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<b>Bonhams:</b> MANDELSHTAM, OSIP. 1891-1938. Autograph Manuscript, 2 pp, [Petersburg,] January 1913, entitled

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Now Available: The Book All Collectors of L. Frank Baum and Oz Must Have - By Michael Stillman The Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz. By Michael Stillman A book has been published that is an absolute must for anyone who collects L. Frank Baum, the Oz books, or anything closely related. The title is The Book Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz, written by Paul R. Bienvenue with Robert E. Schmidt, and is published by March Hare Books of El Segundo, California. It even contains a foreword from the author's great-grandson, Robert A. Baum, who knew Frank's wife, Maud (L. Frank Baum died 90 years ago, but Maud lived until 1953, and was a particular influence on his pro-feminist views). The book is priced at $75, which, while a bargain for the level of research provided, is irrelevant to a serious Baum collection. This is an incredibly detailed bibliography and you will never purchase another significant Baum book (in English) again without consulting it. L. Frank Baum was born in 1856, and attempted a number of careers before settling down to be a writer of children's books. He tried raising poultry, worked as a store clerk, and moved to South Dakota to open his own store. However, Baum always had a love for writing and the theater, and his lack of notable success in other endeavors always brought him back. As early as the age of 15, he was publishing an amateur newspaper, The Rose Lawn Journal (named after the family estate near Syracuse, New York), and he would later publish a directory of local stamp dealers, and The Poultry Record during his fowl breeding days. His first true book was The Book of the Hamburgs, about a breed of chicken, published in 1886. Bienvenue describes it as his "scarcest" book and one can understand why. It would not have had the appeal of his Oz books. In the 1880s, Baum managed some theaters for his wealthy father, and wrote and acted in some plays himself. The most successful was The Maid of Arran, performed in 1882. At the time, he was also writing for some newspapers. He married Maud Gage, daughter of a prominent suffragist, but then returned to another family business more associated with the source of his family's wealth, petroleum. The firm was Baum's Castorine Co., which produced such products as axle grease. It was a series of family financial setbacks that led Baum to move to South Dakota, where he opened Baum's Bazaar, a general store that failed after a year in business. He next published a newspaper in Aberdeen, South Dakota, which also failed, and then moved to Chicago to pursue various journalistic and mercantile pursuits. He took on a job as a traveling china salesman, a role that meant many nights spent on the road, away from his wife and children. He used this time away from home to write short stories and poems for adults, but at home, he would invent tales for his children. This led him to the fine printing house of Way and Williams, which commissioned him to write his first children's book, Mother Goose in Prose, published in 1897. This was an expensive book, with illustrations obtained from the then young Maxfield Parrish, more suitable for adults then children. It did not sell very well.
Now Available: The Book All Collectors of L. Frank Baum and Oz Must Have - By Michael Stillman First edition/state/variant of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Nevertheless, Mother Goose did receive critical acclaim, opening doors for future works. Still, Baum had to earn a living, and in 1898 he began publishing The Show Window, a magazine for those who prepared window displays. Meanwhile, he personally published a small book of poetry for family and friends in 1898, By The Candelabra's Glare (99 copies). One artist who contributed drawings for the project was W.W. Denslow, who would soon collaborate with Baum on his hugely successful early books. The two would begin collaborating on a book featuring Baum's rhymes and Denslow's illustrations, Father Goose; His Book. It was a surprise success, eventually selling over 100,000 copies. Now, after years of struggling, Baum was achieving dual successes, writing children's books and about store window displays. The result was that Baum needed to become very prolific as a writer. In 1900, he wrote several children's books, including his Army Alphabet, Navy Alphabet, and A New Wonderland; he wrote The Art of Decorating Show Windows and Displaying Merchandise (don't read this one to your children at bedtime), and ... oh, yes ... he put out a book with Denslow entitled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. You know the rest. The Wizard is one of the most acclaimed and popular of children's books ever written. The 1939 film version, starring Judy Garland, is on everyone's list of the best movies ever made. Baum's career and success was sealed with the publication of this book. Fortunately, he remained a prolific writer through the remainder of his life, which concluded in 1919. His next several children's books would take him away from Oz, but the fantastic success of the Wizard would return him to the theme in 1904. He then published the second of what would be 14 Oz books he would write. It all makes for many opportunities to collect his numerous Oz books in so many different iterations. Nevertheless, he would continue to write non-Oz titles as well. Additionally, Baum would disguise his identity to write different stories, his works being published under the pseudonyms Floyd Akers, Laura Bancroft, John Estes Cooke, Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald, Suzanne Metcalf, Schuyler Staunton, Edith Van Dyne, and anonymously. Collecting Baum offers practically unlimited opportunities. Nor did Oz die with Baum. Collecting Oz affords opportunities well beyond Baum's work. It was such a successful series that the publisher continued the stories after Baum died. The franchise was next turned over to Ruth Plumly Thompson, who wrote more Oz books than did Baum. She wrote 19 between 1921 and 1939. Next, the title of "Royal Historian of Oz," and writer of the books was passed on to John R. Neill. Neill had illustrated many of Baum's works, as far back as the second Oz book in 1904. He would continue with three Oz books, after which writing was turned over to Jack Snow, then Rachel Cosgrove Payes, and finally Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Even this does not cover all the material available to Oz and Baum collectors. There were many Oz-related books not within the series. Baum wrote some short stories using Oz characters, works were published about the film version, and so on. Later writers also contributed "extra-canonical" Oz books. These are works not officially considered to be part of the series, but about Oz anyway. For example, Neill had an uncompleted manuscript in progress when he died, which was completed and published over 40 years later in 1995. Bienvenue lists the last canonical Oz book as McGraw's Merry Go Round in Oz, published in 1963, but she issued a title as late as 2001. And, various items Baum wrote continue to show up occasionally, and there may well be more things he created yet to be published, even over a century later.
Now Available: The Book All Collectors of L. Frank Baum and Oz Must Have - By Michael Stillman Blue dots on moon, red shading on horizon, distinguish first state of The Wizard from second. Bienvenue's book will give you all the information about Baum and his successors' careers, but also the details of the various points of issue needed to collect first and other early and important editions. There are not only different editions, but different printings of the same edition, and variants within individual printings. With books as popular as Baum's, such variations are common, making collecting both more challenging and more interesting. Bienvenue provides the data necessary to distinguish between these similar, but different versions. For example, there are minor differences on a few pages between the first and second state the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and within the first state, there are three variant bindings. Bienvenue shows you how to distinguish these, including photographs of the differences so you can make a positive identification. As a Baum or Oz collector, once you get your hands on this book, you will never again be able to live without it. It's that good. You might even say it's wizardry. The Book Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz is available at the website of March Hare Books, with a 20% discount and free shipping for online purchases. The website may be found at www.marchharebooks.com.

Now Available: The Book All Collectors of L. Frank Baum and Oz Must Have

- By Michael Stillman

The Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz.

By Michael Stillman

A book has been published that is an absolute must for anyone who collects L. Frank Baum, the Oz books, or anything closely related. The title is The Book Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz, written by Paul R. Bienvenue with Robert E. Schmidt, and is published by March Hare Books of El Segundo, California. It even contains a foreword from the author's great-grandson, Robert A. Baum, who knew Frank's wife, Maud (L. Frank Baum died 90 years ago, but Maud lived until 1953, and was a particular influence on his pro-feminist views). The book is priced at $75, which, while a bargain for the level of research provided, is irrelevant to a serious Baum collection. This is an incredibly detailed bibliography and you will never purchase another significant Baum book (in English) again without consulting it.

L. Frank Baum was born in 1856, and attempted a number of careers before settling down to be a writer of children's books. He tried raising poultry, worked as a store clerk, and moved to South Dakota to open his own store. However, Baum always had a love for writing and the theater, and his lack of notable success in other endeavors always brought him back. As early as the age of 15, he was publishing an amateur newspaper, The Rose Lawn Journal (named after the family estate near Syracuse, New York), and he would later publish a directory of local stamp dealers, and The Poultry Record during his fowl breeding days. His first true book was The Book of the Hamburgs, about a breed of chicken, published in 1886. Bienvenue describes it as his "scarcest" book and one can understand why. It would not have had the appeal of his Oz books.

In the 1880s, Baum managed some theaters for his wealthy father, and wrote and acted in some plays himself. The most successful was The Maid of Arran, performed in 1882. At the time, he was also writing for some newspapers. He married Maud Gage, daughter of a prominent suffragist, but then returned to another family business more associated with the source of his family's wealth, petroleum. The firm was Baum's Castorine Co., which produced such products as axle grease.

