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| In 1856 Lyman Frank Baum was born (He never used his first name since he preferred Frank) outside of Syracuse NY. Born with a weak heart, Baum was restricted to his bed quite often, unable to play outdoors like the other children. Instead he sat in his bed creating imaginary worlds and imaginary friends to play with (Perhaps OZ started way back then?). Baum poured over books written by British novelists (especially Charles Dickens) and voraciously consumed books of fairytales, though he was critical of the darker more violent stories, feeling instead that "fairy worlds" (as he called them) should contain happier, brighter subjects. At first, unhappy with Baum's dreamer like ways, his parents sent him away to a strict military school to apparently "wake him up". Unfortunatley, not used to public schooling (Baum had been home schooled sinse he was a child) his body couldn't handle the pressures and physical punishment administered by the school and as a result Baum suffered what was either a heart attack or a stroke (it is unclear which). After this, Baum's parents brought him home and began to nurture his artistic abilities. Baum soon grew a love of theatre and began to pursue acting as a possible carreer. After writing, directing and starring in a musical adaptation of an old scottish folk story entitiled, The Maid of Arran (which received quite favourable reviews) Baum began to seriously focus on writing for the theatre. While on holiday from the troupe of actors he was now leading, Baum's sister, Harriet, introduced him to Maud Gage a very beautiful, very popular society girl. Soon after their initial meeting Baum began courting Maud, and against the wishes of her mother they were married on November 9th, 1882. Maud travelled around with Baum and his troupe of actors until it was learned that she was pregnant. Soon thereafter, the Baum's rented a house in Syracuse and settled down in preparation for the birth of their first child. In 1888 Baum, Maud and their two sons moved out West and Baum opened, "Baum's Bazaar", a general store that sold everything from lamps to toys and candy. Children flocked to the store to buy penny candy and sit and listen to the tales that Baum would spin of far away lands and magic countries. Unfortunatley a terrible drought struck the town and as a result the towns people couldn't afford to buy necessities. But Baum being a very compassionate man couldn't turn his friends and neighbors away so he gave away his stock for free. The Baum's came close to bankruptcy and the bank foreclosed on the store in 1890. After the foreclosure Baum quickley got a job as editor of the local paper.As perhaps a foretelling of what would be his futuere Baum was consistently approached by children to tell them stories. So Baum would often sit down on a stoop or the curb and weave magical tales. Soon there became an officail story hour where children would come to Baum's home and sit and listen to his stories. Very often even teenagers and adults would stop by just to listen. After publishing his first book, Mother Goose in Prose, in 1897 Baum was introduced to William W. Denslow a great illustrator. Denslow was everything that Baum was not and vice versa, but perhaps it was this great dichotomy that produced such genius. Their first venture together was the book Father Goose, His Book in 1899. The combination of Baum's words and Denslow's illustrations made the book become the best selling children's book that year. Their next collaboration was on Baum's most famous and beloved book, The Wonderful Wizard of OZ, which told the story of a little Kansas girl, named Dorothy, being carried away to the distant and magical land of OZ. Dorothy is told by the Good Witch of the North that the only person who would know how to get her, Dorothy, home is the Wizard of OZ. So Dorothy sets off to meet the Wizard and along the way meets quite a bit of trouble. But with the help of her new friends, The Scarecrow (who is in need of a Brain), The Tin Woodman (who desires a Heart), and The Cowardly Lion (who wants Courage), she is delivered safely to the wizard and eventually finds herself back in Kansas. The story of Dorothy and her adventures was taken almost directly from the stories that he would entertain the children with. But as popular as the story was with the children it fell flat with the publisher. Eventually, after a slight rewrite and a title change from The Emerald City of OZ (which is interestingly the title of a later OZ installment), the book was published. The Wonderful Wizard of OZ, though not as popular as Father Goose at first, eventually became one of the most famous and greatly cherished books of Children's Literature. Though for several years following Baum death, The Wonderful Wizard of OZ was banned in certain libraries across the country because librarians felt it was not "important juvenile literature." Needless to say that sentiment did not last long. Baum and Denslow collaborated on a few more books and then in 1902 turned The Wonderful Wizard of OZ into a widely successful stage play that toured the country. As for a reason to why the team of Baum and Denslow broke up, no one truly knows. There have been many suggestions and theories some blaming Baum more blaming Denslow. But what seems the most likely reason is that the two men were polar opposits. Baum was a family man, Denslow a large partier. It seems feasible that once both men became equally as well known in their own right the two didn't need eachother anymore, and since a non-professional-friendship never grew between the men there was nothing to hold them together. One thing is for certian however, the relationship did not end on good terms. So The Wonderful Wizard of OZ was the first and last of the OZ Series to be illustrated by Denslow. Baum went on to write fourteen other OZ books (all illustrated by a the young artist, John R. Neil) though it was clearly stated time and time again that he did not wish to continue the series. But he felt compelled to as after each book more and more children would write Baum letters asking, begging, demanding another. The children also sent in ideas on what should happen to the beloved characters of OZ and Baum was proclaimed the "Royal Historian of OZ" an officail title he had until his death. His health fading Baum was restricted to bed but he continued to write, propped up on pillows. On May 5th 1919 in his beloved Californian home (entitled Ozcot ), L. Frank Baum died with his wife Maud faithfully beside him. His last words to her were, "Now we can cross the Shifting Sands." His final book, Glinda of OZ was published posthumously in 1920. |
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