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The Emerald City of Oz (Oz #6)

by L. Frank Baum, John R. Neill (Illustrations)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 3,660 ratings · 111 reviews

For the first time in more than eighty years, the most spectacularly illustrated of all the Oz books is available again with the metallic "emerald" green ink that illuminated the color plates of the original edition.

Join Dorothy and the Wonderful Wizard as they take Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a fabulous tour of Oz. During their journey they encounter such amazing and amusi...more

Hardcover, Books of Wonder, 304 pages

Published April 23rd 1993 by HarperCollins (first published 1910)

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Jul 18, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, fiction, juvenile, read-aloud-to-boys

I liked The Emerald City of Oz a bit better than the last two. There was still an element of characters taking a trip just so Mr. Baum can show off all the other ideas he has for interesting creatures (Look! These ones are living jigsaw puzzles! And over here we have animated flatware! And these people can't stop talking!) but on the whole there was more plot than we've seen for a few books.

First of all, there was some actual evil in the form of the Nome King and his General Guph. And there was...more

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May 03, 2013 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile

Probably one of my favorite Oz books next to the original. As a child, this was the first one I read and the only one I owned, and I reread it over and over. I wasn't sure if it would hold up, but I actually think it's one of the most accessible of the stories. There's a little dose of stark reality: Em and Henry's farm has fallen on hard times and they're facing foreclosure. Dorothy, for all her fine qualities, has always been a *little* oblivious to the folks at home, going on her forays (clea...more Probably one of my favorite Oz books next to the original. As a child, this was the first one I read and the only one I owned, and I reread it over and over. I wasn't sure if it would hold up, but I actually think it's one of the most accessible of the stories. There's a little dose of stark reality: Em and Henry's farm has fallen on hard times and they're facing foreclosure. Dorothy, for all her fine qualities, has always been a *little* oblivious to the folks at home, going on her forays (clearly neglecting her farm duties) and not troubling too much about them until after they're already worried, but this time she pulls through and gets them what amounts to a VIP pass to Oz. It's not the smoothest transition for people used to a much simpler life, and their presence shakes things up in a good way. For once, Oz is allowed to be kind of less than perfect. Henry and Em have even more clarity than Dorothy more often than not, and the grandeur of Oz weirds them out more than impresses them, but they're not total bumpkins either. Though they come in skeptical, they also try to adapt, and take Dorothy's feelings to heart as her worlds collide and she's just hoping everyone gets along.

The stage is also set for what is the biggest real threat to Oz so far. As Henry and Em get acclimated (sort of) during their grand tour of some of Oz's weird little pockets, the Nome King launches a devious and alarming mission to rally all the evil forces on the outskirts of Oz for a mega attack, and the bad guys are actually kind of chilling. We also get surprising toughness from Ozma and kind of a big ethical dilemma: how can the Oz people stand firm on their philosophy of non-violence in the face of beings who fully intend to do them real harm?

Don't worry though. There's still plenty of silliness, though be prepared for what might possibly be the most pun-laden passage I have encountered when Dorothy (almost literally) stumbles across Utensia. Baum clearly had a field day with writing that, and maybe in the end, that's one of the things that makes this one of the standout books for me. There are some of the books where you really get the feeling that he was feeling a little fatigued with it all, but here his imagination is really running rampant and you feel his full investment. The midnight council scene with the Scarecrow and Tin man strategizing to save Oz was probably the most memorable scene for me as a child, and it's still pretty poignant even now. (less)

