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Oz #1-14
Oz: The Complete Collection
Although most children today are introduced to the world of Oz through the classic 1939 movie, L. Frank Baum has been captivating the hearts of the young, and not so young, for over a hundred years.
This delightful compilation includes all fifteen books written by L. Frank Baum:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Marvelous Land of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
The Road to Oz
The Emerald City of Oz
The Patchwork Girl Of Oz
Little Wizard Stories of Oz
Tik-Tok of Oz
The Scarecrow Of Oz
Rinkitink In Oz
The Lost Princess Of Oz
The Tin Woodman Of Oz
The Magic of Oz
Glinda Of Oz
Perhaps there is no better, or fitting, introduction one could give to this compilation than the author's note that Baum himself writes in his very first book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Here he reveals the true intention of his work. Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations. Yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as "historical" in the children's library; for the time has come for a series of newer "wonder tales" in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. Having this thought in mind, the story of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.
This delightful compilation includes all fifteen books written by L. Frank Baum:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Marvelous Land of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
The Road to Oz
The Emerald City of Oz
The Patchwork Girl Of Oz
Little Wizard Stories of Oz
Tik-Tok of Oz
The Scarecrow Of Oz
Rinkitink In Oz
The Lost Princess Of Oz
The Tin Woodman Of Oz
The Magic of Oz
Glinda Of Oz
Perhaps there is no better, or fitting, introduction one could give to this compilation than the author's note that Baum himself writes in his very first book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Here he reveals the true intention of his work. Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations. Yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as "historical" in the children's library; for the time has come for a series of newer "wonder tales" in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. Having this thought in mind, the story of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.
1580 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1920
4,627 people are currently reading
10.1k people want to read
About the author
L. Frank Baum
2,808books2,697followersalso wrote under the names:
* Edith van Dyne,
* Floyd Akers,
* Schuyler Staunton,
* John Estes Cooke,
* Suzanne Metcalf,
* Laura Bancroft,
* Louis F. Baum,
* Captain Hugh Fitzgerald
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, part of a series. In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book became a landmark of 20th-century cinema.
Born and raised in Chittenango, New York, Baum moved west after an unsuccessful stint as a theater producer and playwright. He and his wife opened a store in South Dakota and he edited and published a newspaper. They then moved to Chicago, where he worked as a newspaper reporter and published children's literature, coming out with the first Oz book in 1900. While continuing his writing, among his final projects he sought to establish a film studio focused on children's films in Los Angeles, California.
His works anticipated such later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).
* Edith van Dyne,
* Floyd Akers,
* Schuyler Staunton,
* John Estes Cooke,
* Suzanne Metcalf,
* Laura Bancroft,
* Louis F. Baum,
* Captain Hugh Fitzgerald
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, part of a series. In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book became a landmark of 20th-century cinema.
Born and raised in Chittenango, New York, Baum moved west after an unsuccessful stint as a theater producer and playwright. He and his wife opened a store in South Dakota and he edited and published a newspaper. They then moved to Chicago, where he worked as a newspaper reporter and published children's literature, coming out with the first Oz book in 1900. While continuing his writing, among his final projects he sought to establish a film studio focused on children's films in Los Angeles, California.
His works anticipated such later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 265 reviews
January 18, 2012
I have gone out of my way to rate this particular Collection because not all the mobile versions are well edited. This one has indexes for every book and displays all the relevant content. For example, how frustrating is it to get to the description of the notes about Tic Toc in the third book to find the text missing because it is an image in the original books? This version has the text. If you want the Oz books compiled on your shelf in one book, until they come out with one containing the original illustrations, this is worthy.
