Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz

First published in 1908, "e;Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz"e; is the fourth book in L. Frank Baum's "e;Oz"e; series. In this installment of the charming adventures of Dorothy, she has returned from Australia and goes with her Uncle Henry and her cat Eureka to California to visit relatives. There she meets her cousin Zeb and soon they are transported to lands of magic and fantasy when the buggy they are riding in falls through a crack in the ground. Dorothy, Zeb, Eureka, and a cab-horse named Jim land in the underground realm of the Mangaboos, who are vegetable people growing on vines and living in glass buildings. There Dorothy is reunited with the Wizard of Oz when he floats down in his hot air balloon and saves them from a terrible fate at the hands of the Mangaboos. The adventurers are later aided by invisible people in the Valley of Voe and must escape several unfriendly mythical creatures before they may finally return to Oz. Baum's vivid imagination and creativity are readily apparent in this entertaining and timeless work that takes place in a land at once familiar and yet full of exciting possibility. This edition includes a biographical afterword.