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Nov 07, 2012 Ryan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I suspect I am too old to be charmed and/or enchanted by most of the Oz books. They go downhill after the first one. After this one, I am more intrigued by Baum and by the United States of this decade because the description of the Land of Oz in this book makes it sound an awful lot like a really amazing commune - maybe what Marx and Engels were going for. Everyone works for the common good and shares the fruits of their labor - if you are on a journey and need a place to stay, simply stop at a...more I suspect I am too old to be charmed and/or enchanted by most of the Oz books. They go downhill after the first one. After this one, I am more intrigued by Baum and by the United States of this decade because the description of the Land of Oz in this book makes it sound an awful lot like a really amazing commune - maybe what Marx and Engels were going for. Everyone works for the common good and shares the fruits of their labor - if you are on a journey and need a place to stay, simply stop at a house and the family will put you up for the night and feed you dinner and breakfast. There is no money - all the jewels and gold are decorative, and being a jeweler or goldsmith is a valid skill. No one lives where they want to though - Ozma decides that. Generally, folks are divided into the four regions plus the Emerald City based on 'color' (yellow, red, blue, green and I am forgetting one, I'm sure).

I always associated the stories with the Great Depression - probably because of the movie. There is a Depression-era feel to Kansas in the book and movie. And also in this book. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em are in bad shape financially. The farm has never done well, Henry has been very sick and had to do lots of expensive travel (even today a trip to Australia from Kansas would make you think hard about money), and Henry may not be the best farmer though he does work very hard. Some time back he borrowed money and now cannot pay it back so the farm will be repossessed. Finally, he and Em confide in Dorothy and she, with her usual practical nature, asks Ozma to move them all to Oz once and for all. Which she does. That is not the end of the story though. To help her aunt and uncle adjust to the move and their new luxurious life of leisure (Ozma's favorites generally have important titles but not lots of actual work to do), Dorothy takes them on a Grand Tour of Oz. True to form, Dorothy gets lost a few times and visits some places on her own.

In another part of the story, though, the Nome King is still pretty mad about being defeated by Ozma, Dorothy and a chicken (and who wouldn't be). He plots with some other fairly bad guys to invade and conquer Oz by way of a tunnel that his people dig. Ozma, of course, sees everything and accepts that defeat is coming...but of course it all works out in a weird way. But she makes it impossible to get to Oz or leave Oz (Iron Curtain sort of thing...but prettier, with jewels and stuff). And that seems to be the end of the stories of Oz. But wait, there is more....(less)

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Feb 08, 2012 Shoshana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like fun!

Shelves: classics, fantasy, old-favorite

Even though this book is mainly just Dorothy and friends wandering around Oz while the Nome King builds an army and a tunnel and no one does anything about it, I actually really like it a lot. I enjoy discovering the Flutterbudgets and Utensils and Bunburyans and Bunnyburyans and especially the Fuddles and Cuttenclips, not to mention the Whimsies. Oh, the Whimsies. They "had large, strong bodies, but heads so small that they were no bigger than door-knobs. Of course, such tiny heads could not co...more Even though this book is mainly just Dorothy and friends wandering around Oz while the Nome King builds an army and a tunnel and no one does anything about it, I actually really like it a lot. I enjoy discovering the Flutterbudgets and Utensils and Bunburyans and Bunnyburyans and especially the Fuddles and Cuttenclips, not to mention the Whimsies. Oh, the Whimsies. They "had large, strong bodies, but heads so small that they were no bigger than door-knobs. Of course, such tiny heads could not contain any great amount of brains, and the Whimsies were so ashamed of their personal appearance and lack of commonsense that they wore big heads made of pasteboard," which they decorate with pastel wool and large bright eyes. Baum is in top form here - as are my favorite characters:

Billina, we discover, has had eleven children and named them all Dorothy (until two disobliged her by turning out roosters and she renamed them Daniel - funny, since back in Ozma of Oz she didn't see the point in changing her name from Bill when she discovered to be female) - and she has an additional 86 grandchildren and over three hundred great grandchildren, all of whom are ALSO named Dorothy and Daniel! I love Billina.

