Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
39th out of 335 books
—
1,439 voters
The Complete Oz (Oz #1-15)
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,...more
Paperback, 784 pages
Published
November 1st 2006
by Kahley House Publishing
(first published 1900)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,929)
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 or...more
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 l...more
The 1st book is VERY different from the movie! This was a great read.
I have not read the other books yet.I started one and wasn't in to it.I really just wanted to read the 1st one.So I am calling it done!
I have not read the other books yet.I started one and wasn't in to it.I really just wanted to read the 1st one.So I am calling it done!
A childhood favorite re-visited.
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Five and up.
Length? – About two weeks worth of stories.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Fantasy, alternate dimensions.
Written approximately? – 1900 - 1920.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. Many children today will be confused that the characters have so muc...more
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Five and up.
Length? – About two weeks worth of stories.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Fantasy, alternate dimensions.
Written approximately? – 1900 - 1920.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. Many children today will be confused that the characters have so muc...more
Apr 07, 2013
Snow
is currently reading it
From Book 2, The Marvelous Land of Oz:
...more
As they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing.
"What has happened?" the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk.
"Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the women hav
Really fun to read so many tales of Oz that I had no idea existed! I also really enjoyed L. Frank Baum's biography, and learning about his feminist leanings. Viewed through this lens, his tales are quite progressive for his time. The recent movie seems like it deviates from his original themes and intention horribly (he never included romantic love as a plot device in his books because he thought children wouldn't be interested in that, and he always had strong and independent female characters)...more
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (4 out of 5 Stars)
I used to have a hard back edition of this story that had these beautiful illustrations and smelled like old books, but my sister borrowed it for her high school play and I never saw the book again.
I miss that book it was one of my favorites growing up, I took it everywhere with me.
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" transports you into the land of Oz which is as enchanting as I remember it to be, the only difference is now that I am in my twenties I real...more
I used to have a hard back edition of this story that had these beautiful illustrations and smelled like old books, but my sister borrowed it for her high school play and I never saw the book again.
I miss that book it was one of my favorites growing up, I took it everywhere with me.
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" transports you into the land of Oz which is as enchanting as I remember it to be, the only difference is now that I am in my twenties I real...more
I rate these 3 stars. On the one hand, they were fun. I enjoyed the first as a kid, or at least found them entertaining enough to read the second, the third, and so on.
On the other hand, there is something sincerely morbid about the way L. Frank Baum's mind works.(view spoiler)...more
On the other hand, there is something sincerely morbid about the way L. Frank Baum's mind works.(view spoiler)...more
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 tiresom...more
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 tiresom...more
A whopping $.99 on Kindle. No pics like in the originals though :/
I read this when I was 11 or 12, and just loved it. I was into watching the movies too (not just the musical but the other editions of the sequel stories that are part of the original work), and comparing them to the book. This was probably my first experience with the pretty much universally held disappointment surrounding movie versions of books. Dorothy's entrance into the talking mountain and her selection of the right three trinkets to save Oz is still a vivid part of the story for me. Just...more
*Note: I would read one Oz story after every other book I read this year. It was a great way to break up some of the more "adult" reading I was doing. My average rating for all 14 stories is 4.142857.
1- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - 5 stars
Since I'm familiar with the movie, I was pleasantly surprised at the parts that weren't in there: the Queen of the Field Mice, the Porcelain Town, the Witch of the North, the fact that the flying monkeys were actually good. And the Emerald City wasn't really gr...more
1- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - 5 stars
Since I'm familiar with the movie, I was pleasantly surprised at the parts that weren't in there: the Queen of the Field Mice, the Porcelain Town, the Witch of the North, the fact that the flying monkeys were actually good. And the Emerald City wasn't really gr...more
As fantasy comes around to a broad audience, as kids of Harry Potter graduate to vampires, zombies, and wizards, Oz called to me. I'll grant that Baum's not created the most detailed and interwoven world. I just read a review of the 'Eragon' books, where it was mentioned that kids react more strongly to incidents and objects, classifications and such, than to plot--it's more fun to memorize the world that surrounds a hero or heroine (to fully pretend to be that person) than to follow their adven...more
I’ve read _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ a couple of times, yet I can’t seem to find all the social/political commentary everyone seems to think is there. In the sequels, though, it’s pretty obvious. I think the sequels delve into slightly more adult themes under the guise of children’s fantasy than _Wizard_. Sure, _Wizard_ had live inanimate objects (the scarecrow and the tin man), but _The Marvelous Land of Oz_ takes it to a new level: Jack Pumpkinhead, the saw horse, and the weird animal-head f...more
I've been a huge Oz fan since my early teen years, and I am a collector of the vintage books, and fan, still. This series is wonderful for the young and the young at heart.
