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 Oogahoo, whom Tik-Tok assisted
in conquering our old acquaintance, the Nome Kin.
It also tells of Betsy Bobin and how, after many
adventures, she finally reached the marvelous
Land of Oz.

There is a play called “The Tik-Tok Man of Oz,”
hut 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 hooks,
are included in the play. Those who have seen the
play and those who have read the other Oz hooks
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 hook of that story for
the children to read.”

So, if Dorothy keeps her word and I am permitted
to write another Oz hook, you will probably
discover how all these characters came together in
the famous Emerald City. Meantime, I want to tell
all my little friends–whose numbers are increasing
by many thousands every year–that I am very
grateful for the favor they have shown my hooks and
for the delightful little letters I am constantly
receiving. I am almost sure that I have as many friends
among the children of America as any story writer
alive; and this, of course, makes me very proud and
happy.

L. Frank Baum.

“OZCOT”
at HOLLYWOOD
in CALIFORNIA, 1914.