And then there's Aunt Em. Part of what makes this one so good is Aunt Em's cranky, down-to-earth, back-to-reality commentary as she adjusts to life in Oz (Uncle Henry, who adapts better even though he originally had the most doubts, is less interesting, though amusingly placid). And I wondered where Dorothy got her combination of intrepidity and placidity! Upon first encountering the Cowardly Lion, Aunt Em decides to "eye that lion out o' countenance and save [their] lives," at which point she "turned upon the Lion a determined countenance and a wild dilated eye" until he becomes so uncomfortable that he asks if she's all right. Aunt Em is fierce!

She is also the only skeptical person in the bunch. "I gave him some sawdust brains the last time I fitted his head with new ears," the Wizard explains about the intelligent Sawhorse. "'The sawdust was made from hard knots, and now the Sawhorse is able to think out any knotty problem he meets with.'
'I see,' said Uncle Henry.
'I don't," remarked Aunt Em; but no one paid any attention to this statement."

Aunt Em might be my favorite character in this whole series.

Then there's the weird part where Ozma notices the Nome King building a tunnel to the Emerald City and proceeds to do absolutely nothing and for a long time tell nobody about it. What? Finally our friends discover this pretty alarming situation and confront her, whereupon she laughs "with genuine amusement" and says, "Why, that has not troubled me a bit!" The prospect of the country she rules being conquered by a villainous army has not troubled her? What is the matter with her?!? "Perhaps it is more seirous than I imagined.... but I haven't given the matter much thought. After dinner we will all meet together and talk it over." Are you kidding me?

I mean, I get that she's a pacifist (more on that in a moment), but you'd think she'd at least have thought about the situation!

The pacifism is great, though. Ozma is completely adamant that no one has the right to hurt other living creatures in any way (which is a weird juxtaposition to Dorothy's cavalier attitude about eating the Bunburyans). Oz also happens to be explicitly communist (although Baum does append his description of their politics with the caveat that it might not work in the real world): "There were no poor people in the Land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money, and all property of every sort belonged to the Ruler.... Each person was given freely by his neighbors whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire.... Each man or woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbors with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. If by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the Ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed." I feel nice knowing that I'm in the company of good old leftists.

One last fault of this book, though, and it's a frustrating one, is their difficulty figuring out how to turn away the invaders. YOU HAVE THE FREAKING MAGIC BELT. USE IT TO SEND THEM ALL HOME. In fact, the Nome King plots about how once he gets the magic belt he'll use it to send his allies home if they turn against him, and in fact Ozma uses it at the end to send them all home after they have been incapacitated! Why not use it from the beginning? But no, we have to suspend our disbelief about a very convenient coincidence that allows for a more complex plan to be put in action. It heightens the suspense a little, I guess, but it is pretty irritating.

And it's pretty much the only thing that keeps this book from a full five-star rating. I wish I could give it a four and a half, because it's better than the other Oz books I've given fours. Oh, well!(less)

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Sep 14, 2010 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK, I admit that this rating system can be pretty relative for me, so four stars may be a stretch. I read this book with my son and found it to be one of the better Oz books. It was supposed to be the end-all book of the Oz series. Baum certainly wrote it that way. It has a mostly satisfying, climactic ending, as well as some real drama between bad and good (sometimes lacking in Oz books). The villains were the best part! They had great names too: Growleywogs and Phanfasms. I've come to know now...more

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May 01, 2009 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

The sixth book in the series is, obviously, forced. Split between two plotlines, and one of them really doesn't deserve to be called a plotline, The Emerald City of Oz does not make for exciting reading. The Nome King wants his Magic Belt back and plans to dig a tunnel beneath the desert to reach the Emerald City while Dorothy, her aunt and uncle--who have taken to living in Oz versus losing their farm to greedy bankpushers--and a host of others are visiting various locations in the magical land...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Dustin Reade rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first Oz book I have read, and I liked it. A lot. Actually, I would almost say I loved it. Sure, there were quite a few parts that dragged on a bit, and it was obvious Old L. Baum was making up most of it as he went along, but that didn't really bother me. After all, it is young adult fantasy written for children who are all over the age of one-hundred by now.
The ending though, was too much. Too quick. There was absolutely no foreshadowing at all. Solutions to problems were proposed...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was right in that sometimes you have to get past a certain book or phase of an author because this book had most of that charming sparkle that Oz has had for me for years. This book is about the Nome King trying to come invade Oz, which is interesting. I found how they take care of him to be one of the most fantastical things that I have read in regards to children's fantasy works. I rather enjoyed it. He still has some of that twinge of not being totally respectful towards people that are dif...more

