The Wonderful World of Oz

This spectacular visual overview of Frank Baum’s beloved World of Oz was illustrated by Dick Martin in 1986. It provides a stunning panorama of the geography of the magical land, divided into four distinctly colored regions with the green Emerald City towering in the center. Numerous locations of interest from across the book series are labeled within the image; including Glinda’s Palace, the Yellow Brick Road, Mt. Munch, and the Gugu Forest. Both well-known and supporting characters such as The Nome King, Princess Ozma, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Patchwork Girl, and the Gump can also be seen. In an interesting analysis of Baum’s wordplay, Martin Gardiner describes the geography of Oz as such; “Oz is divided into four regions; Gillikin in the north, Winkie in the west, Munchkin in the east, and Quadling in the south. The Gillikin region, where the dominant color is purple, may have been named after the purple blossoms of the gillyflower, a plant that flourishes in Upper New York where Baum spent his childhood. I have also speculated that Munchkin may refer to the munching of breakfast after the sun rises in the east. The color of this region is blue, perhaps a reference to the sky turning blue in the early morning. Winkie may refer to the winking of sleepy eyes when the sun sets in the west. The Winkie color of yellow suggests the gold of sunsets. Quadling clearly stands for the fourth region of Oz.” Copyright 1988 by Ozma, Inc. Published in New York by Books of Wonder. Sources: Butler University; About the Land of Oz;