Publication History

Bibliographic Description Publication History Biographical Sketch of Author Contemporary Reception Critical Evaluative Essay


1.First Edition printings or impressions?	The first veiwing was at the Chicago Book Fair, July 5-20 and the response was good. Official publication and distribution of the book was August 1, 1900. Orders increased and Hill was unable to fill them until September. The first printing of 10, 000 copies was exhausted within two weeks of publication. Hill had a second printing of 15, 000 copies that was almost gone by the same time. A third printing of 15,000 was run off. Another thirty thousand was produced in November, and the last printing of twenty-five thousand came in January 1901. Altogether the Hill Company published nearly ninety thousand copies. This was the most attractive children's book to date.
2. Last date in print?	As of 2004, the book is still in print. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 100th Anniversary Edition (Books of Wonder, 2000)
3. Total copies sold?	Advance copies were available in May, when Baum presented an unbound copy to his sister Mary Louise during a visit to Syracuse. Hill received over 5,000 orders for the book during the summer. Officially published in September, it was an instant success, selling over 37, 672 copies in fifteen months. Yet The Wizard was still not as successful as Father Goose, which was still the best selling Baum-Denslow title when Hill went bankrupt in February, 1902.
4. Author's own impression?	In this letter sent to his brother Henry, Baum discusses his upcoming books. it says "Then there is the other book, the best thing I ever have written, they tell me, 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'. It is now on the press and will be ready soon after May 1^st. Denslow has made profuse illustrations for it and it will glow with bright colors. Mr. Hill, the publisher, says he expects a sale of at least a quarter of a million copies on it. If he is right, that book alone solves my problems."
5. Other promotion?
6.Performances in other media?	The play The Wizard of Oz. Books and Lyrics by L. Frank Baum. Music by A. Baldwin Slone & Paul Tiejens. Originally staged by Julian Mitchell. First Produced at the Majestic theatre on January 21, 1903 with Fred Stone as "Scarecrow" and David Montgomerry as "Tin Woodman". Movie Wizard of Oz (1925) 7 Reels, silent, Academy Ratio, Released June 27 The Movie The Wizard of Oz (1939) starring Judy Garland. Released November 17th by MGM
9. Translations?	An example of the numerous editions of The Wizard of Oz that have been translated to most major languages.
10. Sequels or Prequels?	A Chronological List of Baum's Oz Books: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Illustrated by W.W. Denslow. Chicago and New York: George M. Hill Co., 1900 The Marvelous Land of Oz: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman. . .Illustrated by John R. Neill. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1904. Ozma of Oz. . . Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1907 Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1908. The Road to Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1909 The Emerald City of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1910 The Little Wizard Series, six small volumes. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1913 The Patchwork Girl of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1913 Little Wizard Stories of Oz. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1914. Tik-Tok of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1914. The Scarecrow of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1915. Rinkitink in Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1916. The Lost Princess of Oz. Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1917. The Tin Woodman of Oz. . . Chicago: Reilly & Britton Co., 1918. The Magic of Oz. . .Chicago: Reilly & Lee Co., 1919. Glinda of Oz. . . Chicago: Reilly & Lee Co., 1920.

Historical Children's Literature
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
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