L. Frank Baum

Born May 15, 1856 in Chittenango, New York
Died May 6, 1919 in Hollywood, California

What an inventive gift giver he was, L(yman) Frank Baum. "The man behind the curtain", "the cowardly lion", "the tin man", "We're not in Kansas anymore"; our language and culture are distinctly peppered with his legacy, but it was a legacy the magnitude of which he did not quite comprehend. His life was characterized by innovation, commercial daring and serial commercial failure before finally beginning to find some success with his writings for children.

Baum was a man of many parts. In his time he turned his hand, with varying degrees of success, to an astonishing range of activities, ever seeking some financial security for himself, his wife and four boys. As many things as he tried, it is surprising just how many he turned out to be at least reasonably good at, but always it seems, the timing was just not right, or he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The path towards success was not smooth, straight or even and included stints as manager of an opera house; founder and manager of a theatrical company; playwright, actor; musical composer and lyricist; axle grease manufacturer and salesman; department store founder and manager; newspaper publisher; journalist; newspaper editor; traveling salesman selling chinaware; founder of a trade journal called The Show Window for window trimmers; theatrical producer; and, finally, founder of a film company.

In every one of these endeavors Baum brought enthusiasm, optimism, a sense of the dramatic and an enduring inventiveness. In some ways, Baum was your classic entrepreneur, but one whose business endied up being writing children's stories.

Born May 15th, 1856 in upstate New York in the small town of Chittenango, (west of Syracuse), Baum was the sixth child of Benjamin Ward Baum and his wife Cynthia Stanton Baum. Three of Baum's older siblings died in their infancy or childhood and Baum himself was plagued with a bad heart which restricted his activities as a child. In all, there were nine children, four of whom died in their infancy.

The family into which he was born was relatively prosperous. His father was a barrel-maker but had made a fortune in the early days of the Pennsylvania oil fields. He grew up in the family mansion, Rose Lawn, surrounded by acres and acres of lawn and grounds. Because of his poor health, most of Baum's education was conducted at home. He had a brief and unhappy spell (two years) when he was twelve at the Peekskill Military Academy before returning home. At fifteen, his father purchased a small printing press from which Baum and his brother published a neighborhood paper, The Rose Lawn Journal.

In 1881, at the age of twenty-six, Baum set off to New York to pursue a career in theater. Family productions had been a feature of life at Rose Lawn and early on Baum had been smitten with a love of the theater. He toured with a small repertory company and then, with the financial backing of an uncle, opened Baum's Opera House. Unfortunately this structure burned down within a year of opening. In the meantime, Baum had written the music and lyrics for a musical The Maid of Arran, which he then produced. Starting in the hinterlands, The Maid of Arran proved to be a popular success and ultimately arrived in New York.

It was at this time, 1882, that Baum met his soon-to-be wife, Maude Gage, daughter of noted suffragist, Matilda Gage. Maude Gage was at that point a sophomore at Cornell University and her mother Matilda vigorously objected to the marriage both on the grounds of finishing her education as well as on the somewhat chancy prospects of the groom as an actor. Maude Gage, however, was convinced that this was the man for her and they married in November, 1882 and remained happily wed until Baum's death nearly forty years later. And despite her well-founded misgivings, we owe Matilda Gage a debt of gratitude for it was her promptings years later that led Baum to record the stories he had created for his children.

At the conclusion of the successful run of The Maid of Arran, Baum and his wife returned to Syracuse where he entered the family oil business, eventually marketing a manufactured axle grease invented by one of his brothers.

Baum's father passed in 1887 as did the family fortune. Maude Baum had many family members who had moved west to the newly opened Dakota territories and in 1888 Frank and Maud along with their two young sons moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota, a small boom town of 3,000. Baum used the accumulated capital from his axle grease business to open a department store in Aberdeen. Unfortunately the timing, as so often in his life, was disastrous: the boom petered out and the upscale department store had to close its doors within a year.

Drawing, perhaps, on his youthful publishing experience, Baum then launched a newspaper, the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer. Striking a reasonably progressive editorial tone as an advocate of women's suffrage, Baum was no more commercially successful with his newspaper than his earlier ventures and the doors were closed in 1891 as the local population shrank following the earlier boom.

At this point Baum had a wife and four sons to support so they moved to Chicago where Baum quickly got - and then resigned from - a post as an editor at the Chicago Post. Once again Baum returned to an old demonstrated skill, this time selling not axle grease, but crockery. While it was not a job likely to fulfill such an imaginative and venturesome person, it did put bread on the table.

