BEFORE OZ — THE KINGDOM OF MO

Baum, L. Frank (1856–1919) ; Ver Beck, Frank – Illustrator

The Surprising Adventures of The Magical Monarch of Mo [First Edition Thus] [12 Color Plates]

Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1903. First Edition, thus.
A SIGNIFICANT BIBLIOGRAPHICAL EVOLUTION IN THE L. FRANK BAUM CANON, REPRESENTING THE DEFINITIVE 1903 REIMAGINING OF HIS FIRST FULL-LENGTH FANTASY NOVEL.
Originally titled 'A New Wonderland,' this edition introduces the 'Valley of Mo' and features reworked four-color plates that offer a strikingly different aesthetic from the 1900 original. Despite spine sunning, this copy remains a tight, structurally sound example of Bobbs-Merrill’s early 20th-century fantasy production.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: 12 vibrant four-color plates and numerous black-and-white drawings by Frank Ver Beck.
+++ Binding: Light blue cloth with a bright, color pictorial cover label.
+++ Content: A collection of whimsical adventures featuring the King of Mo, chocolate-drop trees, and the 'Cast-Iron Man.'
+++ Rarity: Uncommon 'First Edition Thus' (First with this title); Bobbs-Merrill imprint B, Second Printing.
+++ Imprint: Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1903.
+++ Specs: 9.25 inches tall / 237 pages.

CONDITION: Good+ -- Bindings are tight and square; text block is clean with light, even toning. Moderate shelf handling wear includes sunning to the spine and the perimeter of the boards. The color plate following page 6 has a minor chip at the center of the fore-edge. Cover label remains largely intact and presentable.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
L. Frank Baum is synonymous with American fantasy, but 'The Magical Monarch of Mo' holds a unique place as his first attempt at a cohesive fairy-tale world, predating the publication of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.' When the original 1900 publication ('A New Wonderland') failed to meet expectations, Baum and his publisher meticulously overhauled the text, renaming the land 'Mo' to distance it from 'Alice in Wonderland' and aligning it more closely with the whimsical logic of his later Oz books.

The importance of this 1903 edition lies in the artistic collaboration with Frank Ver Beck. While the original edition featured simple colorations, the plates in this 'First Thus' were reworked for a sophisticated four-color process. These illustrations capture the 'Pre-Oz' Baum—a writer experimenting with the nonsensical and the grotesque before settling into the pastoral charm of the Emerald City.

SUBJECTS: American Fantasy, L. Frank Baum, Children's Illustration, Bobbs-Merrill, Early 20th Century Fiction, Children's Literature, Fantasy, Illustrated Book.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: Thompson 73ff, Books of Wonder #8, 29.

Item #21609

Price: $325.00