American Fairy Tales
Encyclopedia
American Fairy Tales is the title of a collection of twelve fantasy
stories by L. Frank Baum
, published in 1901
by the George M. Hill Company
, the firm that issued The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
the previous year. The cover, title page, and page borders were designed by Ralph Fletcher Seymour
; each story was furnished with two full-page black-and-white illustrations, by either Harry Kennedy, Ike Morgan, or Norman P. Hall.
and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and was determined to capitalize on this success. In addition to American Fairy Tales, Baum's Dot and Tot of Merryland
and The Master Key
appeared in 1901.
Publisher George M. Hill sold the serialization rights to the twelve stories in AFT to five major newspapers, the Pittsburgh Dispatch
, the Boston Post
, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the St. Louis
Republic, and The Chicago
Chronicle. The stories appeared between March 3 and May 19, 1901; the book followed in October. The first three papers used or adapted the book's illustrations for their publications of the stories, while the Chronicle and the Republic had their own staff artists do separate pictures.
. This probably reflected the influence of the medieval-revival book designs produced in the late nineteenth century by William Morris
at his Kelmscott Press.
The stories, as critics have noted, lack the high-fantasy aspect of the best of Baum's work, in Oz
or out. With ironic or nonsensical morals attached to their ends, their tone is more satirical, glib, and tongue-in-cheek than is usual in children's stories; the serialization in newspapers for adult readers was appropriate for the materials. "The Magic Bon Bons" was the most popular of the tales, judging by number of reprints.
Two of the stories, "The Enchanted Types" and "The Dummy That Lived," employ knooks and ryls, the fairies that Baum would use in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
the next year, 1902. "The Dummy That Lived" depends upon the idea of a department-store mannequin brought to life, an early expression of an idea that would be re-used by many later writers in television and films.
(Baum's story "The Runaway Shadows
," published in newspapers in June 1901, was intended to part part of the collection, but was dropped prior to publication of the book.)
series, Violet's Dreams, both with Violet MacMillan
in the role of child protagonist. The former was retitled A Box of Bandits for film.
Baum worked on a stage version of "The Glass Dog," but it was not produced and may not have been completed. In 2008, "The Glass Dog" was adapted for the fifteenth issue of Graphic Classics by Antonella Caputo and Brad Teare
.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
stories by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, published in 1901
1901 in literature
The year 1901 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:* First Nobel Prize for Literature awarded, to French poet Sully Prudhomme; many are outraged when Leo Tolstoy does not win...
by the George M. Hill Company
George M. Hill Company
George M. Hill Company was a publishing company based in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1893 by George M. Hill, who learned the book-binding trade through an apprenticeship....
, the firm that issued The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
the previous year. The cover, title page, and page borders were designed by Ralph Fletcher Seymour
Ralph Fletcher Seymour
Ralph Fletcher Seymour was an American artist, author, and publisher of the late nineteenth and the twentieth centuries...
; each story was furnished with two full-page black-and-white illustrations, by either Harry Kennedy, Ike Morgan, or Norman P. Hall.
Background
L. Frank Baum was doing well in 1901, better than ever before in his life. He had written two popular books, Father GooseFather Goose
Father Goose may refer to:* Father Goose: His Book, by L. Frank Baum, or the character of that name in his other works* Father Goose, a book by Chapman Mortimer that won the 1951 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction...
and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and was determined to capitalize on this success. In addition to American Fairy Tales, Baum's Dot and Tot of Merryland
Dot and Tot of Merryland
Dot and Tot of Merryland is a 1901 novel by L. Frank Baum. After Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he wrote this story about the adventures of a little girl named Dot and a little boy named Tot in a land reached by floating on a river that flowed through a tunnel. The land was called Merryland...
and The Master Key
The Master Key (novel)
The Master Key: An Electrical Fairy Tale, Founded Upon the Mysteries of Electricity and the Optimism of Its Devotees is a 1901 novel by L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It was illustrated by F. Y. Cory.-Plot summary:...
appeared in 1901.
Publisher George M. Hill sold the serialization rights to the twelve stories in AFT to five major newspapers, the Pittsburgh Dispatch
Pittsburgh Dispatch
The Pittsburgh Dispatch was a leading newspaper in Pittsburgh, PA, operating from 1846 to 1923. After being enlarged by publisher Daniel O'Neill it was reportedly one of the largest and most prosperous newspapers in the United States...
