This fully annotated volume collects three of Baum’s fourteen Oz novels in which he developed his utopian vision and which garnered an immense and loyal following. Also included is a selection of the original illustrations by W. W. Denslow and John R. Neill.

The Wonderful World of Oz: The Wizard of Oz / The Emerald City of Oz / Glinda of Oz

Okay, first of all, let's look at the cover and drool, because it is a thing of beauty.   Now.  *unhappy groan*  Why?!   There are three 'books' in this edition -- the first, the sixth, and the fourteenth. The first one is  The Wizard of Oz . I've never read this before, as it is not a classic where I live. I've seen the movie(s), however, and was familiar with the plot. I liked Baum's story good enough; it was lovely, entertaining and easy to read. 4/5 stars.  Then we have  The Emerald City of Oz , the sixth book in the series. It's simple enough to not need to read the books in between this one and the first one. BUT, the story itself definitely lacks some of the magic. It's still entertaining, but somewhere in the middle, I started checking what page I was on and whether I was close to finishing it. It's still charming and just as lovely, maybe I would have loved it as a kid, but right now, it felt like something was missing. 3/5 stars.  And oh boy, then there's  Glinda of Oz , aka the last book in the series. I did not like this one at all. I can't decide if it was too much or too little, but it was definitely too  something . Not boring, not necessarily, but definitely annoying. To the point where I found myself skipping sentences.... paragraphs... entire pages. And it's a shame, because I would have been interested in Glinda, if only it was a different story, crafted/written in a different way. 1/5 stars.

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The Wonderful World of Oz: The Wizard of Oz / The Emerald City of Oz / Glinda of Oz

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