The first striking thing about this book is its elegant dust jacket made to look like a copper plate. But the eye candy stretches past the front cover, nearly every page with either color illustrations or distinctive frames, fleurons, and figures around the text. Not surprising to those who've taken some literature classes, the annotations following a page of text are often far longer than whatever bit of text they illustrate. But if the reader should find academicism beside the point, annotations are easy to skip because Baum's story is written in larger type. This edition is for both kids and kiddie litters, the latter interested in such tidbits as the Dorothy-type farmgirl character called Dot, Dolly, and Doris in other works by Frank Baum, and the reigning theory that Dorothy lived in Kansas, yes, but more specifically, Topeka. Reprinted from the 1900 edition with many of the original drawings by W.W. Denslow. Oversize: 9.5x10.5". Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR
The Road to Wicked examines the long life of the Oz myth. It is both a study in cultural sustainability— the capacity of artists, narratives, art forms, and genres to remain viable over time—and an examination of the marketing machinery and consumption patterns that make such sustainability possible. Drawing on the fields of macromarketing, consumer behavior, literary and cultural studies, and theories of adaption and remediation, the authors examine key adaptations and extensions of Baum’s 1900 novel. These include the original Oz craze, the MGM film and its television afterlife, Wicked and its extensions, and Oz the Great and Powerful—Disney’s recent (and highly lucrative) venture that builds on the considerable success of Wicked. At the end of the book, the authors offer a foundational framework for a new theory of cultural sustainability and propose a set of explanatory conditions under which any artistic experience might achieve it.
Swartz reminds us in that various stage and screen dramatizations of Baum's story preceded and influenced the 1939 film. This richly illustrated book contains many rare photographs, film stills, sketches, theater programs, and movie advertisements from the different productions. Piecing together the Chicago and Broadway stage productions (1902-3) from contemporary reviews, surviving script pages, and published song lyrics, Swartz shows how Baum and his many collaborators worked to transform the book into a popular theatrical attraction -- often requiring significant alterations to the original story.
A groundbreaking new look at the author of an iconic American novel--"The Wizard of Oz"--this biography offers profound new insights into the true origins and meaning behind L. Frank Baum's 1900 masterwork.
Since it was first introduced over a hundred years ago in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum's world of Oz has become one of the most enduring and beloved creations in children's literature. It has influenced numerous prominent writers and intellectuals, and become a lasting part of the culture itself. L. Frank Baum was born in 1856 in upstate New York, the seventh child of a very successful barrel-maker and later oil producer. However, Baum's own career path was a rocky one. Beginning as an actor, Baum tried working as a traveling salesman, the editor of a small town newspaper and the publisher of a trade journal on retailing, failing to distinguish himself in any occupation. His careers either failed to provide a sufficient living for his beloved wife Maud and their children or were so exhausting as to be debilitating. In the 1890's, L. Frank Baum took the advice of his mother-in-law, suffragist leader Matilda Gage, and turned his attention to trying to sell the stories he'd been telling to his sons and their friends. After a few children's books published with varying success, he published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900 and it quickly became a bestseller and has remained so ever since. In this first full-length adult biography of Baum, Rogers discusses some of the aspects that made his work unique and has likely contributed to Oz's long-lasting appeal, including Baum's early support of feminism and how it was reflected in his characters, his interest in Theosophy and how it took form in his books, and the celebration in his stories of traditional American values. Grounding his imaginative creations, particularly in his fourteen Oz books, in the reality of his day, Katharine M. Rogers explores the fascinating life and influences of America's greatest writer for children.
Long before Judy Garland sang Over the Rainbow, the denizens of Oz had already captivated the American reading public. The quintessential American fairy tale, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has had a singular influence on our culture since it first appeared in 1900. Yet, as Michael Riley shows, Baum's achievement went far beyond this one book, or even the 13 others he wrote about that magic kingdom.
The complete fantasy trilogy of a feared Scottish outlaw—from the author of the Seventh Sword series and “one of the leading masters of epic fantasy” (Publishers Weekly). In his action-packed fantasy saga, originally written under the pseudonym Ken Hood, Scottish-born, Aurora Award–winning author Dave Duncan tells the tale of Scottish outlaw Toby Strangerson, known and feared by the name Longdirk. In 1244, all of Europe is under the control of Genghis Khan, whose conquering Golden Horde has cut a swath of devastation. Scotland, in addition, lies under the heel of England. But out of the battle-scarred highlands, a hero will rise . . . Demon Sword: Young Toby Strangerson, a half-English bastard reared by a witchwife, wants only to shed his hated Sassenach blood and free his beloved highlands. As the outlaw Longdirk, Toby wields a sword that can cut down men like stalks of corn. But stranger winds are swirling across the lochs—eldritch winds that are ridden by hobs and wisps and demons. The enemy Sassenach king is also a sorcerer. His demon soul needs a body, and his Black Arts can free Europe from the Khan’s Golden Horde. Demon Rider: Longdirk has become possessed by a hob, a murderous demon spirit, as amoral as a child, neither inherently good nor evil. Toby wants his freedom—and the spirit of the tyrant-demon Nevil, ensorcelled in amethyst, can be traded for the exorcism of the hob. In order to make the exchange, though, Toby and his ally Hamish must face the hexer Oreste on his own ground, in the dank and fetid dungeons of Barcelona, where souls are racked and tortured—and ultimately destroyed on the relentless wheel of the Inquisition. Demon Knight: Longdirk has used gramarye—dark magic—to defeat the Fiend and save Europe from abject slavery, but he has also made himself the most feared and envied man in all of Italy. The hordes are reorganizing and plan to sweep over the Alps once more to retake their lost prize of power and conquest. Toby and his friend Hamish struggle to unite the quarreling city-states into a single, powerful force to resist the invasion, in a world where no ally can be trusted and traitors lurk in every shadow. But there is more at stake than freedom and the destiny of a continent—a woman’s love hangs in the balance . . .
