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: Literary Collections / General; Fiction / General; ... Read more

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After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great wizard in order to return to Kansas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Barry Moser's (almost slightly) Gothic Oz Illustrations
This book has been around since 1986 and still no-one has written a review about it?!Well, this is the 1986 Pennyroyal Press Edition with 62 illustrations by Barry Moser, which is mentioned several times in "the Annotated Wizard of Oz" book.Barry Moser's almost-photographic pencil drawings are described as looking like wood-gravings (Look for 4 samples of his pictures in Google Images).Barry Moser draws the story of 'the Wizard' with pictures never tried before, but there are a few pictures that have been drawn similar before, but he certainly old characters like the King of the Winged Monkeys, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Winkies like never before.All the pictures are in a portrait style, looking at somebody's face/figure or a landscape of nature and are all in black-and-white, occasionally with stripes in the background and most areas. He has the Gale family look Australian (Aunt Em and Uncle Henry more like an African) and the Silver Shoes are more like sandals.however, some pictures are a bit of a disappointment, like Glinda and the melting Witch.Barry Moser has the Wizard of Oz modelled after (then) Precident Ronald Reagan and the his wife - Nancy Reagan - as teh model for the Wicked Witch of the West, but the Good Witch of the North looks good, possibly what Adderpele looked like in the 1975 "Wiz" Stage - but it's just a guess.glinda doesn't really look beautiful, and the Wicked Witch doesn't really look that menacing or scary, and some pictures - mostly during the forests are very difficult to make out and can strain your eyes if you focus on it a lot.Just about anybody (who is human in the story) has their face covered in shadow, so we don't exactly see what they look like.Unfortunatley, we don't see any part of the Emerald City except the Soldier (Omby Amby), the Guardian, the Wizard's forms and the Gates to the City.
This book was ordered for my 20th Birthday, and it comes with an Appreciation (Afterword) by Justin G. Schiller.
This book's pictures certainly gives off a new twist of images for "the Wonderful Wizard of Oz", and now that a review has finally been written, you can decide whether or not you want to own this edition. ... Read more

Product Description
Classic Book for the Kindle: The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Magic of Oz is the thirteenth Land of Oz book written by L. Frank Baum. Published on June 7, 1919, one month after the author's death, The Magic of Oz relates the unsuccessful attempt of the Munchkin boy Kiki Aru and former Nome King Ruggedo to conquer Oz.

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Customer Reviews (10)

Fantastic
The book came quickly and is in excellent condition. Very good price for such a nice book.

A good idea poorly realized
This book has all the ingredients of a great Oz book,starting with a plot lifted from Wagner: an unworldly person with poor moral instincts but with unusual power gets drawn onto the wrong side of a covert grudge war waged by an exploitative villian against the ruling authority.(This is one of Wagner's favorite plots.It happens in four of his ten successful operas and in one of them it happens twice.)The story features some characters Oz fans like to hear about: the Glass Cat, Trot and Cap'n Bill, Ruggedo, the Wizard, the Cowardly Lion, Kalidahs.And some interesting new magic.Plus a long-standing Baum tradition, a semi-civilized community of talking animals.

But it doesn't quite gel.The conspirators' plan is too goofy--why do they need an army when they know how to say "pyrzqxgl"? --and the book's assumptions are unsatisfactory.They avoid being reported in Glinda's Royal Record Book, by transforming into animals???Even though as animals they do things that affect humans significantly?Even though they transform six monkeys into giant human soldiers, and Loo the Unicorn into a person?Also, there are too many sub-plots, poorly integrated, and the main characters sort of drop out of the story two thirds of the way through.And can't someone besides Ozma have a birthday?

The Magic of Oz
This is a beautiful edition of a marvelous story.The entire series is a great addition toany family library.

Baum at his best, flexing his magical muscles...
The enchantment of this book begins with the cover; even as a child I was intrigued by this artwork, which seemed to suggest mystery, magic, and mischief. Well, the story behind the cover really delivers; truly, this book demonstrates just how L. Frank Baum was mastering his craft at this stage of his life. Sadly, this was the second-to-last book he was to pen before passing away. In "Magic" Baum falls back on a wide and familiar cast of characters including Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wizard--as well as perennial villain of The Nome King (who, delightfully, just seems impervious to reform). Baum seems to have taken this approach in many of his later books, bringing in as many characters as he could; this approach works with marvelous success. For a kid, it's like getting to go to a birthday party with all of your favorite people; and "Magic" is one heck of a party. In this book, Baum really explores magic and how it is enacted in the Land of Oz; a departure, in a way, because generally the Oz books are about queer creatures and magical objects, and not about the use of magic itself. The parallel adventures of the separate groups of characters in this book help make it one of the most suspenseful in the series and it all ties together quite neatly. John R. Neil's illustrations are wonderful, as is this particular edition of the book. I say "Magic" is a book that all fantasy lovers should read--don't let this tale slip into the oblivion of time. If your children are Harry Potter fans (especially the younger set), then introduce them to the Oz series--and this book in particular.

The Magic of Oz (Books of Wonder)by L. Frank Baum
The Magic of Oz (Books of Wonder) by L. Frank Baum is the next to last book in the oz series written by Baum. This time Ruggedo the ex-nome king once more is stirring up more trouble then ever before and he is assisted by Kiki Aru whom has learned a remarkable magic word. In this story we once more meet our favorite oz charachters like the cowardly lion, dorothy, ozma, and many others. The Magic of Oz is filled with exciting adventures, wonderfull thrills and has grand illustrations that capture the spirit and essence of the magical world of oz. I can not wait to read the last of Baums oz books and then continue with the rest of the oz books written by other authors. ... Read more

Product Description
The Marvelous Land of Oz, commonly shortened to The Land of Oz, published on July 5, 1904, is the second of L. Frank Baum's books set in the Land of Oz, and the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is the only book in the series in which Dorothy Gale does not appear. This and the next thirty-four Oz books of the famous forty were illustrated by John R. Neill. The book was made into an episode of The Shirley Temple Show in 1960, and into a Canadian animated feature film of the same name in 1987. It was also adapted in comic book form by Marvel Comics, with the first issue being released in November of 2009. Plot elements from The Marvelous Land of Oz are included in the 1985 feature film Return to Oz.

We are pleased to offer thousands of Books for the Kindle. Click on our Editor Name (eBook-Ventures) next to the book title above to view all of the titles that are currently available. ... Read more

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Classic Book for the Kindle: The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum, is a children's novel, the seventh set in the Land of Oz. Characters include the Woozy, Ojo "the Unlucky", Unc Nunkie, Dr. Pipt, Scraps (the patchwork girl), and others. The book was first published on July 1, 1913, with illustrations by John R. Neill. In 1914, Baum adapted the book to film through his "Oz Film Manufacturing Company." In the previous Oz book, The Emerald City of Oz, magic was used to isolate Oz from all outside worlds. Baum did this to end the Oz series, but was forced to restart the series with this book due to financial hardships. In the prologue, he explains how he managed to get another story about Oz, even though it is isolated from all other worlds. He explains that a child suggested he make contact with Oz with wireless telegraphy. Glinda, using her book that records everything that happens, is able to know that someone is using a telegraph to contact Oz, so she erects a telegraph tower and has the Shaggy Man, who knows how to make a telegraph reply, tell the story contained in this book to Baum. This story is the first one since the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to send its hero on a quest through the land of Oz, a technique that allowed Baum to showcase the marvels of the land.

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Customer Reviews (1)

A Land of Oz scavenger hunt
L. Frank Baum left the readers of his Oz books at a curious point at the end of Book 6 of the series, since Queen Ozma had decided to render the wondrous land invisible, cutting off communication with the outside world. No more stories from Oz, the author explained. But his little readers wouldn't give up eagerly writing their letters, and Baum took pen in hand once again himself, explaining at the beginning of this next book, No. 7, how one reader suggested sending a "wireless telegraph" to Dorothy at Oz so they could get more stories. Wouldn't you know -- it worked.

For this adventure, Baum rolls out a whole new set of characters, as he often does, though he offers the reader a reunion with Dorothy and some of the other familiar faces by the end of the book. Ojo is a little Munchkin boy who is nicknamed "Unlucky," and indeed, some dreadful things happen in his life, particularly when his beloved Unc Nunkie is turned to marble because the work of the Crooked Magician had some unexpected effects. Ojo sets off on a journey to collect certain items in the land of Oz -- a six-leafed clover, water from a well that's never seen light, three hairs from a Woozy's tail, various stuff like that -- so that the Crooked Magician can concoct a formula to free Unc Nunkie, along with the equally marbelized magician's wife. Joining Ojo on the quest are a couple of the magician's creations, the Glass Cat (with a brain that you can see work, she conceitedly repeats to everyone she meets) and the Patchwork Girl. One of the funnest parts of the book is what happens when the Scarecrow meets this vividly constructed new Patchwork Girl, whose name is Scraps.

This Land of Oz scavenger hunt doesn't necessarily proceed as you might expect, and Baum delivers once again on the lighthearted action, this time thankfully freeing the reader from the sense of danger of some of the other stories. ... Read more

Product Description

Robert Sabuda has created a resplendent pop-up version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the original publication. This glorious edition is told in a shorter version of L. Frank Baum's original text, with artwork in the style of W. W. Denslow. With sparkling touches of colored foil and Emerald City eyeglasses, this classic tale is certain to find an honored place on the family bookshelf.Amazon.com Review
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publication of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, master paper engineer Robert Sabuda has created a pop-up version of Dorothy's adventures in Oz that fans will find hard to resist. Modeling his depictions of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the rest after W. W. Denslow's original art, Sabuda adds a third dimension that would have rocked Denslow's--and Baum's--world. A rapidly spinning cyclone actually casts a breeze over the startled reader's face. Glorious red poppies wave seductively in a field. And the Emerald City positively glitters with green, especially when young readers try on the special tinted "Spectacles for You" provided in a pocket on the page. The abridged text, provided in minibooklets set onto each page, covers enough basics for the Oz novice, but we recommend a read-aloud of the original, as well, for all the glory and detail of Baum's fantastic tale. Sabuda's homage to the classic is truly spectacular; even purists will gasp in delight at the sight of the humbug wizard floating away in his shiny green, gold, and blue hot-air balloon. This great introduction to the story of Oz doubles as a fun collector's item. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (138)

Wonderful Value
I bought this book for my 3 year old Niece and have heard nothing but great things from her parents and grandparents about the quality of the book, how re-readable and adored it is. The prettiest pop-up book I've ever seen - at this price or any other. It's a great value, no need to hesitate to buy it.

Spectacular Wizard of Oz Pop Up Book
The use of string and wooden dowels for movement on page 1 for the tornado and page 6 for the hot air balloon are truly amazing. This makes for careful and delicate handling of the pages. As with all pop up books, you need to watch out as you may need to help an intricate pop up along in closing and not get creased up. My two year old grandson never ceases to ask to see shimmering Emerald City with the green colored eyeglasses.His favorite scene is of the Wizard in the hot air balloon. He is spell bound by the moving balloon and puts his forehead right up to the wooden dowel to marvel at the glistening green moving balloon. This is a spectacular Wizard of Oz story and will not fail to bring you joy. Robert Sabuda's books are works of art and I now have collected many of his pop up books. This book is truly one of his finest works.

Wizard of Oz Pop Up - It's OK
Per my 9 year old son - When you first open it you will like it sometimes, sometimes not. If you're bored at home then it is not so boring anymore. I liked the pop ups better then the story.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Commemorative Pop-Up
A Wonderfully illustrated book with very detailed pop-ups. Great for a child 5 and up. Any child younger than that may not appreciate the details in the book, and not be aware of the need for delicate handling with the pages to keep the pop-ups working properly.

