L. Frank Baum

Lyman Frank Baum was born in 1856 in Chittenango, New York, and led a remarkably varied life before finding his calling as a children's author. He worked as a journalist, theater producer, poultry breeder, and shop owner on the South Dakota frontier before publishing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, which became an immediate bestseller. The book's success led to thirteen sequels, a hugely popular stage musical, and eventually the iconic 1939 MGM film that cemented the story in the global imagination. This author hub collects 1 work in the Canon Compass ranking, led by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.