The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum (11 results)

Condition: Fine. First edition, with state B text, of the classic American fairy tale, an exceptionally beautiful copy. Although it was only one of four books Baum published in 1900, THE WIZARD OF OZ was his most ambitious as a publication: he and illustrator W.W. Denslow envisioned an elaborate production of color-printed plates to reflect the role that color plays in the story. The expense turned publishers away until Baum and Denslow took the gamble to pay for the printing costs themselves. Their instinct was right: the book quickly became the fastest selling children's book in the United States, and was soon turned into a sensation at the theater. Denslow and Baum would soon part acrimoniously over the share of the profits (Denslow purchased, no joke, an island from his); the rest of the Oz books in Baum's lifetime were illustrated by John R. Neill. Baum has a complicated legacy: the Oz books offered a dream world for the children of Manifest Destiny, emigrating across the West. Yet over the years Dorothy's journey with her motley friends has proven fertile soil for a variety of new interpretations, including THE WIZ (1978) and WICKED (1995), demonstrating its power as a modern mythos. The original story may surprise readers, with silver shoes instead of ruby slippers, and an Emerald City that is green only because the visitors must wear colored goggles. First editions are extremely rare in this condition. 8.25'' x 6''. Original full green cloth stamped in red and green, "Geo. M. Hill Co." stamped in red serif typeface on spine, "o" within the "C," author name.5'' from band (Hanff/Greene's and Bienvenue's C; Riley's D). Illustrated pastedowns in black and grey (front) and black and red (rear). With no box around ads on page 2, 1st line on page 14 reads "low wail of", p.81 fourth line from bottom spells "pieces" correctly, p.[227] 1st line reads "While the Woodman", colophon in 13 lines with no box, verso title page has copyright, imperfect type on pages 100, 186, and all other State B points per Riley. Color plates perfect on p. 34 and 92, with copyright notice Rs not below baseline (Riley State C). 216, [1] pages. Very light toning to spine, else crisp, tight, and clean. Housed in custom clamshell box.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First Printing with ALL 24 color plates including the rare color plate between page 14 and 15. The book is bound in the publisher's original cloth with some light wear to the spine. The binding is tight with NO leaning or cocking with minor wear to the edges. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A beautiful copy with an acetate cover to protect the book.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition with ALL 24 color plates including the rare color plate between page 14 and 15. The book is bound in the ORIGINAL publisher's cloth stamped in red and green published 1900. The book is in great shape with some repair to the spine. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp with minor wear to the edges. The pages are clean with provenance of previous owner's name nicely written on the front endpaper dated 1901. There is NO marks or bookplates in the book. A lovely copy housed in a custom clamshell box for preservation. We buy Frank L. Baum First Editions.

Hardcover. Condition: Good Only. W.W. Denslow (illustrator). First Edition. FIRST EDITION A lovely copy of what bibliographer Michael O. Riley wrote: ". the most beloved American fantasy because it embodies many of the hopes, dreams, and fears inherent in the American character." Second State text and pictures, Binding "C" with the following points: Endpapers: "Publisher's spine imprint printed in red in serifed type and with the 'o' of 'Co' placed within the 'C'" Fixed endpapers illustrated, free endpapers blank. Front free endpapers printed in gray and black. Back fixed endpaper, printed in red and black (Colophon 13 lines, no decorative border) Text Advertisement on back of front free endpaper is not enclosed in a box The four misprints which indicate first edition, first state have all been corrected to read: a) p. 14, line 1: "low wail of" b) p. 81 fourth line from bottom, pieces spelled correctly c) p. 227 line 1, correctly reads "While The Woodman" 24 full-color inserts all present. Verso of title page plate bears copyright notice, dated 1899, shows unevenly inked type. Plate facing p. 34 the forehead of the moon shows two dark-blue blots (fig. 6) Plate facing 92 does not show red shading over the horizon. Rebacked spine, with original spine laid down. This copy very bright -- only scattered light shading, more to spine and rear board, but far better than is usually seen. Minimal rubbing to extremities, corners only nudged, Still tightly bound, Pages supple. The 24 color inserts are remarkably bright and unblemished. Unaccountably too lightly used for a book once owned and repeatedly devoured by CHILDREN! Innovative Book Design; Radically New in Publishing ".In addition to the story's extraordinary status as an American myth, the first edition of the book itself is of exceptional importance to the history of American children's book design and publishing. Nothing like it had been seen before: its innovative design literally changed the look of books for children. And more than one hundred and twenty years after its publication.is still an influence on children's book design. But it is a sad truth that books children truly love and read repeatedly are among the most difficult books to find in collectable condition. These are books that are often literally loved to death, or at least into decrepitude and trade books tend not to be constructed to withstand such devotion.The Holy Grail for a collector would be one of the earliest assembled copies in pristine condition in a complete dust jacket. No such copy has yet been found, and it may not exist." IMPORTANT NOTE (and more than most people might want to know or read about how the color pictures were actually placed in this book!): Michael O. Riley's (2023) book, entitled and entirely devoted to: "The First Edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A New Bibliographic Description" describes that the production of this particular book "combined three separately produced elements: the text with its two-color illustrations, the tipped-in color plates, and the binding cases. Of these, the binding cases (covers) were the only component made in-house Riley then goes on to explain that due to the equipment -- The Sheridan flat stock cutters, "this method would result in twenty-four separate piles of the twenty-four different plates.It was therefore unlikely that any one copy of the book ended up with all its plates originating from the same printed sheet. And when new printings of the plates came into the bindery and were cut up and added to these piles, plates from recent and not-so-recent printings ended up, willy-nilly, in the same volume.the text sheets were folded into sections (also referred to as 'gatherings' by machine, then the twenty-four color plates would be attached ('tipped') to their correct positions within the individual gatherings. This process was done by hand; labor was cheap, especially for reptitive, unskilled work such as this." Bienvenue and Schmidt (The Book Collector's Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz, March Hare Books, El Segundo, California, 2009) write: "Scholars, collectors, and other bibliophiles have studied the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for over 70 years [now over 85], painstakingly observing and recording a daunting number of variations found in hundreds of those copies issued by the original publisher. These printing or state points range from the readily observable to the barely perceptible." (P.3).

With pictures by W.W. Denslow. Chicago: Geo. M. Hill Co., [1900]. First edition, second state. With the following points: on p. [2], the publisher's advertisement has no box; on p. 14, line one begins "low wail of."; p. 81, fourth line from bottom has "pieces"; p. [227], line 1 begins: "While The Woodman."; and the colophon is reset in thirteen lines with no box; with broken type in the last line of p. 100 and p. 186. The verso of the title-page has a press-printed copyright notice, with the "R"'s having tails that are on a line with the rest of the printing. Second state of plate facing p. 34 without the two dark-blue blots on the moon and the second state of plate facing p. 92 without the pink shading at the horizon. Quarto (8 5/16 x 6 3/8 inches; 211 x 165 mm). 259, [1, blank], [1], [1, blank] pp. Twenty-four inserted color plates (including title). Original light green cloth pictorially stamped and lettered in red and a darker green (variant C with publisher's imprint at foot of spine in red in serifed type, with the "C" of "Co." encircling the "o"). Pictorial pastedown endpapers (issued without free endpapers). Cloth is lightly soiled and spine is a bit darkened, but without any restoration. Text with a small amount of soiling and finger smudging to outer margins. Some pages lightly toned. Plate facing page 44 with three tiny spots where the paper stuck to the facing page. Plate facing page 80 with a small closed marginal tear, not affecting illustration. Previous owner's old ink signature on preliminary leaf. Closed tear to front hinge which has been professionally restored. Overall, a very good copy of a book usually found in poor condition. Housed in a custom full green morocco clamshell. HBS 65777. $12,500.

Cloth. Condition: Very Good. W.W. Denslow (illustrator). First Edition. Original light green cloth pictorially stamped and lettered in red and a darker green, pictorial pastedown endpapers (issued without free endpapers), housed in custom archival light green cloth clamshell box with dark green morocco title label. Tall octavo (8 3/4 x 7 inches. Size of leaf: 8 3/8 x 6 3/8 inches. Thickness of volume: 1 3/16 inches). 259, [1, blank], [1], [1, blank] pages; illustrated with twenty-four inserted color plates (including title) by Denslow. FIRST EDITION/FIRST STATE. Contains ALL first state textual points: Page [2], the publisher's advertisement is enclosed in a box; page 14, line 1 has "low wail on."; page 81, fourth line from bottom has "peices"; page [227], line 1 begins: "While Tin Woodman."; the colophon at the end of book is set in eleven lines and is enclosed in a box. Pictorial endpapers; the front paste-down is in black and gray, the back paste-down is black and red. The pages facing paste-downs are blank. With perfect type last line of pages 100 and 186. Color plates: 24 full-color, tipped-in inserts: title page and facing pages 12 (a rare variant identified by Blanck, most copies has this plate facing page 14), 20, 34, 36, 44, 56, 66, 80, 92, 102, 114, 126, [138], 150, 160, 170, 184, 198, 212, 220, 228, 246, 254. The verso of the illustrated title page is blank. The color plate facing page 34 has two dark-blue spots on the moon, however, the plate facing page 92 lacks red shading on the horizon. The book is collated complete. Cover: light-green cloth, stamped in read and green on the front, back and spine with variant "B" publisher's imprint at foot of spine (stamped in red "GEO.M.HILL CO." An expertly and sympathetically restored copy of the most famous and collectable American children's book of the 20th century. Extremities and outer hinges with a bit of rubbing and chipping. Boards with some light soiling and a light red stain to front board, expert restoration to hinges and gutters.

