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L Frank Baum is the author of The
Wizard of Oz. Although the movie and the book differ in minor ways, the premise is similar
and so are most of the characters. The only significant difference, that might
matter to a child and possibly to an adult, is that in the movie, Dorothy’s
journey to Oz is only a dream, purely imaginary. In
the book, however, there is no such rationale. Instead it invites the child to
use his or her imagination as a creative, transforming force and to accept the
journey, and Oz as a real place full of hope over the rainbow, where the child
could escape ordinary life. Baum believed in the power of the imagination in the
child. Oz really existed if only we believed it did.
Born Lyman Frank Baum in 1856, just east of Syracuse in Chittenango, NY. He
never used his first name since he preferred Frank. A rather sickly child who
was both timid and shy, he kept to himself and made up imaginary places and
playmates since he had to refrain from any kind of strenuous exercise due to his
faulty, weak heart. Throughout Frank’s life, his health was a constant
impediment, which became a looming presence and a major controlling factor.
Although, it never impeded his creativity, drive and talent.
When Frank was about 5 years old, his father, Benjamin Baum, struck it rich in
the oil business, and the family moved to Rose Lawn Estate, a country home near
Chittenango. Rose Lawn was an idyllic place for young Frank to grow up. He was
very happy there except for the constant reminder of his heart condition. It is
possible that young Frank developed his creative side more than most since he
was not allowed to play physically like other children his age. Frank read fairy tales and British writers
voraciously, and he especially enjoyed Dickens. But even at his young age, he
criticized the fairy tales that were frightening and horrifying, "I
demanded fairy stories when I was a youngster…and I was a critical reader too.
One thing I never liked then, and that was the introduction of witches and
goblins into the story. I didn’t like the little dwarfs in the woods bobbing
up with their horrors."2 These fairy stories contributed to his nightmares
or perhaps it was his overly active imagination. Frank made the decision that he
would write a different kind of fairy tale.
Because of Frank’s dreamer-like qualities, his parents sent him away to a
strict military school to rid him of his fanciful demeanor. This decision was
not a wise one, for it did not curb his whimsical nature but instead resulted in
his suffering a heart attack or a nervous breakdown (it is not clear which).
Frank had always been home schooled prior to this experience. He did not like
Peekskill Military School at all and it is understandable since he was not
accustomed to such strict, regimented schedules and physical punishment. His
parents finally allowed Frank to withdraw from Peekskill after they realized the
negative effect it had on him and his health. His parents then began to nurture
Frank’s creative interests.
Frank’s initial attempt at writing and publishing was in his own small
newspaper called The Rose Lawn Home Journal. His father bought him a
small printing press after he showed an interest in a larger, more commercial
one. He was fifteen years old when he began this paper with his younger brother
Harry. The newspaper contained
articles, editorials, fiction, poetry, and word games. The Rose Lawn Home
Journal did well and some of the local stores bought advertisement space for
their services. In 1873, Frank started a new paper called The Empire as
well as The Stamp Collector, a magazine for stamp
collectors.
Early on Frank demonstrated his resourcefulness, drive and creativity.
Throughout his life, he was always productive with his time and energy and was
never idle. Frank always had many interests and one of them was tending
chickens. With the help of his father and brother Harry, he began to breed
Hamburgs, small colorful birds which were popular at the time and they soon won
awards. Frank then began a new magazine called The Poultry Record.
Frank’s first book was published in 1886 and was called The Book of
Hamburgs, A Brief Treatise upon the Mating, Rearing, and Management of the
Different Varieties of Hamburgs.
