Books of Oz

Search	Most Recent	The Daily Ozmapolitan
		News from Glinda's Great Book of Records

Book Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum & Oz, The

2009
Author(s): Bienvenue, Paul R. Schmidt, Robert E.
Illustrator(s):
Publisher(s): March Hare Books
Genre(s): Research Collecting

Comments:
This definitive identification guide examines all of Baum's published book-length works (Oz, non-Oz, and pseudonymous) with unprecedented simplicity and clarity. The Oz books of his five official successors are included as well, plus other important related volumes, covering over 150 titles in toto! Essays introduce each book, discussing its history and including such supporting information as excerpts from Baum's letters, contemporary critical reviews, and original advertising and related ephemera. Historical photographs, rare artifacts, and original artwork are reproduced to help place the books in the context of their times. Starting with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), the Guide shows in simple steps how to prioritize the astounding number of editions, printings, states, and variants for each title, with special emphasis on ease of use. Complicated technical points are simplified with easy-to-understand diagrams. The authors have been granted unlimited access to some of the finest private and institutional collections in the United States. As a result, full-color photographs are provided for the covers of every major variant, as well as many of the rare original dust jackets. Some of these books are known by only a very few surviving copies. All major printings are characterized by changes in color plate locations, typography, advertisements, and other tell-tale points, not just first editions; many variants are described for the first time anywhere. The Guide includes over 420 photographs, illustrations, and diagrams, including nearly 350 photographs in full color. Binding and manufacture are of the highest quality: art-book grade coated paper, linen-covered boards and round-backed spine stamped in gilt, reinforced sewing for extra strength, full-color French-fold dust jacket on laminated stock. Far from a dry, academic list, The Book Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz is an engaging, demystifying, and entertaining look at the legacy of America's premier children's author.