L. Frank Baum

Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author, and the creator of one of the most popular books ever written in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Later life and work

With the success of Wizard, Baum and Denslow hoped lightning would strike a third time and in 1901 published Dot and Tot of Merryland. The book was one of Baum's weakest, and its failure further strained his faltering relationship with Denslow. It would be their last collaboration.

Related Topics:
1901 - Dot and Tot of Merryland

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Several times during the development of the Oz series, Baum declared that he had written his last Oz book and devoted himself to other works of fantasy fiction based in other magical lands, including The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus and Queen Zixi of Ix. However, persuaded by popular demand, letters from children, and the failure of his new books, he returned to the series each time. All of his novels have fallen into public domain in most jurisdictions, and many are available through Project Gutenberg.

Related Topics:
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus - Queen Zixi of Ix - Public domain - Project Gutenberg

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Later in life Baum was plagued with debt and illness. Because of his lifelong love of theatre, he often financed elaborate musicals, often to his financial detriment. One of Baum's worst financial endevors was his Fairylogues and Radio Plays (1908), which combined a slideshow, film, and live actors with a lecture by Baum as if he were giving a travelogue to Oz. However, Baum ran into trouble and could not pay his debts to the company who produced the films, and did not get back to a stable financial situation until almost a decade later, after he sold the royalty rights to many of earlier works, including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Related Topics:
Fairylogues and Radio Plays - 1908 - Travelogue

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His final book, Glinda of Oz was published a year after his death in 1920 but the Oz series was continued long after his death by other authors, notably Ruth Plumly Thompson who wrote an additional nineteen Oz books.

Related Topics:
Glinda of Oz - 1920 - Ruth Plumly Thompson

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Baum made use of several pseudonyms for some of his other, non-Oz books. They include:

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• Edith Van Dyne (the Aunt Jane's Nieces series)
• Laura Bancroft (Twinkle and Chubbins, Policeman Bluejay)
• Floyd Akers (the Sam Steele series)
• Suzanne Metcalf (Annabel)
• Schuyler Staunton (Daughters of Destiny)
• John Estes Cooke
• Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald

Baum also anonymously wrote The Last Egyptian: A Romance of the Nile.

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Baum died on May 6, 1919 and was buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California.

Related Topics:
May 6 - 1919 - Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery - Glendale, California

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