After reading the L. Frank Baum biography I decided to read his most famous book, since I had never read it. I admit, I wanted to see how the original novel is different from the movie. And it IS in many major ways, for example the Oz principles are not counterparts to the Kansas people. That was a clever addition by the screenwriters. I found the annotations far-fetched, far too voluminous and eventually, tiresome. After a while, I skipped them and read only the novel's original text. It seemed quite long for a child to read.

I haven't been blessed with the time or renewing privileges at my local library to continue finishing this book. I used it in a research class where I wrote a paper on The Wizard of Oz and it's "political allegory". With other sources and this one (this one being my absolute favorite) I actually ended up disproving my thesis. It was a genuine learning experience that I have not yet finished but am working on bit by bit.
Full of information on Denslow, Baum, etc. as well as prints of original plates, etc.
Absolutely spectacular!
I would recommend it not only as a resource, but also a great and fascinating piece of reading. ( )

This centennial edition of the book reproduces the original text and illustrations of The Wonderful World of Oz with the original colors -- including a large section of full-color plates in the center of the book and dual-color drawings throughout that change colors as Dorothy and her friends travel through the land of Oz. In addition, there is a lengthy, nicely written, and thoroughly illustrated introduction that gives biographical information on Baum and Denslow, the history of their creative partnership, the popular reception of the first Oz book, and Baum's continued work with the Oz series.

The book itself is annotated by Hearn through a series of footnotes. These often interesting (although occasionally a little out in left field) notes include biographical information; connections between the original books and various movies, plays, and other artwork inspired by the Oz characters; critical receptions of the books; and the occasional nerdy highlighting of inconsistencies within or between different Oz stories. I found the majority of the annotations to be worthwhile and fun to read, although if you hadn't read the book before I would definitely give the original text a read-through before working through Hearn's digressions...

I love really nice books, and this book is physically just awesome -- it is big and heavy with thick paper, just like a children's fairy tale storybook. The illustrations and photographs are wonderful to look at, and make the book a joy to read.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2008/07...] ( )

After reading Gregory Maguire’s version of Oz in Wicked and Son of a Witch, I felt I needed to return to the original, which I hadn’t read before. Like many of us, my entire knowledge of the story is from the 1939 movie. I had purchased this centennial edition for my college’s children’s literature collection, and this was a great excuse to read it. The book incorporates facsimiles of Baum’s 1900 publication, including the original artwork by Denslow. Hearn has added extensive annotations to the text, as well as a 98-page introduction with background on the author and illustrator (and many relevant photographs and drawings). It’s a gorgeous book.

I learned, among other things, that the “ruby slippers” of the movie were actually “silver shoes” in the book (a detail that was correct in Wicked), and that the Tin Woodman was in fact the woodcutter upon whose ax Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (aka the Wicked Witch of the East), casts an evil spell that resulted in his slowly but surely being turned into tin. Interestingly enough, in Wicked, Nessarose has no arms, an implication that she may be the product of her mother’s affair with the Quadling Turtle Heart. In the original Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her friends encounter the armless Hammer-Heads in Quadling country, near the end of the book, after Dorothy has killed the Wicked Witch of the West. ( )

Three books in one. 1) The original story with all the original illustrations reproduced exactly as appeared in the first edition (this is the only re-production edition available). 2) A 102 page literary history with extensive biography of Baum and his works and illustrator Denslow. 3) Extensive annotated notes.

Michael Hearn is the master of annotation and this is just one in a series he has done including The Christmas Carol and Huckleberry Finn. The factual detail is dense, but always relevant and interesting. Oz may be a "kids story" but this is serious adult entertainment. ( )

I have to second the opinion that the annotations are dull. Definitely not as delightful or well-annotated as the Annotated Alice, although this book comes with more front material. A good investment for the avid OZ fan. ( )

The annotations are dull; Michael Patrick Hearn is no Martin Gardner, and just couldn't seem find much to say. ( )

MSVU

Not only does the story remain as magical as ever, but the annotations are really first rate. There's also a great introduction, and an appendix of Denslow's illustrations. ( )