author
L.
Best known for opening the door to Oz, he helped shape American children's fantasy with stories full of wonder, humor, and memorable characters. His work still feels lively and imaginative more than a century later.
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About the author
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author born in 1856, remembered above all for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), the book that introduced Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Yellow Brick Road. He went on to write a long-running Oz series, and his storytelling helped make fantasy a lasting part of children's literature.
Before finding success as a writer, he tried many kinds of work, including theater, journalism, and business. That mix of stagecraft and showmanship carried into his books, which often feel playful, fast-moving, and made to delight an audience.
Baum wrote far more than the Oz books, but Oz remains the world most closely linked with his name. His stories have inspired generations of readers and many adaptations, keeping his imaginative world alive long after his death in 1919.