15 Books in 1: L. Frank Baum's Original "Oz" Series. 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, and Glinda Of Oz.

Average customer rating:

Classic Stories revisited

difficult to read

all the books none of the pictures

Look For Border's Edition

The books of OZ

15 Books in 1: L. Frank Baum's Original "Oz" Series. 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, and Glinda Of Oz.
L, Frank Baum
Manufacturer: Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 100th Anniversary Edition (Books of Wonder)

Ozma of Oz (Books of Wonder)

Return to Oz

ASIN: 0954840135

Book Description

This unique '15 books in 1' edition of L. Frank Baum's original "Oz" series contains the following complete works: "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", and "Glinda Of Oz". For over a hundred years, L. Frank Baum's classic fairy stories about the land of Oz have been delighting children and parents alike. Now, for the first time, the entire Oz series is available in this single, great-value, edition!

Customer Reviews:

Classic Stories revisited.......2007-10-10

Frank Baum is a classic writer that had a beautiful writing style that children should revisit that Grandparents enjoyed. These stories should be available in every library in our country as classic tales. My daughter is reading more and her imagination is in full bloom with this collection of books. The publisher and person responsible for puting this collection together should be applauded!

difficult to read.......2007-08-13

This book is condensed, I mean two pages printed on one page so the lettering is very small and none of the original art work is included. I did not realize when I bought it that the letters would be small. I also thought the original art work would be included. It's not bad if you want to read it with a magnifying glass.

all the books none of the pictures.......2007-06-25

I was wondering how they could fit all 15 oz books into 1 volume. the answer is by having no illustrations, two columns per page, and very small print. I felt like I was reading a text book more than a childrens set of books. it still works for a bedtime story for my son (though he really wants pictures), but for something to keep my son occupied while we ride on the bus it's a bit big to tote around. the story's are as I expected, designed for kids with no really scary parts and super simple plots; dull for a grown up but good for younger kids.

Look For Border's Edition.......2007-04-25

I give this book 5 stars because it is "OZ". I purchased something similar, but much much better from Border's , two years ago. Available from Amazon, look for 'The OZ Chronicles'. Volume 1 and Volume 2 contain all of Baum's Oz books. Green Leather Hardcovers, great size print. Volume 3 contains Baum's other books and stories. Incredible find and value.

The books of OZ.......2007-02-07

Great to have all of the stories included in one book. I don't need to worry about finding all the books to read. Great buy!

Wizard of Oz, Marvelous Land, Ozma, Dorothy, Road, Emerald City, Patchwork Girl, Tik-Tok, Scarecrow, Rinkitink, Lost Princess, Tin Woodman, Magic, Glinda, Little Wizard Stories

Average customer rating:

What a book!
Stories Great, Edition Not
A very dated children's fantasy
An Magnificient Compilation
I've never read anything so bad!

Wizard of Oz, Marvelous Land, Ozma, Dorothy, Road, Emerald City, Patchwork Girl, Tik-Tok, Scarecrow, Rinkitink, Lost Princess, Tin Woodman, Magic, Glinda, Little Wizard Stories
L. Frank Baum
Manufacturer: Kahley House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0978891422

Book Description

Although most children today are introduced to the world of Oz through the classic 1939 movie, L. Frank Baum has been captivating the hearts of the young, and not so young, for over a hundred years. This delightful compilation includes all fifteen books written by L. Frank Baum: 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, and Glinda Of Oz. Perhaps there is no better, or fitting, introduction one could give to this compilation than the author's note that Baum himself writes in his very first book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Here he reveals the true intention of his work. Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations. Yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as "historical" in the children's library; for the time has come for a series of newer "wonder tales" in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. Having this thought in mind, the story of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.

Customer Reviews:

What a book!.......2007-05-07

For those who love the Wizard of Oz there's nothing quite like having the complete set of related stories. My kids and I are reading and re-reading, carry the book with us on vacations and keep it on the bedside table at home. Wonderful gift for children (and adults) of all ages!

Stories Great, Edition Not.......2007-04-13

I honestly cannot understand giving any Oz story a rating of one because of the content. These stories are classic. I AM giving this edition a one, though, because this is probably the poorest excuse for a book that I have ever seen.

My first and biggest issue with this edition is the fact that the editor/publisher chose not to have paragraph breaks. Each chapter is a paragraph. It's terrible. Next, as these pages are large (almost as big as a typical textbook), you would expect columns to be used. Not the case. It's just one long line after one long line on the pages. The publisher did not even choose to put the next chapter on a fresh page, merely spacing once and beginning anew. It's extremely frustrating.

The next thing that finally make me close the book was the abundance of errors in the text. I honestly do not think this is L. Frank Baum's fault. I feel these errors are there because the editor and publishers were so intent on putting this on the market that they overlooked important things. Mostly, I am referring to technical and mechanical errors, but a few sentences don't even make sense. And, the thing I just REALLY couldn't get over was the fact that all of the chapter titles are in capital letters, and then randomly there was a title with lowercase letters! Such inattention to a book is unacceptable to me. I AM returning this book and getting a nicer edition!

By the way, I did try to contact the publishing company about this, but its Web site is not properly functioning.

A very dated children's fantasy.......2007-04-08

Nowadays, with the popularity of Harry Potter, there has been something of a re-examination of children's literature, in particular, the idea that it can't also be enjoyable for adults to read. Even older works, such as The Chronicles of Narnia have been reappreciated. It was along these lines that I decided to read L. Frank Baum's Oz books, figuring that, if nothing else, they would be a quick read. In addition, I felt I would get a better understanding of Gregory Maguire's Oz books (Wicked and Son of a Witch), which are much more based on Baum than any movie. After reading all fifteen "books" that comprise The Complete Oz, I have to say, I'm a little disappointed.

Like most people, my exposure to Baum's works was limited to the fantastic adaptation of his first Oz book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, featuring Judy Garland. The cinematic adaptation only loosely follows the story, and there are many things that do not appear in the movie. Most importantly, while the movie pretty much explains the whole adventure as a dream, the book makes the land of Oz quite real; subsequent stories has Dorothy shifting back-and-forth from Kansas to Oz until several books in when she moves there permanently with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry (and Toto).

Although the characters change from story to story, the main characters are Dorothy and Ozma, the ruler of Oz. There are a number of other recurring characters, including the familiar Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Wizard and Glinda the Good Witch, along with others like Tik Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Shaggy Man. Each story typically has the characters exploring a new and strange land where they must solve some problem. Occasionally, the Emerald City of Oz is threatened by invaders, who are typically repulsed with great ease. Only the Nome King appears as an enemy in several books.

The problem with the Oz books is that, as imaginative as they are, they are not all that well-written. I realize I am applying an adult reader's scrutiny to stories designed for pre-teens, but I think only the youngest of readers would not see through Baum's plot holes and last-minute rescues. A standard Oz story would have certain characters in dire straits only to be rescued by Glinda or Ozma, who happen to be watching everything through a magic mirror. Everything is perfect in Oz...too perfect to create anything but the weakest form of danger. And I think even most young readers nowadays would find Baum's sugary language too cloying to be palatable. I suppose one hundred years ago, this may have fit with contemporary tastes, but there is just a lot out there that's better nowadays.

The Complete Oz is over 700 pages, but each page contains at least twice as much text as the page in a normal book. What the volume contains are only the fifteen stories: no illustrations or background material accompanies the text, which means that this massive volume is unlikely to even appeal to the only readers who might be able to enjoy it. Under some circumstances, I might even give this book two stars; I know, however, that I am not truly the target audience, so I am giving it an extra star to make up for that. Nonetheless, even if you feel that these might be good stories for children you know (and it is certainly G-rated stuff), you are better off buying these stories in a more kid-friendly format.

An Magnificient Compilation.......2007-02-14

I have been searching for a volume that contains all of the Oz stories, and this one is the "keeper". The editor did a great job with his type setting, making the stories more clear, and overall presentation of these classics. It's a great value at an honest price. I continue to recommend it to my friends and family.

I've never read anything so bad!.......2007-02-06

The stories in this book, and most everything I've been forced to read from this author, are extremely bad. They are the most shallow stories Ive ever read! There is no character depth, the landscapes are ill defined and unbelievable, the stories are so repetative there's no point in reading more than one (and why would you want to anyway!) and the story is so underdeveloped that the characters simply state what they are doing and thinking all the time! Besides that, the wonderful imagination I was lead to believe is displayed in these books is missing, as 9/10 of his characters are characters obviously based on the works of other great fiction/fantasy writers and myths/legends of various regions. The only things moderately inventive are the mechanical men, a fascination he takes too far in having at least one such character in all his books!

Average customer rating:

All good things...
The last and one of the best
Glinda of Oz (Books of Wonder) by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum writes his Final Book on the Adventures of Dorothy, Princess Ozma and Glinda in Oz
Baum's final "Oz" book

Glinda of Oz (Books of Wonder)
L. Frank Baum
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688149782
Release Date: 2000-05-02

Book Description

Peace, prosperity, and happiness are the rule in the marvelous Land of Oz, but in a faraway corner of this magical domain dwell two tribes--the Flatheads and the Skeezers--who have declared war on each other. Determined to keep her subjects from fighting, the Ruler of Oz, Princess Ozma, along with her dearest friend, Princess Dorothy Gale (formerly of Kansas), embarks on a quest to restore peace.

When the Supreme Dictator of the Flatheads refuses to cooperate with Ozma, she and Dorothy seek out Queen Coo-ee-oh of the Skeezers, hoping she will be more reasonable. But the queen imprisons Ozma and Dorothy in her grand city and then traps them by submerging the whole city under water. Now it is up to Glinda the Good to save the day. She assembles all of Ozma's counsellors--including such beloved Oz friends as the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Cowardly Lion, Patchwork Girl, Shaggy Man, Tik-Tok, and Wizard of Oz--and they set out to rescue their friends. Will the magic powers of Glinda and the Wizard combined be enough to free Ozma and Dorothy?

A rousing tale of suspense, magic, and adventure, Glinda of Oz is the fourteenth and final Oz book by L. Frank Baum. It's a grand conclusion to his chronicles of America's favorite fairyland. This deluxe gift edition features all twelve of Oz artist John R. Neill's beautiful color plates, along with his nearly one hundred black-and-white pictures, making it a perfect gift for all Oz fans, new and old.

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He started down a path and Ozma and Dorothy followed him without protest, as they wanted to see the most important person in this queer country. The houses they passed seemed pleasant enough and each had a little yard in which were flowers and vegetables. Walls of rock separated the dwellings, and all the paths were paved with smooth slabs of rock. This seemed their only building material and they utilized it cleverly for every purpose.

Customer Reviews:

All good things..........2006-06-20

...come to an end, so perhaps it's fitting that the last Oz book to be penned by L. Frank Baum was about Glinda, the good witch. This book always left me a little sad as a kid, thinking that it was the last of the original series. Baum seemed to really find his stride with in the last few books of the series, with such excellent installments at "The Lost Princess of Oz", "The Tin Woodman of Oz", "The Magic of Oz" and--of course--this one. Baum shows a lot of ingenuity in this book and the sinking of the city underwater reminds me of a work of science fiction--but of course, Baum has showed glimmers of this before, with the introduction of such characters as the robotic Tik-Tok. In many ways, Baum just seemed a bit ahead of his time, which is why, I suppose, his books remain so timeLESS.

The last and one of the best.......2006-01-16

The last by the original author of the series, this shows how peacekeeping ambassadors (Ozma and Dorothy) can become involved in a dispute and detained, their mission pushed aside by evil dictators. The Su-Dic and Queen Coo-eh-oh are vain, evil adversaries, causing a "war" between two of Ozma's populations. When Ozma and Dorothy try to reason with both parties they are rejected by one group, and taken prisoner by the other. Glinda and an entourage from the Emerald City must rescue the group, aided by three enchanted fish, who must first endure the odd cabin of Reera the Red, the Yookoohoo.

A great end to the original series, and these facsimile editions were long missing from juvenile libraries. Two generations missed the original Oz series when it was out of print for 25 years.

Glinda of Oz (Books of Wonder) by L. Frank Baum.......2005-09-05

Glinda of Oz (Books of Wonder) by L. Frank Baum is the last in the oz series that was written by Baum and is a splendid tale where we meet most of ourbeloved charachters like Ozma, Dorothy, Glinda, Jack Pumpkin, The Glass Cat and many other memorable ones. The story centers around Dorothy's and Ozmas attempt to avert a war between two tribes called the Flatheads and the Skeezers. The story takes many zany and crazy turns is a fitting conclusion to Baums oz series and I can not wait to read the rest of the oz books written by the other authors like Plumly Thompson and others.

L. Frank Baum writes his Final Book on the Adventures of Dorothy, Princess Ozma and Glinda in Oz.......2005-07-27

I was pleasantly surprised to find this book on the shelf at Books Kinokuniya, which I bought within the next 2 weeks and read within the next day or two. As many of you already know, this is L. Frank Baum's last writing of an adventure in Oz involving our beloved friends and characters before he died. But what many of you don't know is that this book is the 15th (yes, 15. I choose to count 'Little Wizard Stories of Oz' as part of the series, as it was written by him).
I quote form the Afterword: 'Baum finished 'Glinda' in February of 1918, only 3 months before his death in May, and 1 year and 1/2 before the book was published. Though Baum did not live to see 'Glinda' published, he seems to have written it as a farewell to Oz. Since he was quite ill writing it, Baum knew this might be his last oz book. Perhaps that is why he not only gave so many of his beloved characters a "final bow" in 'Glinda', but also used the book to tie up the loose ends of how magic works in Oz'.
In this adventure, Dorothy and Ozma's visit to Glinda reveals (through the Great Book of Records) that the Skeezers have declared war on the Flatheads. Despite Glinda's lack of knowledge on them and her urging for them not to go, Ozma insists on solving the war, as she is Queen of Oz, and Dorothy agrees to come along too, who is given a magic ring by Glinda in time of need (Chapter 1 has a lot of pages, possibly the most out of the entire book). In their journey to the NorthWest, they manage to escape a Spider King, get across a Valley of Mist thanks to the Mist Maidens and arrive at Flathead Mountain. Meeting the King, Su-dic (L. Frank Baum makes another wordplay), they learn how his Queen Wife Witch, Rora, is also involved in the war and manage to escape before being captured. They arrive at the Skeezers' Lake Glass Dome, and their meeting with the young but selfish and vain Queen Coo-ee-oh results in being her prsioners, but fortunately become friends with one of her maids, Lady Aurex. That night, the Flatheads' attack results in the Glass Dome sinking into the lake and Coo-ee-oh being turned into a diamond swan (but still she remains vain of herself), which means that she cannot return the Glass Dome to the surface, leaving Dorothy and Ozma trapped below, even though they try to find ways to break the enchantment. Glinda learns of their trouble and calls together Ozma's Counsellors, which consists of (almost) all the characters we have known, met and loved. Together, they decide to find and free Dorothy and Ozma from their imprisonment. Meanwhile, one of Coo-ee-oh's servants, a young boy named Ervic meets the 3 Magic Adepts, who have been transformed into fishes, thanks to Coo-ee-oh's theft, and follows their instructions, which leads to his meeting of Red Reera the Yookoohoo sorceress, while at the same time Glinda and the others arrive at the Skeezer Lake. Reera returns the fishes to their true forms, who, along with Ervic, return to the Skeezer Lake, where they meet Glinda, the Wizard and everyone else, who together attempt to free the captured citizens of the Glass Dome. Eventually, the 5 magical performers join up with Ozma, Dorothy and Lady Aurex in Coo-ee-oh's basement, where they discover the means of Coo-ee-oh's magic, which rises the Glass Dome back to the surface. Once returned safely, a new Queen of the Skeezers is crowned, and the Flatheads are given treatment in a way that will stop further trouble from arising from them.
I loved reading this book and adding this to my collection of Oz Books by Baum and others. Although, even though this was a great adventure, it also had a few mistakes and/or disappointments:
* The only characters who failed to appear in this adventure are Aunt Em (Uncle Henry appears instead), the Hungry Tiger, Billina the Yellow Hen and Eurika, Dorothy's Kitten (Dorothy does mention the colours of the cat though). One character I HATE having in the series is Mr. H. M. Woogle-bug, T. E. (Highly Magnified, Thoroughly Educated), appearing here as one of Ozma's Counsellors. The story would've had an improvement if the HUNGRY TIGER had replaced him insted, along with a final appearance by Aunt Em, Billina, and possibly as an extra delight, the Good Witch of the North.
* Another disappointment is the pictures. John doesn't draw enough pictures throughout the book, and many chapters only have 1, 2 or 3 images: the traditional 'chapter-title', a 'full colour plate' and 'end-of-chapter' images (although, it is nice having the 'chapter titles' going for almost 2 pages). John does a portrait of Glinda, and it gets published twice. Fortunately, some chapters do have 5 or so pictures. There are no images of Reera the Red or Rora in their true forms, and quite a few colour plates are placed in the wrong chapter (e.g. the colour-plate of Dorothy and Ozma being carried by the Mist Maidens is placed in Chapter 2, when actually that particular adventure is in Chapter 3). Also, John draws 2 images of Trot and the Patchwork Girl: one in colour, the other black-and-white (which is far better, which means his should've kept the b&w version and changed the colour one to something else). Also, pg 176 has the Scarecrow drawn without his nose! And I much prefer having Dorothy's hair being long and brown, with Ozma longer and golden (slightly curled). But Dorothy still has short blonde hair, and Ozma's dark hair is tied up, a bit like Glinda's portrait. Glinda should've been drawn with her hair out in ringlets instead of in a 'net'.
* A few other reviewers have said that Glinda doesn't have a big enough appearance in this book, although her role is magnified. I slightly do agree that she could've appeared and done more in the story, maybe doing a 'end-of-story-speech-to-Dorothy-and-Ozma', which may have been expected, but rememeber, L. Frank Baum was sick during the writing of this story, so perhaps he meant to, but couldn't get around to it without letting anybody know.
But there are a few good points that are interesting about this book. L. Frank Baum may have gone back to his play and taken a scene/concept of that production and put it in this book: Glinda of the South gives Dorothy a Magic Ring in time of need which helps start the Rescue Expedition, which is just like how in the 1902 Stage play of 'the Wizard of Oz' how Locasta, the Good Witch of the North, also gave Dorothy a magic ring, which was later used to call for help in the Poppy Field, which summoned the snow storm to destroy the poison flowers.
As you may have noticed, the Flatheads who live in the NorthWest in this 'Glinda' book, are not the same Hammer-Heads as encountered by Dorothy and her friends in their journey to Glinda in the South in the 'Wonderful Wizard' book, which was an odd surprise. They are two entirely different people with different bodies, despite the similar flathead appearance.
But despite the mistakes and small/unimportant disappoitments, this was still a fantastic book to read. I'm sure that this would be an even more fantastic movie, if given a few improvements and slight changes.

Baum's final "Oz" book.......2004-05-28

Some time ago, I decided I would collect and read all 14 of the "Oz" books by L. Frank Baum. It took me a few years to find them all, but I finally finished my little project with "Glinda of Oz," Baum's final outing. Not one of the best books in the series but not one of the worst, either, "Glinda" falls somewhere in the middle. While visiting the good witch Glinda, Ozma and Dorothy learn of two factions living in a remote corner of Oz that are planning to go to war. Wanting to prevent such discord in her paradise, Ozma and Dorothy travel to this land to prevent the Skeezers and Flatheads from coming to blows, but wind up becoming prisoners in an island beneath a lake.

The biggest problem I have with this book, as with many of the "Oz" books, is that just because the title has a character's name in it doesn't mean he or she is the star. While this is one of Glinda's bigger roles, it's not really her book but more of an ensemble piece. Baum, as if he knew this would be his last outing, crams nearly every character he'd created into the rescue party that sets out to free Ozma and Dorothy (but no Hungry Tiger, sadly), and most of the characters featured in that rescue don't have much to do but stand around befuddled.

The story has a fair amount of magic and introduces a few new characters, but no particularly memorable ones. Though there's nothing really bad about it, the book is noteworthy mainly because it's Baum's last before he died and Ruth Thompson took over the series.

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining Stories for Adults and Children.......2003-06-01

Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) is best known today as the author of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," a children's story written in 1900. But following the success of that book, Baum wrote thirteen other Oz stories before his death from a stroke in 1919. Moreover, Baum wrote dozens of other children's tales, plays, and general stories. He was extraordinarily prolific, churning out five books in the year 1907 alone. In addition to this immense body of work, Baum worked as a journalist, a printer, a chicken breeder, an actor, a theater manager, an oil salesman, a playwright, and many other equally esoteric occupations. Despite this litany of accomplishments, it is that one little story about a Kansas girl and her dog that people remember, and even that is due to the 1939 film adaptation with Judy Garland as Dorothy. This Penguin Classics volume compiles three of Baum's Oz stories, "The Wizard of Oz," "The Emerald City of Oz," and "Glinda of Oz." With a dandy introduction by Jack Zipes, a bibliography of pertinent literature about Baum, and explanatory endnotes, this is an excellent introduction to a marvelous trio of stories written by an enormously talented individual.

The introduction outlines the highpoints of Baum's life as well as academic analyses on his Oz stories. According to Zipes, these stories reflect personal aspects of the author's life as well as social aspects of American society. Zipes's own analysis is that Oz represents a matriarchal utopia based on socialist principles. In Oz, women rule as witches and princesses while magic and good deeds serve the denizens without relying on capitalistic tendencies of competition and money. The introduction also refers to academics that saw "The Wizard of Oz" as a thinly veiled allegory concerning the Populist movement of the late 19th century, which was the reason I decided to read the stories. Regardless of academic analysis or cultural insights, these stories turned out to be a fascinating and entertaining read, full of puns, irony, and wacky creatures. I had fun reading these stories.

The first story in the collection, "The Wizard of Oz," should be instantly recognizable to most people. It differs considerably from the film version, however. Dorothy and Toto do meet the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion just as they do in the movie, but there are more adventures in the book version. There are differences too: in the story, the winged monkeys only obey the wicked witch because she can summon them with a magic cap. The witch also holds Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion in bondage for a period of time. I understand why the movie made several changes in the tale, but reading the story is as much if not more fun than seeing the film.

"The Emerald City of Oz," published in 1910, recounts several more adventures of Dorothy in the Land of Oz. Baum used this story to expand this mysterious realm by having Dorothy bring Uncle Henry and Aunt Em to live in Oz permanently after the bank forecloses on the Kansas farm. Young Dorothy then acts as a tour guide for her family, setting out on an exploration of unknown regions of Oz. The author throws in some great puns in this installment, little jokes that surprisingly made me laugh out loud. For example, Dorothy's adventure in Utensia (where she stands trial in a dwelling full of animated cutlery, pots and pans, and utensils), her trip to Bunbury (a town inhabited by living pastries, buns, breads, and rolls), and her meeting with the Fuddles (people who literally fall to pieces when surprised by outsiders; Dorothy and her companions have to put them back together like a puzzle) are amusing to read. The best scene in the story has to be the Flutterbudgets, a town full of people who worry incessantly about nonexistent dangers. All of these explorations take place against the backdrop of an invasion of Oz by the evil Nome King and his evil allies the Growleywogs, the Whimsies, and the Phanfasms. This Oz story is quite amusing and tremendously clever.

