I have been collecting OZ books all my life. My Grandma on one side and grandpa on the OTHER side of my family gave me their books and they were my prized possessions. (No, I'm not selling off their books, my house burned down so I was determined to get my collection back and boy did I ever!
This is a new collection so it has its own idiosyncracies. All books are early versions illustrated by John R. Neill and published by Reilly & Lee, (except Wizard, as noted.)
Most people call the Reilly & Lee books first editions but Reilly & Britton published the first 12 books until WWII. The two first editions in this collection are Glinda of Oz and The Magic of Oz.
Please read carefully and ask me anything. These books were in a private collection so if there is any marking in the books or if the books have been mended or written on, rendering them collectibly worthless, then this is not the set for you. I don't know about states or points but I will answer all your questions.
These books are in pretty good shape, especially for being over 100 years old. Spines are intact, pages are not falling out, both covers are anchored on, but there are characterics specific to each book so I will take it book by book, starting with the last first because the last ones are the most splendid!!!
14. THE MAGIC OF OZ- True first edition, color plates, moss green cloth cover, pasteboard of girl and magician inspecting a crowned monkey. Book is delicate but seems to be holding together fine. Where the back cover meets the binding is worn but is holding together. Please ask for additional pics, it is impossible to photograph 100 years of flaws and I don't want there to be any surprises. All in all, book is in good readable shape but you wouldn't want to give it to your toddler learning to read.
13. GLINDA OF OZ- True First Edition, color plates, blue cloth cover. This book is in good condition but a kid went hog wild on the coloring and there are stickers. Pages are a little loose, cover webbing is separating a little when you open it. Glinda is pretty rare to find but this one has been adorned by generations of children.
12. THE TIN WOODMAN OF OZ- ideal condition, writing only on the dedication page, beige cloth cover. Black and white, belonged to Tonale Limeburger. Pages tight, corners sharp.
11. THE LOST PRINCESS OF OZ- black and white illustrations, beige cloth cover. his book is in good shape, see pic. This is a copy that is readable, pages and binding pretty tight.
10. RINKITINK IN OZ- Color plates! Good condition, blue cloth cover of a king on a goat with a child. Book looks pretty good.
9. THE SCARECROW OF OZ- black and white illustrations, terrific condition. Orange cloth cover, no writing, no issues. Pasteboard shows scarecrow with crows on yellow background. OZ has green O, Red Z. Corners are good, pages tight, no rips or stains that I can see.
8. TIK-TOK OF OZ- blue cloth cover depicting girl on mule with Tik-Tok on orange bg. Black and white illustrations. No additional writing, pages tight, corners sharp. Book still looks pretty good.
7. THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ- color plates! Blue cloth cover with patchwork girl printed on the canvas, no pasteboard. No other writing throughout, book is in beautiful shape. Webbing holding front cover and back cover in place are visible but it is anchored pretty nicely, pages tight, corners seem fine.
6. THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ- black and white illustrations, yellow cloth cover. Girl on sawhorse is on front pasteboard. It is bright, well attached, spiffy shape. Name and address of original owner on first page. Tight binding, sharp corners. Book is sound.
5. THE ROAD TO OZ- black and white illustrations. Maroon clith cover. Pasteboard of Dorothy in a sunhat being observed by lion, scarecrow, tinman. Pages tight, corners good, spine is doing its job with aplomb. No writing, no issues that I can see.
4. DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD OF OZ- Color plates! