The Road to Oz. The Emerald City of the Land of Oz

This edition presents the fifth and sixth books of the cycle by American writer Frank Baum about the wonderful land of Oz: "The Road to Oz" and "The Emerald City of Oz". In these stories, little Dorothy finds herself back in the magical land and at the center of incredible events. The translation into Russian was done by Sergey Afonykin. The wonderful illustrations by American artist John R. Neill help to imagine the landscapes of the marvelous land and its extraordinary inhabitants.

Lyman Frank Baum (1856–1919) was an American writer, poet, and playwright, author of the famous series of books about the land of Oz. In addition to tales of the marvelous inhabitants of the magical land, throughout his life Frank Baum wrote over forty other works. However, he did not come to writing right away: before that, Baum tried his hand as an actor, playwright, merchant, and magazine editor. The first book about the land of Oz ("The Wonderful Wizard of Oz") was published only in 1900 and became the best-selling children's book. The story of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion captivated the world and made its creator famous. Four years later, Baum wrote a sequel — it was also successful; as a result, a total of fourteen books dedicated to the magical land came from Baum's pen. Screen adaptations and theatrical productions based on little Dorothy's adventures began even during Baum's lifetime, and his books were translated into different languages around the world. This edition introduces the reader to the fifth and sixth books of the series: "The Road to Oz" and "The Emerald City of Oz". Dorothy is in for new adventures and new friends: in the fifth book, the girl meets a strange shaggy stranger — wishing to help him find his way, she ends up at an enchanted crossroads and gets lost herself. In the sixth book, Dorothy moves to the land of Oz with her aunt and uncle, but trouble arises: the gnome king wants to attack the Emerald City, having already begun the construction of an underground passage for his army's invasion. Both tales are accompanied by enchanting illustrations by American artist John R. Neill.

John R. Neill (1877–1943) is known as a children's book illustrator. He began his creative journey in high school, where he did drawings for the newspaper. Leaving school, Neill became a staff artist for a Philadelphia newspaper, where he drew comics and illustrated stories for children. In 1904, the first edition of Baum's second book about the land of Oz — "The Land of Oz" — was published with Neill's illustrations, and since then Neill worked on every book in the series. Neill's drawings are considered classic illustrations for the fairy tale series about the wonderful land of Oz.