The Marvelous Land Of Oz
Reading by Roy TrumbullDownload Now...
| Text Source: |  |
| Type: | Audio Book, human-read |
| Description: | Not available |
| Table of Contents: | Not available |
Product Description
Few fantasy lands have captured our hearts and imaginations as has the marvelous land of Oz. For over four generations, children and adults alike have reveled in the magical adventures of its beloved folk. Now, for the first time in over seventy years, the second book about Oz is presented here in the same deluxe format as the rare first edition, complete with all 16 of the original John R. Neill color plates, its colorful pictorial binding, and the many black-and-white illustrations that bring it to joyous life. First issued in 1904, L. Frank Baum's The Marvelous Land of Oz is the story of the wonderful adventures of the young boy named Tip as he travels throughout the many lands of Oz. Here he meets with our old friends the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, as well as some new friends like Jack Pumpkinhead, the Wooden Sawhorse, the Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug, and the amazing Gump. How they thwart the wicked plans of the evil witch Mombi and overcome the rebellion of General Jinjur and her army of young women is a tale as exciting and endearing today as it was when first published over eighty years ago. Afterword by Peter Glassman. A facsimile of the rare first edition, complete with all 16 original color plates, a colorful pictorial binding, and over 125 of Neill's drawings. A Books of Wonder(R) Classic.
Customer Review: Dated but readable
It is my understanding that this book links the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (i.e. not meant to be a serial) and the rest of the books in the series (which I have, admittedly, not read yet). If this is the case, it is a worthwhile read. It begins clumsily in comparison to the WWOO, but finds a groove about halfway through the book and becomes another showcase for Baum's fertile imagination. The synopsis included in other reviews is correct, so I will not belabor that point.
One reviewer mentioned the sexism inherent in the book. Despite the fact that the hero(ine) and the protagonist are ultimately female, this is correct. As I read this to my 2-year old son, I found myself laughing at conceits that would never be published today. Like an army of petulant girls armed with knitting needles. My favorite bit is the end, at which time the women of Oz are happy about being 'liberated' from their position as heads of households since they really wanted the chance to cook a good meal! Wow... If you are reading this to anyone over the age of 2, you might want to point out the difference between 1904 and 2004 and beyond.
I would not recommend this to an adult reader (other than a Baum completist), or to a child who was not reading the entire series. However, for anyone reading more than one Oz books to their children, this will be a good purchase. It is my opinion that many children's books these days are creative within the confines of reality, but not necessarily imaginative. This book is definitely imaginative and should therefore be a nice addition to any child's library.
Customer Review: A fun, creative adventure until.....
I read this as a fourth grade girl and found it the best of all Baum's Oz books. I loved the character Tip and his relationship with all of his friends and even with his enemies: Mombi, the scary witch who raised him; the Wizard, a complex character of good and evil; Jack Pumpkinhead, son to the child. I loved all of the other delighful characters: the sawhorse, the Woggle-bug, the amazing flyin Gump, and so many others. I loved how real Tip seemed; a sometimes grumpy, mischevious boy who nevertheless had a good heart. Reading the story, I truly was caught up into a world of magic,wonderful characterization, and great adventure. But the ending brought it all crashing down: not only was Tip given little choice in being changed by Glinda, once changed his whole free-spirited, well-rounded personality was lost. Instead of being restored to his "true self," it seemed to me that all he had grown to be and all that he considered true of himself was sacrificed to the status quo (of course I didn't know that word in the 4th grade, but I knew Tip had suffered an injustice). I still love the joy and fun of the first part of the book, but I can't help but feel it ended in tragedy. Bad Glinda!
Customer Review: The Marvelous Land of Oz
This is book two in the series and a wonderful read for Children and Adults.
Customer Review: Perhaps the Funniest of the Oz series...
I seem to say that every Oz book is my favorite, and I suppose that speaks to the strength of the series. What I really enjoyed about this book as a child is that I had actually read "Ozma of Oz" (second in the series) before this one. So I had no idea that this story would tell us how Ozma arrived on the scene. What a fantastic surprise! Once again, Baum shows us why he is the master of fantasy, with this sequel. In many ways, I enjoy this book much more than "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." The scene when the unforgettable character, Jack Pumpkinhead, enters the court of the Scarecrow will split your belly as if you were the straw man himself. It's a scene of intelligently-written laughs, and I always use this chapter of the book as a model with my creative writing students to demonstrate how to craft humor. Of course, as someone who enjoys puns (especially bad ones), I also relish every line of the Wogglebug in this book. With "The Marvelous Land of Oz", I think Baum established that he was a force to be reckoned with, and I highly recommend this book to all young readers.
Customer Review: Why "Marvelous Land of Oz" is the best Oz book.
I have always had a silly fetish with Glinda ever since reading the Wizard of Oz, and reading the Land of Oz made it worse. The subsequent books of the series have disappointed me. Ever since, whenever I have assessed another fantasy work, the Land of Oz has always been the yardstick. I know this sounds silly, but I've fallen for anything that has a sorceress in it, lol! He-man, Prydain, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, you name it. If it had a witch in it, I was curious. I came across a Tanith Lee novel that had a "white witch" in it and found it to be disgusting and disturbing, like slash. (That copy is now ashes.) And when I heard about the Harry Potter controversy, I knew instinctively that the critics were bashing a perfectly legitimate fantasy series, and so I had to read them.
Something should be said about Narnia. In it, white was the witch color, but the witch in it was as bad as could be. Jadis at an earlier age and the Green Lady were no better. And I thought, does Lewis have something against female magicians?
Yet Lewis and Tolkien had something in common with the Land of Oz: the themes of power and responsibility, respect for authority, and establishing the legitimacy of rule. In Narnia, Caspian was told in no uncertain terms that a king does not have the right to abdicate. In Oz, when Ozma is just about to be made Queen, the moral atmosphere doesn't feel any different. Ozma as it were can't simply choose to remain a boy all her life while Oz remains in control of illegitimate rulers. As Glinda would say, the throne of Oz belongs only to its "rightful ruler".
Sad to say, Baum later succumbs to fan pressure and writes to support himself more than for the art of writing. His use of theme grows weaker, he brings Dorothy back into Oz permanently, and his adventures deteriorate into silliness and parody. Consequently, the later Oz books are better suited for light and humorous reading. Alas, I cannot make Baum a good writer any more than one can make him a Christian or make Lewis a feminist.
Book Categories:
Books / Subjects / Children's Books / Series / Fantasy & Adventure / Oz
Books / Subjects / Children's Books / Literature / General
Books / Subjects / Children's Books / Literature / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror / Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
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Books / Subjects / Children's Books / Literature / Action & Adventure
Books / Subjects / Children's Books / Ages 9-12 / General
Books / Subjects / Children's Books / Authors & Illustrators, A-Z / ( B ) / Baum, L. Frank
Books / Refinements / Binding (binding) / Hardcover
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Books / Refinements / Age Range (age_range) / Ages 9-12
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