May 15, 2008
Lyman Frank Baum, the author of the many books about the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was born today – May 15, 1856 – in Chittenango, Madison County, New York.
When he died obituaries appeared in newspapers around the country like this obituary that appeared in the Duluth (MN) News Tribune (8 May 1919).
It was written from the perspective of his sister-in-law Helen Leslie Gage (1845-1933) who lived at the time in Duluth.
Over the years there were many articles about L. Frank Baum in the newspapers.
Less well known is that late in his life he began to serialize his books and short stories in newspapers across the country under the title the Wonderful Stories of Oz.
Here is an ad for this series that appeared in the Salt Lake (UT) Telegram (7 January 1919).
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Thank you, I grew up watching the Wizard of OZ, didn’t like the flying monkeys, ha! but I didn’t know who wrote the story. Interesting.