Figure 1.--Here we see L. Frank Baum with a group of neighborhood children about 1914-16. He was the creator of the Wizard of Oz and wrote numerous books and stories about Ozwhich first came to light as he told stories to his boys. The children look to be all dressed up in white hairbows, dresses and tunic suits, and long stockings or socks. .

Surely the most poular American children's author at the turn-of-the 20th century was Lyman Frank Baum. He became the best known Amrerican author of children's books which so many adults also enjoyed reading. Frank as liked to be called was born and raised in Chittenango, New York (1856). Chittenango is located in upstate New York. Frank enjoyed reading and writing as a boy. After the Civil War his father enrolled him in the Peekskill Military Academy at the age of years (1868). He was very unappy there. His father was a very sucessful businessman. As an adult he tried hard to follow in his father's footstps and support his family with a range of ventures and jobs. All failed and he found himself constantly in financial difficulties. It was not for lack of effort. He was involved in many ventures. Early on he tried his hand at raisung fancy chickens. Then he tried to become a theater producer and playwright. Baum married Maud Gage, a daughter of Matilda Joslyn Gage, a noted women's suffrage and feminist activist. He and his wife next opened a store in South Dakota and published a newspaper--Baum's Bazaar. It failed when he gave out too much credit. Finally they moved to Chicago. He found a job on a newspaper. he was a great father and regailed his four boys with fantastic stories which entertained if not enrralled them. them. He finally hit on the idea of publishing them. The result was the The Wonderful Wizzard of Oz (1900). Baum was interested in writing frim an erly. His earliest efforts were play scripts. He entertained his kids with Fanciful stories abd only later decided to publish them. There were many Oz books which followed. His primary child character was Dorthy--so brilliantly played by Judy Garland in the 1939 film. It remains to this day one of the all-time favorite American movie and Dorthy one if the mosdt iconic child characters. Late in life, his final major project was to open a movie studio focused on children's films in Los Angeles, California. Unfortunately thzt was well after his death. He always wanted to turn his books into movies.

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Created: May 20, 2002
Last updated: 10:11 PM 6/12/2021