Pop up Wonder
Each page has wonderful pop-ups. Nice surprises too! If you like pop up books, add this to your collection. ... Read more

Product Description
An imaginative work published in 1902, Baum tells the story of Claus, an orphaned human raised by various immortal creatures in an enchanted forest. When he reaches adulthood, Claus is told to live among mortals, and he is disheartened initially by poverty, war, and other negative aspects of humanity. He becomes well-known for his kindness to children, and this enthusiasm leads to the invention of the first toys. Claus eventually makes it his life's mission to bring joy to children, and this unfolds into an entertaining explanation of many Christmas traditions, including stockings, trees, and climbing chimneys. The road is not always smooth, and Claus ultimately must face the result of mortality after a lifetime of generosity. "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" shows the depth of Baum's understanding of children that explains his monumental success as an author of classic children's literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

excellent pictures for a holiday treat
The pictures for this edition of "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" are really the main features. Ploog was the conceptual artist for Disney's "Return To Oz" and it shows particularly in the nome king who resembles the character from the movie. His characters are well done and very original. The great Ak is well portrayed and seems like a fatherly tender giant while the awgwas are suitably horrifying. His Santa Claus begins as a cute child who grows to be a suitable Santa Claus who truly feels the need to help the world's children with his toys. Ploog's nymphs are like stylized Barbie Dolls with boufaunt hair cuts. They could look more otherworldly but then again that is not the biggest flaw in this version of Baum's tale. The main flaw here is changing the way the battle of good and evil was fought. In the book the immortals seek to defend Claus from the powers of the Awgwas but in this version Santa joins the battle and ends up killing the king ofthe Awgwas. the aim of the battle here is to rescue the pet monkey, Toy, who dies in the battle. The mistake here is to have the man of peace, Santa Claus, kill a major character which detracts from Baum's message of a character who would never fight a battle.

However the pictures here are very good and fun to look at. For the most part the adaptation is not bad but perhaps doing the pictures for un-edited version would have been better. it is still a great book to look at.

Philip

Cute fiction built around Santa Claus
I remember reading this book around fifth grade. I kind of liked it then, I think because of the whole fairies thing.

Basically the story follows the life of Claus, a baby adopted by fairies. (The story starts in fairy land and much of it involves the fairies and woodland spirits. If you are expecting traditional Christmas lore you will get that but not quite yet.) The fairies are immortal, but Claus will grow up and age. When he has grown to be a teenager the fairies set him up in a cottage in the woods. Apparently they are bringing him food and necessities, so his only job is to discover his purpose in life. He begins to make toys for children to cheer them up, and the story goes from there.

The entire host of fairies gets involved in toy production. Instead of making toys like the merry elves, they bring colors from flowers and other magical properties that Claus can include in his toys. This reads like a fairy tale and grdually Baum brings in elements from the Santa mythology. The transition from fairies and magic to Santa is what I liked most in the book.

I recently reread this book and liked it except for the whole toys making kids happy thing. Its not that I dislike kids or toys. Here Claus (obviously the future Santa Claus) makes toys for children and the toys are the panacea that makes their world perfect. With a small carved toy dog all of a sudden they are kind to siblings, respect their parents and are bursting with joy. If he passed out lifetime supplies of cocain and valium he couldn't make them happier. If I were to find that Baum had been commissioned by a department store to write this book as a special advertising section for holiday spending then that would explain alot. The huge emphasis on more toys=happy makes the book a little sick.

Overall this is a nifty twist on the Santa Claus myth. It reads well even in the summertime. The only drawback is the huge focus on happiness through toys. The only moral that I could extract from the story is that children NEED toys to be happy and this is soooo important that the entire world of fairy restructures itself around toys. Good story but it sometimes feels like good press for the toy department.

Cute fiction built around Santa Claus
I remember reading this book around fifth grade. I kind of liked it then, I think because of the whole fairies thing.

Basically the story follows the life of Claus, a baby adopted by fairies. (The story starts in fairy land and much of it involves the fairies and woodland spirits. If you are expecting traditional Christmas lore you will get that but not quite yet.) The fairies are immortal, but Claus will grow up and age. When he has grown to be a teenager the fairies set him up in a cottage in the woods. Apparently they are bringing him food and necessities, so his only job is to discover his purpose in life. He begins to make toys for children to cheer them up, and the story goes from there.

The entire host of fairies gets involved in toy production. Instead of making toys like the merry elves, they bring colors from flowers and other magical properties that Claus can include in his toys. This reads like a fairy tale and grdually Baum brings in elements from the Santa mythology. The transition from fairies and magic to Santa is what I liked most in the book.

I recently reread this book and liked it except for the whole toys making kids happy thing. Its not that I dislike kids or toys. Here Claus (obviously the future Santa Claus) makes toys for children and the toys are the panacea that makes their world perfect. With a small carved toy dog all of a sudden they are kind to siblings, respect their parents and are bursting with joy. If he passed out lifetime supplies of cocain and valium he couldn't make them happier. If I were to find that Baum had been commissioned by a department store to write this book as a special advertising section for holiday spending then that would explain alot. The huge emphasis on more toys=happy makes the book a little sick.

Overall this is a nifty twist on the Santa Claus myth. It reads well even in the summertime. The only drawback is the huge focus on happiness through toys. The only moral that I could extract from the story is that children NEED toys to be happy and this is soooo important that the entire world of fairy restructures itself around toys. Good story but it sometimes feels like good press for the toy department.

Cute fiction built around Santa Claus
I remember reading this book around fifth grade.I kind of liked it then, I think because of the whole fairies thing.

Basically the story follows the life of Claus, a baby adopted by fairies.(The story starts in fairy land and much of it involves the fairies and woodland spirits.If you are expecting traditional Christmas lore you will get that but not quite yet.)The fairies are immortal, but Claus will grow up and age.When he has grown to be a teenager the fairies set him up in a cottage in the woods.Apparently they are bringing him food and necessities, so his only job is to discover his purpose in life.He begins to make toys for children to cheer them up, and the story goes from there.

The entire host of fairies gets involved in toy production.Instead of making toys like the merry elves, they bring colors from flowers and other magical properties that Claus can include in his toys.This reads like a fairy tale and grdually Baum brings in elements from the Santa mythology.The transition from fairies and magic to Santa is what I liked most in the book.

