What you might not know about The Wizard of Oz...

Audio books are my favorite means of wiling away the miles on a long drive. As I begin my drive from East to West, it seems appropriate that I should listen to the story of another adventurer as she follows her own road home. No, Pricilla, Queen of the Desert was not a novel; I'm talking about The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum. Everyone has seen the film, but not everyone knows that Baum's Oz spanned a series of a baker's dozen novels as well as some posthumous publications. And unsurprisingly, the film Is not a perfect translation of the novel, although it is wonderful in its own right. With that in mind, here are some tidbits you might not know about the classic that has left an indelible impact on our culture:

-Baum wrote Oz as a modern fairytale, intentionally withholding the moralization of classic fairy tails (although he doesn't let a good lesson go to waste, either).

-Dorothy is an orphan.
-Her ruby slippers were written as silver shoes. 

-Blue is the color of Munchkins and white is the color of witches--the colors that make up Dorothy's famous gingham dress--a main reason why the Munchkins are so stoked on her.

-The Yellow Brick Road had potholes.

-Dorothy's adventure lasts for weeks.

-The Tinwoodsman once was a man of flesh and blood, but was destroyed when a spell was placed and his ax, which chops him to bits. A kind tinsmith rebuilds his parts.

-The Tinman and Scarecrow never sleep or eat.
-The Tinman is pretty freaking murderous.

-Along the way, each of Dorothy's friends demonstrate that they already posses the traits they wish to gain, but they are not content until the Wizard works his stuff.

-On entering the Emerald City, green tinted glasses are locked to everyone's faces. It is suggested (but never stated) that the glasses that all inhabitants wear create the emerald effect in a colorless city, evoking dystopian themes. 

-The Wizard will only see one member of Dorothy's party each day, and takes a different frightening form for each of them. He assigns each character with the task of killing the wicked witch before he will help them. 

-The flying monkeys are enslaved through the use of a magical golden cap. After killing the witch, Dorothy uses the cap for her own purposes before the Good Witch sets them free. Themes of slavery and reconstruction abound. 

-Scarecrow takes over as ruler of the Emerald City after the Wizard floats away in a balloon that Dorothy helps him build. 

-Dorothy does not awake from the adventure as if from a dream, but finds herself rolling in the grass to her guardians' surprise and relief at her arrival home.