Customer Reviews

The Complete Oz: Volume 1

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

 

 

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

I'm reading all of Oz aloud to my daughters, 10 and 7. We are loving the experience, and it's great to have all 14 stories plus short tales in a 2-volume set. Highly recommended!

Pretty accurate description online about the book. It's true it doesn't have any pics and the stories seem to go on and on but the layout is very tasteful. The writing seems to be slightly larger than most printed works of writing and its divided well so you can easily pick up where you left off. Overall very satisfied with this book me and my family look forward towards reading this amazing piece of written art!

This would be a nice volume of just the text of the Oz books, except for one thing. I knew when I ordered it that the W. W. Denslow art wouldn't be included. No maps of Oz as well, but I was okay with that for the price I was paying for so many books collected in one volume. The problem is with the layout. I like to have books that I can read without creasing the binding. Yeah, it may be an minor OCD thing but I hate to have books with creased or broken spines. I take good care of my books so I don't like when they get damaged on the spine. Reading this book is almost impossible to do without bending the spine really hard because the margins on the right side of the left pages are so small. I know this may sound like a minor complaint but it still gets on my nerves from time to time.

I love revisiting books like this from my childhood. It really brings about a nostalgia rush which I enjoy and reading lite children's lit like this from time to time is something I find relaxing. The books are still entertaining and they really do whisk you back to different time. However, I really wish the publisher had spent more time picking out a better layout for the type set.

For some sort of comparison of reproduced volumes of early 20th Century American publishing, I'd point out the Ballantine versions of Robert E. Howard. The huge difference here is that Ballantine is a real publishing house and Trilogus (who published these compilations) seems to be not much more then people publishing on Lulu.

So if you want a cheap version of these books then this is okay. The original text is here and it is a classic series. Unfortunately the layout is ultimately symptonmatic of a lazy publishing company.

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