Lyman Frank Baum - (1856-1919)
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Lyman Frank Baum was born May 15, 1856 in
Chittenango, NY. Beginning at the age of 10, he started a number of newspapers and a magazine. As a teen, Baum managed several theaters in New York and Pennsylvania, that were given to him by his father. He
also wrote and published a successful musical, The Maid of Arran. In 1882, Baum married Maud Gage. In 1887, Baum's
father died, and he, along with his wife and children moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota. In Aberdeen, Baum opened a store, "Baum's Bazaar", which lasted only a short time. When
the store failed, Baum began running a local paper, The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer. Baum again was met with failure, and he moved with his family to Chicago, IL. There he became a reporter for the Evening Post
. In 1897, Baum published his first children's book, Mother Goose in Prose with illustrator Maxfield Parrish. In 1899, with illustrator William Wallace Denslow, Baum published
Father Goose, His Book, which became the children's best selling book of the year. In 1900, Baum, along with Denslow, published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He began an
Oz series in 1904 that continued until the end of his career. In 1910, Baum and his family moved to Hollywood, CA. There, in 1914, Baum, along with
several associates began Oz Film Manufacturing Company and made several unsuccessful films. Baum continued writing until his death on May 5, 1919. II. Regional Influence
Baum was born in and lived in Chittenango, New York for his formative years. He spent 21 years in New York, which was more time than he spent in any other place. His life in New
York had a great influence on his life in later years, as well as his works. Chittenango, New York today has a yellow brick road in memory of their beloved author. III. Major Works
1873- Baum's Complete Stamp Dealers Dictionary IV. Links to related topics L. Frank Baum International Wizard of Oz Club-
This essay was submitted by a student on Marylin Dykens, a teacher at the Rome Free Academy in New York.
1886- The Book of Hamburgs
1897- Mother Goose in Prose
1899- Father Goose, His Book
1900- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
1902- The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
1905- The Woggle-bug Book
1907- Policeman Bluejay
1910- The Emerald City of Oz
1912- Sky Island
1913- The Little Wizard Series
1916- Mary Louise
1919-The Magic of Oz
1941- Our Landlady
1953- Jaglon and the Tiger Fairies
1969- Animal Fairy Tales