The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the first in the series of fourteen novels recounting the adventures of the now legendary Dorothy Gale and her trio of companions in the magical Land of Oz.  The story is well-known and woven into the cultural fabric of America. Swept away from her Kansas farm in a cyclone, she, her dog Toto and their falling house land in Oz, killing the Wicked Witch of the East, the ruler of the Munchkins. She is greeted by Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, who gives her the magical Silver Shoes of the Wicked Witch of the East and directs her to seek the help of the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City by following the Yellow Brick Road. She meets and frees the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, who befriend and accompany her.  After a successfully series of ordeals and challenges that test her courage and faith she is happily returned to her home through the power of the Silver Shoes. 

Written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow, the book was only published when plans were made for a musical stage play at the Grand Opera House in Chicago to promote the novel. The book was an immediate hit upon publication in late 1900, selling out its entire first edition and most of the second edition within a month of publication well before the musical opened in June of 1902 and went on to become a hit on Broadway.  The book sold over a million copies by the time the famous movie version The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939.  Productions and adaptations continue to this day, Wicked being the most recent.

Play sample: 

Download a PDF datasheet