While doing research for my post yesterday about my
irrational fear of Flying Monkeys, I was surprised by what I learned about the
story of the “The Wizard of Oz.”
So today I am going to share some of the information I
uncovered about the book, the story, and the movie.
“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” is a children’s novel written
by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M.
Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900.
This is a picture of the front cover of the book.
In a letter to his brother Harry, Baum wrote that the book's publisher,
George M. Hill, predicted a sale of about 250,000 copies. In spite of this favorable conjecture, Hill
did not initially predict the book would be phenomenally successful. They agreed to publish the book only when the
manager of the Grand Opera House, Fred R. Hamlin, agreed to make the “The
Wizard of Oz” into a play to help publicize the novel. This is a picture of the back cover of the
book.
Its first edition had a printing of 10,000 copies and was sold in advance
of the publication date of September 1, 1900. On May 17, 1900 the first copy of the book
came off the press; Baum assembled it by hand and presented it to his sister,
Mary Louise Baum Brewster.
The public saw the book for the first time at a book fair at
the Palmer House in Chicago in July. By
October of 1900, the first edition had already sold out and 15,000 copies of
the second edition were nearly depleted.
After Hill’s publishing company became bankrupt in 1901, Baum and
Denslow agreed to have the Indianapolis based Bobbs-Merrill Company resume
publishing the novel. By 1938, over one
million copies of the book had been printed.
In 1939, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer brought “The Wizard of Oz” to the big screen, based off of Baum’s novel. Over the years this story has become one of
the best known stories and film of all time.
It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but it
lost that one to “Gone with the Wind.”
Tough year for competition!
The movie did go on to win in two other categories.
By 1956, the sales of the novel had grown to over 3 million
copies in print. Wow!
Next year the story is coming back with a different twist as
James Franco, plays Oscar Diggs, a small town circus magician from Kansas who
faces epic problems and transforms himself into the Great and Powerful Oz.
There are many
things to consider with this story from a Wicked Witch that can’t touch water
and probably went her entire life without having a bath, to never having felt
the wonder of a spring rain. There has
been much conjecture over the years about the possible political and social
overtones the different characters may have represented through the story. I know now that there were numerous sequels
to the original book and the stories are much more involved than what the
movies or plays have portrayed. I will
have to get a copy of these to experience the entire phenomenon for myself.
The Wicked Witch
uses Wolves, Crows and Bess before using the Golden Cap to enslave the Flying
Monkeys to go after our heroes. In the
books the magical slippers are silver, not ruby! The Wicked Witch rules over Winkie Country
and the Witches guards are made up of Winkies which she has enslaved and force
to do her bidding.
In the books Oz
is from Omaha and traveled to the Land of Oz long ago by way of a hot air
balloon. They also further explain the
future destinies of the Tin Man, The Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion. There is also a Giant Spider which the Lion
kills. For once I am glad Hollywood
screwed the pouch and left so much out from the book, because I don’t think I
could handle a Giant Spider and Flying Monkeys all together in one film. I am definitely adding “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” to my books To Read List!
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