The Road to Oz Read online

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  BOOK END]

  BOOK COVER]

  THIS BOOK BELONGS

  TO]

  THE ROAD TO OZ]

  CALLING ON JACK PUMPKINHEAD See Chapter 16]

  THE ROAD TO OZ

  BY

  L. FRANK BAUM

  AUTHOR OF THE LAND OF OZ, OZMA OF OZ, DOROTHYAND THE WIZARD IN OZ, ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED BY

  JOHN R. NEILL

  CHICAGO

  THE REILLY & BRITTON CO.

  PUBLISHERS

  COPYRIGHT

  1909

  BY L FRANK BAUM

  ALL RIGHTS

  RESERVED]

  _L'istesso tempo_

  TO MY FIRST GRANDSON

  Joslyn Stanton Baum]

  To my readers: Well, my dears, here is what you have asked for: another"Oz Book" about Dorothy's strange adventures. Toto is in this story,because you wanted him to be there, and many other characters which youwill recognize are in the story, too. Indeed, the wishes of my littlecorrespondents have been considered as carefully as possible, and if thestory is not exactly as you would have written it yourselves, you mustremember that a story has to be a story before it can be written down,and the writer cannot change it much without spoiling it.

  In the preface to "Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz" I said I would like towrite some stories that were not "Oz" stories, because I thought I hadwritten about Oz long enough; but since that volume was published I havebeen fairly deluged with letters from children imploring me to "writemore about Dorothy," and "more about Oz," and since I write only toplease the children I shall try to respect their wishes.

  There are some new characters in this book that ought to win your love.I'm very fond of the shaggy man myself, and I think you will like him,too. As for Polychrome--the Rainbow's Daughter--and stupid littleButton-Bright, they seem to have brought a new element of fun into theseOz stories, and I am glad I discovered them. Yet I am anxious to haveyou write and tell me how you like them.

  Since this book was written I have received some very remarkable newsfrom The Land of Oz, which has greatly astonished me. I believe it willastonish you, too, my dears, when you hear it. But it is such a long andexciting story that it must be saved for another book--and perhaps thatbook will be the last story that will ever be told about the Land of Oz.

  L FRANK BAUM.

  _Coronado, 1909._

  LIST OF CHAPTERS

  1 THE WAY TO BUTTERFIELD

  2 DOROTHY MEETS BUTTON-BRIGHT

  3 A QUEER VILLAGE

  4 KING DOX

  5 THE RAINBOW'S DAUGHTER

  6 THE CITY OF BEASTS

  7 THE SHAGGY MAN'S TRANSFORMATION

  8 THE MUSICKER

  9 FACING THE SCOODLERS

  10 ESCAPING THE SOUP-KETTLE

  11 JOHNNY DOIT DOES IT

  12 THE DEADLY DESERT CROSSED

  13 THE TRUTH POND

  14 TIK-TOK AND BILLINA

  15 THE EMPEROR'S TIN CASTLE

  16 VISITING THE PUMPKIN FIELD

  17 THE ROYAL CHARIOT ARRIVES

  18 THE EMERALD CITY

  19 THE SHAGGY MAN'S WELCOME

  20 PRINCESS OZMA OF OZ

  21 DOROTHY RECEIVES THE GUESTS

  22 IMPORTANT ARRIVALS

  23 THE GRAND BANQUET

  24 THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION