The Marvelous Land of Oz

Published in 1904, The Marvelous Land of Oz was a sequel demanded by fans across America. The first book was a smash success, and Baum had written a script for a play that toured America in 1902. It would also be adapted into several film versions even before the most well-known one in 1939. But fans wanted more.

But while they liked Dorothy, she wasn't the most popular character. As you can see in the picture above (a reproduction of the original cover art), the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman were the breakout stars of the story. Fans wanted to know more about their adventures after Dorothy left, and so Baum wrote The Marvelous Land of Oz in response.

Land of Oz is notable for introducing the Gillikin country, which is the north quarter of Oz; its color is purple. Green, blue, yellow and red were used for the Emerald City, Munchkin land in the East, the Winkies in the West, and the Quadlings of the south. Although she doesn't make an appearance in this book, the good witch from the first book, who met with the Munchkins and sent Dorothy on the path to Oz, is the Witch of the North, so this is her territory.

The protagonist of this book is a boy named Tip, who lives with Old Mombi, an unpleasant practitioner of the magical arts. Mombi isn't a witch, though, since the Good Witch of the North doesn't like competition. So she's a sorceress, a trickster, or what have you. Anyway, she's a nasty piece of work, and when Tip tries to have a bit of fun by building a pumpkin-headed man to frighten her, she uses a magic powder to bring the pumpkinhead to life. She then decides to dispose of Tip, who escapes along with the Pumpkinhead, who he names Jack. So begins another adventure in the marvelous land of Oz.

The Scarecrow, for those who remember the first book, rules the Emerald City, and the Tin Woodman is the Emperor of the Winkies. They don't appear right away, as Tip and Jack have to make their way to the Emerald City first. On the way, they find a sawhorse, which Tip brings to life using the magic powder he stole from Mombi before escaping. Eventually they get to the Emerald City, which is under siege by an army of girls armed with knitting needles. What? It's 1904; things were different then.

The Scarecrow escapes the besieging army along with Tip, Jack, and the Sawhorse, and make their way to the Western land of the Winkies to get the Woodman's help in taking back the Emerald City. More adventures ensue, and yet another new companion joins them, the Highly Magnified, Thoroughly Educated Woggle-Bug. He's a pompous sort with a love of puns, but he proves himself to be quite useful by the end of the book.

The end of the book finds the party seeking the help of Glinda, the Witch of the South, who is searching for the long-lost princess Ozma, who was stolen away by...the Wonderful Wizard himself. Turns out he might have been a humbug, but he had a bit of a ruthless streak in him. Eventually, Ozma's fate is revealed, and everything works out in the end.

I tried to avoid the big spoilers, since this book, despite being 118 years old, isn't nearly as well-known as its predecessor. Which is a shame, because this book rocks. It was my favorite Oz book growing up, and it hasn't lost that position to this day. It's the only Oz book that doesn't feature Dorothy or the Lion, and it introduces a bunch of recurring characters that will stick around for book after book.

Baum really let his imagination run wild on this book, even moreso than with the first one. And he got very creative when he was writing about Oz. The characters are well-defined, with personality quirks and distinctive speech patterns. The action scenes are vivid and well-crafted. The descriptions, while minimal, convey the sense of the fantastic that permeates the entire series.

The art in this, and all subsequent Baum-authored Oz books, is done by John O'Neill after Baum and Denslow, the original Oz artist, had a falling-out. As you can see in the images below, O'Neill's style reflects what Denslow did, but it's definitely its own thing.

Meet Tip and Jack Pumpkinhead.

The Sawhorse and Jack in the Emerald City.

And the gang's all here. From bottom to top: Tip, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Jack Pumpkinhead, and the Sawhorse, meeting the Woggle-Bug, H.M, T.E.

I can't say enough good things about this book; Baum was one hell of a creative writer, with an imagination perfectly suited to entertaining children with fantastic stories and tales of adventure. If your only knowledge of Oz is the movie, or even the first book, you owe it to yourself and your kids to read this one.