Bidspirit auction | 1908 and 1939. Baum, L.

1908 and 1939. Baum, L. Frank. Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz and The Land of Oz. Reilly & Lee Co. - Two vintage hardcover volumes from the Oz series by L. Frank Baum, both published in Chicago by The Reilly & Lee Co. and featuring illustrations by John R. Neill. The first volume, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, is bound in light blue publisher's cloth with a color pictorial paper label pasted to the front board. The title page identifies Baum as the author of several previous Oz titles and the copyright page bears a date of 1908. The spine features black printed text and a small character illustration, with the publisher name Reilly & Lee at the foot. The interior includes black and white line drawings throughout and a pictorial This Book Belongs To page which remains blank. The second volume is The Land of Oz, identified on the front cover as a Popular Edition. It features a green cloth spine with a black printed soldier figure and a full-color pictorial paper-covered front board. The title page is specifically dated 1939 and lists Baum as the author of numerous Oz titles up to Tik-Tok of Oz. This edition contains black and white interior illustrations. The spine of this volume also bears the publisher name Reilly & Lee at the base. Both books are octavo in size. The collection is in mixed condition ranging from poor to good. Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz shows overall rubbing and scratching to the front pictorial label (photo 2). The light blue cloth binding displays fraying at the spine head and tail with a loose thread visible at the top (photo 3). The interior pages show general toning consistent with age. The Land of Oz is in poor condition; the text block is completely detached from the binding (photo 21) and shows a split at the hinge. The front cover has significant surface loss, scuffing, and edge wear (photo 13). An interior illustration on page 112 has been colored in with orange, green, and blue crayon (photo 20). There are pencil markings on the internal back cover (photo 21). Both volumes exhibit heavy tanning to the page edges and general shelf wear to the extremities.