The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

BAUM, L[yman] Frank.The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. With pictures by W. W. Denslow. Chicago: Geo. M. Hill, 1900. 8vo, 260pp. Light green cloth pictorially stamped in green and red. Pictorial fixed endpapers; 24 color plates and two-color illustrations on nearly every page. Expertly recased. A surprisingly bright, sharp copy, with contents clean and bright. Housed in a custom-made slip-case.

First edition, second state, binding state "C", bearing all of the second state points for the text and the plates (Bienvenue p.4-6). A remarkably clean, bright copy of Baum's masterpiece. The cloth is still light green in color – not faded as on nearly every other copy we've ever seen. Even on those few other copies we have ever examined where the covers have stayed light green, the spine cloth has still faded to a dull green or light tan, but this copy actually still retains the original light green color to the spine! By far, the finest copy we have ever seen in over 40 years of handling this title. The book that inspired the hit 1903 Broadway musical, a series of 40 books, and the beloved MGM musical starring Judy Garland. A cornerstone for any collection of American children's books. One of the most influential American children's books of all time.