Baum was a gifted story-teller and loved to entertain his children with tales he retold and tales he made up. He had a particular love of language, words and puns. With his extensive travel in pursuit of sales, he had plenty of time to write out stories that he could then tell his boys on his return. Hearing her son-in-law entertaining the boys with these tales, Matilda Gage suggested that Baum collect these stories and publish them as a book. Which he did.

In 1897, Way & Williams brought out Mother Goose in Prose by L. Frank Baum. Interestingly it was the first book for his illustrator as well, Maxfield Parrish who went on to a distinguished illustration and art career as well. While having written a handful of pamphlets in the 1870's, plays in the 1880's and newspaper's in the early 1890's this, at the age of forty-one was Baum's first book.

In a missive to his sister at about this time, Baum indicated that, "When I was young, I longed to write a great novel that should win me fame. Now I am getting old, my first book is written to amuse children. For, aside from my evident inability to do anything 'great,' I have learned to regard fame as a will-o-the-wisp which, when caught, is not worth the possession; but to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one's heart and brings its own rewards."

Mother Goose in Prose was reasonably well received and Baum wrote a second book, Father Goose: His Book. Unlike the black and white illustrations of the first book, and showing that flair for the visually dramatic that characterized so much of his work, Baum worked with the illustrator, W.W. Denslow, to richly illuminate the tales with color. The cost of this brave departure from custom was so expensive that, at first, they were unable to find a publisher and when they did, they had to pay for the first printing themselves. However, their confidence in their approach was well placed and Father Goose: His Book, which came out in 1899, proved to be a popular and commercial success.

While starting his career as an author, Baum naturally also quit his job as a crockery salesman and started, of all things a trade journal, The Show Window, providing guidance on developing effective window displays. While at first sight this might seem completely out of the blue, keep in mind that it played to his publishing experience, his retail experience and his love of the theatric. In the midst of his developing career as an author, The Show Window was actually quite a success as well.

For his book after Father Goose, Baum created a story which "aspires to be a modernized fairy-tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares left out." Such was the genesis of what became The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. As with Father Goose, and still in collaboration with W.W. Denslow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was replete with color plates and more than a hundred illustrations scattered through the text.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was an instant hit. Why? is a fair question not well answered over the years. It just is, and still captures the hearts of modern readers. Some of the reasons advanced for its popularity have been:

• It is a new fairy tale, far lighter on the moralizing than past stories.

• The protagonist, Dorothy Gale, characterized pragmatic, outdoorsy, determined American children with whom they more readily identified than previous characters in children's stories.

• It was distinctively illustrated compared to past fare.

• Oz made greater use of typically American (rural) imagery such as scarecrows, tin men, than was common.

• The humor, including a love of puns not usually approved of, could engage children. I love the light going on, sometimes many readings later, when they make the connection between Dorothy Gale and her being carried off by a tornado.

• While the writing is pretty commonly regarded as pedestrian, the texture of the narrative and the sheer spectacle of Baum's inventiveness means that there is always some plot development, incidental character or protagonist to grip the imagination of a young child and there is almost always a character with whom they can identify or be fascinated.

• The sheer inventiveness and uniqueness of his stories mirrored a spirit characteristic of America in general but especially of that era of invention.

The success of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz truly launched Baum's literary career. In his remaining nineteen years, he wrote a further thirteen installments in the series. It is generally agreed that the quality of the later books was highly variable with only two, three or four coming close to the quality of the first book. Most Oz fans, however, will take the position that all are worthwhile reading. That said, they then each list a different set of 2-4 books as the next best ones.

I never had the Oz books growing up but Sally had a complete set and lapped them up at an early age. For her, the next favorite was Ozma of Oz.

Rather as Arthur Conan Doyle came to view his wildly successful creation, Sherlock Holmes, as a constraining literary burden and kept trying to kill him off, likewise Baum on a number of occasions tried to bring the Oz series to a close only to relent upon receipt of desperate pleas from fans (or succumb to financial pressures in his own life) and write another one.

While continuing to write the Oz books, Baum also authored a number of other series including the Twinkle Tales under the pseudonym of Laura Bancroft, the Aunt Jane's Nieces series under the pseudonym of Edith Van Dyne, the Boy Fortune Hunters series under the pseudonym Floyd Akers, and the Snuggle Tales series. He also wrote a number of plays/musicals based on the Oz series and later started a movie company (which quickly folded) to develop the film aspect of his writings. Over his lifetime, Baum ended up writing close to one hundred and fifty stories, plays, collections of songs, etc.