Throughout his life, Frank’s interests were varied and he did well at most
things he attempted. His most influential interest was the theatre, which he
developed in his teens and loved and supported throughout his life. He took
acting seriously and viewed it as an art. As a young
man, he entertained the thought that his career was to be an actor. He finally
got a taste of the stage with Albert M. Palmer’s Union Square Theater in New
York. Frank took the pen names of Louis F. Baum and George Brooks. Benjamin
Baum, his father, who owned a string of opera houses in New York and
Pennsylvania, must have seen his son’s enthusiasm and love of the theatre, for
he made him the manager of them in 1880 and eventually they were given to him
after he proved himself worthy. After whetting his thirst for the theatre and
seeing what delighted the audiences, Frank set to work on writing original
plays. His play The Maid of Arran immediately became a success. Frank was the leading man and
the manager of the company for The Maid of Arran. This was Baum’s first
major literary work. Overall, the reviews were very positive and this spark
ignited the flame of passion for the theatre.
It was while Frank was home on holiday that he met the other love of his life,
Maud Gage. Through his sister Harriet’s persistence, Frank agreed to meet Maud
at a party. She was still at Cornell University while Frank was with The Maid of
Arran Company. After the holiday season came to a close, Maud left to go back to
school to the admiration of other male suitors and Frank stayed with the
Company. Maud came from a prosperous family who lived in Fayetteville, NY.
Maud’s mother, Matilda Joslyn Gage, was a nationally known feminist and her
father was a dry-goods merchant.
Frank began courting Maud soon after meeting her. Maud’s
mother was not thrilled by Frank for he seemed rather flighty, a dreamer type
and she thought him an unstable match for her daughter. However, against the
wishes of her mother Maud and Frank were married on November 9th,
1882. Maud went along with Frank and the Company on tour with The Maid of
Arran. They lived a nomadic existence while touring. However, when Maud
became pregnant with their first child, they settled down and rented a home in
Syracuse.
Baum found a new leading man to take his place and trained a new company
manager. Maud soon took over the family finances and the role of disciplinarian,
for it was known that these were not Frank’s strong suits. In many respects,
Frank and Maud were exact opposites. She was headstrong, strong willed and
temperamental. Frank, on the other hand, was low key, optimistic, even-tempered
and whimsical. Whatever their
secret formula was to a happy marriage, it seemed their opposite natures were a
good combination.
During this time, Frank’s health was less than perfect, Baum had suffered one
heart attack shortly before his marriage, and in the summer of 1883, his
uncertain health was indicated by nausea and dizzy spells. Once settled in
Syracuse, Baum worked in sales for the family business. In 1884, trouble hit
with full force, Frank’s Uncle who was the manager of the theatrical
establishment, became quite ill and a bookkeeper was hired to replace his
absence. There was major mismanagement of the funds and by the time Frank’s
Uncle was ready to go back to work, the bookkeeping was so illegible that it was
impossible for them to make an audit. During the time of the investigation, the
bookkeeper conveniently disappeared. Everything suffered but again Frank managed
to stay afloat by working as head salesman in the family Castorine Business.
Shortly after Frank’s father died, the family fortune began to wane. During
this time, Frank was preoccupied with his own fragile health and hectic sales
schedule, Maud having their second son, and the failing health of Uncle Doc who
handled the business finances. The business was left in the hands of a clerk.
Ironically and sadly, again their money was swindled from them, gambled away
while the bills went unpaid and they lost everything. Forced to sell the business, Frank and Maud
decided to move out West to the Dakota territory where
"Western Fever" was the talk of the day. Many families were migrating. This may have been another factor in
their decision besides the hope of economic possibilities. In Aberdeen, Frank
operated a general store that he named "Baum’s Bazaar" which he
rented for a few years. The store opened on October 1, 1888 and it sold a
variety of goods from tableware, household goods, tin ware, and lamps to toys and
candy. There were always plenty of children around the store for they liked to
listen to Frank tell them stories of faraway places and enchanted lands. Unfortunately, due to the terrible drought in
1888 the customers had no money to buy anything, and because of Baum’s
friendly demeanor and compassion for his neighbors, he couldn’t deny them
their necessities and as a result, the Baum’s were nearly bankrupt. In 1890,
the bank foreclosed on "Baum’s Bazaar." Frank never lost hope and
never relinquished his creativity and resourcefulness. Soon after, he began a
new position managing a weekly newspaper called The Aberdeen Saturday
Pioneer. He sold advertisements, set the type, ran the press, and wrote. In the paper he wrote
about all sorts of social events. Unfortunately however, and to his discredit,
it also included editorials that had disparaging racial comments and illustrated
an intolerant attitude towards Native American Indians during their conflicts
with the government. In 1891 Frank lost the Pioneer to
bankruptcy.
