'The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick,' said the Witch; 'so you cannot miss it.

When you get to Oz do not be afraid of him, but tell your story and ask him to help you.' A cyclone hits Kansas and whirls away Dorothy and her little dog Toto to the magical Land of Oz, where wild beasts talk, silver shoes have magic powers, and good witches offer protection with a kiss.

But Dorothy has made an enemy of the Wicked Witch of the West.

With her new friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, they brave many dangers in search of the Wonderful Wizard in his Emerald City at the heart of Oz to ask him to grant each of them what they most desire - only to find that they already possess it.

Published at the dawn of the twentieth century, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) immediately captivated child and adult readers alike.

This new edition includes many of W. W. Denslow's original illustrations, and the introduction considers both the famous MGM film version and recent literary theory in a fascinating discussion of this children's classic.