Baum and his family moved to Hollywood, California in 1910 and established a beautiful home there with lovely gardens where he indulged his love of gardening, raising prize-winning dahlias and chrysanthemums. The last four years of his life were colored by increasingly frail health. The gardens and sunshine provided some respite while he continued (under financial pressures) to write despite increasing physical incapacities. L. Frank Baum passed away May 6, 1919.

What might have happened if the Oz stories were not immortalized in film in the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie, starring Judy Garland is an interesting question. Would their continued popularity have survived without the visual magic of the film? It is worth noting that there is something so engaging about the stories that they do keep fascinating later generations of artists who, in turn, keep creating new renditions in films, plays and musicals. Likewise, the stories have been irresistible to later generations of artists and illustrators with a plethora of wonderful editions created by such magnificent illustrators as John R. Neill, Michael Hague, Lisbeth Zwerger, Charles Santore, Robert Sabuda, Greg Hildebrandt, and Evelyn Copelman. There is no doubt that the movie has sustained an audience for the stories, but I believe that the fascination with the stories by other creative spirits is not an accident and is a tribute to Baum's originality and creativity.

Independent Reader

The Oz books in sequence:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow & William Stout Highly Recommended

The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Highly Recommended

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

Other Books Available by L. Frank Baum

Little Wizard Stories of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill Suggested

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Michael Hague Suggested

The Twinkle Tales by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Barney Suggested

