L. Frank Baum
| L. Frank Baum | |
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Baum in 1911
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| Born | Lyman Frank Baum May 15, 1856 Chittenango, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 6, 1919 (aged 62) Hollywood, California |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
| Pen name | George Brooks, Louis F. Baum, Laura Bancroft, Suzanne Metcalf, Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald, Schuyler Staunton, Edith Van Dyne, Floyd Akers, John Estes Cooke |
| Occupation | Author, newspaper editor, actor, screenwriter, film producer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Fantasy, poetry, short stories |
| Notable works | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz |
| Spouse |
Maud Gage (m. 1882–1919; his death) |
| Children |
Frank Joslyn Baum Robert Stanton Baum Harry Neal Baum Kenneth Gage Baum |
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Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919), better known by his pen name L. Frank Baum, was an American author chiefly known for his children's books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen novel sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and a host of other works (55 novels in total, plus four "lost works", 83 short stories, over 200 poems, an unknown number of scripts, and many miscellaneous writings), and made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen. His works anticipated such century-later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high risk, action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).
Baum was born in Chittenango, New York in 1856 into a devout Methodist family. He had German, Scots-Irish, and English ancestry, and was the seventh of nine children of Cynthia Ann (née Stanton) and Benjamin Ward Baum, only five of whom survived into adulthood. "Lyman" was the name of his father's brother, but he always disliked it and preferred his middle name "Frank".
Benjamin Baum succeeded in many businesses, including barrel-making, oil drilling in Pennsylvania, and real estate. L. Frank Baum grew up on his parents' expansive estate called Rose Lawn, which he fondly recalled as a sort of paradise. Rose Lawn was located in Mattydale, New York. Frank was a sickly, dreamy child, tutored at home with his siblings. From the age of 12, he spent two miserable years at Peekskill Military Academy but, after being severely disciplined for daydreaming, he had a possibly psychogenic heart attack and was allowed to return home.
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