L. Frank Baum · 1900
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) is a children's novel by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Carried by a cyclone from Kansas to the Land of Oz, Dorothy follows the yellow brick road to the Emerald City with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion.
The story
A cyclone lifts Dorothy and her dog Toto, with their house, from the Kansas prairie and drops them in the country of the Munchkins, killing the Wicked Witch of the East. Wearing the witch's silver shoes, Dorothy sets off to ask the great Wizard of Oz to send her home.
On the way she is joined by the Scarecrow, who wants a brain, the Tin Woodman, who wants a heart, and the Cowardly Lion, who wants courage. The Wizard asks them to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West before he grants their wishes.
An American fairy tale
In his introduction Baum wrote that he wanted a 'modernized fairy tale', in which 'the wonderment and joy are retained and the heart-aches and nightmares are left out'.
Published in Chicago by George M. Hill in 1900, with Denslow's colour illustrations, the book was the best-selling children's book in America for two years.
Legacy
Baum wrote thirteen sequels. The 1902 stage musical was a great success, and the MGM film of 1939, with Judy Garland, became one of the most watched films in history.
The book has also been read as a political allegory of the debates on money in the 1890s, although Baum never said so.
Anecdotes
Silver, not ruby
In the book, Dorothy's magic shoes are silver. They became ruby slippers in the 1939 film to show off Technicolor.
The Wizard's secret
The Wizard turns out to be an ordinary man from Omaha, a former ventriloquist and balloonist who landed in Oz by accident and has been pretending to be a great magician ever since.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?
L. Frank Baum, with illustrations by W. W. Denslow. It was published in 1900.
What do Dorothy's companions want?
The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Woodman a heart, and the Cowardly Lion courage.
How does Dorothy get home?
By clicking the heels of her silver shoes three times and asking them to take her back to Kansas, as Glinda the Good Witch teaches her.