The pair had wed in 1882, and Gage was the daughter of famed suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage. He had discovered his talent for storytelling from the nursery rhymes and tales he told his four sons from his marriage to Maud Gage. 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' and BooksĪfter stints as a newspaper journalist and businessman, Baum started writing for children in his forties. Never earning a high school degree, he spent his early adulthood exploring his interest in acting and writing for the stage. Baum left the school after a health crisis two years later, apparently suffering from some type of heart condition. At the age of 12, he went to the Peekskill Military Academy. Named 'Lyman' after an uncle, Baum hated his first name and chose to be called by his middle name 'Frank' instead.īaum's education began with tutors at home in his early years. He enjoyed a comfortable upbringing as the son of a barrel factory owner who also had some success in the oil business. In 1900, Baum wrote one of the most famous works of children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, later known as The Wizard of Oz.

Lyman Frank Baum was born on May 15, 1856, in Chittenango, New York. His stories have formed the basis for such popular films as The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). The following year, Baum scored an even bigger hit with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and went on to write 13 more Oz books before his death in 1919. Author Frank Baum had his first best-selling children's book with 1899's Father Goose, His Book.

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