Customer Reviews

The Book Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A very good reference for the Baum Enthusiast. And I have others - love this one.

Every Oz or Baum book collector will appreciate this invaluable reference guide. Far more detailed and thorough than anything else available, the author constantly uses photographs to illustrate key points. Essays about each title are both informative and a pleasure to read. Years of work and intimate personal knowledge of the material shows on every page. Color photo after color photo shows not only the identified variants of interest to Oz collectors, but also tight shots of bibliographical details; these help you quickly find the points of distinction that identify and characterize your own copies of these books.

A real treat is the way readers get to follow Bienvenue right into the finest private Oz collections. The result is not only fine samples of rare books, but also shots of surviving ephemera few collectors have ever seen. Material from the Baum family, for instance, that you had to be born a Baum to own. Just get the book and enjoy looking at all the scarcest treasures!

The Collector's Guide itself is a beautifully produced hardback with dust jacket. Worth every penny. While users of Bibliographia Oziana and those of us with lots of back issues of the International Wizard of Oz Club's Baum Bugle may think we have "enough" to identify and classify our collections, this book really raises the high bar with all the Baum books -- ALL of them under all his names -- plus all the Oz sequels gathered in one lavishly illustrated volume.

Bienvenue set parameters that make sense -- non-English Oz translations and original Oz tales are not included. While many are lovely and collectible, the book would have become unwieldy. Today's print-on-demand books also are excluded; if not the book would go on forever.

Bottom line; great book, great reference book, great treat for collectors and anyone interested in the histories of the Baum and Oz books.

A few months ago I purchased various L. Frank Baum books, included was a rare series, Aunt Jane's Nieces, written under Edith Van Dyne, one of L. Frank Baum's many pseudonyms. My own reference books were not adequate to identify the issues and states; in searching the internet information was sparse until I came across Paul Bienvenue's indispensable guide. Once the book arrived I was immediately awed by the content and presentation; identifying the entire 10 volumes was a snap. The wide-range of information on Baum, his works, advertising & promotional information, bindings, ephemera, editions, reprints, non-Oz books, pseudonyms, Oz books of Baum's successors, notes, stunning art work and tidbits make this a reference an industry standard, as well as a mesmerizing read of the most revered author of Children's Literature. The "Book Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz," is not only the most complete modern reference book on Baum, the lavish illustrations, many rare, are brilliant, second to none. Its scholarly contents are arranged in an easy flow which will satisfy the most experienced bibliophile, novice collector, and graphic artist. A "Glossary" of terms, along with extensive "End Notes," creates an important support for the comprehensive literary content of Baum's vast catalog of work. This book is a collector's and booksellers must; for those that love Baum's popular Wizard of Oz books, you will be amazed at the production and contents in this beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable collection of L. Frank Baum's Children's Literature. M. Levick, Bookmaven, Out-of-Print, Antiquarian, and Unusual Books. [...]

THE BOOK COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO L. FRANK BAUM is a joy and a treasure, not only as a creative and definitive resource but as a brand new OZ book. I promise you that when you take this beautiful new hardback into your hands you will experience a thrill akin to the one you feel when picking up an actual OZ book for the very first time. I was a kid again as soon as I beheld the cover. Even just paging through the magnificently presented artwork - the book covers, the illustrations, the endpapers, the dust jackets, the advertizments - is a walk down the yellow brick road. But it's all of Baum, not just OZ - The Musical Fantasies, THE KING OF GEE WHIZ, THE BOY FORTUNE HUNTERS IN EGYPT - every volume in every edition of every Baum book is here! But least I wax too ecstatically about the great fun of owning this book, keep in mind its essential purpose. No one has ever done a better (user friendly and complete) job of telling me about the Baum books I own and would like to own. And even about all of those I will probably only be able to dream of owning. This book will make the grown-up in you feel a lot smarter and the kid in you a whole lot happier. It's a Christmas catalogue and a Christmas present rolled up into one perfect gift. I'm rarely this over the top about anything. I just haven't had such a marvelous encounter with L. Frank Baum in a long time. It's worth every penny. In fact, I'm so in love with it I'm buying my second copy today.

The Book Collector's Guide To L. Frank Baum and Oz is by far the best reference book I have ever purchased. Each book is thoroughly detailed showing the variations of every edition with a generous size color picture. What is epecially impressive is the ease in understanding the points of each book. They not only cover every Oz book by Baum but all the other books he has written. With all the thorough information you can tell they have done their home work researching the books. Beyond the works by Baum included are the rest of the Oz books by other authors. This book is a must for all collectors and dealers in Baum and Oz books. Without this bibliography you cannot be sure that you are purchasing a true first edition. Also dealers noting the points from this book can asure you that they have researched the book you are buying.
Booklady-Jane