I recently reread this book and liked it except for the whole toys making kids happy thing.Its not that I dislike kids or toys.Here Claus (obviously the future Santa Claus) makes toys for children and the toys are the panacea that makes their world perfect.With a small carved toy dog all of a sudden they are kind to siblings, respect their parents and are bursting with joy.If he passed out lifetime supplies of cocain and valium he couldn't make them happier.If I were to find that Baum had been commissioned by a department store to write this book as a special advertising section for holiday spending then that would explain alot.The huge emphasis on more toys=happy makes the book a little sick.

Overall this is a nifty twist on the Santa Claus myth.It reads well even in the summertime.The only drawback is the huge focus on happiness through toys.The only moral that I could extract from the story is that children NEED toys to be happy and this is soooo important that the entire world of fairy restructures itself around toys.Good story but it sometimes feels like good press for the toy department.

Fantastic Holiday Book for All Ages
Claus, a young baby discovered by a a wood-nymph named Necile, becomes the first human to ever be raised in an enchanted forest, by all types of mythical creatures, including elves and wood nymphs, Ak, the master woodsman, and the evil Awgwas. During his time with the mythical creatures, Claus adopts a love for making toys, and making children happy. He soon decides to deliver toys to all of the children in the land, and is quickly given the name Santa Claus, as he is now known as a Saint, and someone who brought happiness to all.

Baum has done a fantastic job in creating and describing a magical world, such as the one in which Claus resides. Filled with information about how Santa Claus chooses his reindeer, why he goes down chimneys, how he makes his toys, etc., this book is sure to please. Readers young and old will find themselves believing the magic that is Santa Claus. A must-have book for all.

Erika Sorocco ... Read more

Product Description
AUTHOR OF "AUNT JANE'S NIECES," "AUNT JANE'S NIECES ABROAD," "AUNT JANE'S NIECES AT MILLVILLE," "AUNT JANE'S NIECES AT WORK." "AUNT JANE'S NIECES IN SOCIETY," ETC ... Read more

Product Description
After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great Wizard in order to return to Kansas. ... Read more

Product Description
A charming short novel about the origin of Santa Claus, from the creator of The Wizard of Oz! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Cute fiction built around Santa Claus
I remember reading this book around fifth grade.I kind of liked it then, I think because of the whole fairies thing.

Basically the story follows the life of Claus, a baby adopted by fairies.(The story starts in fairy land and much of it involves the fairies and woodland spirits.If you are expecting traditional Christmas lore you will get that but not quite yet.)The fairies are immortal, but Claus will grow up and age.When he has grown to be a teenager the fairies set him up in a cottage in the woods.Apparently they are bringing him food and necessities, so his only job is to discover his purpose in life.He begins to make toys for children to cheer them up, and the story goes from there.

The entire host of fairies gets involved in toy production.Instead of making toys like the merry elves, they bring colors from flowers and other magical properties that Claus can include in his toys.This reads like a fairy tale and grdually Baum brings in elements from the Santa mythology.The transition from fairies and magic to Santa is what I liked most in the book.

I recently reread this book and liked it except for the whole toys making kids happy thing.Its not that I dislike kids or toys.Here Claus (obviously the future Santa Claus) makes toys for children and the toys are the panacea that makes their world perfect.With a small carved toy dog all of a sudden they are kind to siblings, respect their parents and are bursting with joy.If he passed out lifetime supplies of cocain and valium he couldn't make them happier.If I were to find that Baum had been commissioned by a department store to write this book as a special advertising section for holiday spending then that would explain alot.The huge emphasis on more toys=happy makes the book a little sick.

Overall this is a nifty twist on the Santa Claus myth.It reads well even in the summertime.The only drawback is the huge focus on happiness through toys.The only moral that I could extract from the story is that children NEED toys to be happy and this is soooo important that the entire world of fairy restructures itself around toys.Good story but it sometimes feels like good press for the toy department.

Birth of the Santa Legend
The author of the Wizard of Oz deserves consideration and respect for the delightful fantasies he has provided the world. This syrupy recreation of Santa's youth, manhood and ultimate immortality is quainting charming--especially to the young-at-
heart. However, there are several serious issues mentioned: if we are to die, why are we born at all?No outright religion is preached, but this is a Baum's philosophy: "Everything perishes except the world itself and its keepers..but while life lasts,
everything on earth has its use. The wise seek ways to be helpful to the world, for the helpful ones are sure to live
again."

This book relates how an orphan named Claus found his true calling--to bring joy to the children of the world. Each man must discover and honor his own mission, but Claus' dilemma is the morality of giving gifts to rich children, when there are so many who are truly poor. One chapter even deals with the timeless battle between Good and Evil.

Baum describes how each custom associated with the secular celebration of Christmas came into existence--without reference to the manger scene.Baum truly loved children, as he dedicated most of his writing to their enjoyment.He concludes about the annual gift-bringer: "No one..was so greatly beloved as Santa
Claus, because none other was so unselfish as to devote himself to making others happy.For a generous deed...spreads and leaves its mark on all nature and endures through many generations."An enjoyable, sentimental tale for children of all ages and religions. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (10)

The "Real Man Behind The Curtain"
Thank you reviewer "member of the Coeur d'Alene Nation's" for quoting L. Frank Baum in an effort to school the uneducated masses:
"This is an excerpt from an editorial penned by Baum when he was an editor at the Aberdeen Pioneer:

"The PIONEER has before declared that our only safety depends upon the total extirmination [sic] of the Indians. Having wronged them for centuries we had better, in order to protect our civilization, follow it up by one more wrong and wipe these untamed and untamable creatures from the face of the earth. In this lies safety for our settlers and the soldiers who are under incompetent commands. Otherwise, we may expect future years to be as full of trouble with the redskins as those have been in the past."

Sad that a man who celebrated diversity in the Land of Oz advocated genocide in his homeland."


It is almost criminal that American history is so devoid of any real knowledge of the true lives of its "heroes," "discoverers," and "visionaries".

When people like L. Frank Baum, Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, et. al., are celebrated for "wholesome practical morality," and applauded for their ""values of self-accepting individuality, self-respect, respect for others, and equality, it is no wonder why, once again, our country is struggling with issues of racism, hatred, and intolerance.

