Literary Birthday – 15 May – L. Frank Baum

L. Frank Baum was born on 15 May 1856 and died on 6 May 1919.

L. Frank Baum Quotes

1. Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
2. Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilisation. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity.
3. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.
4. I have learned to regard fame as a will-o-the-wisp which, when caught, is not worth the possession; but to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one’s heart and brings its own reward.
5. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid.
6. It is a callous age; we have seen so many marvels that we are ashamed to marvel more; the seven wonders of the world have become seven thousand wonders.
7. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilisation.
8. Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t you think?
9. No thief, however skilful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.
10. There is no place like home.

L. Frank Baum was an American author of children’s books. He is best known for writing children’s fantasy books, including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. According to Wikipedia: ‘His works anticipated such later commonplace things as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane’s Nieces at Work).’ Baum made use of several pseudonyms for some of his other non-Oz books.

Source for Image: University of California, Los Angeles Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

by Amanda Patterson

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