In 1882 Frank married Maud Gage. They had several children together. In 1887 tragedy struck the family when Baum's father died. Frank moved his family to the Dakota Territory where much of Maud's family was. He opened a business, and when it went under took over the local newspaper.

When the newspaper also fails, Frank moved the family once again to Chicago where he took two jobs; one as a reporter for The Saturday Evening Post, and one as a china salesman. On his trips he would make up stories to tell to his children when he returned home. In 1899 he became ill, and wrote a book with illustrator William Denslow. The book was called Father Goose, His Book, and it allowed him to quit hsi travelling job.

In 1900 he teamed with Denslow once again for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It was the nations best selling children's book for two years straight. In 1902 a musical version for adults was written, and it was also a huge success. Baum continued to write childrens books under his own name and other names. He wrote sequels the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and produced a travelling film show. In 1910 Baum moved his family to Hollywood and continued writing children's books. He formed a film company for children with a group of friends, and later sold it to Universal. He continued to write Oz books until his death on May 5, 1919.

Frank L. Baum's Selected Works

Father Gose: His book	1890	With illustrations by William Denslow
Mother Goose in Prose	1897	With illustrations by Maxfield Parrish
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz	1900	With illustrations by William Denslow
The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Emerald City of Oz	After 1900	Four of the thirteen Oz books
Glinda of Oz	1920	Published after Baum's death

Frank L. Baum Links

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L. Frank Baum

University of Maryland's Frank L. Baum Page

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