Follow the golden brick road...
Written by L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the flagship of a series that would
encompass 13 more books and a slew of "fan fiction", film and stage
productions. As literature, the Oz
series is important in that it established a uniquely American setting for
children’s fairy tales. Before this,
fantasy was mostly Eurocentric.
Like many successful books, Baum's endeavor was meant as a
stand-alone story...he never expected it to become as popular as it did. Given the demand, more books followed over a
twenty-year period, the last two, The
Magic of Oz and Glinda of Oz,
being published after his death, respectively.
Baum's success as a writer inspired him to sally forth into
other money making creative projects.
Living in Los Angeles, the burgeoning film capital of the World (soon to
eclipse Edison, New Jersey), he started his own film studio. It failed, as did his grand plans for an Oz
themed amusement park on an island off the California coast...but his writing continued...and continues...to be successful...
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ...First Edition