BAUM, L[yman] Frank. The Marvelous Land of Oz. Pictured by John R. Neill. The end-papers from life poses by the famous comedians, Montgomery and Stone. Chicago: Reilly & Britton, 1904. 8vo, 287pp. Dark red cloth pictorially stamped in dark navy blue, silver and green. Pictorial endpapers; 16 full-color plates and 118 b&w illustrations. A remarkably clean, tight copy, with spine ends and corners lightly rubbed, faint damp-staining to rear board, front hinge starting, a few pages soiled in margins.

First edition, second state, binding state B, bearing “Published, July, 1904” on copyright and the plate on pp 23 bearing the caption “Old Mombi puts Jack in the stable.” The second of L. Frank Baum’s beloved and best-selling Oz books, issued one year after “The Wizard of Oz” had become a smash hit on Broadway. The boy Tip is befriended by the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Jack Pumpkinhead, H.M. Wogglebug, T.E., and the wooden Sawhorse as they strive to stop the evil witch Mombi and the revolt of the women of Oz. The Marvelous Land of Oz was the first books published by Reilly & Britton and the first of thirty-five Oz books illustrated by John R. Neill, revealing his first visions of Oz.