L. Frank Baum's 1903 musical adaptation of his novel The Wizard of Oz was one of the most popular plays of the first decades of the 20th Century. Six years later, Baum was approached by Broadway producers the Shuberts, to recreate its success with a new Oz musical. The result was Ozma of Oz or The Magnet of Love: A Musical Extravaganza. Betsy, like Dorothy before her, finds herself shipwrecked in a strange country. It is not long till she becomes swept up in the political intrigues of Ozma, the schemes of Shaggy Man to rescue his brother from the Metal Monarch, and Tik-Tok, who only wants to find love.Preserved in the script are Baum's lyrics and his own descriptions of the special effects he envisioned. Theatre Arts Press is proud to publish the first printed libretto of Baum's timeless musical story.

Long before Judy Garland sang Over the Rainbow, the denizens of Oz had already captivated the American reading public. The quintessential American fairy tale, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has had a singular influence on our culture since it first appeared in 1900. Yet, as Michael Riley shows, Baum's achievement went far beyond this one book, or even the 13 others he wrote about that magic kingdom.

The first striking thing about this book is its elegant dust jacket made to look like a copper plate. But the eye candy stretches past the front cover, nearly every page with either color illustrations or distinctive frames, fleurons, and figures around the text. Not surprising to those who've taken some literature classes, the annotations following a page of text are often far longer than whatever bit of text they illustrate. But if the reader should find academicism beside the point, annotations are easy to skip because Baum's story is written in larger type. This edition is for both kids and kiddie litters, the latter interested in such tidbits as the Dorothy-type farmgirl character called Dot, Dolly, and Doris in other works by Frank Baum, and the reigning theory that Dorothy lived in Kansas, yes, but more specifically, Topeka. Reprinted from the 1900 edition with many of the original drawings by W.W. Denslow. Oversize: 9.5x10.5". Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

Ozma of Oz is the book in Frank Baum's Oz book series. It records the adventures of Oz with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Tiktok, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger; and other characters. It is the first Oz narrative in which the majority of the events occur outside of Oz. Only the final two chapters are set in Oz. This conveys a slight change in theme: in the first book, Oz is the perilous land through which Dorothy must make her way back to Kansas; in the third, Oz is the book's conclusion and goal. Dorothy's wish to return home is not as strong as it was in the first book, and it is her uncle's need for her rather than her own that compels her to do so.

For the second time a little girl from the United States comes to Oz. Betsy Bobbin is shipwrecked in the Nonestic Ocean with her friend Hank the mule. The two drift to shore in the Rose Kingdom on a fragment of wreckage. Betsy meets the Shaggy Man and accompanies him to the Nome Kingdom, where Shaggy hopes to release his brother, a prisoner of the Nome King. Ontheir way to the Nome Kingdom, one fascinating adventure follows another. They meet Queen Ann Soforth of Oogaboo and her army, and lovely Polychrome, who had lost her rainbow again; they rescue Tik-Tok from a well; and are dropped through a Hollow Tube to the other side of the world where they meet Quox, the dragon. You'll find it one of the most exciting of all the Oz books.