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Mar 08, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Even though the plot is dull, at least it has a plot. I tired of the endless journey through fairy country, meeting new and odd people, especially after having finished ["Road to Oz"] immediately prior. Although one never believes the Nome king and allies pose much of a real threat, that is one of the beauties of a fairy country: no one is never in any real danger.
This book also seems much more philosophical than many of the other Oz books as much ado is made about the fact that people in Oz don...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Mario rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, digital-only, childrens, adventure

Far better than the works immediately preceding this one, in this book Baum seems to have finally remembered that one can tell a story in Oz, and not just meander aimlessly and have endless, pointless cameos. This particular book has quite a few long strings of puns like I remember in the first or second, and while they serve no purpose, it makes it seem like Baum might have actually enjoyed writing it.

The book has the same basic problem that all of them have had after the third -- once you gran...more

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May 24, 2010 Dianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hooray, a plot! The Nome King, understandably angry about Ozma's defeat of him a few books back, has decided to destroy Oz with the help of some sinister allies. Also, Dorothy, Aunt Em, and Uncle Henry come to live in Oz forever.

As with most of the previous books, though, this book is more about journeying around and looking all the different, fantastic peoples in Oz than about the plot. The plot is there, but it's not really what the book is all about—and if you ever wondered if it was, the ri...more

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May 20, 2011 Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-ebook, read-in-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 19, 2012 D M rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

after struggling through volumes #4 and #5 in the Oz series i did not have much hope for 'the emerald city.' however, i'm five in and it's not like the kids are gonna let me stop reading these. (wake up girls) i figured it to be another mediocre book that would shed little new light on the Oz World. i read and plowed through it, still clinging to the notion that there's something redeeming in the book and/or in children's literature as a whole. anything within the Oz universe that the girls woul...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Atman88 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't want to spoil the book, but none the less, there are many new characters, as always. I don't like the quick endings Baum is big on. He seems to rush at the end. Indeed, I feel he doesn't like writing the books and only did it for the money. His forwards and writers notes all claim that every book is basically the last. He reminds me a lot of Madonna and all her 'retirement tours'.

I like the concept of an invasion of Oz. I LOVED the fact that there is a land of Ix, because I'm a big fan...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Cortney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-alouds, for-calvin

I started reading this series with my son when he turned 4. We'd just started reading chapter books and I was looking for great stories without the presence of annoying pop culture. The Oz books were recommended by a trusted friend and I was skeptical at first, especially at his age, but the first book is so much better than the movie, and each subsequent book has been better than the last. After checking a couple different versions out from the library we now make sure to always get the books w...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Shannon Appelcline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Many of the Oz books have the problem that they're simple picaresques full of totally unconnected encounters, as the protagonists wander Oz. The center of this book matches that general archetype, though the various peoples that Dorothy meets are interesting, quirky, and clever (especially the punning Utensia).

Beyond that, the novel *does* have some plot, between an invasion and Henry and Em moving to Oz. It's somewhat thin, though, due to the fact that it's limited to the start and end of the n...more

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Nov 29, 2008 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A pretty disjointed book--it's sixth in the series, and Baum is clearly getting pretty tired of writing whimsical things, but hasn't yet resigned himself to it as in the later books. In fact, this one ends with Baum announcing there will be no more Oz books...a promise that probably lasted all of months, as Oz readers were quite demanding.

