<P> The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (/ ɑː z /) is an American children's novel written by author 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 on numerous occasions, most often under the title The Wizard of Oz, which is the title of the popular 1902 Broadway musical adaptation as well as the iconic 1939 musical film adaptation . The franchise as a whole has EGOT - ed, meaning it has won the four biggest awards of American show business . </P> <P> The story chronicles the adventures of a young farm girl named Dorothy in the magical Land of Oz, after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their Kansas home by a cyclone . The novel is one of the best - known stories in American literature and has been widely translated . The Library of Congress has declared it "America's greatest and best - loved homegrown fairytale". Its groundbreaking success and the success of the Broadway musical adapted from the novel led Baum to write thirteen additional Oz books that serve as official sequels to the first story . </P> <P> Baum dedicated the book "to my good friend & comrade, My Wife", Maud Gage Baum . In January 1901, George M. Hill Company completed printing the first edition, a total of 10,000 copies, which quickly sold out . The Wonderful Wizard of Oz sold three million copies by the time it entered the public domain in 1956 . </P> <P> The book was published by George M. Hill Company . Its first edition had a printing of 10,000 copies and was sold in advance of the publication date of September 1, 1900 . On May 17, 1900, the first copy of the book came off the press; Baum assembled it by hand and presented it to his sister Mary Louise Baum Brewster . The public saw the book for the first time at a book fair at the Palmer House in Chicago, July 5--20 . The book's copyright was registered on August 1; full distribution followed in September . By October 1900, the first edition had already sold out and the second edition of 15,000 copies was nearly depleted . </P>

Who was the wizard of oz dedicated to