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Most are familiar with the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie, but there’s much more to the Land of Oz than the movie lets on.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) Fans of the 1939 film, be warned: The plot is the same, but the book version is much darker. The Wizard appears in different forms, including a five-eyed beast with the head of a rhinoceros. The Lion decapitates a giant spider to earn his place as King of Beasts. The one-eyed Wicked Witch of the West is even wickeder than Margaret Hamilton’s movie character. She tries to kill off Dorothy and her friends by sending several nasty creatures after them, including a pack of wolves, a flock of crows, and a swarm of killer bees. Don’t expect ruby slippers, either. In the book, Dorothy’s magical shoes are silver. The best part: The history. Ever wonder where the Tin Man came from? You’ll find out. Why you should read it: It’s the first and the best American fairy tale. The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) The Scarecrow, now the King of the Emerald City, is in trouble. An army of girls, led by General Jinjur, proclaims that the Emerald City has been ruled by men long enough. They overthrow the Scarecrow and force all of the men in the city to do housework and mind children. The Scarecrow escapes to the palace of the Tin Woodman, acquiring several new friends along the way: a boy named Tip, a wooden man with a jack-o-lantern head who is aptly named Jack Pumpkinhead, the thoroughly-educated Woggle-Bug, a walking wooden sawhorse, and the flying Gump. Together, they seek the help of Glinda, who removes Jinjur from the throne by locating Princess Ozma, the rightful ruler of Oz. Where Ozma comes from is an, um, unusual surprise. The best part: The laugh-out-loud funny scene in which the Scarecrow and Jack Pumpkinhead first meet. Why you should read it: The humor, the puns, the satire, and the unexpected statements about women’s rights. Ozma of Oz (1907) Dorothy is back, and thanks to a change in illustrators, she’s a blonde. This time, she’s swept out to sea in a storm and floats to the Land of Ev (a country just across the desert from Oz) in a chicken coop, which is also occupied by a talking chicken named Billina. Once in Ev, Dorothy meets a copper mechanical man named Tik-Tok and the vain Princess Langwidere, who has thirty different heads – one for every day of the month. When Dorothy refuses to add her own head to Langwidere’s collection, she’s locked in a tower. Never fear: Soon Ozma, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, among others, have come to rescue her, and she joins them on their quest to save the royal family of Ev, who have been enslaved by the wicked Nome King in his underground palace. Go To Page: 1 2
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