Since it's publication in 1900, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has become as familiar to most of us as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This is largely thanks to MGM's 1939 production of The Wizard of Oz, starring the young and pouting Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale. Everyone knows about The Wicked Witch of the West, the coveted ruby slippers and the powerful, if somewhat ordinary, Wizard. But did you know that, according to Baum's vision, those slippers were actually silver, the Witch was just one of many foes Dorothy and her companions faced, and the Wizard had been pulling the wool over the eyes of the Emerald City citizens for years?
Did you know that Baum wrote thirteen more books that deal with Oz and Dorothy Gale's adventures therein?
Through this page, we at What? Magazine aim to remind you of your childhood fantasies of Tin Woodmen, Scarecrows, Cowardly Lions, and, especially, Wicked Witches. We'll provide you with links to some great Oz stuff, including the original stories on-line, uncanny connections to Pink Floyd, reviews of the latest words from Oz, and, of course, our own rantings and ravings on the subjects of tornadoes, good and evil, and small, annoying dogs.
Hold on tight. We're off to see the Wizard!
--Dorothy Branwyn
