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L. Frank Baum. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago: George M. Hill Co, 1900. Illustrations by W.W. Denslow. First edition.

Each September The Wizard of Oz Festival is held in Chesterton, Indiana, and attracts thousands of visitors from throughout the United States. For over twenty years this festival, and others such as OZFest in Chittenango, New York, have demonstrated the enduring power of this remarkable book and its characters. When L. Frank Baum penned his book in 1900 he had no thought of its being a continuing series; he was only hoping for a financial success as great as that of his Father Goose, His Book, published in 1899 with illustrations by William Wallace Denslow. What he had created, however, was a unique contribution to American literatureùthe blending of fantasy with everyday reality. The juxtaposition of the bleak Kansas landscape with the colorful scenes in Ozland points up the contrasts between reality and imagination. Dorothy is plunged into her imaginary journey through the harsh realities of a cyclone and her own discontent but returned to reality through the auspices of magic and her own desire. These juxtapositions also underscore the elements of contemporary political and economic satire.

The Special Collections Research Center houses a fine collection of works by Baum as well as photographs, memorabilia, advertising releases, games and other ephemera about Baum, his family, and his creations.

The Book of the Month is curated by Kenneth Lavender, Rare Book Librarian.