History Literature / LandOfOz

* PopCulturalOsmosis: The Oz books arguably have a more of a pop cultural impact than the movie.

The book has had 39 official sequels, with the originals generally being called "The Famous Forty", 14 of the books being written by Baum. After his death it was continued by five different authors (with Ruth Plumly Thompson, the first to continue the series, eventually publishing more Oz books than even Baum). The books came out basically yearly until the output began to slow down in the 1940's. The last one was published in 1963, 63 years after the first book, with many unauthorised sequels and spinoffs coming afterward once the books began passing into the public domain, including a few by former authors of the Famous Forty, which some fans may consider at least as good as canon, but still unofficial. Here's a list of titles:

The book has had 39 official sequels, with the originals generally being called "The Famous Forty", 14 of the books being written by Baum. After his death it was continued by five different authors (with Ruth Plumly Thompson, the first to continue the series, eventually publishing more Oz books than even Baum). The books came out basically yearly until the output began to slow down in the 1940's. The last one was published in 1963, 63 years after the first book, with many unauthorised sequels and spinoffs coming afterward once the books began passing into the public domain, including a few by former authors of the Famous Forty which some fans may consider at least as good as canon, but still unofficial. Here's a list of titles:

The book has had 39 official sequels (among many unauthorised ones and spinoffs) with the originals generally being called "The Famous Forty", 14 of them being written by Baum. Here's a list of titles:

* WorldBuilding: Maps by Baum depict Oz's four regions and its neighboring kingdoms. The worldbuilding came about because of fans clamoring for [[BackStory more stories and places]] to explore. (ContinuitySnarl ensued.) Baum also got East and West mixed up on his map, and it took decades for future writers to untangle the mess that caused.

* PatchworkMap: A good look at the map of Oz and its surrounding lands screams "PATCHWORK!" at the reader. It's understandable since Baum made it up as he went along.

* PrettyBoy: John R. Neill's penchant for drawing anyone who isn't old [[BeautyEqualsGoodness or evil]] as very pretty and effeminate regardless of gender leads to this trope coming into play, at least as far as the illustrations go. See just about any illustration of Ojo for example.

* BunniesForCuteness: Bunnyburg; Glinda apparently loves rabbits.

* ContinuityNod: ''The Emerald City of Oz'' has Dorothy and her group facing a series of statues, including one of Dorothy from the time of her first visit. Illustrator J. R. Neill used W. W. Denslow's original version of Dorothy for the statue. (One wonders how Dorothy felt about that [[EmbarrassingOldPhoto old image]].)

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Averted repeatedly with the beasts of Oz, which have their normal appetites - and the one consistent thing about death in Oz is that getting eaten means getting destroyed.
** In ''The Magic of Oz'', an even closer shave: The Wizard turns Cap'n Bill and Trot (trapped on a magic isle) into bumblebees so they can escape. Immediately afterward, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, along on the rescue expedition, eat a pair of bees. (Fortunately, it wasn't them).

** Maybe they just thought the Tin Man should speak for himself, they were his butterflies.
*** Also, Glinda didn't undo the statue spell until it was clear it couldn't be broken the other way without hurting any butterflies.

* * OurGeniesAreDifferent: Jinnicky the Red Jinn is a small magical man who keeps his body encased in a jar and commands an army of slaves (yet he is depicted as benevolent). He becomes a recurring character in Thompson's books, and is one of the main reasons Thompson's ''Oz'' books have aged far less gracefully than Baum's.

* EasilyConqueredWorld: Oz has always been this, partly due to their almost complete lack of a military (which consists of one soldier with a gun, who isn't even good at shooting), and partly due to the fact that Ozma is a pacifist almost to the point of SuicidalPacifism. It is protected mainly by the surrounding Deadly Desert. Some quick thinking allows Oz to fend off an invasion in ''Literature/TheEmeraldCityOfOz'' without having to fight back, but this practically came down to luck. It reaches new levels of ineptitude in ''Literature/JackPumpkinheadOfOz'', when an Ozian warlord from southern Oz named Mogodore easily conquers the Emerald City while every single person of importance in the palace is playing Blind Man's Bluff, and is blindfolded.

* EasilyConqueredWorld: Oz has always been this (protected mainly by the Deadly Desert). Partly due to their almost complete lack of a military (which consists of one soldier with a gun, who isn't even good at shooting), and partly due to the fact that Ozma is a pacifist almost to the point of SuicidalPacifism. Some quick thinking allows Oz to fend off an invasion in ''Literature/TheEmeraldCityOfOz'' without having to fight back, but this practically came down to luck. It reaches new levels of ineptitude in ''Literature/JackPumpkinheadOfOz'', when an Ozian warlord from southern Oz named Mogodore easily conquers the Emerald City while every single person of importance in the palace is playing Blind Man's Bluff, and is blindfolded.

* {{Backstory}}: In response to fan mail asking question about Oz and its characters. There's just enough info to give an idea what Oz was like before Dorothy came to it.
* BalefulPolymorph: A favorite trope of Baum's, this happens to someone almost once per book. The Nome King uses the Magic Belt, and later his own magical powers, to turn people into objects. Dorothy later uses it to turn a villain into a dove in ''The Lost princess of Oz''. Red Reera uses her Yookoohoo abilities to turn herself and her pets into different creatures at a whim. (She also transforms some guests, but only after getting permission.) The magic word in ''The Magic of Oz'' also allows characters to inflict this on one another.

** Glinda has a book in which is recorded everything that happens anywhere in the world.

* ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'' (1923)

The first 17 books are now public domain. Most recently ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'', entered the public domain in 2019, and the next book, ''Grampa in Oz'', is set to enter public domain in 2020, and so on, unless another copyright extension law is passed. Thompson's final five books entered the public domain decades ago when the publisher failed to renew their copyright; this is also true of both of Jack Snow's books.

The first 16 books are now public domain, with the next book, ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'', set to enter the public domain in 2019. Thompson's final five books entered the public domain decades ago when the publisher failed to renew their copyright; this is also true of both of Jack Snow's books.

* BalefulPolymorph: The Nome King uses the Magic Belt, and later his own magical powers, to turn people into objects. Dorothy later uses it to turn a villain into a dove. Red Reera uses her Yookoohoo abilities to turn herself and her pets into different creatures at a whim. (She also transforms some guests, but only after getting permission.) The magic word in ''The Magic of Oz'' also allows characters to inflict this on one another.

* ''Literature/TheScarecrowOfOz

* ''The Magical Mimics in Oz'' (1946)
* ''The Shaggy Man of Oz'' (1949)

The first 16 books are now public domain, with the next book, ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'', set to enter the public domain in 2019. Thompson's final five books entered the public domain decades ago when the publisher failed to renew their copyright.