Racism is built into the very foundations of our historical psyche and will only be healed when the haters "behind the curtain are revealed", the systemic effects of their hatred are addressed, and America finally resolves the false notions that have kept other races and peoples from being shown the respect, dignity, and acceptance that the "white visitors" from other lands were shown by America's First Nation Peoples and Africans who were the heart and soul of America.

After reading this review, one would think that L. Frank Baum, "the Royal Historian of Oz," lived as a principled, "decent, hardworking... gentleman, who all thought exceptionally sweet-natured and easy-going..."

Compare this seemingly gentle soul to the real L. Frank Baum who, as Editor of the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer let his true self be known when among other editorials he wrote the following about America's First Nations People, whose entire cultures and societies had been all but annihilated as he and his contemporaries spouted their maniacal views:

"The nobility of the Redskin is extinguished, and what few are left are a pack of whining curs who lick the hand that smites them. The Whites, by law of conquest, by justice of civilization, are masters of the the American continent, and the best safety of the frontier settlements will be secured by the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians. Why not annihilation? Their glory has fled, their spirit broken, their manhood effaced; better that they should die than live the miserable wretches that they are." (L. Frank Baum, as cited in The American Holocaust, Stannard, 1992, p. 126).

While Roger's writing may well be "confident, crisp, detailed, and clear," it is far from "thorough throughout." For, nowhere is there any reality check of the true biography of a man whose very beliefs negate "the laws of the land of Oz" and illustrate the antithesis of the "values of self-accepting individuality, self-respect, respect for others, and equality."

When one becomes knowledgeable about the real racist behind the curtain, and his contemptuous view of the Great Nations of Peoples who were herded and murdered along "The Trail of Tears," L. Frank Baum takes us on a very different journey than the persona that has Dorothy, and party, skipping and singing along his "Yellow Brick Road." While his book may teach "a wholesome practical morality through examples," his real life certainly does not.

Master story teller at work
A strength of this biography is in the author's inclusion of synopses of all Baum's major works.One gets a "Oz eye" view of Baum, his family, and his whole writing enterprise in just a few, easy to read pages.

I really liked the book and think anyone interested in Baum from a non-political viewpoint will enjoy it, too.The author is not into analyzing the political symbolims of Ozworld and its inhabitants.

I was not aware of all the other products of Baum's fertile mind.Nor was I really aware of his struggle for recognition in the publishing world.

All in all, a very good and brief read.

Who was that man behind the curtain?
During the past several months, I have enjoyed reading the Oz books aloud to my little sisters, from which we have all derived much pleasure. As Baum himself so eloquently put it, "My books are intended for all those whose hearts are young, no matter what their ages may be." Katherine M. Rogers describes L. Frank Baum as an imaginative, impractical, optimistic dreamer who loved flowers, music and above all, children. I got a sense of that when reading the charming forwards to his books, but this biography gave me a better picture of what he really was like.

One of the things that surprised me most was that both he and his wife, Maud, were feminists. I can only imagine that turn of the century Americans would have been shocked to learn that while he provided the family income, Maud managed their budget! While this may have been unorthodox, it was only logical since she was the more practical of the two. She was indeed more than just a helpmate to him; she was his friend and encourager. I smiled through several stories involving the two of them that showed how much they loved each other.

Something that I found disappointing was that Frank blamed Christianity for many of the problems of the day. What really irked him were the hypocrites. I believe he should have looked to what Jesus said instead of listening to self-absorbed church goers to form his opinion of the Bible. Sometimes he sounded like an atheist because of his faith in science, and at other times he seemed more influenced by New Age philosophy because of his belief in supernatural beings. The marriage of these two ideas deeply influenced his writing.

Anyone who likes "The Wizard of Oz" or is interested in Victorian authors should check out this insightful book. However, Baum's view of Christianity saddened me. His death and few last touching words to his wife were nothing short of tragic. There will always be people who twist the Bible for their own purposes, but that does not make it false. I would encourage those in doubt to turn to the Bible itself. In truth, I think Baum would have found heaven closer to his wondrous Emerald City than the paradise he so bitterly wrote about in his work, "Policeman Bluejay." (pg. 150-151)

Well researched, but dry and ultimately unsatisfying read.
Although this book seems a bit on the dry side, it is nevertheless a well researched biography of a very influential writer almost forgotten (although obviously his Oz works continue to be important- albeit mostly due to the MG film).

Rogers does well to show how his background involvement in the suffragette movement most likely helped to inspire him to write one of the few female protagonist in fantasy literature (one only has to look to Harry Potter to see how little progress the genre has made in the past 100 years).One wonders if Rogers stumbled upon the curious fact that Baum's mother-in-law was a prominent member of the New York state women's movement at the turn of the century when she was researching some of her other books.

But over all the book seems to fall flat in giving the reader s true sense of the man and his times. While there is a fair amount of background on Baum's involvement with the women's movement and Theosophy neither aspect is fully developed for the reader. Rogers seems to feel that the reader ought to know exactly how these movements fit into turn-of-the-century life and what they were all about. Granted 1900 America is not exactly foreign to today's readers, but many of the ideals that people in that time subscribed to are all but forgotten. The women's movement is not feminism as we understand it today, a little more detail and background would help.

Over all one does not get a sense of the time and place Baum existed in. Granted, his life was fairly boring, routine and seems, despite constant money troubles, fairly well off. However context would help establish a reason to care about Baum other than the fact one might enjoy his writing. There are plenty of text synopses, but little delving into where the stories came from. Was he simply trying to modernize the fairytale? Based on Rogers book one gets the impression Baum was something of a hack, simply grinding out tales for children. I feel that there is more to his writings than that.

Kudos to Rogers for exploring fully Baum's non-Oz works. Again, a little more follow up (beyond the four or five paragraphs at the end) about what happened to the Oz series after Baum died and what happened to his copyrights etc (is the book in public domain? What happened to his originalpublishing house as I do not recall they still exist...?) His influence has been great ( C S Lewis owes at least a small debt to Baum) but Rogers seems to attribute it all to the MGM movie.