"Glinda of Oz," released to the public in 1920 a year after Baum's death reunites nearly every character from the other Oz stories. Dorothy, now a princess of Oz, sets out with her friend and monarch Ozma to stop a war between the Flatheads and the Skeezers. When Dorothy and Ozma get trapped in the fighting, Glinda the Sorceress leads a ragtag group of characters to rescue the two. Along for the trip are the Wizard of Oz, who returned to Oz after the first book and is learning magic, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the funniest character, Button Bright, a boy whose sole attribute is his ability to constantly get lost. Glinda and company step into the situation and bring it to a resolution. Arguably the most interesting theme in "Glinda of Oz" is the limitations Baum places on the uses of magic in Oz. There are different types of magic and no one character (The Wizard, Glinda, Ozma) has a grasp on infinite stores of magic. Moreover, magic can only be used to assist people, not to harm them. Ozma and Glinda punish anyone who uses magic as a weapon.

These are great stories whether you pay attention to the social and cultural subtexts or not. Fans of the MGM extravaganza will find much here to expand on their knowledge of Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion, and Glinda. Moreover, the addition of scads of other characters adds a richness and depth to the fantasy world of Oz beyond the scope of the film. I enjoyed these three stories so much I am considering reading a few of the other Oz stories, and hopefully you will too.

L. Frank Baum makes magic come alive.......2001-11-29

These stories are sheer genuis and a blessed light in our sometimes dark world. I read them to my children, ages 4 and 6, and we all are transported to a place over the rainbow, where things somehow turn out wonderfully happy. In the Emerald City and Glinda, we enjoyed hearing more adventures of Dorothy's friends. Ozma is indeed a great heroine for her people and for my two bright-eyed children. I could just picture where each land was that Dorothy visited with her aunt and uncle in the Emerald City book. And the eccentric rules each place had were enchanting.

A Wonderful Selecttion from a Wonderful World.......2001-06-29

Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics presents a nice selection of L. Frank Baum's Oz books with The Wizard of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, and Glinda of Oz. It is a nice way to visit Oz beginning with the excellent essay, notes and bibliography by Jack Zipes to set the reader on the right foot along the Yellow Brick Road. After that the stories themselves will delight the reader in their own way with the versatile imagination of the author and will hopefully lead the unintiated to read more about Oz and to the more seasoned explorers it will bring back the joy felt when first going to this wonderful, wonderful land. A nice package.

Great.......2000-06-12

Anything by L. Frank Baum is going to be a good book for a person of any age to read. Oz is a fairy land that is full of imagination for any girl or boy. This is one of the best Oz books I've seen.

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Glinda of Oz
LFrank Baum
Manufacturer: Rand Mc. Nally
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L18E2Y

Adventures in Oz Vol. V: The Tin Woodman of Oz, The Magic of Oz, Glinda of Oz

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Adventures in Oz Vol. V: The Tin Woodman of Oz, The Magic of Oz, Glinda of Oz
L., Frank Baum
Manufacturer: Wilder Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Book 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. 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.

The Famous Oz Books [Collection of 14 Softcover matching titles]

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The Famous Oz Books [Collection of 14 Softcover matching titles]
L. Frank Baum
Manufacturer: Rand McNally
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Glinda of Oz

Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Glinda of Oz
L. Frank Baum
Manufacturer: 1st World Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Glinda of OZ
Lyman Frank Baum
Manufacturer: Reilly & Lee
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LL7D9E

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