Baum’s future was in the Midwest and he decided that
moving onward a second time was the smartest choice. Through
these tough economic years, Baum remained optimistic which could not have been
easy at the time. In 1893, Chicago had the World Columbian Exposition so it
seemed a logical place to try to find employment. Frank first took a position as
a reporter for the Evening Post but the pay was so slight he instead he
worked as a traveling salesman for a China company, Pitkin and Brooks.
Storytelling was a natural gift Baum possessed. He had the ability
to capture the imagination of children and to create worlds of timelessness in
his stories. Baum states in the introduction to The Lost Princess of Oz,
"Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the
talking-machine, and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of
before they became realities. So I believe that dreams -day dreams…with your
eyes wide open…are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The
imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create,
to invent, and therefore to foster civilization. A prominent educator tells me
that fairy tales are of untold value in developing imagination in the young. I
believe it." While traveling, Frank would never ignore his creative muse
but instead would continue to write while in hotel rooms on the backs of scrap
paper or anything available.
While in Chicago, Baum kept in contact with the Chicago Press Club of his former
newspaper days and mentioned to a popular novelist, Opie Read, about his
writings on Mother Goose stories and that he was looking for a publisher.
Through Opie Read, he met Chancey L. Williams of Way &Williams Publishing.
With illustrator Maxfield Parrish, Baum’s Mother Goose Stories became Mother
Goose in Prose in1897.Also during this time, Frank’s health began to fail
and he had nasal hemorrhages, and terrible chest pains. He saw a heart
specialist who advised him to find a more sedentary job, rather than a traveling
lifestyle.
The Show Window, a monthly trade magazine that Baum started five years
after leaving Pitkin and Brooks, was the next of Baum’s creative ventures that
actually did very well and which he kept until 1902 when it was sold. Being an editor of a magazine now gave Baum more time to
frequent the Press Club than when he was a traveling salesman. Through his
friend Opie Read, he met William W. Denslow. Denslow and Baum worked
together often and Denslow would visit Baum at his home drawing pictures to fit
the verse. Their first official venture together was Father Goose, His Book,
published in 1899, and it was an immediate success, becoming the best
selling children's book of the year. Baum had finally hit
it just right and all the previous experiences of his many professions made it
all the sweeter. But the best news was when Pitkin, whom Baum had worked for,
stated, "that fellow Baum who worked for us is the author of a book that is
selling like hot cakes."16 It was so popular, that it spurred the Songs
of Father Goose, in which some of the verses were put to music. The
combination of Baum’s verses and Denslow’s illustrations were the perfect
mixture to please a child, which was Baum’s original purpose. The Baums were
able to spend several summers at Macatawa Park, Michigan, a resort along the
shore of Lake Michigan, because of the proceeds of Father Goose, His Book.
They bought a summer cottage that Frank named "The Sign of the Goose."
Inside the cottage Frank made all the furniture by hand: large rocking chairs, a
grandfather’s clock, a small bookcase, as well as other creations. Baum was so
much a part of his work and his work so much a part of him that he engraved and
stenciled geese into some of the woodwork, as well as into a stained glass
window. Later Baum would name their dog Toto and their home in
California Ozcot, after his most notable work The Wizard of Oz.
Baum also did some writing there, as well as relaxing. But he was certainly
never without something to do, for he was very involved in the community social
life as well. Frank wrote a book about Macatawa in 1907, entitled
Tamawaca Folks A Summer Comedy which was considered an unfavorable
account by some.
