Unappreciated: Baum's OZ Series (Part Two)

L. Frank Baum's OZ Series (Part Two)

 

Baum was frustrated, stifled creatively and rich as hell by the time 1914 rolled around. With seven successful OZ books in print, the franchise taking off with the children of the world - Baum was left with few options other than to continue his trips to the "merry fairyland" of his making.

 

The second period of Baum's life with OZ finished him off. He died prior to the publication of the final two novels. The fifteenth OZ book ("The Royal Book of OZ" by Ruth Plumly Thompson) was supposedly written by Baum as he was dying - at which time she stepped in as the new "Royal Historian" (the moniker they give whoever is the current author of the books selected into the canonical editions). I've never allowed myself to go far into Thompson's OZ - nor any of the others that came after her. I'd feel too guilty. I'm not the cheating type, it's too tacky and besides - Baum has my loyalty. I can live with only fourteen.

 

8) "TIK-TOK OF OZ" (1914): Sweet Jesus, Tik-Tok gets his own book! Thank you! What a great, iconic character from the OZ world, Tik-Tok is a reader favorite. Think C3PO - only as round as a basketball and far more prone to breakdowns. This is really more of a story about The Shaggy Man and the Nome King - but Tik-Tok does feature in the lead role. This novel is also memorable in that it contains the all-time best of all OZ-names: Tittiti-Hoochoo. On some readings - this feels like a closure, or finale from the events in the prior book (The Emerald City of), but it stands alone nicely. A side note - this was the first of the original editions to feature the map of OZ. A key fixture in every OZ book from that point on - this map made its debut inside the cover for Tik-Tok. It's hard to imagine there were seven prior novels without it. It's hard to imagine life without the map of OZ.

 

9) "THE SCARECROW OF OZ" (1915): By this point Baum (and the reader) are well-seasoned veterans in the land of OZ. That must be why this would be the final OZ book to include a new character from the human world. From here until his death - no new boys or girls would slip up and find themselves in the magical fairyland. Following the hype from the last entry - he returns and gives the Emperor of OZ his very own novel. What? You didn't know the Scarecrow rose to greatness? Guess you should have read it, huh? Another interesting feature about this one is that it was the last attempt by Baum to film any of his novels. The last movie (Patchwork Girl) had flopped on an epic level. The follow-up (based on Queen Zixi of Ix, a non-OZ book morphed into) The Magic Cloak of OZ had been ripped apart and flopped on an even larger scale (scroll to the bottom to view the surviving footage from this rare silent gem). This was his final trip to film with one of his works. He was getting tired, worn out and his health was starting to go downhill by 1915. You can't tell it from the book, The Scarecrow of OZ, set mostly in the neighboring land of MO features the Bumpy Man (mmm), Cap'n Bill (from other books), Ork and Trot. This is one of the few OZ books to feature a romantic sideline. Check it out...now.
 

 

10) "RINKITINK OF OZ" (1916): This is a fun one. Not one single OZ character appears until halfway through the novel. Way to mix it up, Baum. Set mainly on three islands (Pingaree, Regos and Coregos). This is one of the few times you get to feel safely in the hands of an OZ story - while still getting to enjoy what Baum's other fantasy works were like. Also - the main character rides a goat. I just had to blurt it out like that because it's one of my dreams in life...to have a goat I could ride around on and tip my hat. Nevermind. Now I'm just embarrassing myself. This is a fantastic book. While not one of the greatest in the OZ canon, I always really liked this one. The illustrations alone make it worth the cover price.

 

11) "THE LOST PRINCESS OF OZ" (1917): After saving everyone's life numerous times, you have to wonder what would happen if something were to ever happen to Ozma. And there you have the entire plot of the eleventh in the OZ series. Glinda kinda runs the show in this book. Then again - Button Bright plays a key role in this book - so it's hard to really tell. I really love stupid characters, and Button Bright is pretty dumb...yet endearing. Thi and Herku - two completely new neighboring countries are visited and we meet a whole world of wacky characters, including that glorious giant frog featured on the cover. I love him so much I can't even discuss that. Pee comes out, just read this and get ready for darker days ahead. This was the last of the books to have that joyous spirit. Baum's health screamed downhill after this entry to the OZ series.

 

12) "THE TIN WOODMAN OF OZ" (1918): Yay! He gave us the Scarecrow - now the Tin Woodman gets his very own novel...and just in time. This would prove to be the final OZ book that Baum would see. The last two in the series were published posthumously. You almost feel like he knows this when you read it - literally all our favorite characters are back. Too many to list, he brings out the entire cast for an amazing adventure. Memorable for me is the fact that we finally get to learn lots about the Tin Woodman's backstory. His past, his family, his friends - his career. It adds color where before there was just tin. The character of Woot the Wanderer is pretty much my inspiration for life, so when you read that if you could just put my face on top of his - that would be fine. This book would change the trend of declining sales and interes in Baum's OZ series. For some unknown reason - maybe it was his dying, maybe it was just a great book, maybe it had been long enough for a new generation of kids to inherit these...for whatever reason, the sales for The Tin Woodman of OZ blew the roof off. People just plain loved it. Hard.

 

13) "THE MAGIC OF OZ" (1919): Released one month after Baum's death, this adventure weighs heavy with the cloud of the author's passing. Maybe if I hadn't known that up front, I could have enjoyed it like a regular OZ book. The whole crew is reassembled once again, riding high on the fortune from the last book - this one follows the Wizard and Dorothy as they travel to Mount Munch to embark into surreal adventures with Kiki and Ruggedo. One aspect of this book's story that I absolutely LOVE - is the word you must never speak, "Pyrzqxgl." I don't know what it is about this but I've always gotten a kick out of this element of this OZ story. It's the Wizard who learns the proper way to pronounce the word - giving him a whole new level of magical powers to call upon. It's a shame Baum never saw this published because it outsold all the previous twelve OZ books combined. I bet he would have liked that.

 

14) "GLINDA OF OZ" (1920): And then it all has to end - but to redeem this, I love the fact that it features a submersible city. That's just plain hot. The battle between the Skeezers and the Flatheads keeps this novel moving quickly until before you know it - you're done. Not just finished with another OZ book, but the original series entirely. It's depressing as hell. I've never been able to fully appreciate Glinda of OZ for this sole reason. It's like nailing in the final nails to a beloved family member's coffin. I hate how compulsively readable it is - it just makes you sweep faster to the ending of all endings. Baum edited the manuscript for this on his deathbed. All our favorites are back to assist in the battle but this time - when you say goodbye it's for real.

If you are interested in collecting these books, there are very few places that offer them. Del-Rey had some mass market paperbacks you can still find used on Amazon and eBay. If you want the full experience of an OZ book, the main company to stalk is Books of Wonder. Follow the link to their page for the OZ books by Baum - you will also find further books in the series by all the other OZ authors. Another (fine) option is The Bradford Exchange who also publish authentic replicas of the first editions. Either way - you're getting the OZ experience with full color illustrations. The bookends from Bradford are pretty bad-ass though. I kinda had to have them.