Baum bio offers theories on what influenced him

By MARY FOSTER

“The Real Wizard of Oz: The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum” by Rebecca Loncraine (Gotham Books, 289 pages, $28)

In “The Real Wizard of Oz,” Rebecca Loncraine offers a look at the life of L. Frank Baum and the theories about what influenced him.

Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” in which Dorothy is whisked away from a Kansas farmhouse to the mystical land of Oz, was published in 1900. In all, Baum wrote more than a dozen books about Oz and adventures there.

Loncraine hits all the points of his life (he was born in 1856 and died in 1919), beginning with his childhood in upstate New York and continuing through a string of business and journalistic failures.

The death of several siblings and cousins before and during Baum’s lifetime was a “founding influence on the development of his imagination,” Loncraine asserts. The book, which has an extensive bibliography and readings list, isn’t footnoted, however, so it’s not clear how the author arrived at many of her conclusions.

Baum’s varied career included journalism, writing plays and acting with a traveling company he founded. The latter was apparently a dangerous vocation, with a number of the theaters burning down just after the troupe played there.

He published a weekly paper in the Dakota territory of Aberdeen (now in South Dakota), in which he fought for women’s suffrage and declared Christianity outdated.

The last half of the book offers a look at Baum’s fascination with motion pictures and trick films, his life in Hollywood and his use of spiritualism or “second sight” to find stories.

Loncraine also presents observations on the reflection of the times in which Baum lived, including the horrors of World War I.

Although Baum was supposed to be bankrupt several times, Loncraine doesn’t explain details.

The book veers off on tangents and presents theories on Baum’s experiences and beliefs that seem only vaguely backed up. There is also surprisingly little material from Baum himself.