Audiobook · read by volunteers
Ozma of Oz (Version 2) (Dramatic Reading)
L. Frank Baum (1856–1919)
Read by Paul Harvey, Henry Frigon, Denny Sayers (d. 2015), Elizabeth Klett, David O'Connell, Padraig O'hIceadha, staticstasy, Beverly Scott, Miriam Esther Goldman (1991-2017), Christian Brock · 22 chapters · 4 h 17
About the book
Dorothy is on a sea voyage with her uncle when a storm throws her overboard. She floats ashore, clinging to a hen coop, in a strange country called Ev, and the hen inside turns out to be Billina, a hen who can talk. Together they set off to find help.
In the course of their adventures, they meet Tiktok, a mechanical man who must be wound up to think, speak or act, and a collection of strange rulers, including a princess with a collection of heads, and the grim Nome King, who guards a hidden kingdom beneath the earth. Dorothy must use all her courage and quick thinking to rescue a royal family.
This is the third Oz book by L. Frank Baum, here performed as a dramatic reading, with different voices bringing the characters to life. It has twenty-two chapters and lasts a little over four hours. A fantastic choice for children, families and anyone who loves a lively fairy tale.
Introduction
L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) wrote fourteen Oz books, beginning with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900. Ozma of Oz, published in 1907, was the third in the series, following The Marvelous Land of Oz of 1904. In this volume Dorothy returns to fairyland after a gap and, for the first time, the story takes place largely outside Oz itself, in the neighbouring country of Ev.
The book introduces several characters who became firm favourites of readers: Billina, the practical talking hen, Tiktok, the clockwork man, and Princess Ozma, the young ruler of Oz, who gives the title its name. It also features the Nome King, who would reappear in later books. Baum’s style is brisk and good-humoured, and his invention rarely flags. He likes comic details and strange creatures, and he sets his heroine against threats without ever making the tone too dark.
The illustrations by John R. Neill, who drew for the series from the second book onward, were an important part of the original edition. In audio form, the story depends on the voices.
This recording is a dramatic reading, the second version of the book on LibriVox, with several volunteers taking the roles. It has twenty-two chapters and runs for about four hours. This approach brings out the dialogue and the humour. It suits family listening, and fans of the Oz series will enjoy meeting favourite characters, while newcomers can start here without needing the earlier books.
Public domain
L. Frank Baum died in 1919: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text