A select list of Critical Essays on L. Frank Baum and The Land of Oz through the years

"The Wizard of Chittenango." by James Thurber The New Republic (12 Dec 1934)

The Baum Bugle, the official Journal of Oz, first appeared in June 1957 and has been published continuously ever since. The Bugle, which is issued three times each year (Spring, Autumn, and Winter), specializes in popular and scholarly articles about Oz and its creators, with biographical and critical studies, and first edition checklists. Research into the people and places within the Oz books appears frequently. There are also features on Oz films and stage shows, reviews of new editions of books about Oz or its authors, and current Oz (or associated) news. The magazine is illustrated with rare photographs and drawings, and the covers are usually in full color. Material on the MGM Wizard of Oz movie appears on a regular basis, and special issues focus on Oz authors, illustrators, and other themes. Updated bibliographical studies of the Oz books and other Baum writings are published as new information comes to light. (1957-present)

"The Utopia of Oz." by S. J. Sackett. The Georgia Review vol. 14, p275-91. (Fall 1960)

"The Oddness of Oz." by Osmond Beckwith. Kulchur. Provides a detailed psychoanalytical interpretation of the Oz books, comparing their appeal to young girls to that of Alice. (Fall 1961).

American Book Collector. Special Baum issue articles include "L. Frank Baum--Shadow and Substance," by Russell P. MacFall, pp. 9-11; "`Utopia Americana' A Generation Afterwards," by Edward Wagenknecht, pp. 12-13; "Why Librarians Dislike Oz," by Martin Gardner, pp. 14-16; "How My Father Wrote the Oz Books," by Harry Neal Baum. There are several other items and a checklist of Baum's writings. (December 1962)

"Why Librarians Dislike Oz." Library Journal 88, P. 834-36. (Reprinted from American Book Collector, December 1962.) Suggests seven reasons why librarians have long refused to put Oz on their shelves. (15 February 1963)

"A Librarian Looks at Oz." by Richard Paul Smyers. Library Occurrent 21 P. 190-92. Examines librarians' objections to the Oz series, and the continuing and growing enthusiasm of Oz fans. (December 1964)

"Oz Country." by Bewley, Marius. The New York Review of Books, P. 18-19 , (Dec. 3, 1964)

"The Father of the Wizard of Oz." by Daniel P. Mannix. American Heritage 16 P. 108-9. Provides an illustrated overview of Baum's career and his popular and critical reception. (December 1964)

"The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism." by Henry Littlefield. American Quarterly 16.1 P. 47-58. Provides a detailed analysis of the first and most popular of the Oz books. Concludes that "Baum's fantasy succeeds in bridging the gap between what children want and what they should have," that he conveyed messages while keeping entertainment foremost. (1964)

"A Late Wanderer in Oz." by Jordan Brotman. Chicago Review 18, no. 2 P. 63-73 (Reprinted in Only Connect: Readings on Children's Literature. Ed. Sheila A. Egoff, G.T. Stubbs, and L.F. Ashley. NY: Oxford UP, P. 157-169, 1969) Concludes that the Oz stories "have charm and variety and body enough to be real fairy tales." They also tell us much about the values and aspirations of the American people and their migration from the Middle West to California. (1965)

"L. Frank Baum and the Progressive Dilemma." by Fred Erisman. American Quarterly vol. 20.3 p. 616-23. Interprets the Oz books and the Aunt Jane's Nieces books in terms of Baum's solution to the progressive dilemma of reconciling and adapting rural ideals to an urban society. (1968)

"Have You Been To See the Wizard?" by Ann E. Prentice. TON 27 P. 32-44. Provides background on Baum and surveys the history of the Oz books' reception by the public, librarians, and critics. Includes a bibliography of secondary sources. (November 1970)

"L. Frank Baum, and Oz" by Roger Sale. Hudson Review 25. P.571-92. Provides insights into Baum's "rare gifts," analyzing the essence of his greatness and arguing that his "apparently crushing limitations are really only the defects" of his virtues. (Winter1972-73)

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Study in Archetypal Mythic Symbiosis." by Nathan Comfort Starr Unicorn p13-17. (Summer 1973)

"The Oz Parade." by Vernon H. Jones. New Orleans Review 3 P. 375-78. Summarizes Baum's career and his recently burgeoning critical recognition. (1973)

"The Concept of Oz." David L. Green. Children's Literature vol. 3, p173-176. Argues that Baum's concept of Oz is more complex than the utopia most critics have considered it to be. (1974)

"The Land of Oz and the American Dream." by Barry Bauska. Markham Review vol. 5, p21-24. (Winter 1976)

"Comic Mythos and Children's Literature--or, Out of the Fryeing Pan and into the Pyre." by Samuel Schuman. In It's a Funny Thing, Humour. Edited by Antony J. Chapman and Hugh C. Foot. Oxford: Pergamon, pp. 119-21. Finds evidence of Northrop Frye's archetypal comic pattern in L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, and in "Hansel and Gretel" and "Jack and the Beanstalk." (1977)

"Tik-Tok and the Three Laws of Robotics." by Paul M. Abrahm and Stuart Kenter. Science-Fiction Studies 5, no. 1 P. 67-80. Claims that Tik-Tok, Dorothy's companion in Oz, represents a perfect embodiment of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. (March 1978)

"On the Other Side of Oz: Psychoanalytic Aspects of Fairy Tales." by Stanley H. Cath and Claire Cath. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child 33 P. 621-39. Examines common fairy tale themes, as exemplified in The Wizard of Oz, in psychoanalytic terms. Concludes, "Like all myths, dreams, and fables, The Wizard of Oz provides an age-appropriate mirror lighted by a distant and indirect source, filled with double messages and ambiguities. The final resolution is the protagonist's `return home,' a little wiser, a little more tolerant, and a little more mature (one hopes)." (1978)

"L. Frank Baum and the `Modernized Fairy Tale.'" CLE, n.s. 10, no. 2. P. 57-67. Maintains that Baum consciously sought to alter many of the forms of traditional literature and through his experimentation "made a significant contribution to twentieth century juvenile literature." (Summer 1979)

"Baum's Magic Powder of Life." by Roger Sale. Children's Literature 8 P. 157-63. Reviews recent Baum research. (1980)

"Lyman Frank Baum: Looking Back to the Promised Land." by Tom St. John. Western Humanities Review p349-60. (Winter 1982)

"There's No Place Like Oz." by Margaret Hamilton. Children's Literature 10 P. 153-55. Reflects on the significance of "home" to the popularity of the Wizard of Oz. (1982)

"What Manikins Want: 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' and 'The Art of Decorating Dry Goods Windows'." by Stuart Culver - Representations no. 21, p97-116. (Winter 1988)

"The Mythology of Oz: an interpretation" by Edward W. Hudlin. Papers on Language & Literature vol. 25, no. 4, p443(20). (Fall 1989)

"The 'Wizard of Oz' as a Monetary Allegory." by Hugh Rockoff. Journal of Political Economy vol. 98, no. 4, p739-760. (1990)

"The Clown from Syracuse: The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum," and "A Trickster's Tale: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." by William R. Leach. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Ed. William R. Leach. Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth Publishing Co., P. 1-34 and 157-88. (1991)

"The Trinity Archetype in 'The Jungle Books' and 'The Wizard of Oz' " by Juliet McMaster. Children's Literature Annual vol. 20, p90(21). (1992)

"William Jennings Bryan on the yellow brick road. ('The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' as a literary allegory of the the experiences of the 1896 Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan)" by John G. Geer and Thomas R. Rochon.. Journal of American Culture vol. 16, no. 4, p59(5). (Winter 1993)

"From Vanity Fair to Emerald City: Baum's debt to Bunyan." by J. Karl Franson. Children's Literature Annual vol. 23, p91-114. (1995)

"Silver slippers and a golden cap: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and historical memory in American politics." by Gretchen Ritter. Journal of American Studies vol. 31, no. 2, p171(32) (August 1997)

"Utopian Tension in L. Frank Baum's Oz." by Andrew Karp. Utopian Studies 103(1). (Spring 1998)

"Baum's 'Wizard of Oz' as Gilded Age public relations." by Tim Ziaukas. Public Relations Quarterly vol. 43:3, p7(5). (Fall 1998)