The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Baum, L. Frank - 1900

Chicago: George M. Hill Co., 1900 First edition. Illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Original publisher's pale green pictorial cloth stamped in green and red with The Cowardly Lion to upper cover, lower cover with Dorothy, Tin Woodman, and The Scarecrow. Binding state "B" with publisher's imprint in red un-serifed type at foot of spine (copies of binding "A" with publisher's imprint to spine in green are extremely scarce and generally considered to be pre-publication copies for friends of the author and publisher.) Text and illustrations in the first state, except for two points in the second (corrected) state. Containing the first issue points as follows: page 2 with a box around ads, verso of title page is blank with copyright printed to verso of Introduction, 1st line of page 14 reads "low wail on", 4th line from the bottom of page 81 spells "peices" incorrectly, 1st line of page 227 reads "While Tin Woodman", colophon with box around 11 lines of text, page 100 with perfect type, plate facing page 34 has two dark blue blots to the face of the moon; containing these two later points as follows: page 186 with broken type, plate facing page 92 without pink shading at the horizon. A very good copy with inner hinges repaired, head and tail of spine reinforced with cloth neatly relaid over repairs, a few light spots to cloth, spine lightly toned, binding generally clean and unworn, pictorial covers very bright, former owner's name dated 1901 to front free endpaper, pages clean. Hanff & Greene I. 1-2, binding B. Bienvenue p.4. Housed in a customer quarter-leather folding box. Overall, the earliest obtainable binding for this classic of children's literature, with almost all of the first state points of the text and illustrations. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, subsequently published under the shortened title The Wizard of Oz, is the first of Baum's books to feature the fictional Land of Oz. Inspired by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, Baum created the first truly American fairy tale, with references to American physical and social landscapes. The story features a young female protagonist, Dorothy Gale, and tells of her adventures in the colorful world of Oz after being transported there from her Kansas home by a tornado. The novel is illustrated by William Wallace Denslow, a book designer and political cartoonist who had previously illustrated Baum's earlier works. The author and illustrator later disagreed about whose contribution garnered the book's commercial success and therefore deserved more of its royalties. As a result of this conflict, John R. Neill illustrated the thirteen Oz books Baum subsequently published.. First Edition. Very Good. Illus. by Denslow, W. W..