L. FRANK BAUM (1856-1919), an American author, was chiefly known for his children’s books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He was a prolific writer who wrote 13 novel sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and numerous other works, including 83 short stories, more than 200 poems, and many scripts.
Baum started writing early in his life, prompted by his father who bought him a cheap printing press. His younger brother Henry Clay Baum helped him publish several issues of The Rose Lawn Home Journal. His first book was published in 1886 when he was 30 years old.
Subsequently, Baum developed interest in the theater and could not stay away from the stage. He also performed in plays under the stage names of Louis F. Baum and George Brooks. His father built for him a theatre in Richburg, New York, and Baum set about writing plays and gathering a company to act in them. His The Maid of Arran—a melodrama with songs based on William Black’s novel—A Princess of Thule, was a moderate success. His aunt Katharine Gray was the founder of Syracuse Oratory School, and Baum advertised his services in her catalog to teach theatre. He did various types of jobs for the theatre.
In 1897, he wrote and published Mother Goose in Prose, a collection of Mother Goose rhymes written as prose stories and illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. It was again a moderate success but enabled Baum to quit his sales job to concentrate on writing. In 1899, he partnered with illustrator W.W. Denslow to publish Father Goose, His Book, a collection of nonsense poetry. The book became the best-selling children’s book of the year.
Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz became so popular that after reading it, thousands of children wrote letters to him, requesting that he craft another story about Oz. In 1904, he wrote and published the first sequel, The Marvelous Land of Oz. He also wrote sequels in 1907, 1908, and 1909.