Skip to main content

Item 4B

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

1900
First Edition
First Issue
Presentation Copy

This copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is inscribed by the author L. Frank Baum and also includes a related letter that has been attached to the book. Baum gifted this book to W. C. Foster, a children’s book reviewer, thanking her for the “delightfully entertaining style” of her review. Baum’s story about a Kansas farm girl named Dorothy and her pet dog Toto—who are carried away from their home by a cyclone and set down in Oz, where she meets the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and a couple of witches—received good reviews then, and has received good reviews ever since. The 10,000 copies of the first edition quickly sold out, and by 1956 three million copies had been sold.


What will you discover next?

Visit the Folger to see this object on exhibit

Imprints in Time

Imprints in Time

This special exhibition at the Folger features rare books from the collection of Stuart and Mimi Rose that present literary, cultural, and historical high points.
Through Sun, Jan 5, 2025
Rose Exhibition Hall