I love reading them with my children. For me the stories never get old. Some of the books in the series are better than others (I just chose this one, since it has all 14 books in one). But all of them are magical, whimsical, witty, and worth reading.
Oh and an added bonus, in my eyes, are the illustrations by John R. Neill (...more
I love reading them with my children. For me the stories never get old. Some of the books in the series are better than others (I just chose this one, since it has all 14 books in one). But all of them are magical, whimsical, witty, and worth reading.
Oh and an added bonus, in my eyes, are the illustrations by John R. Neill (...more
Baum's Oz books were some of my favorite as a child, imaginative and insane and full of overwrought, terrible wordplay. Part of that was Oz itself and part was the books' age: I felt like I could time travel to the life and mind of a child in the 1910s.
I read them now, and Baum was not very good at constructing plots. Or, rather, I get the impression he had no need for an book-long story arc so long as something exciting was always happening. The books tend to blur into one another, as they all...more
I read them now, and Baum was not very good at constructing plots. Or, rather, I get the impression he had no need for an book-long story arc so long as something exciting was always happening. The books tend to blur into one another, as they all...more
I read these 14 Oz books when I was a kid, about 10-12 years old. I loved the imaginative characters the utopian setting and the continuous travel/adventure motif. Reading them as an adult is still enjoyable, although you can see the repetitive plots and devices used. Also you notice Baum's narrative inconsistencies, but that's something you can easily glaze over. The Oz books really remind me of why I love the Harry Potter books so much, it's the wicked sorcerer's and magical environments that...more
The Marvelous Land of Oz was our favourite. It cracked us up! It's so full of puns, and the whole family enjoyed it. Most of the stories are character-heavy (in terms of descriptions - but this is not a bad thing as the characters are incredibly imaginative), plot-light, but still entertaining!
In anticipation of seeing the play "Wicked" I read that story. Then I decided to go back to the original. Discovered that L. Frank Baum wrote at least 14 stories about Oz. They are delightful. I think they would be wonderful read aloud to children of all ages.
There is always more to the book than the movies, but am blown away by the word play and multiple-layered ideas. It's a must read for all
Abt half way through these books, buy have to take a breather cause am not doing anything but reading
Abt half way through these books, buy have to take a breather cause am not doing anything but reading
I've read mabe 3 or 4 of this series and they are just 'scrumptious' and very satisfying. Gives much more insight on the original characters and little Dorothy. Well written and highly enjoyable. I am just taking my time with them all.
i READ THESE BOOKS INDIVIDUALLY, IN HARD COPY.
My grandmother had kept them forever. They were published in the late 1800s and to my eternal regret I read them to pieces. I still have the books but they are in rough shape.
My grandmother had kept them forever. They were published in the late 1800s and to my eternal regret I read them to pieces. I still have the books but they are in rough shape.
(Mind you, I read the series in paperback when I was a kid)
Oz got me through middle school. The fourteen original books in Baum's series built upon my Hollywood knowledge of the film adaptation and created a very comforting world for me. I appreciate how articulate the characters are, even though at times Dorothy is supposed to be very young. Baum does a great job of creating various ways for Dorothy to get to Oz, similar to the multiple entrances Gregor finds in Suzanne Collins' Gregor the Over...more
Oz got me through middle school. The fourteen original books in Baum's series built upon my Hollywood knowledge of the film adaptation and created a very comforting world for me. I appreciate how articulate the characters are, even though at times Dorothy is supposed to be very young. Baum does a great job of creating various ways for Dorothy to get to Oz, similar to the multiple entrances Gregor finds in Suzanne Collins' Gregor the Over...more
A very, VERY compact edition of all 15 Oz books. Pages are divided down the centre for more writing space and the font is titchy. Not the prettiest edition ever.
I didn't finish this book. It's 1300 pages long and after the first two stories, it's incredibly boring. I probably will never finish this book. Guess I'm just too old for it!
A+ I was amazed at how many things had been left out or were different from the movie. More people need to read the book instead of just seeing the movie.
Jan 16, 2011
Andy Angel
marked it as to-read
picked up the complete set of Oz books on Amazon for Kindle for just £0.72 (yup, 72 pence for 15 books) that's what I call a result.
This is a classic children's story which I am bound to find delightful, as it was written by my great-great-great uncle.
I have a different edition that came from a classic stories set that my mum got back in the late 1950s-early 1960s
One of my all time favorite series. Each book is a completely different story with a new character introduced in each.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author, actor, and independent filmmaker best known 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, better known today as simply The Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and a plethora of other works (55 novels in total, 82 short stor...more
More about L. Frank Baum...
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
Jul 14, 2010 06:16pm