Baum, L. Frank | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; first edition, presentation copy

Baum, L. Frank

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago & New York: Geo. M. Hill Co., 1900

4to (212 x 157 mm). 24 tipped-in plates, including the pictorial title-page, printed in color on coated paper, numerous text illustrations by W. W. Denslow; front flyleaf slightly soiled and stained at fore-edge, very occasional minor spotting and light soiling, discreet repair to one small marginal plate tear ("She caught Toto by the ear"). Original pictorial light green cloth stamped in red and darker green with red publisher's spine imprint, pictorial pastedowns; very minor wear to extremities, corners lightly bumped, hinges starting. Housed in a green slipcase with folding cloth chemise.

First edition, first state of the text and plates, second state of the binding. Presentation copy. Inscribed by Baum in verse on the free front endpaper : "When in this book you take a look | My little sweetheart Beth, | Just think I writ the whole of it | And Yet am Yours 'til death – L. Frank Baum | Miss Elizabeth Hubbard of Syracuse." Baum typically reserved poetical and playful inscriptions for family members and close family friends. The present inscription no doubt was addressed to a young member of his family circle in Syracuse; Baum himself was born in Chittenango, a suburb of Syracuse.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz introduced the world to the Land of Oz for the first time, and marked the beginning of a series that would eventually include forty books by seven authors, in addition to the landmark film adaptation starring Judy Garland. Baum partnered with the illustrator W. W. Denslow for his modern fairytale, selecting the smaller publishing house George M. Hill Company over larger contemporaries, likely because it would afford them greater control over design and production. Denslow's innovative design created several deviations from trade production standards, which would have long-term ramifications for the preservation of first edition copies. The present copy is a very nicely preserved example of O. Riley's "first variant" of the first edition, which is comprised of the following issue points.

First state of the text: the accent color of the first gathering is a drab gray; advertisements on page [2] are enclosed in a square box; page 14, line 1 reads "low wail on the wind"; a blue line extends through Dorothy's hand on page 19; the triangular area between the Woodman's legs is printed black on page [51]; a black line extends from the Woodman's elbow and down to his heel on page [53]; page 60 line 13 reads "inmy"; the color block of the illustration has a black outline on page [75]; page 81, line 29 has "peices"; on page 82 the red forest silhouette extends onto the conjugate leaf (page 95); page 152 line 17 reads "but if should could only..."; page [227] line 1 begins, "While Tin Woodman"; the colophon at the end of the book is set in 11-lines and is enclosed in a double-ruled box. Second state of the binding, with the publisher's imprint at the foot of the spine printed in red sans-serif type without any over-lapping of the "C" and "O" in "CO."

Earliest state of the plates: the plates are printed on paper with coating on the front side only; the color plate opposite page 34 has two blue spots on the moon; the plate facing page 92 has red shading on the horizon; the verso of the inserted title-page bears the poorly printed copyright notice with long capital "R" descenders (described by some bibliographers as "rubber stamped"). The pictorial copyright notice originally conceived by Denslow was designed such that it appears on the verso of the introduction, rather than on the verso of the title-page as the law requires. The notice was subsequently set up on one of the Hill Company's small job printing presses, and printed on the back of the color-plate title pages before they were inserted (as seen in the present example). The copyright notice in later issues was letterpress printed.

A very attractive example of Baum's enduring classic, among the most difficult titles to find in collectible condition, scarcer still inscribed.

REFERENCE:

Blanck 111-113; Hanff/Greene, I.I, binding state B; O. Riley, The First Edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A New Bibliographic Description, 43-45

PROVENANCE:

Elizabeth Hubbard (presentation inscription) — The Estate of Dick Martin, noted Oz illustrator and bibliographer (Swann Galleries, New York, 1992, lot 17) — Bronson Pinchot, actor and comedian (Sotheby's New York, 7 December 1994, lot 22) — Roger Rechler (his sale, Christie's New York, 11 October 2002, lot 16, achieved $152,500)