This book has some fascinating subtexts about alliances between untrustworthy people, as a variety of horrible nations set up a complicated set of alliances to...more

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Feb 26, 2011 aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

another great addition into l. frank baum's canon. this one finds dorothy and her aunt em and uncle henry making a move to live in oz permanently due to the fact that they are forced to give up their house and farm to the bank due to a lack of funds. while their they take a tour of the lands and we are able to "see" places that have not been previously seen in the books. while this takes place, the nome king looks to take his revenge out on dorothy, princess ozma, and all of oz. another good boo...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Joseph Matthew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel serves as an excellent glimpse into Frank L. Baum's world of Oz! Read this book if you want to be magically swept away and utterly amused. The story has plenty of whimsy and wit without forgetting to include real peril. The Nome King, Roquat the Red, is seeking revenge and threatens to destroy the Emerald City and all of its inhabitants in the process! Dorothy and Princess Ozma must team up along with the rest of the city's residents to defeat the coming onslaught of Nomes, Whimsies,...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

These are nice books to listen to while commuting. This one had lots of interesting characters (including some that were paper dolls and others that were picture puzzle people). It also had a group of evil characters who wanted to destroy the Emerald City, but there was a nice non-violent solution to that problem. One of the humorous things about these books is that L Frank Baum wanted to quit after the first few books, but kept writing more books to satisfy his young readers, who kept writing h...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars

My first Oz book, and the first Baum wrote to end the series, is a also a great introduction to the land of Oz. Dorothy and her friends travel the country to unique towns and meeting the citizens who are bunnies, puzzles, ramblers, worrywarts, and made of bread. At the same time, you meet the evil characters who live just outside of Oz and are planning an invasion to which Ozma, queen of Oz, refuses to counter.

So full of puns and beautiful, whimsical imagery. A great educational tool for teachi...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Rugg Ruggedo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So far it's been a lot of fun re-reading this series,in order, for the first time in around twenty years.There has been a lot of things I didnt really remember and a few that I remembered differently.
This is the book that Dorothy comes to live in Oz permanently. Along with her come Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. There arrival,of course, calls for a big party, where all the Oz celebrities will gather to welcome them.
Mean while the Knome King has decided it was time for him to take back his Magic Belt....more

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May 17, 2013 Therese rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-young-adult, classics, fairytales, fantasy, adventure, series, series-complete

$0.0

When Dorothy has visited the land of Oz, she has come home and told Uncle Henry and Aunt Em about her adventures, but needless to say they have been doubtful. Unfortunately Uncle Henry has fallen on hard times and is about ready to lose his farm so they finally break the news to Dorothy. She gets the idea that perhaps it is finally time for them to live in Oz, something she has always wanted to do, but always came home because she knew Uncle Henry and Aunt Em would miss her too much if she n...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Melani rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-fantasy

Ah yes, the Nome King gets angry and tries to invade OZ (with three of his most dangerous buddies), but all is saved by dues ex machina. This is the closest OZ ever came to any real danger and also one of the better plotlines Baum ever had. Interspersed with that plot is the one where Dorothy and her Aunt and Uncle, having moved permanently to OZ, travel around OZ exploring all the wonders of that fairyland. I think the wonders of OZ are nicely played against the dangerous background. The altern...more Ah yes, the Nome King gets angry and tries to invade OZ (with three of his most dangerous buddies), but all is saved by dues ex machina. This is the closest OZ ever came to any real danger and also one of the better plotlines Baum ever had. Interspersed with that plot is the one where Dorothy and her Aunt and Uncle, having moved permanently to OZ, travel around OZ exploring all the wonders of that fairyland. I think the wonders of OZ are nicely played against the dangerous background. The alternating chapters of the evil plotters versus the innocent Dorothy exploring Oz are a nice way to build the tension in the book.

This was one of my favorites when I was younger and it’s nice to see that it’s held up. There are an abundance of puns (more so then any previous book that I remember) in some of the sections, and for people who don’t enjoy puns that could get annoying. But I enjoyed them when I was younger and I still enjoy them now.

I really enjoyed the problems facing Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in the loss of their farm; it’s real and creates pathos. Though I will say, sometimes it’s hard to remember that this was written in 1910, long before the Great Depression. The movie has just so firmly cemented that time frame on the story. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em have become two favorites on this re-read simply because they’re really honest and decent folk, Americana at its best if you will.

Further notations of Baum’s inconsistencies- The Emerald City is now truly full of emeralds, where as in the first book it only appeared so because of the green glasses you had to put on to enter the city. These drove me bonkers when I first read the books, can’t say I’m liking them any more now but it’s a bit more fun to find them. It becomes a treasure hunt of sorts.

Some things of note:
- I either didn’t notice or forgot how much I enjoyed the snarky Chief Counselor, the lackadaisical Chief Steward, and the practical Chief General they are great counterparts to the Nome King. It’s fun to see the Nome King interact with his subservients all of them clearly smarter then he is.

-There is a weakness in the text with the evil creatures. They have no reason for their wickedness beyond being born that way. However once they drink from the magic fountain, they are good? I’m not sure that makes logical sense. Baum didn’t want to trouble his stories with the issue of good and evil, and so that might be the cause of that weakness.

-The note at the end of the book about how this is the last Oz story that will ever be told is amusing considering it is the sixth out of fourteen Oz books that Baum wrote, and then there are the numerous other Oz books by others. Poor Baum, he really wanted to get away from Oz.
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May 03, 2011 Derek Oberg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another cute one. In the preface of multiple books in this series Baum remarks on how "the children" will never let him stop writing Oz books. This book contains an attempt to end the series completely. A pretty creative one too. Obviously an unsuccessful attempt however, being as this is book #6 of 14.

I also noticed that this book contains the first use of "Gale" as Dorothy's last name. Before now in the series she's never had a last name. I'm sure it was incorporated from the success of the s...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Will Waller rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, fiction

This was according to the author to be the last of the Oz books because after it was told, Glinda cast a spell that put Oz completely off the map and away from any meddling by the “Historian” Baum himself. Funny how two straight years of low sales on other fantasy stories would have Baum reaching across the void and reaching Oz, by a wireless telegraph, with yet another book. A little ca-ching helps us do just about everything, eh Baum?

Well that’s another story, and this review is about the las...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, childrens, fiction

Continuing in the Oz series (while I wait for Ozma of Oz to become available at the library, I reached The Emerald City of Oz. This is both the most exciting and the most boring book of the series I've read to date. On the one hand, Dorothy, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and Toto move to Oz because their farm is going to be repossessed by the bank, and Ozma sends them on a tour of the different places in Oz, which is kind of predictable. On the other hand, the Nome King decides to enact his revenge on D...more

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Jan 24, 2010 Jason Pettus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally. This review covers all 14 of the Baum Oz books, which is why it's found on all 14 book pages here.)

I think it's fairly safe by now to assume that nearly everyone in Western society is familiar with The Wizard of Oz, most of us because of the classic 1939 movie adaptation; and many realize as well tha...more (Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally. This review covers all 14 of the Baum Oz books, which is why it's found on all 14 book pages here.)

I think it's fairly safe by now to assume that nearly everyone in Western society is familiar with The Wizard of Oz, most of us because of the classic 1939 movie adaptation; and many realize as well that author L. Frank Baum ended up penning a whole series of sequels, because of the original book's astounding success back at the turn of the 20th century when it was first published -- 13 sequels altogether, before his death in 1919, which after the movie's success twenty years later became a literal merchandising empire, spawning hundreds more official sequels by various authors and hundreds more unofficial ones once the characters moved into the public domain. And like many others, I've always been interested in what these 14 "canonical" Oz books have to say; and that's why I decided this winter to sit down and read them all in a row for the first time, easy to do because of them being available for free at both Project Gutenberg and the email subscription service DailyLit (which is how I myself read them, and in fact is how I read many of the older books you see reviewed here; I'm a big fan of theirs, and highly recommend them).