It was a series of family financial setbacks that led Baum to move to South Dakota, where he opened Baum's Bazaar, a general store that failed after a year in business. He next published a newspaper in Aberdeen, South Dakota, which also failed, and then moved to Chicago to pursue various journalistic and mercantile pursuits. He took on a job as a traveling china salesman, a role that meant many nights spent on the road, away from his wife and children. He used this time away from home to write short stories and poems for adults, but at home, he would invent tales for his children. This led him to the fine printing house of Way and Williams, which commissioned him to write his first children's book, Mother Goose in Prose, published in 1897. This was an expensive book, with illustrations obtained from the then young Maxfield Parrish, more suitable for adults then children. It did not sell very well.

Now Available: The Book All Collectors of L. Frank Baum and Oz Must Have

- By Michael Stillman

First edition/state/variant of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Nevertheless, Mother Goose did receive critical acclaim, opening doors for future works. Still, Baum had to earn a living, and in 1898 he began publishing The Show Window, a magazine for those who prepared window displays. Meanwhile, he personally published a small book of poetry for family and friends in 1898, By The Candelabra's Glare (99 copies). One artist who contributed drawings for the project was W.W. Denslow, who would soon collaborate with Baum on his hugely successful early books. The two would begin collaborating on a book featuring Baum's rhymes and Denslow's illustrations, Father Goose; His Book. It was a surprise success, eventually selling over 100,000 copies. Now, after years of struggling, Baum was achieving dual successes, writing children's books and about store window displays. The result was that Baum needed to become very prolific as a writer. In 1900, he wrote several children's books, including his Army Alphabet, Navy Alphabet, and A New Wonderland; he wrote The Art of Decorating Show Windows and Displaying Merchandise (don't read this one to your children at bedtime), and ... oh, yes ... he put out a book with Denslow entitled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. You know the rest.

The Wizard is one of the most acclaimed and popular of children's books ever written. The 1939 film version, starring Judy Garland, is on everyone's list of the best movies ever made. Baum's career and success was sealed with the publication of this book. Fortunately, he remained a prolific writer through the remainder of his life, which concluded in 1919. His next several children's books would take him away from Oz, but the fantastic success of the Wizard would return him to the theme in 1904. He then published the second of what would be 14 Oz books he would write. It all makes for many opportunities to collect his numerous Oz books in so many different iterations. Nevertheless, he would continue to write non-Oz titles as well. Additionally, Baum would disguise his identity to write different stories, his works being published under the pseudonyms Floyd Akers, Laura Bancroft, John Estes Cooke, Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald, Suzanne Metcalf, Schuyler Staunton, Edith Van Dyne, and anonymously. Collecting Baum offers practically unlimited opportunities.

Nor did Oz die with Baum. Collecting Oz affords opportunities well beyond Baum's work. It was such a successful series that the publisher continued the stories after Baum died. The franchise was next turned over to Ruth Plumly Thompson, who wrote more Oz books than did Baum. She wrote 19 between 1921 and 1939. Next, the title of "Royal Historian of Oz," and writer of the books was passed on to John R. Neill. Neill had illustrated many of Baum's works, as far back as the second Oz book in 1904. He would continue with three Oz books, after which writing was turned over to Jack Snow, then Rachel Cosgrove Payes, and finally Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Even this does not cover all the material available to Oz and Baum collectors. There were many Oz-related books not within the series. Baum wrote some short stories using Oz characters, works were published about the film version, and so on. Later writers also contributed "extra-canonical" Oz books. These are works not officially considered to be part of the series, but about Oz anyway. For example, Neill had an uncompleted manuscript in progress when he died, which was completed and published over 40 years later in 1995. Bienvenue lists the last canonical Oz book as McGraw's Merry Go Round in Oz, published in 1963, but she issued a title as late as 2001. And, various items Baum wrote continue to show up occasionally, and there may well be more things he created yet to be published, even over a century later.

Now Available: The Book All Collectors of L. Frank Baum and Oz Must Have

- By Michael Stillman

Blue dots on moon, red shading on horizon, distinguish first state of The Wizard from second.

Bienvenue's book will give you all the information about Baum and his successors' careers, but also the details of the various points of issue needed to collect first and other early and important editions. There are not only different editions, but different printings of the same edition, and variants within individual printings. With books as popular as Baum's, such variations are common, making collecting both more challenging and more interesting. Bienvenue provides the data necessary to distinguish between these similar, but different versions. For example, there are minor differences on a few pages between the first and second state the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and within the first state, there are three variant bindings. Bienvenue shows you how to distinguish these, including photographs of the differences so you can make a positive identification. As a Baum or Oz collector, once you get your hands on this book, you will never again be able to live without it. It's that good. You might even say it's wizardry. The Book Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz is available at the website of March Hare Books, with a 20% discount and free shipping for online purchases. The website may be found at www.marchharebooks.com.