, the Boston Post
Boston Post
The Boston Post was the most popular daily newspaper in New England for over a hundred years before it folded in 1956. The Post was founded in November 1831 by two prominent Boston businessmen, Charles G...
, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
Republic, and The Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Chronicle. The stories appeared between March 3 and May 19, 1901; the book followed in October. The first three papers used or adapted the book's illustrations for their publications of the stories, while the Chronicle and the Republic had their own staff artists do separate pictures.
Book Design
The first edition of AFT had an unusual and striking design: each page was furnished with a broad illustrated border done in pen-and-ink by Seymour, which took up more than half the surface of the page, like a medieval illuminated manuscriptIlluminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
. This probably reflected the influence of the medieval-revival book designs produced in the late nineteenth century by William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
at his Kelmscott Press.
The Stories
The twelve stories were published in this order in the first edition.- "The Box of Robbers." Illustrated by Ike Morgan.
- "The Glass Dog." Illustrated by Harry Kennedy.
- "The Queen of Quok." Morgan.
- "The Girl Who Owned a Bear." Kennedy.
- "The Enchanted Types." Morgan.
- "The Laughing Hippopotamus." Morgan.
- "The Magic Bon Bons." Morgan.
- "The Capture of Father Time." Kennedy.
- "The Wonderful Pump." The single story illustrated by N. P. Hall.
- "The Dummy That Lived." Morgan.
- "The King of the Polar Bears." Morgan.
- "The Mandarin and the Butterfly." Morgan.
The stories, as critics have noted, lack the high-fantasy aspect of the best of Baum's work, in Oz
Land of Oz
Oz is a fantasy region containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fantasy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
or out. With ironic or nonsensical morals attached to their ends, their tone is more satirical, glib, and tongue-in-cheek than is usual in children's stories; the serialization in newspapers for adult readers was appropriate for the materials. "The Magic Bon Bons" was the most popular of the tales, judging by number of reprints.
Two of the stories, "The Enchanted Types" and "The Dummy That Lived," employ knooks and ryls, the fairies that Baum would use in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark.-Infancy, Youth, Motivation:...
the next year, 1902. "The Dummy That Lived" depends upon the idea of a department-store mannequin brought to life, an early expression of an idea that would be re-used by many later writers in television and films.
(Baum's story "The Runaway Shadows
The Runaway Shadows
"The Runaway Shadows, or A Trick of Jack Frost" is a twentieth-century fairy tale, a fantasy short story written by L. Frank Baum, famous as the creator of the Land of Oz. The story is one of a small cluster of Baum narratives that involve his fantasy land the Forest of Burzee and its exotic denizens...
," published in newspapers in June 1901, was intended to part part of the collection, but was dropped prior to publication of the book.)
Later Editions
Bobbs-Merrill, the firm that bought the rights to Baum's books when George M. Hill went out of business in February 1902, published a second edition of AFT in 1908, with a new cover and sixteen two-color illustrations by George Kerr to replace the originals by Morgan, Kennedy, and Hall. This second edition also added an Author's Note by Baum and three more stories—"The Strange Adventures of an Egg," "The Ryl," and "The Witchcraft of Mary-Marie." A third edition that appeared c. 1923–24 dropped half the color illustrations; this edition kept the book in print as late as 1942.Adaptations
Baum adapted "The Box of Robbers" and "The Magic Bon Bons" as chapters 1 and 3 of his lost filmLost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
series, Violet's Dreams, both with Violet MacMillan
Violet MacMillan
Violet MacMillan , was an American actress in Broadway theatre productions, vaudeville, and silent motion pictures. She was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.-Tiny feet:...
in the role of child protagonist. The former was retitled A Box of Bandits for film.
Baum worked on a stage version of "The Glass Dog," but it was not produced and may not have been completed. In 2008, "The Glass Dog" was adapted for the fifteenth issue of Graphic Classics by Antonella Caputo and Brad Teare
Brad Teare
Brad Teare is a fine artist, illustrator and comics writer/artist based in Utah. He was educated at University of Idaho and Utah State University....
.