Competent Biography
L. Frank Baum, Creator of Oz is a necessary books for fans of Oz.Katharine M. Rogers provides a clear, balanced examination of the details of his life and includes analysis, and relates it to his life, of his writings, both Oz and other.The most important aspect of this book are the sections describing his other (often) successful series for children, such as Aunt Jane's Niece, which are little known today.The weakness of the book is the fact that outside of his writing, Baum's life is not particularly exciting.It seems very pleasant and homey and I could not be happier for him, but it does not always make for thrilling reading.Still, Baum fans will be delighted to have his entire story told so compentently with the added bonus of the author's informative analysis. ... Read more

Product Description
Book 31 in The Wizard of Oz ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Something's Missing
This Oz book is not quite up to the standard of most of Thompson's later ones. The story idea is not a bad one, though minor royalty trying to regain a throne seems to be a stock item. Some of the characters are fairly interesting but there is nothing outstanding about any of them. The situations seem to resolve themselves with even more ease than usual; the conflict and drama are minimal.

The story centers around a goatherdess named Mandy. She is not from Oz or any of the surrounding fairy lands but she is distinctive in that her people all have seven arms. A geyser blows her to Oz where she encounters a minor kingdom with a usurper on the throne. She befriends the royal ox who is also intent on rescuing the royal princeling.They are aided by the ox's horns of plenty. It turns out that the missing prince is just the tip of the iceberg. An evil wizard is intent on conquering all of Oz.

The classic Baum characters play only a peripheral role in this story. This is usually the best in Thompson's books. Most are her own creations. They are certainly much better done than in her earliest works but they are not top shelf.

A Sprout Well-Budded Out
Is it possible that the fairyland of Oz is really a fictional metaphor for the Christian Heaven, or a fantasy parallel of broader Western conceptions of the afterlife? Ruth Plumly Thompson's Handy Mandy In Oz (1937) begins with young lass goat herd Mandy being propelled into the atmosphere by the sudden eruption of a spring under the mountain on which she lives.Sudden, potentially fatal acts of nature or abrupt, violent accidents that drive girls and boys into the stratosphere and beyond like corks are common in the Oz books, beginning with the first book, The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, in which Dorothy is famously carried to Oz by a cyclone.In the same title, the Wizard has reached Oz by similar means; his hot air balloon has been blown off the face of the Earth by high winds. In 1908's Dorothy and The Wizard In Oz, Dorothy falls through a fissure in the ground during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and in The Scarecrow Of Oz (1915), little Trot and her adult male companion Cap'n Bill also reach the `other world,' if not Oz directly, by being sucked into a whirlpool.In John R. Neill's Lucky Bucky In Oz (1942), young lad Bucky is propelled into the lands surrounding Oz by an explosion on a ship in New York Harbor. Does Oz act as a kind of conduit that attracts the living like a magnet under such circumstances, or have Dorothy, Trot, and Bucky passed away into paradise?

Interestingly, Baum, who adapted European fairy mythology and Theosophical beliefs for the Oz books, also had a backdoor method for entering Oz: in 1919's The Road To Oz, Dorothy, again back in Kansas, finds herself more or less `pixie led' - inexplicably lost in a familiar place - while on the road to American city Butterfield. Since the fairies were partially identified with the dead in Ireland and Scotland, Dorothy's "straying off the path" is open to a number of interpretations.

To small Christian children then as now, Oz must certainly seem like Heaven, or least a happy, comforting purgatory where no one goes hungry, wants for anything, or ages; every one of its inhabitants lives forever in almost complete peace and serenity. In fact, Oz, with its minor greedy, power-lusting villains and occasional upsets, is perhaps more akin to Heaven before Lucifer's rebellion and expulsion. For Dorothy, who is eventually and permanently joined in Oz by beloved animal companion Toto and parental guardians Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, Oz is paradise, a place with just enough novelty and tension to make infinity enjoyable forever.

If Oz enjoys a god figure, then it is child fairy Ozma; but Ozma, relatively mature sorceress Glinda the Good, and especially over-conceived sky voluptuary Polychrome are more akin to the traditional image of Christian angels. Outside its own borders, Oz has its hell and its devils too. Every Oz reader knows about the underground cavern kingdom of the Gnomes, which lies across the burning, fiery-hot desert in Ev (Evil?), and of Ev's demonic, shape-shifting Phanfasms, most malevolent of all Oz and Ev tribes.

Handy Mandy in Oz is one of the lesser Thompson titles, enjoyable enough in itself but not quite developed enough in its narrative to join the classics in the Oz chronicle.Thompson introduces Mandy, who has seven arms, but, in clever conjunction with illustrator John R. Neill, doesn't make this apparent until the book's third chapter. Suddenly discovering herself in a Gillikin kingdom lorded over by a domineering false king, Mandy meets "royal ox" Nox, and the two escape in search of deposed boy king Kerry, who has been missing for two Oz years. Handy Mandy, who has a decided Protestant work ethic, is a solidly built, self-reliant, no-nonsense lass who, all things considered, makes an excellent role model. Thompson wisely fails to stress whether or not Mandy is beautiful, and allows Mandy a certain toughness of mind: Mandy has to be the only heroic Oz character before Jenny Jump who is suspicious of Ozma's buttery sweetness and perceives her Magic Picture to have negative, Big Brother-like potential. In one early chapter, Mandy, resolutely prepared to face any opposition, takes up not only a sword but a rifle, surely an Ozian first. Curmudgeon Nox the Ox, like Kabumpo the Elegant Elephant before him, is a similarly well-conceived character; Nox realistically loses his temper on occasion and doesn't suffer fools gladly.

The villain of the book is fey sorcerer Wutz the Silver King, who Neill hilariously portrays as a slightly decadent, late-period John Barrymore. Wutz frees Ruggedo the Gnome King from his latest in a series of many enchantments and the two unscrupulous beings, ostensibly in partnership, plot against Ozma and one another. The story of Handy Mandy In Oz is, in pattern, so much like other previous Oz titles that the reader will easily guess not only who has captured the missing Kerry but what the outcome of the nefarious plot will be. The resurrection of Ruggedo alone will cause readers to pause to suppress a yawn.

