Customer Reviews

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Books of Wonder)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The book description says that all 24 color plates are included, and that this is a facsimile of the first edition. This is simply not true. The only color illustration is on the cover. Denslow's elaborate color scccheme in which the textual illustrations change as we move through Oz are missing. Buyer beware.

This book was quite a surprise to me. Like many people, I grew up watching the Wizard of Oz movie, but never actually read the book. Now at 30, I finally read the book and almost wish I had not. That's not because it's a bad book, quite the contrary, it's quite a good book. It's just that the movie is so different than the book, in so many ways. I grew up with all these glamorous images of the Land of Oz in my head from watching the movie. Then I read the book and find out it was a serious case of Hollywood magic. It was quite a shock to me.

The basic premise of the book is the same. Dorothy is transported to Oz from Kansas via a tornado. She spends her time looking for the Wizard of Oz and meets a cast of wonderful characters along the way. All the major players are there, The Tin Woodsman, the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Witches and Oz. However, that's about the end of the similarities. As an example, the Wicked Witch of the West plays quite an integral part in the movie, but only actually shows up in about three chapters in the book. On the other hand, we have the pleasure of reading the full origins of the Tin Woodsman, the Scarecrow and the Flying Monkeys.

Baum introduces you to wonderful new lands within Oz. His descriptions will bring you into the world of Oz, even though they are quite short and he never spends too much time in any one area. After all this is a children's book, and I think this was done to keep a child's attention, as their attention spans are usually much shorter.

Another thing that shocked me a bit was how violent the book actually is. There are quite a few instances of beheadings and dismemberment. But again, these instances are not glorified in any way. They are just part of the flow of the story. Baum, mentions it, and moves on. There's not any blood or gory details about the event. Considering this is a children's book, I was still quite surprised when I read these passages.

There is a nice Afterword in the book that gives you a little history on Baum and Oz series. It gives a nice comparison between how English fairy tales and American fairy tales differed at the time. You also get an insight to some of the underlying themes of the story.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was really a great read, even though it radically changed the images that have been engrained into my memories. So, take that into consideration before you read the book. Either the book is going to put you off and quite possibly crush your childhood memories. Or you'll read it and think that it's just the best book ever. Even though I primarily fell into the first category, being an adult I can fully appreciate the work and the movie for their differences. I don't know if a child could do this or not though.

...

Most Americans have seen the movie, but a surprising number haven't read the book on which it's based. That's too bad, it really is a fabulous book and Baum is a great storyteller. The characters of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman and the Lion far more developed in the novel and we also travel to the land of the South and encounter my favorite creatures: the china dolls. Although this is a wonderful fairy tale for children, adults will find a lot to enjoy as well.

Speaking of children, this is a good choice for a first chapter book to read aloud to children. The chapters are fairly short and the novel is episodic - each chapter is its own little story. I think it may have originally published as a serial.

One interesting note is that the book can be read as an allegory for the populist silver movement at the end of the 19th century. Dorothy's silver shoes, the yellow (gold) bricks, the scarecrow (farmer), Kansas, Oz (politicians); they all take on a new meaning when read in this framework. It's a good reading assignment for high school students in this context, and one they usually don't mind reading.

As Baum put it, The Wizard of Oz is a "modernized fairy tale". The book tells to the story of a young girl named Dorothy who lives with her uncle, aunt, and pet dog Toto on the dreary Kansas prairies. One day a tornado whisks her and Toto away to a magical land called Oz. There she goes through a series of adventures in order make her way back to Kansas. A lion, a tin woodman, and a scarecrow provide aid and companionship throughout her journeys.

When I started to read the book, I naturally wanted to know how it compared to the 1939 Judy Garland movie. Both the movie and the book have the same basic characters and broad plot elements, but book is quite different in the details. For example, in the book, the Tin Woodman gives a detailed description of how he (somewhat violently) replaced his flesh and blood body for a tin one. Singing and dancing are, as you might expect, almost completely absent from the book.

I'm a bit too old now to be completely lost in the story, but I nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed it. I appreciated the way Baum used the characters and plot to communicate an upbeat, quasi-philosophical view of life ("I shall take the heart," returned the Tin Woodman; "for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.") Baum also wrote in a lot of fun Oz-logic that often made me laugh ("I am never hungry, [the Scarecrow] said, "and it is a lucky thing I am not, for my mouth is only painted, and if I should cut a hole in it so I could eat, the straw I am stuffed with would come out, and that would spoil the shape of my head.")

Read it to your young children or read it by yourself. Either way you'll find it difficult to dislike Buam's classic.

L Frank Baum was born in New York state in 1856, and grew up on a luxurious country estate called 'Rose Lawn'. His interest in writing stemmed from the printing press he received as a fifteenth birthday present from his father. However, he tried a number of professions before starting to write children's books - the first two simply re-told 'traditional' fairy tales. 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz', his third book, was first published in 1900 and became a huge success. It proved so popular a musical version was adapted for the stage - with Baum himself writing the lyrics for the songs. In time, he added a further thirteen books to the Oz collection - concluding with 'Glinda of Oz' in 1920. However, it's probably fair to say that the series of books is overshadowed to a great degree by the famous film starring Judy Garland.

Dorothy is an orphan, who lives on a farm in the Kansas plains with her 'Uncle' Henry and 'Aunt' Em. There's very little colour - cracked baked soil, dusty grey grass and even the paint on the house has been blistered by the sun and washed away by the rain. The farm takes all Henry's time and energy, while the tough conditions have gradually ground all the joy out of Em's life. Dorothy - who loves nothing more than playing with Toto, her dog - brought the first sounds of laughter the farm had heard in many years.

However, she doesn't have much to laugh at the book's beginning : with a cyclone on the way, the family aim to take shelter in the farmhouse's cellar. Unfortunately, Dorothy and Toto don't make it in time - and they're still in the wooden house when it's swept away by the cyclone. The house is finally deposited gently in Oz - a faraway country surrounded on all sides by a great desert. She's greeted by the Munchkins, a small race native to the eastern area of Oz she has landed in. They take Dorothy for a sorceress, and are very grateful to her - for the house has landed on the Wicked Witch of the East, who had ruled the Munchkins and had treated them very badly.

Dorothy just wants to get home, but the Good Witch of the North can't help her. She suggests visiting Oz, the Great Wizard who lives at the City of Emeralds - a wizard so powerful, he should be capable of sending her home. However, she gives Dorothy a kiss on the forehead - and no-one will now dare harm her. Before setting off down the Yellow Brick Road to Oz, Dorothy also takes the silver, charmed shoes that had been worn by the Wicked Witch of the West. (These should provide some help, though the Munchkins never found out how the charm worked). Although Dorothy starts her journey alone, she is joined along the way by the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion - three famous characters, each with his own reason for visiting the Great Oz.

A very short and easily read book, that differs a little from the film in places. Obviously, the shoes are silver in the book rather than ruby, Glinda only appears at the end of the book, while the Wicked Witch of the West didn't play quite the major role she did on-screen. There were also some parts in the book that were dropped for the movie. For my own part, I found it easier to see in-print than on-screen how little help from the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Woodman actually needed from the Wizard. Definitely recommended.

MAGIC, adventure, and fun. Those are the ingedients of an Oz novel. These traits were cleverly weaved together by author L. Frank Baum (Lyman Frank Baum) as he wrote "The Wizard of Oz," "The Land of Oz," and all the other Oz books he wrote. The Oz books are certainly for readers who like adventure, with a little humor and some magic too. Books well suitable for lovers of fantasy, such as "Harry Potter," "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Middle Earth," and so many more.

Did you ever hear how L. Frank Baum got the title for his book? Well, one day he was sitting at his desk, and staring at his file cabinet. One file was labeled "L-N," and the other was labeled "O-Z," which when spelled together would be "Oz." What a perfect name; unique AND original. Although L. Frank Baum never intended to write a series, he ended up writing 14 books for the famous Oz series until his death in 1919. Now in our time, these treasured books are still in print, captivating the minds of imaginative readers. John R. Neill's illustrations add rare beauty and imagination to the Oz books.

