The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tik-Tok of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

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Title: Tik-Tok of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum

Posting Date: March 23, 2009 [EBook #956]
Release Date: June, 1997

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TIK-TOK OF OZ ***

Produced by Anthony Matonac and Paul Selkirk.

TIK-TOK OF OZ

by

L. FRANK BAUM

To Louis F. Gottschalk,
whose sweet and dainty melodies
breathe the true spirit of fairyland,
this book is affectionately dedicated

To My Readers

The very marked success of my last year's fairy book, "The Patchwork
Girl of Oz," convinces me that my readers like the Oz stories "best of
all," as one little girl wrote me. So here, my dears, is a new Oz story
in which is introduced Ann Soforth, the Queen of Oogaboo, whom Tik-Tok
assisted in conquering our old acquaintance, the Nome King. It also
tells of Betsy Bobbin and how, after many adventures, she finally
reached the marvelous Land of Oz.

There is a play called "The Tik-Tok Man of Oz," but it is not like this
story of "Tik-Tok of Oz," although some of the adventures recorded in
this book, as well as those in several other Oz books, are included in
the play. Those who have seen the play and those who have read the
other Oz books will find in this story a lot of strange characters and
adventures that they have never heard of before.

In the letters I receive from children there has been an urgent appeal
for me to write a story that will take Trot and Cap'n Bill to the Land
of Oz, where they will meet Dorothy and Ozma. Also they think
Button-Bright ought to get acquainted with Ojo the Lucky. As you know,
I am obliged to talk these matters over with Dorothy by means of the
"wireless," for that is the only way I can communicate with the Land of
Oz. When I asked her about this idea, she replied: "Why, haven't you
heard?" I said "No." "Well," came the message over the wireless, "I'll
tell you all about it, by and by, and then you can make a book of that
story for the children to read."

So, if Dorothy keeps her word and I am permitted to write another Oz
book, you will probably discover how all these