As a seven-armed wonder - three on one side, four awkwardly on the other- Handy Mandy may remind readers of an archetypal Indian goddess reinterpreted as a clog-wearing Dutch milkmaid. John R. Neill's illustrations are terrific throughout, including one depicting the futuristic, Art Deco interior of the Silver King's throne room, and another of frenzied Scraps the Patchwork Girl attacking the unprepared Mandy. Unlike some of the other Thompson titles, there are few elements of the book which reflect the influence of the Alice books. However, one of Neill's pictures of Mandy and Nox treading water, heads barely above the surface, appears to be a homage to Tenniel's illustrations for Alice chapter The Pool Of Tears, especially since, as in Carroll, the `pool' is generated from the body of one of the swimmers.

One of best books read to my children, also enjoyed by me.
Better than the book Wizard of Oz by far. Imaginative.A very special book for girls. A very resourceful heroine without being too sweet, unusual for the time.Young boys will like it also, plenty of action. ... Read more

Product Description
The Shelf2Life Children?s Literature and Fiction Collection is a charming set of pre-1923 nursery rhymes, fairy tales, classic novels and short stories for children and young adults.From a tardy white rabbit, spirited orphan and loyal watchdog to a dreamer named Dorothy, this collection presents an assortment of memorable characters whose stories light up the pages.The young and young at heart will delight in magical tales of fairies and angels and be captivated by explorations of mysterious islands.The Shelf2Life Children?s Literature and Fiction Collection allows you to open a door into a world of fantasy and make-believe where imaginations can run wild. ... Read more

Product Description
For generations L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz books have captured and enthralled millions of readers. These stories are as delightful today as they were the day they were written. Now you can thrill will Dorothy and Toto as they discover Oz in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Race through the countryside with Tip and Jack Pumpkinhead as they flee the wicked witch Mobi in The Marvelous Land of Oz. Adventure with Ozma as she rescues Dorothy and the royal family from the evil Nome King in Ozma of Oz. Join Dorothy as an earthquake sends her to the land of Mangaboos and the vegetable people in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. Journey with Dorothy and Toto as they meet the Shaggy Man, Button-Bright, and Polychrome in The Road to Oz. In The Emerald City of Oz, Dorothy brings Aunt Em and Uncle Henry along for the adventure! In The Patchwork Girl of Oz you will accompany Ojo the Unlucky on his quest to gather the five ingredients needed to make the antidote for the Liquid of Petrifaction to save his aunt and uncle. In Little Wizard Stories of Oz you will thrill to six short stories with many of your favorite friends from Oz. And in Tik-Tok of Oz you can travel with the Shaggy Man as he struggles to rescue his brother from the Nome King. In The Scarecrow of Oz, you'll accompany Scarecrow as he journeys to Jinxland to rescue Cap'n Bill and Trot. In Rinkitink in Oz you can join Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz as they set off on a rescue mission. And in The Lost Princess of Oz, Ozma and the Great Book of Records disappear and it's up tp Dorothy to find them. In The Tin Woodman of Oz, join the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, Woot, and Polychrom as they journey to Munchkin Country to find Nimmie Amee. In The Magic of Oz, Dorothy and her friends stop an illegal wizard from transforming people into animals. And in Glinda of Oz, Dorothy and Ozma travel to stop a war between the Flatheads and Skeezers ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Frank BaumOz collection
I'M REALLY GLAD TO HAVE THIS, BUT THOUGHT IT WAS INDIVIDUAL BOOKS.
aM GOING TO THE oz FESTIVAL IN CHESTERTON, IN IN SEPTEMBER TO MEET THE SURVIVING MUNCHKINS AND GET THEIR AUTOGRAPHS.

ALSO GOT THE LIFE OF JERRY MAREN.HE IS STILL WITH US, SO IT WILL BE A BIG DEAL FOR MY GRANDAUGHTER, AS THE WIZARD OF OZ IS ONE OF HER FAVORITE MOVIES.

The print is tiny, but the collection is fantastic.
I almost need a magnifying glass to read this print, but it is fun to have this collection.
Who knew the ruby red slippers weren't that color after all??

Disappointing and worth the money for this version.....
If you had xeroxed a copy of this book and then threw a cover on the copy and sold it for $17.54 you would then have what I am about to return for another version. Do not waste your money I can not understand why anyone would want to own this version of such a wonderful book....

Good if you don't want to hunt down every title
The Wizard of Oz has always been one of my favorite movies, and I wanted to fianlly read the book version. I was thrilled when I found this 15-in-1 collection.
As others have said, it does not include the origianl illistrations, which is a shame. Also, I am not sure what marketing executive decided that magenta lettering on a cyan background would be a good idea. It works for the title, but trying to read the back is a nightmare.
Also, the book full of typos. In Ozma of Oz, I believe, the letter "p" was randomly capitolized at the begininng of some words. In a later story whole paragraphs are missing. It was very annoying.
If you can get around those problems, then this is the colletion for you.

treasury of oz review
It's great to find all the stories in one volume. There are major type-o's in some of the stories e.g. whole chapters missing, chapters out of order, missing text. The book is affordable but missing all of Neill's wonderful illustrations. ... Read more

