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Summary: the greatest oz reference!!!
Review: if you don't have a copy of wizard of oz, and you just want one that you could use for a reference, then this is the one!!!! you'll be really satisfied with the notes, i guarantee it'll tell you something you don't already know about oz, or something about oz that you would like to find out!!!
buy it! no questions asked!!!
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Summary: An Emerald Of An Edition
Review: Long before Judy Garland clicked the heels of her ruby slippers in 1939, The Wizard of Oz had become a national phenomenon. First published in 1900, L. Frank Baum's story of Dorothy and her companions was staged as a musical by 1902 and was a silent film by 1908. Baum also churned out sequels like The Marvelous Land of Oz and The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. The former journalist and window dresser was smitten with the theater and devoted himself to seeing his stories adapted. Although editor Michael Patrick Hearn's copious notes and biographical background are for the kids to grow into -- Baum's "Kansas" was really patterned on the bleak Dakota territory, where his editorials supported extermination of the Indians after the massacre at Wounded Knee -- the story, accompanied by W. W. Denslow's original, quaint drawings, remains a delight. Episodes and characters omitted from the '39 film, such as the Queen of the Field Mice, enrich this centenary treasure. Click click -- a terrific, beautifully bound gift
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Summary: We're off to Believe in the Wizard
Review: Michael Patrick Hearn really has done a grand service to the American literary world. While the book Wizard of Oz in itself will be a classic of all time, Hearn's annotations breathes life into this book like nothing else I've ever read. His exhaustive, extensive research illuminates this classic, and brings us into the life of L. Frank Baum in connection with his writing of this story. I also loved the reproductions of the the original color plates from the first printing, which Baum painstakingly wanted. As a true devotee of the film, and a casual devotee of the book, I now considered myself converted and find joy equally in both, due to the reading of this new classic. Take advantage of this low price while you can still get it!
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Summary: Heirloom quality release
Review: Not too much to say. This is the timeless story in a beautiful presentation volume with more annotation and trivia than one can ever hope for. Extensively researched and beautifully presented, it will grace your library shelf. You don't buy this volume just to get a copy of The Wizard of Oz. There are other, cheaper ways of doing that. The total package is a work of art and quite affordable at that. My library has two copies now so that my daughters will not have to fight over one later. The copy that I bought from Amazon.com did not have the embossed slip cover (a thing of beauty by itself) and I returned it for that reason. A presentation volume with this much work and care is not complete without it.
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Summary: Fascinating read for Oz fans
Review: The Annotated Alice is one of my prized possessions, so I was looking forward to reading this one. However, it was not what I expected. Martin Gardner's annotations to the Lewis Carroll classics tend to focus on aspects of Victorian society mentioned in the books as well as obscure elements that a quick reader might miss. The annotations for this book, on the other hand, tend to focus more on the thematic and symbolic elements and how they are brought out in the text. I was a little disgruntled at this until I realized that the society behind Dorothy needed less explaining than the society behind Alice, at least to an American reader. Given that, I think that the annotations make the book significantly more interesting and enjoyable for the adult reader. Also included is one of the longest introductions I've ever encountered (102 pages), which is primarily a biography of Baum. (I was going to say a mini-biography, but I don't think 102 oversized pages is a "mini.") A fascinating read for Oz fans.
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Summary: A true delight for Oz fans!
Review: This beautiful, oversize, lavishly illustrated Centennial Edition of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a cornucopia of enjoyment for Oz fans. Edited by Oz expert Michael Patrick Hearn, it's annotated in a manner similar to Martin Gardner's "Annotated Alice" (Gardner contributes a preface outlining the history of the "The Annotated Wizard of Oz"). There's a hundred-page introduction, with lots of photos and color illustrations, covering Baum's life, his family, his non-Oz books, and the history of the Oz phenomenon (books, plays, musicals, movies, other Oz authors, and much more). The story itself is reproduced from the 1900 edition. W.W. Denslow's original illustrations, including all 24 color plates, are here too. Hearn's notes are entertaining, informative and very extensive. For example, there are three double-columned pages dealing with Baum's brief one-page introduction alone! Anyone who loves the Oz books will find countless hours of pleasure in this delightful book. It's well worth the price!
Rating:
Summary: A true delight for Oz fans!
Review: This beautiful, oversize, lavishly illustrated Centennial Edition of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a cornucopia of enjoyment for Oz fans. Edited by Oz expert Michael Patrick Hearn, it's annotated in a manner similar to Martin Gardner's "Annotated Alice" (Gardner contributes a preface outlining the history of the "The Annotated Wizard of Oz"). There's a hundred-page introduction, with lots of photos and color illustrations, covering Baum's life, his family, his non-Oz books, and the history of the Oz phenomenon (books, plays, musicals, movies, other Oz authors, and much more). The story itself is reproduced from the 1900 edition. W.W. Denslow's original illustrations, including all 24 color plates, are here too. Hearn's notes are entertaining, informative and very extensive. For example, there are three double-columned pages dealing with Baum's brief one-page introduction alone! Anyone who loves the Oz books will find countless hours of pleasure in this delightful book. It's well worth the price!
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Summary: An instant classic, and a great bedtime read
Review: This book, like the timeless one it discusses, is an instant classic. Hearn takes you in and behind the world of L. Frank Baum, and puts the reader into the time, place, and mentality in which this book was written. It has just enough, and the right kind of information about one of America's most outstanding writers. This book, as well, is one of the best bedtime reads imaginable; like Dorothy's Oz, it removes one - delightfully so - from the present, rather sobering world, and into another, a fascinating excursion into the making-up of the make-believe. The research is stunning, the detail simply absorbing; Hearn's absolute identification and love for the whole Oz folklore is bracing and contagious. Hearn's writing style is refreshing, engaging, and blessedly free of dry, stuffy pedantry. The book can be read by the childlike and children of all ages. One can't thank Hearn enough for this endeavor.
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Summary: Absolutely fascinating!
Review: This fascinating tome is an in-depth look the L. Frank Baum and his famous work, The Wizard of Oz. The book begins with a biography of Baum that turns into a biography of the book, complete with information on all of the plays and movies that were derived from it. Next comes the bulk of the book, a reproduction of the original 1900 edition of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with pages upon pages of notes sprinkled throughout. As an added bonus, the book ends with William Wallace Denslow's story, Adventures of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Little Girl. This book is absolutely fascinating! The introduction (biography) is brimming with many wonderful photos, and even several of Baum's maps. As might be expected of the notes for the book, I found many long-winded and/or irrelevant, while others completely tickled my fancy. This, though, probably merely reflects my own tastes; another reader would probably cherish some notes I disliked and vice versa. Overall, I think that this book is a wonderful resource for anyone who is interested in the Wizard of Oz, and I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Everything you wanted to know about the Wizard of Oz
Review: This holiday season I am coming on strong as the Ghost of Christmas past and one of the things I am strongly advocating are annotated editions of beloved books. One title that has to be on any short lists of beloved books would be "The Wizard of Oz." As you know, this book is a potent political allegory representing a nation divided between an agricultural past, represented by the Scarecrow, and the industrial future, symbolized by the Tin Woodman. Baum's position on the free silver issue that dominated American politics at the turn of the last century is self-evident, from the silver slippers that Dorothy wears to the caricature of William Jennings Bryan as the Cowardly Lion. Of course, this interpretation has been around for years and you can certainly make up your mind after reading what Michael Patrick Hearn has put together in this wonderful Centennial Edition of "The Annotated Wizard of Oz." For starters, we have all of the original illustrations by W. W. Denslow, reproduced in their correct colors. That alone is worth having, but this volume also includes lots of rare drawings, photographs, and maps having to do with Baum's classic tale. Hearn's annotations focus not only on where Baum got his ideas but where "The Wizard of Oz" fits into the grand scheme of folk tales and children's stories as well as Baum's collective writings. Obviously, Hearn knows about a lot more than just Baum's career and writings, but he avoids sounding like a scholar speaking from an ivory tower. Obviously, "The Annotated Wizard of Oz" is not for the first time reader. I would contend that an annotated edition of this, or any other beloved book like "Anne of Green Gables," "Alice in Wonderland," or "The Hobbit," is for those who are in double-figures when it comes to the number of times they have read the book in question. This is a chance to discover new levels of meanings. There is really no need for persuasion here: if you know how you feel about this story and you see what is collected in this annotated version, that should be more than enough to convince you this is worth getting for yourself (or someone you love) even if you do not find it under the tree on Christmas morning.
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