First Edition. THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, G.M. Hill, 1900, first edition (3rd issue binding with plain unserified type in red lettering as opposed to green and with the "o" imbedded within the C for company), some light soiling to the covers, binding recased, small nick to the fore edge of the front cover, else a tight vg copy in the publishers original pictorial binding with points in the second state (that is corrected text) and all 24 full color plates present. Still a quite nice copy actually.

W. W. Denslow (illustrator). First Edition. Original pictorial cloth "C" binding, with publisher's imprint in red capital letters with serifs, at foot of spine; quarto. All second issue text points are present: ad on verso of FFEP is not enclosed in a box; page 14, line 1 with misprint corrected ".low wail of."; page 81, 4th line from bottom with misprint corrected ".pieces."; page 227, line 1, with misprint corrected ."While The Woodman." The endpapers (pastedowns) are in the second state: front pastedown printed in gray and black - the rear pastedown is printed in red and black, with 13 lines and not surrounded by a border. Inserted title page and 23 other full color inserted plates; second state of the plate facing p. 34 without two dark blue dots on forehead of the moon and second state of the plate facing p. 92 without red shading above the horizon. Internally clean and bright, with all plates in very good to fine condition (plate facing page 80 creased and with short edge tears, and plate facing page 184 with marginal wear at fore-edge and at lower edge). Inner hinges are visible, as usual, but holding well. A very good unsophisticated copy, showing no restoration. Bienvenue & Schmidt, pp. 4-6.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. First Edition. Second State in the C binding. Thirteen-line colophon without a box, no box on p. 2, "low wail of" on p. 14, illustration on p. 34 without the two blots on the moon, "pieces" on p. 81, illustration on p. 92 without the pink shading. "While The Woodman" on p. 227, broken type on p. 100 and p. 186. Good. Light green cloth soiled, a chip at the foot of the spine, repair at the head, some bumps and fraying at the corners and edges. Square, hinges starting, gift inscription on the front endpaper, textblock mostly firm though the illustration opposite p. 159 is laid-in and missing an inch down the right side. A fairly nice early state copy of the first book in Baum's beloved children's series and the basis for the 1939 film starring Judy Garland.

Hardcover. Condition: Fair. First edition/second state with the following points: n p. 2, the publisher's advertisement has no box; on p. 14, line one begins "low wail of."; p. 81, fourth line from bottom has "pieces"; p. 227, line 1 begins: "While The Woodman."; and the colophon is reset in thirteen lines with no box; with broken type in the last line of p. 100 and p. 186. All 24 color plates are present. The book is badly shaken with loose signatures. The boards are soiled with edgewear. The spine strip is loose with chipping at the spine ends and is still attached to the front board. A name and address are written on the endpage. This would be a good rebinding candidate.

No Binding. 1st Edition Clamshell Collector's Case. 1st Edition Clamshell Collector's Case. No Binding. First Edition Clamshell Case. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Collector's Clamshell Case. Chicago 1900.[Book Date]. Superb Custom Fitted Modern Collector's Clamshell Bookcase [Not A Book] HAND-CRAFTED by our conservation team, each box is Gilt-stamped at the spine. This handsome case is finished in rich black Nuba® with a 'sculpted design of the lion [after the book's distinct illustrated wrapper] on the side. Velour finished interior with green cloth sides. This case fits the edition dimensions of: spine 3,8 cm. x height 22,1 cm x width 17,2 cm. Every TBCL case can be finished in a selection of fine leathers & cloths or Nuba® or a combination of both. Nuba® is a fine, supple & durable covering with a neutral ph that has the feel of velvety soft Italian Nubuck leather. This clamshell is perfectly sized to accommodate your first edition. A Handsome Collector's Custom Case for an important Book. Generally over 100 in-stock titles. Custom Craft available upon request. Book definitely NOT included.