1903 THE WIZARD OF OZ L FRANK BAUM 16 COLR ILLS DENSLOW

THE NEW

WIZARD OF OZ

L. Frank Baum; 1903; Second Edition, Second State; The Bobbs-Merrill Company; Illustrated by W.W. Denslow; 261 Pages; 7.2"x 9.5"; Very Rare; NO RESERVE!!! 

Great for any Fan of the Famous Children's Classic or Series or Collector.  Highly Collectible; Great Gift/Xmas Idea, one of the rarest Oz Books, selling for over $1,200.00!!!

Attributes:

A Charming, sleek green cloth cover design with a pretty pictorial of the Scarecrow to front, with Tin Man to back (Believe only on 1st and 2nd State), pretty illustrative end pages, with a nice colorful Illustrative title page, three lines to copyright, and with the required 15 Other Beautiful Full Page Color Illustrations by the Famous Artist, and in text illustrations in Green, Orange, Yellow, and Brown Throughout, and a great Children's Classic Read; Nice Size!!!

Summary:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, and has since been reprinted countless times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of both the 1902 stage play and the extremely popular, highly acclaimed 1939 film version. The story chronicles the adventures of a girl named Dorothy in the Land of Oz. Thanks in part to the 1939 MGM movie, it is one of the best-known stories in American popular culture and has been widely translated. Its initial success, and the success of the popular 1902 Broadway musical Baum adapted from his story, led to Baum's writing and having published thirteen more Oz books.

The story follows what author Christopher Booker describes as a "Voyage and Return" as theme.

Dorothy is an orphaned 12-year old girl who lives in a farmhouse in Kansas in the year 1889 with her Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and little dog Toto. One day the farmhouse, with Dorothy inside, is caught up in a tornado and deposited in a field in the Land of the Munchkins in the Land of Oz. The falling house kills the ruler of the Munchkins, the Wicked Witch of the East.

The Good Witch of the North (known as Glinda in the 1939 movie) comes with the Munchkins to greet Dorothy and gives Dorothy the Silver Shoes that the Wicked Witch of the East had been wearing when she was killed. In order to return to Kansas, the Good Witch of the North tells Dorothy that she will have to go to the "Emerald City" or "City of Emeralds" and ask the Wizard of Oz to help her.

On her way down the road paved with yellow brick, Dorothy frees the Scarecrow from the pole he is hanging on, restores the movements of the rusted Tin Woodman with an oil can, and encourages them and the Cowardly Lion to journey with her and Toto to the Emerald City. The Scarecrow wants to get a brain, the Tin Woodman a heart, and the Cowardly Lion, courage. All are convinced by Dorothy that the Wizard can help them too. Together, they overcome obstacles on the way including narrow pieces of the yellow brick road, Kalidahs, a river, and the Deadly Poppies.

Background:

Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker, best known today as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and a plethora of other works (55 novels in total (plus four "lost" novels), 82 short stories, over 200 poems, an unknown number of scripts, and many miscellaneous writings), and made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen. His works predicted such century-later commonplaces as color television, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).

William Wallace Denslow (5 May 1856 – 27 May 1915) – usually credited as W. W. Denslow – was an illustrator and caricaturist remembered for his work in collaboration with author L. Frank Baum, especially his illustrations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Denslow was an editorial cartoonist with a strong interest in politics, which has fueled political interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Condition:

Condition is Good/Very Good.  Owner's signature/inscription jan. 1906; some wear to edges, a few marks to cover, pages are pretty good, some light blemishing near edges throughout, hinges/text block are very good.  Slight wrinkle near top of spine.  Overall, for over 105 years old its in Good/Very Good Condition!!!