October 25, 2012
I love the classic film and as a parent, had seen it some hundred plus times over the years, thanks mainly to a daughter who was obsessed with it at one point. I had read the first book when I was much younger, seeking more of the color and pageantry and spectacle of the movie and remember being vaguely disappointed. That's what happens when Hollywood magic fills your imagination. I saw this complete collection on Amazonr recently, read the great reader reviews of the edition, and frankly, the low price made it a no-brainer (lol) even for a non-scarecrow. I'm glad I did. The books are wonderful! The first one is a lot like the film, mainly in the first half, and all the essential elements and fascinating contradictions are all right there in the text itself: the scarecrow who wants brains but is the smartest one of all, the lion who thinks himself a coward but is in fact the bravest one, the tin man who has more heart than anyone of them, and Dorothy who makes everyplace home... Baum was the architect who laid out the brilliant blue print that wonderful casting and production turned into movie magic. I adore the film, it's one of the greatest ever made. But the books are superb and most importantly, there are 14 of them! The story is great, the adventures amazing. This is one of the greatest classics of all time. And this Kindle edition is excellent, with perfect editing and proofing and layout to make the experience a classic as well. They just don't write them like this anymore, do they?
May 27, 2014
Kinda a classic....
No kinda about it. The first of fourteen stories written by L. Frank Baum is almost identical to the 1939 movie, and is the most familiar. the other thirteen continue the story, and are very good children's tales, although they are a bit dated. Of course, they were written a century ago, but the phrasing is old, and several unintended double entendres exist. Still, enjoyable, even though by book 11 I I was ready to have done with it. Perhaps I should have paced myself.....
No kinda about it. The first of fourteen stories written by L. Frank Baum is almost identical to the 1939 movie, and is the most familiar. the other thirteen continue the story, and are very good children's tales, although they are a bit dated. Of course, they were written a century ago, but the phrasing is old, and several unintended double entendres exist. Still, enjoyable, even though by book 11 I I was ready to have done with it. Perhaps I should have paced myself.....
June 23, 2018
One or two duds but overall, this was a lovely collection of stories to read.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: some differences but mostly similar to the film version I'm more familiar with. My only annoyance is that, at times, Dorothy seemed to be obsessed with food. It felt like every other page she was eating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Marvelous Land of Oz: I enjoyed this more than the first story. There were some interesting characters such as General Jinjur and Tip. Some lines were quite witty and I read them with a smile on my face ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ozma of Oz: at first, I wasn't so sure because it was a bit slow and lots of characters were involved. Plus, the title's a little misleading. The story picked up at the Nome King's palace ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz: I haven't got much to say about this other than it just felt a bit meh. ⭐⭐�
The Road to Oz: I didn't really like this one. It was quite repetitive and it didn't hold my attention. ⭐⭐
The Emerald City of Oz: Another good story. It was interesting to read about more quirky residents of Oz. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Patchwork Girl of Oz: While it's great that Baum uses the ideas from his fanmail, I sometimes think he tries to put too many in one story. ⭐⭐�
(Little Wizard Stories of Oz: huh, clearly my copy isn't as complete as it claims because I don't seem to have this)
Tik-Tok of Oz: occasionally, I can see that Baum has a similar sense of humour to Lewis Carroll. Yet another good instalment ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Scarecrow of Oz: it's no wonder I was a bit confused by this one. Two characters were introduced as if I already knew them and I genuinely thought I'd missed something previously. It turns out this was a crossover with another series by Baum ⭐⭐�
Rinkitink in Oz: despite a misleading title, unfamiliar characters and for the most part not being set in Oz, I quite enjoyed this ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Lost Princess of Oz: I think this might be my favourite story of the series ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Tin Woodman of Oz: this had some surprising twists that I did not guess at all which made it even more enjoyable ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Magic of Oz: the start was a bit slow and the ending a little rushed. But overall I did like it ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Glinda of Oz: I expected more Glinda as I'm especially intrigued by her backstory. Still, this story was good ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: some differences but mostly similar to the film version I'm more familiar with. My only annoyance is that, at times, Dorothy seemed to be obsessed with food. It felt like every other page she was eating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Marvelous Land of Oz: I enjoyed this more than the first story. There were some interesting characters such as General Jinjur and Tip. Some lines were quite witty and I read them with a smile on my face ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ozma of Oz: at first, I wasn't so sure because it was a bit slow and lots of characters were involved. Plus, the title's a little misleading. The story picked up at the Nome King's palace ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz: I haven't got much to say about this other than it just felt a bit meh. ⭐⭐�
