Oz Before the Rainbow

For 39 years before Judy Garland wore the Ruby Slippers and sang Some­where Over the Rainbow, Oz was enchanting not only readers, but theater and movie patrons as well.

In Oz Before the Rainbow by Mark Evan Swartz, you will learn the fascinating history of Oz on stage and screen before the MGM musical sang and danced its way into our hearts.  From the original 1902 stage musical of The Wizard of Oz for which Baum wrote song lyrics and Denslow designed costumes, to Baum's 1908 multimedia stage show, to Selig Studios's one-reel short and the 1925 full-length silent feature film starring Oliver Hardy (of Laurel & Hardy fame) as the Tin Woodman, you'll see the wonderful creativity that so many have brought to bear in creating theatrical and film versions of Oz. And, of course, the book concludes with a look at the MGM musical which has become a favorite with people around the world.

With over 100 black-and-white illustrations and over 250 pages of text, this is by far the most comprehensive and informative book ever done about the early history of Oz on stage and screen.  A must for every serious Oz library.