When was The Wizard of Oz first published?
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"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was published in 1900, and was the first to enter the public domain in "1956". This allowed Reilly & Lee, the publisher of all the other Oz books (as well as Baum's other books) to issue their own edition of "The Wizard of Oz", which had previously been published by George M. Hill Company and later by the Bobbs Merill Company after Hill went bankrupt..
Copyright status of The Wizard of Oz and related works in the United States
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"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a 1900 children's novel written by American author L. Frank Baum. Since its first publication in 1900, it has been adapted many times: for film, television, theatre, books, comics, games, and other media.Many of the television programs cited in this list are not strict adaptions of "The Wizard of Oz"; rather, they have reinterpreted aspects of the book, such as characters and plot, to create sequels, prequels or side-plots, which are inspired by Baum's original text.
There are over 40 canonical Oz books, including 14 by Baum, all of which are considered "official" sequels or prequels to "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". In addition, the following books use the Oz milieu as settings for their tales:Kevin Scott Collier. "The Wonderful Animated World of the Wizard of Oz: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!" CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018.
Adaptations of The Wizard of Oz
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The Wizard of Oz was a 1902 musical extravaganza based on "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, which was originally published in 1900. Much of the original music was by Paul Tietjens and has been mostly forgotten, although it was still well-remembered and in discussion at MGM in 1939 when the classic film version of the story was made. Although Baum is the credited bookwriter, Glen MacDonough was hired on as jokewriter after Baum had finished the script.
The Wizard of Oz (1902 musical)
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Alexander Volkov's six Oz books were published in the Soviet Union, so they are subject to Russian copyright law. The first book – "The Wizard of the Emerald City" – was published in 1939, when "The Wizard of Oz" was still copyrighted. "The Wizard of the Emerald City" is an adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz", borrowing liberally from the original book without even crediting Baum.
The subsequent four books were published between 1963 and 1970, and the last one – "The Secret of the Deserted Castle" – was published in 1980. At the time of publication, "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Land of Oz" were in the public domain, but the other Oz books were still copyrighted. However, Volkov's books are mostly original sequels to "The Wizard of the Emerald City", so whether they are infringing or not is difficult to say. Barely any of the elements from later Oz books are featured in Volkov's works, so most likely they were not infringing.
Copyright status of The Wizard of Oz and related works in the United States
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In a letter to his brother Harry, Baum wrote that the book's publisher, George M. Hill, predicted a sale of about 250,000 copies. In spite of this favorable conjecture, Hill did not initially predict that the book would be phenomenally successful. He agreed to publish the book only when the manager of the Chicago Grand Opera House, Fred R. Hamlin, committed to making "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" into a musical stage play to publicize the novel. The play "The Wizard of Oz" debuted on June 16, 1902. It was revised to suit adult preferences and was crafted as a "musical extravaganza," with the costumes modeled after Denslow's drawings. Hill's publishing company became bankrupt in 1901, so Baum and Denslow agreed to have the Indianapolis-based Bobbs-Merrill Company resume publishing the novel.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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As an Oz and L. Frank Baum scholar, he also edited "The Critical Heritage Edition of the Wizard of Oz" for Schocken Books (1986), wrote the introduction to the first published version of the screenplay of "The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)". He appears in the documentaries "Oz: the American Fairyland" and "Matilda Joslyn Gage" (1983), credited as an "Authority on L. Frank Baum". He gave the keynote address at the Centennial convention of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" mounted by The International Wizard of Oz Club, and often makes public appearances in which he lectures on Baum.
Michael Patrick Hearn
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The first two books written by Ruth Plumly Thompson, "The Royal Book of Oz" (published in 1921) and "Kabumpo in Oz" (published 1922), entered the public domain 75 years later (1997 and 1998, respectively) pursuant to the Copyright Act of 1976.
The next twelve books ("The Cowardly Lion of Oz" through "Speedy in Oz", published between 1923 and 1934) were still copyrighted when the 1998 Sonny Bono Act extended the copyright term a further twenty years, meaning works would now be copyrighted for 95 years. These twelve books of Thompson's are therefore still copyrighted, and will not begin entering the public domain until 2019. By 2030, all of them will be in the public domain.
Copyright status of The Wizard of Oz and related works in the United States
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Finally, as "Frank Baum", he produced a two-part manuscript called "Rosine and the Laughing Dragon" that was broken into "The Laughing Dragon of Oz" and "The Enchanted Princess of Oz". He barely mentioned Oz in the text, and no Oz characters were used except for his own and a brief mention of the Wizard. His publisher, Whitman, was sued by Reilly & Lee after publishing the first part in its Big Little Books series in 1936. The book quickly went out of print and Whitman agreed not to publish the sequel. Baum sold the rights to "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" to Samuel Goldwyn on January 26, 1934, for $60,000. Goldwyn sat on the rights, and ultimately sold them to MGM for the production of "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), for which Goldwyn saw a large profit that none of the Baums did.
Frank Joslyn Baum
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Yankee in Oz is a 1972 Oz novel by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was the first published by The International Wizard of Oz Club. A letter from the Henry Regnery Company, which bought Reilly & Lee, is reproduced in the front indicating the publisher's blessing for the new Oz book to appear. It was originally written in 1959, but because the Oz books were not selling, it was not published. The first two editions of the book were published in 8½ x 11 inch format and running only 94 pages. This was done at the request of illustrator Dick Martin to reduce the number of required illustrations and to show them closer to the actual size they were drawn. The second printing (1986) featured a new cover, with the first edition artwork reprinted preceding the title page. The third printing (2007) is standard Oz book size. Its cover is a gaudier redesign of the second edition cover. The book also features maps by James E. Haff, and as such, Thompson correctly places the Winkie Country in the west of Oz.
Yankee in Oz
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Baum's son, Frank Joslyn Baum, wrote his own Oz story – "The Laughing Dragon of Oz". He tried to get it published by Reilly & Lee, but they refused, and he published it with Whitman Publishing Company in 1934. This was an infringing work at the time – all of the Oz books were still copyrighted, and the rights were held by Frank Baum's mother, Maud Gage Baum.
Both Maud Baum and Reilly & Lee sued Frank Baum and Whitman Publishing. The case was settled and "The Laughing Dragon" stayed out of print until 2006. However, its copyright was renewed in 1962, so it will remain copyrighted until 2030, per the 95-year term.
"The Laughing Dragon of Oz" was the first high-profile case of infringement on the Oz books, and it would be the first of many.
Copyright status of The Wizard of Oz and related works in the United States