Bibliography

Baum's Complete Stamp Dealers Directory by L. Frank Baum 1873
The Maid of Arran by L. Frank Baum 1882
Matches by L. Frank Baum 1882
The Mackrummins by L. Frank Baum 1882
Louis F. Baum's Popular Songs as Sung With Immense Success in His Great 5 Act Irish Drama, Maid of Arran by L. Frank Baum 1882
The Queen of Killarney by L. Frank Baum 1885
The Book of the Hamburgs: A Brief Treatise Upon the Mating, Rearing and Management of the Different Varieties of Hamburgs by L. Frank Baum 1886
Kilmourne; or, O'Connor's Dream by L. Frank Baum 1888
Mother Goose in Prose by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maxfield Parrish 1897
By the Candelabra's Glare: Some Verse by L. Frank Baum 1898
Father Goose, His Book by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow 1899
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow 1900
A New Wonderland, Being the First Account Ever Printed of the Beautiful Valley, and the Wonderful Adventures of Its Inhabitants by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Frank Ver Beck 1900
The Army Alphabet by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Harry Kennedy 1900
The Navy Alphabet by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Harry Kennedy 1900
The Songs of Father Goose for the Home, School, and Nursery by L. Frank Baum 1900
The Art of Decorating Dry Goods Windows and Interiors, Show Window Publishing. by L. Frank Baum 1900
American Fairy Tales by L. Frank Baum 1901
Dot and Tot of Merryland by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow 1901
The Master Key: An Electrical Fairy Tale Founded Upon the Mysteries of Electricity and the Optimism of Its Devotees by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Fanny Y. Cory 1901
King Midas by L. Frank Baum 1901
The Octopus; or, The Title Trust by L. Frank Baum 1901
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark 1902
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1902
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1902
The Enchanted Island of Yew, Whereon Prince Marvel Encountered the High Ki of Twi and Other Surprising People by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Fanny Y. Cory 1903
The Maid of Athens by L. Frank Baum 1903
Prince Silverwings by L. Frank Baum 1903
King Jonah XIII by L. Frank Baum 1903
The Whatnexters by L. Frank Baum 1903
Down among the Marshes: The Alligator Song by L. Frank Baum 1903
The Marvelous Land of Oz, Being an Account of the Further Adventures of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1904
Father Goose, music by Tietjens by L. Frank Baum 1904
The Pagan Potentate, music by Tietjens by L. Frank Baum 1904
What Did the Woggle-Bug Say? by L. Frank Baum 1904
The Woggle-Bug Book by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Ike Morgan 1905
Queen Zixi of Ix; or, The Story of the Magic Cloak by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Frederick Richardson 1905
The Woggle-Bug by L. Frank Baum 1905
The Woggle-Bug by L. Frank Baum 1905
The Fate of a Crown by L. Frank Baum 1905
Annabelle: A Novel for Young Folks by L. Frank Baum 1906
John Dough and the Cherub by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1906
Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Howard Heath 1906
Bandit Jim Crow by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Mr. Woodchuck by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Prairie-Dog Town by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Prince Mud-Turtle by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Sugar-Loaf Mountain by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Twinkle's Enchantment by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Maginel Wright Enright 1906
Aunt Jane's Nieces by L. Frank Baum 1906
Daughters of Destiny by L. Frank Baum 1906
Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1907
Sam Steele's Adventures in Panama by L. Frank Baum 1907
Policeman Bluejay by L. Frank Baum 1907
Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad by L. Frank Baum 1907
Down Missouri Way by L. Frank Baum 1907
Our Mary by L. Frank Baum 1907
Maud Gage Baum, In Other Lands Than Ours by L. Frank Baum 1907
Tamawaca Folks: A Summer Comedy by L. Frank Baum 1907
Father Goose's Year Book: Quaint Quacks and Feathered Shafts for Mature Children by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Walter J. Enright 1907
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1908
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska by L. Frank Baum 1908
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Egypt by L. Frank Baum 1908
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Panama by L. Frank Baum 1908
Aunt Jane's Nieces at Millville by L. Frank Baum 1908
The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays by L. Frank Baum 1908
The Last Egyptian: A Romance of the Nile by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Francis P. Wightman 1908
The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1909
The Boy Fortune Hunters in China by L. Frank Baum 1909
Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Fairy Prince by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Koran of the Prophet by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Rainbow's Daughter; or, The Magnet of Love by L. Frank Baum 1909
Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1909
Peter and Paul by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Pipes O' Pan by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Girl From Oz by L. Frank Baum 1909
The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1910
L. Frank Baum's Juvenile Speaker: Readings and Recitations in Prose and Verse, Humorous and Otherwise by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1910
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Yucatan by L. Frank Baum 1910
Aunt Jane's Nieces in Society by L. Frank Baum 1910
The Pea-Green Poodle by L. Frank Baum 1910
The Clock Shop by L. Frank Baum 1910
The Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1911
The Daring Twins: A Story for Young Folk by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Pauline M. Batchelder 1911
The Boy Fortune Hunters in the South Seas by L. Frank Baum 1911
Twinkle and Chubbins: Their Astonishing Adventures in Nature Fairyland by L. Frank Baum 1911
Aunt Jane's Nieces and Uncle John by L. Frank Baum 1911
The Flying Girl by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by J. P. Nuyttens 1911
Sky Island: Being the Further Exciting Adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill After Their Visit to the Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1912
Aunt Jane's Nieces on Vacation by L. Frank Baum 1912
The Flying Girl and Her Chum by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by J. P. Nuyttens 1912
The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Little Dorothy and Toto by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Ozma and the Little Wizard by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Tik-Tok and the Nome King by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1913
Phoebe Daring: A Story for Young Folk by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Pauline M. Batchelder 1913
Aunt Jane's Nieces on the Ranch by L. Frank Baum 1913
The Tik-Tok Man of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1913
The Tik-Tok Man of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1913
Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1914
The Little Wizard Stories of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1914
Aunt Jane's Nieces out West by L. Frank Baum 1914
Stagecraft, The Adventures of a Strictly Moral Man by L. Frank Baum 1914
The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1914
The Magic Cloak of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1914
The Last Egyptian by L. Frank Baum 1914
Violet's Dreams by L. Frank Baum 1914
The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1915
Aunt Jane's Nieces in the Red Cross by L. Frank Baum 1915
His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1915
The Uplift of Lucifer; or, Raising Hell by L. Frank Baum 1915
Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1916
Little Bun Rabbit, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1916
Once Upon a Time, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1916
The Yellow Hen, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1916
The Magic Cloak, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1916
Mary Louise by L. Frank Baum 1916
Mary Louise in the Country by L. Frank Baum 1916
The Uplifters' Minstrels by L. Frank Baum 1916
The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1917
The Ginger-Bread Man, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1917
Jack Pumpkinhead, Reilly & Lee. by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1917
Mary Louise Solves a Mystery by L. Frank Baum 1917
The Orpheus Road Company by L. Frank Baum 1917
The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1918
Mary Louise and the Liberty Girls by L. Frank Baum 1918
The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1919
Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill 1920
Oz-Man Tales by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill and Maginel Wright Enright 1920
Susan Doozan by L. Frank Baum 1920
Our Landlady by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Friends of the Middle Border. 1941
Jaglon and the Tiger Fairies by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Dale Ulrey 1953
The Musical Fantasies of L. Frank Baum by L. Frank Baum 1958
The High-Jinks of L. Frank Baum (for The Uplifters) by L. Frank Baum 1959
The Visitors From Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Dick Martin 1960
The Uplift of Lucifer by L. Frank Baum 1963
Animal Fairy Tales by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Dick Martin 1969
A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Richard Rosenblum 1969