L. Frank Baum Books In Order

Publication Order of Oz Books

Publication Order of Oz Children's Books

Publication Order of Oz Collections

Publication Order of Aunt Jane's Nieces Books

Publication Order of Boy Fortune Hunters Books

Publication Order of Daring Twins Books

Publication Order of Flying Girl Books

Publication Order of Magical Creatures Books

Publication Order of Mary Louise Books

Publication Order of Prairie Tales Books

Publication Order of Trot & Cap'n Bill Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Can you Survive? Books

Publication Order of Little Golden Books Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Recommendations

Every 2 weeks we send out an e-mail with 12 Book Recommendations by genre. Subscribe today! Click here for all past recommendations.

Best known for his books on the world of Oz, fantasy writer L. Frank Baum was a master within his field. Although many are aware of his work through the cinematic treatments given to them, he was quite adept at giving his material a far more darker sensibility than he’s given credit for. Not only that, but he also has a vast collection of other works produced that are often overlooked as well.

Early and Personal Life

Born on the 15th of May, 1856, in the Chittenango area of New York, L. Frank Baum lived for sixty-two years before his death in 1919 on the 6th of May. When he fell into a coma following a stroke, he woke briefly to say ‘now we can cross the shifting sands’ before slipping away, leaving behind a long and illustrious legacy. This was continued by the author Ruth Plumly Thompson, as she wrote more in the Oz series.

Well known for his opinions of female rights, he was an outspoken advocate for the suffragette movement happening during his time. This can be seen echoed within his work, with strong female characters as the protagonists, most notably that of Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Fighting against male oppression, they would typically overcome their traditional gender roles along with rallying against their male oppressors.

He was also seen as a key advocate for updating children’s fantasy, as he removed the harsh moralistic lessons of Grimm’s Fairy Tales bringing them into a more contemporary setting. His views on violence were also prominent as, despite using scenes of violence himself in his literature, he was against aggression as opposed to a lot of earlier fantasy stories. All this led to him becoming one of the most influential children’s fantasy authors of his time.

Writing Career

To begin with L. Frank Baum started out in the theater, as he’d always had a lifelong passion for the stage up until then. This was short-lived though, as his local theater company duped him into paying for their costume stock with false promises of being on the stage. Unperturbed, Baum soon returned to the stage and starred in a number of plays, as well as writing many of his own. It was only until a play of his titled ‘Matches’ ironically saw a fire during one of its runs, which unfortunately destroyed a large quantity of stock along with many manuscripts of his that were the only copies in existence.

Marrying the daughter of a famous feminist and influential suffragette, he found that his work was soon to be greatly inspired by her struggle. During this time he owned a store in South Dakota, but it quickly went bankrupt after he’d continually offer stock on credit. That was when he became editor of the local newspaper, whereby he’d write a column regularly for it titled ‘Our Landlady’. Here he featured a number of somewhat controversial opinions on the plight of the Indians, but it’s been lately contested that he was using irony and reverse psychology to influence popular opinion in their favor.

After the paper failed he turned his hand to writing becoming the successful author of children’s fantasy that he’s known as today. Creating a legacy with the likes of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, his stories are still popular to this day. This, along with the other various works he managed within the genre, has led to him being regarded as one of the most influential authors within his field for his time.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Perhaps the most famous of all novels from L. Frank Baum, this was originally published in 1900 on the 17th of May. Having been reprinted a number of times now, it was to feature the illustrations of W. W. Denslow, as it introduced readers to the magical land of Oz. The first in a long line of titles featuring this mysterious world, it helped launched a whole series of books that carried on long after Baum himself passed away.

Featuring the adventures of Dorothy Gale, the story begins in Kansas where she lives with her aunt and uncle on their farm. Bored with the bland, gray lifestyle there she dreams of excitement, which she finally gets in the form of a cyclone that carries her and her farmhouse off to the magical land of Oz. With her dog Toto accompanying her, she then embarks upon a quest given by the ‘good witch of the north’ after killing the Munchkin’s evil ruler, the ‘wicked witch of the east’. Setting out, she aims to seek the help of the famed ‘Wizard of Oz’ who can apparently assist her in returning home to Kansas.

On her way there she meets a cast of colorful characters who join her, such as the ‘Tin Woodman’, ‘The Cowardly Lion’ and ‘Scarecrow’. They then get into a series of adventures as they help the wizard with his task of freeing the lands from the tyranny of the ‘wicked witch of the west’. Notably made even more famous by its 1939 big-screen musical adaptation, it’s a timeless story that has left a legacy behind it.

Dot and Tot of Merryland

The last book to be illustrated by W. W. Denslow, this was published in 1901 post-Oz by L. Frank Baum. Although it didn’t meet with much commercial success, largely due to it being overshadowed by his work on Oz, it still remains an interesting curiosity for fans of Baum who might be interested in the other works he had to offer. Despite it not being so popular, it remains a pleasant story of a young girl named Dot who, along with a boy called Tot, both travel to Merryland.

Getting there by floating upon a river which flows down a tunnel, they reach the magical land to embark on a series of adventures there. With Merryland itself separated into seven different valleys, they proceed to explore the area to discover what lies beyond. Although it isn’t considered as part of the Oz series, it does have ties to it, as it references that the land of Oz lies nearby and later on in the Oz series characters from Merryland are briefly featured. Re-released in 1994, it provides further insight into the fantastical worlds created by Baum.