The Baum Denslow team would produce the most lasting and popular piece of work, The
Wizard of Oz. The most worthy and notable of Baum’s creations was the
story of Dorothy and the Scarecrow and the other inhabitants of Oz, which not
surprisingly, began as a story told to some of the young children in the
neighborhood, as well as to his own children. Baum’s moment of inspiration
came when he broke up the storytelling hour so he could write d own the magical
story he knew he must note for safe keeping. He wrote out the story longhand and
attached the pencil he used to the draft itself that was titled, "The
Emerald City." It was only because of the negative reaction he received
from his publisher, the Hill Company, that the title was eventually changed, for
they had some superstitious notion against a book with a jewel in its title and
they would not publish it. So after some reworking, after several titles lacking
the vitality that Baum wanted to capture, he finally came up with The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The Baum and Denslow team were to work together on a few more books and projects
and only for a few years following their success from The Wizard of Oz.
In 1902, they collaborated with Paul Tietjens and Julien Mitchell to produce an
adult version of The Wizard of Oz as a musical stage play. It became a
major success and toured the nation.
Baum went onto produce seventeen sequels to the Oz books since the reception of
the first was so incredible. The first was The Marvelous Land of Oz.
Children would send him letters constantly telling him how enjoyable The
Wizard of Oz was and how they were delighted he wrote such a great story
and would beg him to write more of them. But the Oz stories appealed to both
young and old and he received fan mail from both. It seems that Baum did not want to write as many sequels as
he did, for he wanted to write other kinds of children’s books but the
children’s requests were incessant. He wrote other kinds of books under
several different pen names mainly because he wanted to be remembered as the
American author of fairy tales, this way he could try other facets and not worry
about their success and profit. There Frank could explore all sorts of themes,
not just the happy place of Oz. There were several that claimed success but none
would repeat the amount that The Wizard of Oz had. Aunt Jane’s
Nieces became a very popular teenage series for girls that Baum wrote under
the pen name of Edith Van Dyne. Baum always looked for ways to boost his income
in those days. Financial success gave him not only a reputation but the comforts
of life and the pleasures of traveling that he and Maud enjoyed so much.
Baum became known as the "Royal Historian of Oz" until his death when
Ruth Plumly Thompson was chosen to take on this title and continue the
tradition. In 1905, people could not get enough of Oz and a small newspaper
called The Ozmapolitan was issued.
In 1908, Baum produced a traveling film show called the "Fairylogue and
Radio Plays," which did not achieve commercial success. Baum had left a
great amount of debt to accumulate primarily as a result of the "Radio
Plays." Frank and Maud decided to leave Chicago and move to California to a
home they called Ozcot. California was much more compatible with his failing
health. Here Frank was very contented, writing constantly, and tending his
garden. He ate breakfast at a certain time, went
to his garden to tend his blooms, wrote and revised in the afternoons, yet he
also enjoyed golf and played the game on a consistent basis for a while, as well
as playing the piano or a game in the evenings after dinner. Like most anything
Baum ever ventured he succeeded at, and his garden was no different.
Baum courageously went on in the face of adversity. Bedridden and in constant pain, he continued to write, propped up
with pillows. Baum had to stop his beloved gardening, answering letters from
devoted fans and basking in the California sunshine, nothing could extend Baum’s fragile years. Like California, Oz was the
seemingly perfect place. Glinda of Oz was the last of the Oz sequels
and was published posthumously in 1920. On May 5th 1919, Frank lapsed
into unconsciousness and spoke to Maud with his last thoughts. He wished for her
to live in their home when he was gone where they had been so happy all those
years. The next day, while in a semi-comatose state, just
before he died, Frank’s breathing became very erratic and unsteady and as he
slipped from one world into the next, he managed to whisper to Maud, "Now
we can cross the Shifting Sands."
His tombstone reads, "L. Frank Baum 1856-1919".
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The
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