The Road to Oz: I didn't really like this one. It was quite repetitive and it didn't hold my attention. ⭐⭐
The Emerald City of Oz: Another good story. It was interesting to read about more quirky residents of Oz. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Patchwork Girl of Oz: While it's great that Baum uses the ideas from his fanmail, I sometimes think he tries to put too many in one story. ⭐⭐�
(Little Wizard Stories of Oz: huh, clearly my copy isn't as complete as it claims because I don't seem to have this)
Tik-Tok of Oz: occasionally, I can see that Baum has a similar sense of humour to Lewis Carroll. Yet another good instalment ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Scarecrow of Oz: it's no wonder I was a bit confused by this one. Two characters were introduced as if I already knew them and I genuinely thought I'd missed something previously. It turns out this was a crossover with another series by Baum ⭐⭐�
Rinkitink in Oz: despite a misleading title, unfamiliar characters and for the most part not being set in Oz, I quite enjoyed this ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Lost Princess of Oz: I think this might be my favourite story of the series ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Tin Woodman of Oz: this had some surprising twists that I did not guess at all which made it even more enjoyable ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Magic of Oz: the start was a bit slow and the ending a little rushed. But overall I did like it ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Glinda of Oz: I expected more Glinda as I'm especially intrigued by her backstory. Still, this story was good ⭐⭐⭐⭐
September 29, 2013
I've loved the Oz books since I was a kid, so it was great to have the chance to buy them all in one digital volume and re-read them. It's amazing how elevated the language is compared to today's children's books. I highly recommend these, especially if you've only ever read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Reading them all in a row does cast a light on some world building inconsistencies, but considering that Baum never intended to write so many, it's easy to understand how that happened.
July 10, 2020
Check out my individual reviews on each book's main page!
September 9, 2013
a super fun read.....took me back to my time as a child and the profound love I had for the Wizard of Oz.....I hope my children love reading as much as I do, because this is the 1st series of book I will have them read.....Great time.
February 27, 2014
Read them!!!
I love these books, I am a adventure lover so I read all of them and loved every moment of them. I would recommend this for all adventure lovers.
I love these books, I am a adventure lover so I read all of them and loved every moment of them. I would recommend this for all adventure lovers.
June 15, 2013
The book is a great deal different from the 1939 film. Lots more content - especially toward the end.
I love the original color illustrations.
I love the original color illustrations.
May 20, 2014
This was fun to listen to on my ipod while swimming. It has so many life lessons embedded in the wonderful story: easy to see why it has become a classic.
July 2, 2020
Check out my reviews for each book listed on their individual pages.
July 2, 2020
Check out my reviews on the main versions of each book.
July 10, 2020
Check out my individual reviews on each book's main page!
September 5, 2020
This book took a long time to finish, but that is not surprising given its size. Overall I enjoyed these stories although some I prefered more than others. I am glad that I read these stories and I would consider reading these books to my future children.
Despite the age of these stories, they don't feel very dated, unlike other classic children's books I have read. I think that is because it is set mostly in a 'fairy land' so it is almost expected that things will be different and the lack of technology is not obvious.
Despite the age of these stories, they don't feel very dated, unlike other classic children's books I have read. I think that is because it is set mostly in a 'fairy land' so it is almost expected that things will be different and the lack of technology is not obvious.
May 12, 2013
L. Frank Baum first introduced us to his enduring creation in 1899. telling tales to children. He was already a published writer when it was suggested that he write them in a book and THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ was published soon after that. And the rest, as they say, was history. It has spawned numerous other books. Ruth Plumley Thompson took over the series after Baum's death(the fourteenth Oz book was published posthumously) and wrote twenty-one novels, with a book of Oz poetry appearing in the early nineties. Other writers have taken up pen to add to the rich world as well.
And of course that fine film introduced Oz to folks that don't read and know not what they miss. Some find fault with Baum's work. But remember children of that previous and early Twentieth century weren't nearly as sophisticated as those of today's world. Education wasn't as wide spread either.
I read all of Baum's Oz books many years back in new editions. All fourteen of those books, as well as THE WOGGLE BUG BOOK, are collected here with the wonderful artwork of the original publications by W. W. Denslow. I haven't read all the titles yet this time around, but enjoyed paging through them checking out those great black and white sketches in the interior, the covers, even on the title pages of each book.
Those alone are worth the price the good folks at are asking, never mind fifteen novels on top of that. Visit their site. They offer collections of Jules Verne, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens as well at the same modest price of $.99. It's a great way to add those respected authors to your Kindle.
Highly recommended and available Check out some of the artwork below.
And of course that fine film introduced Oz to folks that don't read and know not what they miss. Some find fault with Baum's work. But remember children of that previous and early Twentieth century weren't nearly as sophisticated as those of today's world. Education wasn't as wide spread either.
I read all of Baum's Oz books many years back in new editions. All fourteen of those books, as well as THE WOGGLE BUG BOOK, are collected here with the wonderful artwork of the original publications by W. W. Denslow. I haven't read all the titles yet this time around, but enjoyed paging through them checking out those great black and white sketches in the interior, the covers, even on the title pages of each book.
Those alone are worth the price the good folks at are asking, never mind fifteen novels on top of that. Visit their site. They offer collections of Jules Verne, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens as well at the same modest price of $.99. It's a great way to add those respected authors to your Kindle.
Highly recommended and available Check out some of the artwork below.
May 14, 2012
Thanks for the nook lend Mychael!
Very much like the Narnia books in the easy, deceptively simplistic style of writing. As much as I enjoyed the lighthearted, breezy tone of the book perhaps it wasn't the best idea to try and read the whole thing through (over the course of two weeks more or less). Towards the end the stories became more contrived, big surprise there. The little notes by the author speaking to his child readers were appealingly whimsical at first but became more and more tiresome and self-excusing. Overall, probably would have enjoyed this more if I read each story with enough space in between to forget the last one.
Very much like the Narnia books in the easy, deceptively simplistic style of writing. As much as I enjoyed the lighthearted, breezy tone of the book perhaps it wasn't the best idea to try and read the whole thing through (over the course of two weeks more or less). Towards the end the stories became more contrived, big surprise there. The little notes by the author speaking to his child readers were appealingly whimsical at first but became more and more tiresome and self-excusing. Overall, probably would have enjoyed this more if I read each story with enough space in between to forget the last one.
July 31, 2017
And thus I finish reading the original series of Oz. There were tons of books written later by other people but I figure this is quite enough. It took me two years reading from the local library from pretty amazing reprint versions with the original artwork. And it was worth reading and I wish I had read it earlier. And I would have read it to my kids. But on its own, separate from its obvious impact on the world, this series did not hold up to time and was generally unimpressive. There was too much repetition and not enough interesting plot. The characters were imaginative and silly and endlessly weird though, which is definitely the series' strength. 3.5 of 5.
June 7, 2013
I rarely find a book that doesn't exceed it's adaptation to screen but this is the case here. While popular in its time (1900) it pales in comparison to the classic movie of 1939. Still a worthwhile read if your curious to discover the inspiration behind the movie.
December 26, 2013
Tiring. By the time I was finished I hated l. Frank Baum, but then I read a biography that said he wrote all of the follow-ups because of requests he had received from kids. Maybe he hated Dorothy by the time he was sfinished.
March 15, 2023
Frank Baum clearly loves creating strange characters and worlds, but the plots of these stories are somewhat hit-and-miss. Glad to have read this collection though, if only for the introduction to my favourite character, Polychrome.
July 23, 2014
Everyone who grew up loving the Wizard of Oz on television should read this book.
July 7, 2020
Check out my reviews on each individual book on their main pages!
July 10, 2020
Check out my individual reviews on each book's main page!
July 10, 2020
Check out my individual reviews on each book's main page!
July 10, 2020
Check out my individual reviews on each book's main page!
July 13, 2020
Check out my reviews on the main page of each individual book!
July 10, 2020
Check out my individual reviews on each book's main page!
July 10, 2020
Check out my reviews on the main page of each book.
July 13, 2020
Check out my reviews on the main page of each individual book!
April 29, 2008
I am such a huge fan of the entire Oz series by L. Frank Baum. Other authors have tried to continue the series and it just isn't the same. I've read them all, some are better than others, hands down my favorite is the Tin Woodman of Oz. There is some carry-over in story line from book to book, but each stands alone as it's own story. They can be read out of order (that's how I did it as a kid) w/ no difficulty.
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