L Frank Baum

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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of both the popular 1902 Broadway musical and the well-known 1939 film adaptation. The story chronicles the adventures of a young girl named Dorothy Gale in the Land of Oz, after being swept away from her Kansas farm home in a cyclone. The novel is one of the best-known stories in American popular culture and has been widely translated. Its initial success, and the success of the 1902 Broadway musical which Baum adapted from his original story, led to Baum's writing thirteen additional Oz books.

Daughters of Destiny is a 1906 adventure novel written by L. Frank Baum under his pseudonym Schuyler Staunton - a follow-up to the first Staunton novel of the previous year, The Fate of a Crown. Daughters of Destiny contained eight illustrations by Harold DeLay and Thomas Mitchell Pierce. The two artists worked to their respective strengths: Pierce provided three pictures of the female characters, and DeLay furnished five pictures of male characters. The American Construction Syndicate wants to build a railroad across Baluchistan. The company appoints a commission, headed by Col. Piedmont Moore, to obtain the right of way from the Baluch ruler. Moore chooses his personal friend and physician Dr. Warner as his second in command; he picks his son Allison Moore as the commission's surveyor. Dr. Warner's ebullient daughter Bessie wants to come along, and solicits Moore's daughter Janet to come too; the young women will be chaperoned by Bessie's Aunt Lucy. (Moore is secretly pleased that his daughter Janet will make the trip; she has been melancholy after an unhappy love affair, with a man the Colonel regards as a thief and scoundrel.)The Americans reach Baluchistan and promptly get embroiled in a succession conflict. The reigning Khan of the country is dying, and two cousins vie for the crown. One, Kasam, is masquerading as their guide. What follows is a complex but tightly-woven plot that involves subterfuge and conspiracy, poisonings and attempted assassinations, sword fights and a pursuit in the desert, a scheming femme fatale, disguises and false identities - all the ingredients of melodrama, skillfully mixed. In the end, Prince Kasam's rival Ahmed (or Hafiz) inherits the throne of Baluchistan - but yields it to Kasam so that he can return to the United States with the heroine, Janet Moore. It is revealed that Ahmed/Hafiz is actually Howard Osbourne, the man Janet had previously loved - and secretly married, seven years before. Osbourne had nobly but foolishly taken the blame for an embezzlement actually committed by Janet's brother Allison. Once all the secrets are out, the difficulties are resolved and the requisite happy ending is achieved. And Bessie Warner stays behind to marry Prince Kasam and become the Khanum of Baluchistan.

The American Construction Syndicate wants to build a railroad across Baluchistan, as part of their plans for global development. The company appoints a commission, headed by Colonel Piedmont Moore, to obtain the right of way from the Baluchi ruler. Moore chooses his personal friend and physician Dr. Warner as his second in command; and with commendable nepotism he selects his son Allison Moore as the commission's surveyor. Dr. Warner's ebullient daughter Bessie wants to come along, and solicits Moore's daughter Janet to come too; the young women will by chaperoned by Bessie's Aunt Lucy. (Col. Moore is secretly pleased that his daughter Janet will make the trip; she has been melancholy after an unhappy love affair, with a man the Colonel regards as a thief and scoundrel.)The Americans travel to Baluchistan, and promptly get themselves imbroiled in a succession conflict. The reigning Khan of the country is dying, and two cousins vie for the crown. One, Kasam, is masquerading as their guide. What follows is a complex but tightly-woven plot that involves subterfuge and conspiracy, poisonings and attempted assassinations, sword fights and a pursuit in the desert, a scheming femme fatale, disguises and false identities - all the ingredients of melodrama. In the end, Prince Kasam's rival Ahmed (or Hafiz) inherits the throne of Baluchistan - but he yields it to Kasam so he can return to the United States with the heroine, Janet Moore. It is revealed that Ahmed/Hafiz is actually Howard Osborne, the man Janet had previously loved (and secretly married, seven years before). Osborne had nobly but foolishly taken the blame for an embezzlement actually committed by Allison Moore, the Colonel's son and Janet's brother. Once all the secrets are out, the difficulties are resolved; and the requisite happy ending is achieved. And Bessie stays behind to marry Prince Kasam, and become the Khanum of Baluchistan.

The servants of the Tin Woodman all wore tin helmets and tin breastplates and uniforms covered with tiny tin discs sewed closely together on silver cloth, so that their bodies sparkled as beautifully as did the tin castle-and almost as beautifully as did the Tin Woodman himself. Woot the Wanderer looked at the man servant-all bright and glittering-and at the magnificent castle-all bright and glittering-and as he looked his eyes grew big with wonder. For Woot was not very big and not very old and, wanderer though he was, this proved the most gorgeous sight that had ever met his boyish gaze. "Who lives here?" he asked.