In the summer of 2000, exactly 100 years after the publication of "The Wizard of Oz," I was searching through a public library when I came upon a bookshelf with a group of books with a title each containing the word "Oz." I noticed they all had a numbers-from #1 to #14. I chose to sign out #2 (The Land of Oz) since I had seen the classic movie, "The Wizard of Oz," based on the first book. When I turned the cover of the book, I was whisked away from the world in which we live in, and brought to a land where there are no dangerous weapons, no mad killers, (only villains) and no cholesterol! I was thrilled by the magical things that happened, I laughed at the funny jokes, and gasped at the supenseful plot and the unbelievable surprises at each corner. From that day on I have made it a hobby to read the Oz books.

Oz itself differs from the movie. These are the facts: Referring to the movie, you may think Oz is a dream, but it isn't. Oz is a real place. It is a fairy country in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a deadly desert. The country is divided into five main parts. The Gillikin Country is the northern part of Oz, where purple is the favorite color. The Quadling Country, making up the South, where red is the favorite color. (and also it is where the powerful sorceress lives) The western part, the Winkie country, is where yellow is favored. The blue country, which is the Munchkin country, dwells in the east. And of cource, in the very center of Oz is the green country, in which lies the famous Emerald City, the capital of Oz. The inhabitants of Oz are people just like me and you, (The munchkins are not short!) dressed in important outfits. There are also animals in the forests, and countless other creaures too numerous to name.

If you have seen the 1939 movie, you may think you know the whole plot. If you read the book, you would discover many things are different. First, Dorothy meets the good witch of the North in the Munchkin Country, not Glinda. The journey to countless places is longer in the book. Along the way, run from fierocious beasts with heads of tigers and bodies of bears, (called Kalidahs) talk to the Winged Monkeys and find out why they must obey the person wearing the Golden Cap, watch the scarecrow get stuck on a pole in the middle of a river, and watch how field mice transport a heavy lion from a field of deady poppies. Learn how the scarecrow and the tin woodman were created, watch the wicked witch with the telescope eye trick Dorothy, see the Emerald City through lavish eye-glasses, and participate in the journey to Glinda; passing by a town entirely made of china, (white glass) and the lands of the "Hamerheads," with the dangerous shooting heads. (Not to mention Dorothy wears silver shoes, instead of ruby slippers)

I think book #2, "The Land of Oz," is much better than "The Wizard of Oz," but that is only my opinion. Here is the list of all the Oz books. (all in print, of course)
#1 The Wizard of Oz, #2 The Land of Oz, #3 Ozma of Oz, #4 Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, #5 The Road to Oz, #6 The Emerald City of Oz, #7 The Patchwork Girl of Oz, #8 Tik-Tok of Oz, #9 The Scarecrow of Oz, #10 Rinkitink in Oz, #11 The Lost Princess of Oz, #12 The Tin Woodman of Oz, #13 The Magic of Oz, #14 Glinda of Oz."

If fancy-schmancy editions are too expensive, I suggest the Del Rey edition, which has a reasonable price.You can even read all these books online. A great thing about these books are that you can read them in any order you want, however I suggest the official order. It's easier that way. I think everyone should read the Oz books. Age is no problem, for Oz is for people with young hearts.

So read the Oz books. The only problem you might have is spending money buying more Oz books.

The next book is "The Land of Oz."

As wonderful as this book is, it is probably the weakest of the fourteen books Frank Baum wrote about the marvelous Land of Oz. Still, if you plan to read the series (and you should), you must read this for background.

There are many things to recommend this book, however: Baum has a captivating writing style, which is intended for children, but does not talk down to them. The style isn't cloying, as it is in many children's books of the time. Adults will enjoy it as well; in fact, if you are an adult who has not read this or the other Oz books, you should do so.

One of the best features of the book is the pluck, and resourcefulness of the main character. Dorothy is a true hero who never lets her predicament get her down. She always keeps her goal in sight. She is a wonderful role model for girls, and a female character to whom boys can easily relate.

If I could give it more than five stars, I would.

(and don't forget the sequels)

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is one of the best well known and beloved modern fairy tales. However, most people have only come to know it thanks to the wonderful film adaptation of the same name. To be sure, the film version is probably one of the best movies of all time, but there is something to be said for reading the book in its own right. The book turns out to be as wonderful and endearing as I had expected, with all the main characters portrayed in greater depth and with even more attention to their human distinctiveness. There are also a few scenes in the book that had not made it to the movie, and it was interesting to read these for the first time. The book is charming and well written, although some people today might have an issue with a few violent scenes that tend to be more graphic than what acceptable in children's books these days. Personally I was not bothered by this one bit, and view the book as good, clean fun.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) is the first of L. Frank Baum's fourteen Oz books, and is the inspiration for the 1939 film you almost certainly have seen: a tornado picks up young Dorothy and her dog Toto and carries them to Oz, where they meet numerous fantastical characters, including, of course, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, who are all seeking to correct self-perceived character flaws.

One hates to discuss a book in terms of its succeeding film, but here it can scarcely be helped. Suffice it to say that on the whole, the movie follows the book wherever possible, barring omissions that would not have been possible with thirties special effects, and a tidier ending.

Baum's stated purpose with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was to create "a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out." He has largely succeeded, although the book features a distinct flatness, particularly when compared with contemporary works that were purposely more clever, like Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Dorothy is flat - she's a stubborn and determined girl, but Baum doesn't dwell on her personality. The story is also flat - it's imaginative, but it isn't clever simply because it isn't trying to be; it has little ambition to be anything more than a regular old fairy tale, with one episode of deus ex machina after another. The film is better because it adds style and personality to the work. But then, Baum was writing for kids, not for us grown folk, and the book's enduring appeal is a testament to his success with that audience.

Baum's writing is often inconsistent. An obvious example of this is the "heartless" Tin Woodman, who is inconsolable after inadvertently crushing an insect, but later hacks up wild beasts without a qualm. But none of these incidences are unforgivable (they're certainly more forgivable than Baum's many awful puns).

W. W. Denslow's illustrations are iconic, although perhaps not as iconic as the imagery from the film, which is what most people think of nowadays when they think of the Wizard of Oz. But it's hard to imagine this book being illustrated by anyone else.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a fast-reading, simplistic fairy tale worth reading for its own sake and for the sake of its remarkable legacy.

Folks, don't believe that mess about this book ruining the classic 1939 movie for kids or adult fans. The film will always speak for itself and stand as an independent piece of work. This joyous work by the originator Lyman Frank Baum (and splendid illustrations by W.W. Denslow, I LOVE his cowardly lion in particular) was the foundation.

Yes, there are differences in the screen and book versions as is the ccae with ANY film translated to the screen. But that's OK. Interestingly, we learn a lot more here about the tin man (or the tin woodsman as he was known at the time), the cowardly lion, and the scarecrow in their backstories, along with a longer journey to oz with numerous elements that didn't make the film. Granted, there is not the extensive backstory of Dorothy's flight to Oz (what appeared in the Black & White footage of the film version) among other things, but Baum writes with a delightful pace and joyous sense of whimsy and low-key humor that makes it such a pleasurable read. While this is said to be a children's story, I don't see how any adult with any sense of imagination and inner child would not love this book as much as the small-fry set (we're not talking stomach-turning, sissified fare like Barney or the Care Bears here-this is TRUE family entertainment).

I enjoyed reading this so much that I read a bio on Baum afterwards and decided to order his MONARCH OF M0 (aka "Adventures in Phunnyland") and AMERICAN FAIRY TALES. I'm not really interested in the later Oz books (he got it right the first time), but I'll post reivews of these other Baum works when they arrive.