But of course, to even approach these books with the right mindset, it's important to understand that like so many other one-hit-wonders, Baum was not only eluded by success in most of his other endeavors but was an active failure at them -- in the 1870s, for example, he unsuccessfully tried his hand at breeding fancy poultry (a national fad at the time), then in the 1880s opened his own theatre and became one of the first-ever Americans to produce modern-style stage musicals, apparently a little too ahead of its time, then in the 1890s moved to the Dakota Territory and opened a dry-goods store that eventually failed, as well as starting a newspaper that folded too. So it was sort of a case of random lightning in a bottle when he decided in the late 1890s to try his hand at children's literature, and ended up with his very first title being the most popular kid's book in America for two years straight, and no surprise that Baum then spent the rest of his life desperately trying to figure out how to bottle that lightning again. Because now that I've read it myself, I can confirm that the original Wonderful Wizard of Oz is astonishingly great, a sort of miraculous combination of traits that makes for an almost perfect children's story; and although most of it follows the same storyline seen in the '39 movie, there are also significant differences, making it worth your while to sit and read the book version if you have the interest. (And by the way, for some really interesting reading, check out the academic analysis that was done of this book in the 1960s, arguing that most of its details symbolically correspond almost exactly to various political and economic issues of the late 1800s, including the yellow brick road representing the much-discussed gold standard of that age, the scarecrow representing the then-hot Populist Party, Toto representing the teetotaler [prohibitionist:] movement, and a lot more.)

But of course, there are a couple of details about this book that have been forgotten over the decades too, which also help explain its record-shattering success -- it was an unusually lavish book for its time, for example, with two-toned illustrations on every page and several full-color plates, and let's also not forget that Baum himself mounted a Broadway-style musical of Oz just two years after the book was published, a huge hit which toured nationally for a decade and that was even more insanely popular than the book itself (including making national stars out of vaudeville performers Fred Stone and David Montgomery, playing the Scarecrow and Tin Man; the stage production left out the Cowardly Lion altogether, which is why he is also barely seen in any of the 13 canonical sequels). And so that's why when Baum attempted starting up other fantasy series in the wake of Oz's success, hoping to turn all of them into lucrative franchises like the original, the audience mostly responded with yawns; and that's why Baum eventually went back to writing more and more Oz books as the 20th century continued, because by now the strength of the brand far outweighed the relative writing skills of Baum when it came to any particular volume.

That's why, at least to adults, it's perhaps actually the introductions to each book that are the most fascinating thing about them; because to be frank, most of the books follow a pretty familiar formula, with a danger-filled quest involving various kooky characters that is usually finished about two-thirds of the way through, followed by a massive parade or party that lets Baum trot out the growing number of main characters added to this universe with each title. (And by the way, prepare yourself for Baum's unending love of the deus-ex-machina plot device; over half the books end along the lines of, "And then our heroes took possession of a super-duper magical device, which they waved in the air and all their troubles went away.") In fact, for those who don't know, that's why the official map of Oz and its surrounding lands eventually grew so large, because Baum still hadn't given up on his dream of having a whole series of kid-lit cash cows out there generating revenue for him, and so would use many of these Oz sequels to introduce entirely new casts of characters who live in entirely new lands, "just over the mountains" or "just past the desert" of Oz itself. By the end of the original 14 books, in fact, Baum had built up a virtual aristocracy of licensable characters, all of whom would have to be dragged out for a cameo at some point in each book to remind the audience of their existence -- not just the cast of the original book and '39 movie but also various other princesses like Ozma and Betsy Bobbin, boy characters like Ojo the Unlucky and Button Bright, adults who help them like the Shaggy Man, Cap'n Bill and Ugu the Shoemaker, and of course a whole litany of quirky fantastical sidekicks, including but not limited to Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Great Jinjin, Billina the Angry Hen, Scraps the Patchwork Girl, and Polychrome the Rainbow Fairy. Whew! And so did the Great Oz Merchandising Experiment keep limping along for two decades, with each sequel selling less and less and getting lazier and lazier (for example, the tenth book in the series, 1916's Rinkitink in Oz, was actually a non-Oz book written a decade previous, published almost unchanged except for a hasty final chapter full of Oz regulars slapped onto the end); and thus did Baum's bad luck in business come back with a vengeance as well, with three more Broadway productions that were all flops, and even the establishment of a film production company in 1914 that eventually went bankrupt.

