure to get a version with all of the original illustrations and page border graphics.

Great content
I have only started reading this book on my Kindle.The stories are entertaining.I will read them to my grandkids.BUT I am disappointed that there is no Table of Contents.If they ask me to read a certain story, I will have to search the book for the title name.Would help so much to have a listing inn the Table of Contents.

Not the Best Edition
This is a wonderful book for anyone with a taste for humorous fantasy. The stories are short and well written. There are no illustrations in this particular edition. Be aware of that, if you like the book enough, and consider finding a more robust printing to love and keep on a book shelf. Ultimately, though, any reader will find an extremely enjoyable read here.

Stories with a moral AND interesting illustrations
This book gives interesting stories with a moral at the end of each story and has illustrations on each page. The stories vary in length but can be read quickly due to the author's writing style. While different from "Oz" books, these stories are still a lot of fun. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Great book with interesting pictures.
It is a great book with interesting pictures. The book is a type of book that could be enjoyed by all family members! You can read it loudly to younger members, and on the other side, children could read it by themselves.

Quirky and inventive take on a timeless favourite
Intitally I wasn't taken with the Dorothy doll used, but I couldn't resist with the clever complete interpretation of the full story of the Wizard of Oz. If you want a story to appear with images to match the descriptions and words (and not popular Hollywood images) then this version is for you, right up to the witch with the telescopic eye. The clever use of bits and pieces to construct the land of Oz in the double page spread is worthy of an hour of careful observation and discovery alone. I just think that I could have picked a better and less creepy Dorothy but I am getting sort of used to her!

The Wizard of Oz
My husband has one of the original Baum books from his father's childhood.Our daughters were read these books and became fantastic fans of the Oz movies.This book seemed like a good addition to the family and is slated to be a Christmas present. It's a lovely book.The illustrations are appropriately creepy and imaginative as the original text.If you really like the original concept of the books, you will love this book.

Hysterically Funny and Deeply Disturbing
The problem with illustrating a classic with an expired copyright is that the book can get lost in the shuffle, especially if it's The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland. Every time a new edition of The Wizard comes out, there's about a 75% chance that I'll pass on it.Every time I do buy one I think, well, this will probably be the end of it.And then a new edition comes out--like this one.All one has to do is look at the cover to see that the reader is in for a fiendish ride indeed.Dorothy's a pretty little doll and Toto rides around on his little cart and doesn't move a muscle.The flowers and plant life look like things that would grow in Pepperland.The Scarecrow's face is drawn on with a red magic marker; the Tin Man looks like he was assembled from odds and ends one would find under the sink.The Lion doesn't look well at all and the Winged Monkeys look like bombers.The picture of the Wizard on page 204 resembles Donald Rumsfeld (but I suspect that's a coincidence; this book is hardly political.)
Well, I think you get the idea.This edition reminds me of those cute little furry yellow chick books by Sloane Tanen who are so full of angst.
A cautionary reminder--this book is the original text by L. Frank Baum.If you've only seen the movie, then some of these pictures may not make sense.Now for the teasers--both Glinda and the beautiful lady whom the Scarecrow sees as Oz during his private audience have the faces of two very famous ladies. See if you can figure out who they are.

Beautifully Illustrated - Timeless story.
Graham is brilliant, both in thought and design. This is a great interpretation of a wonderful story - as originally written - colorfully illustrated by the imaginative Graham Rawle. Experience Oz again and dance with delight as both Toto and Dorothy safely arrive back home.This book is a great size too, larger than I expected. This allows for simply fantastic illustrations of which there are 100. Great gift idea too. ... Read more

Product Description
The Master Key, an Electrical Fairy Tale Founded Upon the Mysteries of Electricity is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

tin woodman of oz
very good.interesting!i like this book very much and i am not still tired of it after reading it for nine times! ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Books of OZ
We have been buying the series of OZ books called 'books of wonder'.They are so well made and make a wonderful library addition for young children.Couldn't be more pleased with the quality.

The Private Citizen, otherwise known as the Tititi-Hoochoo
It's funny what stays with you from books.

First of all, let me say that I'm aware that Tik Tok of Oz is generally considered to be a weak Oz book. There are a number of character inconsistencies. Betsy is a poor Dorothy substitute. The Shaggy Man and Polychrome have met each other before this. Reading this as a grown-up who is currently re-reading the whole series, I see these errors and acknowledge the point.

Still, I have to say that as a child, this was one of the Oz books that stuck with me the most strongly. First of all, Polychrome was one of my favorite Oz characters, and I loved every book in which she made an appearance. Second of all, I was secretly quite sympathetic with Ann of Oogaboo. Even at a young age I wasn't very fond of Ozma, absolute ruler. Third of all, I was absolutely fascinated with the Rose Princess, and the idea of a royal family grown on vines. I was heartbroken on behalf of poor Ozga by the reception of her subjects. Something about that bit stayed with me quite strongly, entering my personal mythology.

I do think that the plot is reasonably well-formed in this book, compared to others in the series. While adults may take issue with some of the errors, there are many aspects that I believe would appeal strongly to children. At least, I can say that it certainly appealed strongly to me. As a kid I was reading these from the library, and I must have checked this particular book out twenty times. That's certainly got to earn it some points.

not his best, but still the fantastic Baum
In the Land of Oz, where animals talk and logic is delightfully warped and fairies mingle with mortals and clockwork men, Betsy Bobbin and her mule Hank are shipwrecked. Along with Queen Ann's army, Polychrome, the Shaggy Man, Ozga (the Rose Princess), and Tik Tok, Betsy and Hank find themselves on a rescue mission for Shaggy's brother imprisoned by the selfish Nome King. Filled with Baum's signature Romanticism and clever logic, it's a lovely (though not particularly unique or as distinct) addition to the Oz series. The Marvelous Land of Oz and The Tin Woodman of Oz are still the strongest in the series. Grade: B

The best version of the best children's series
The OZ books by L. Frank Baum are my favorite children's books and this series by Books of Wonder are the best. They are the most beautiful versions of the OZ books I've seen, reproducing the original covers with the original illustrations throughout. This series is definitely the one to get and treasure for many years to come.

One of the best of the Series
I teach creative writing to children and have used this book as an excellent model for the fantasy genre. It has all the great elements of a fantasy story--strange and enchanted happenings, magical creatures, faeries, and a wonderful quest. Many of Baum's books are not so plot-driven; this, like "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" is an exception, and the story works marvelously. Fans of the Oz series will know that this book is a re-telling of "Ozma of Oz," but there are enough new characters, settings, and details to make it a fresh and rewarding tale. Certainly, old favorites such as Tik-Tok, the Nome King, Polychrome, and the Shaggy Man are at their best in this tale (one of the most delightful scenes is when Shaggy "breaks the law"), while new additions Private Files and Quox the Dragon bring much humor and whimsy. Young children will certainly enjoy the test of the three maidens towards the end of the book. This books has a very cohesive direction (not always the case with Baum) and I especially enjoyed how each chapter title is alliterative (I suppose that's the English Lit in me!). And, as usual, the John R. Neil's illustrations are wonderful; my favorite illustration is that of the greedy Nome King strutting out of his kingdom, his countless pockets filled with jewels. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more