Product Description
Frank Baum was a famous author of children's books.He is best noted for his book The Wizard of Oz. Baum used several pen names when writing different series.He used the pen name Edith van Dyke when writing books for adolescent girls. Sky Island is the sequel to The Sea Fairies published in 1911.Trot lives in southern California where she meets a little boy with an umbrella.Button Bright uses his family's magic umbrella to go on adventures.The children want to visit a near by island but end up literally in an island in the sky.The three travelers land on the blue side of Sky Island, which is a grim country ruled by a sadistic tyrant, the Boolooroo of the Blues.They escape through a fog and end up in the pink half of the island.The pink country is a much friendlier and more relaxed place than the blue side, with cheerfully chubby residents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Flying high
L. Frank Baum is best known for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Dover Large Print Classics) and its long string of sequels, but he also wrote numerous other excursions into what he and some of his characters called "fairy countries"--all of which have, happily, been returned to print by Dover in sturdy, affordable paperbacks.After turning out half a dozen Oz volumes, he wrote this book and its prequel, which might be called "The Adventures of Trot & Cap'n Bill," and which in this instance are linked to the Oz Universe.Trot, born Marye Griffith, lives on the California coast with her mother and their boarder, the one-legged seaman known as Cap'n Bill, while her father, a ship's captain, is off sailing the oceans.She and the Cap'n are great friends (he calls her "mate"), and have already had one magical adventure, chronicled in The Sea Fairies, when Trot, on her way back from an errand to the nearby village, encounters a little boy from Philadelphia, who calls himself Button-Bright, and who has ended up in her neighborhood by way of a magical umbrella he accidentally found in his attic.Fascinated by the prospect of flying through the air, Trot persuades Button-Bright (who was introduced in The Road to Oz) to take her somewhere by "the umbrel," and Cap'n Bill contrives a sort of swing-seat to hang underneath it so they can both ride it.Their first ride is everything Trot hoped, and now she's hooked.Cap'n Bill insists on coming along next time, and it may be a good thing he does: in trying to fly to what he and Trot call "Sky Island" (a barely-visible landmass they've always wanted to visit), the trio end up in the Laputa-like floating island of the title, which is inhabited by two rival peoples, the Blueskins and the Pinkies.Falling afoul of the tyrannical Boolooroo of the former, the travellers temporarily lose their umbrella and are forced to flee to the Pinkie country, where they are welcomed and Trot is eventually elected Queen.How she uses this to her advantage to get the umbrella back and bring peace and harmony to Sky Island is the meat of the story.

Trot is a character who will be liked by any reader fond of Dorothy Gale (indeed, many of Baum's "little correspondents"--he received bushels of letters from his young readers--said they liked her "almost as well"): she's brave, resourceful, and (unlike many girls of 1912) not at all given to scatterbrained-ness or fainting.Button-Bright seems to have gotten more competent since his first appearance, and Cap'n Bill is a delightful old salt who will have young readers wishing they knew someone like him.And, happily, Dover has reprinted the book in its original typeface and with all the original, ornate John R. Neill illustrations intact (Neill's rendition of the Blueskins is even more elaborate than the written description of them).Any child who enjoys imaginative literature should be familiar with Baum, and this little-known duology shouldn't be missed.

One of my favorites
As one of my favorite childhood stories, I have read this several times - even as an adult. Wouldn't we all like to have the adventure of visiting this wonderous island. I recently finished reading The Sea Fairies and Sky Island to my 8 year old daughter. She loved them but was saddened that there are no more adventures for Trot and Cap'n Bill.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.

One of Baum's best
A fast-moving, well-woven plot, a loving trio of resourceful protagonists, and one (actually seven) of the most fun-to-hate villians in Baum.For spite, impulsive violence, and cruelty elevated to a creative art, the Wicked Witch of the West and even the Nome King have nothing on the principle villian of SKY ISLAND.On Sky Island, as in Oz, no one dies or suffers pain, even those who get cut to pieces.The Boolooroo of the Blues exploits this so barbarically that the reader is tempted to wish he could simply kill his victims instead.The dramatic climax (involving a goat) is difficult to read without cheering out loud.Baum's special blend of tension and humor in this non-Oz book rivals the best Oz books.

Readers of my reviews know that I like to note Baum's references to Wagner.Polychrome is an obvious derivative of Brunhilde.Polychrome's father is the Rainbow; Brunhilde's is the god of storms as well as of war.Just as Brunhilde favors the hero Siegmund, so Polychrome favors our hero Button-Bright, and her assistance is more useful to BB than Brunhilde's is to Siegmund!She persuades the Pinkies to let the protagonists live, using a singularly Wagnarian argument:

"Why have you decreed death to these innocent strangers?" she asked.
"They do not harmonize with our color scheme," replied Tourmaline.
"That is utter nonsense," declared Polychrome, impatiently."You're so dreadfully pink here that your color, which in itself is beautiful, has become tame and insipid.What you really need is some sharp contrast to enhance the charm of your country, and to keep these three people with you would be a benefit rather than an injury to you."

That's DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NURNBERG for kids.Compare Hans Sach's speech to the Mastersingers:

"Gesteht, ich kenn' die Regeln gut,
und dass die Zunft die Regeln bewahr',
bemüh' ich mich selbst schon manches Jahr.
Doch einmal im Jahre fänd' ich's weise,
dass man die Regeln selbst probier',
ob in der Gewohnheit trägem Gleise
ihr' Kraft und Leben nicht sich verlier'!"

or, more briefly:

"Der Regel Güte daraus man erwägt,
dass sie auch 'mal 'ne Ausnahm' verträgt."

Baum Back in Top Form
I was a bit disappointed with the SEA FAIRIES, Baum's first book to introduce the characters of Trot and Cap'n Bill. It was adequate but not up to the superlative quality I expect from L. Frank Baum. This book, however, sets things to right. It reads more like the Oz books and even includes characters such as Button Bright and Polychrome who make numerous appearances in the Oz series. It is a fun book that I enjoyed even with my youth far behind me.

In this story, Trot meets Button Bright who has a magical umbrella which takes him where he wants to go. Trot, Button Bright and Cap'n Bill decide to use the umbrella to take them for a picnic out on an island just off the coast. Instead of being taken to that island, however, they wind up on and island in the sky inhabited by tow warring peoples. Our characters wind up in the middle and have to set everyone straight.

It is a delightful tale which should appeal to both boys and girls.

Baum works magic in this little-known series
Much as I love the Oz books (and I have all 14), THIS is my favorite Baum book.Sky Island is the continued adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill (meet them in "The Sea Fairies", also fun) and Button Bright as they face the mighty Boolooroo of the Blues and the beautiful Queen Tourmaline of the Pinkies, Sky Island's two countries and two races.A wonderful tale, which in the process shows us how to get along with those who are different from ourselves. ... Read more

Product Description
After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great wizard in order to return to Kansas. ... Read more