You can see the progression of all this reflected in Baum's first-person introductions to each book, which like I said is why they might be the most fascinating parts of all for adult readers -- how in the first sequel, for example, he expresses legitimately gleeful surprise and joy at how passionate his fans were, and how thousands of children had literally written to him out of the blue demanding more Oz stories, while with each subsequent sequel his tone becomes more and more snarky, ala "Well, dear and wonderful children, you've yet again demanded another Oz book like the sheep you are, so here it is, you screeching little monsters." In fact, in book six of the series, 1910's The Emerald City of Oz, Baum flat-out states that it's going to be the very last Oz book, and it's no coincidence that many fans actually consider this one to be the best of the original fourteen, because of Baum's extra attention to and enthusiasm for this particular storyline, thinking as he erroneously did that it would be the grand finale of the entire Oz universe; but after his later financial failures forced him back into the Oz business again, the gloves finally come off in his introductions, with most of the rest sounding to today's ears something like, "Well, okay, here again is the sugary teat you all apparently can't get enough of suckling, you infuriating little animals, so open wide and take your medicine." Now, of course, you shouldn't feel too bad for Baum; by the last years of his life, his combined books and plays were generating for him in today's terms roughly a quarter-million dollars a year just in personal royalties.

So all in all, an experience I'm glad I had, reading all fourteen original Oz books in a row, but not something I'd recommend to others; instead, maybe better just to read the first, then skip to the sixth, then skip straight to the 14th, 1920's Glinda of Oz, because of its unusual darkness (probably caused, many scholars agree, by Baum knowing that he was near death). As with many authors I've looked at here at CCLaP, history seems to have correctly adjusted itself in Baum's case, with most of his books now rightfully falling into the obscurity they deserve, even while his one true masterpiece is still rightfully recognized as such. (less)

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Apr 22, 2009 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this one. Aunt Em and Uncle Henry come to Oz to live and Dorothy also to stay this time. Oz is attacked. I think Baum intended this to be the last book, He stated in the prior book the next one would be the last one and in this one Dorothy sends him a note and says that will be the last note from them. Glenda the good makes Oz invisible and so no one can communicate with it from now on. It will be interesting to see what happens in book 7. Baum really comes up with lots of strange charac...more

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Jan 21, 2009 Runa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About L. Frank Baum

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

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Quotes from Emerald City of Oz

“To be angry once in a while is really good fun, because it makes others so miserable. But to be angry morning, noon and night, as I am, grows monotonous and prevents my gaining any other pleasure in life.” — 14 people liked it

“Now then, Mr. Crab," said the zebra, "here are the people I told you about; and they know more than you do, who live in a pool, and more than I do, who live in a forest. For they have been travelers all over the world, and know every part of it."
"There's more of the world than Oz," declared the crab, in a stubborn voice.
"That is true," said Dorothy; "but I used to live in Kansas, in the United States, and I've been to California and to Australia--and so has Uncle Henry."
"For my part," added the Shaggy Man, "I've been to Mexico and Boston and many other foreign countries."
"And I," said the Wizard, "have been to Europe and Ireland."
"So you see," continued the zebra, addressing the crab, "here are people of real consequence, who know what they are talking about.” — 2 people liked it

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The Emerald City of Oz (Oz #6)

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