About
L. Frank Baum, born Lyman Frank Baum in Chittenango, New York, in 1856, was an American author best known for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Suffering from a congenitally weak heart, he was educated at home and briefly attended Peekskill Military Academy. Before writing, he worked as an actor, playwright, newspaper editor, and store owner. His marriage to Maud Gage, daughter of suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage, influenced his writing. He wrote fourteen Oz novels, two published posthumously, and used several pseudonyms. He moved to California in 1910 and died in Hollywood in 1919.
* 1856-05-15 — † 1919-05-06
Major works
- Father Goose: His Book (1899)children's poetry collection
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)children's novel
- The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)children's novel
- The Magic of Oz (1919)children's novel
- Glinda of Oz (1920)children's novel
Key milestones
- 1882Marries Maud Gage, daughter of suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage.
- 1900Publishes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which becomes an immediate bestseller.
- 1910Moves to California, to a house called 'Ozcot'.
Themes
AdventureImaginationFriendshipGood vs. evilSelf-discovery
Sources: anb.org · catdir.loc.gov · onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu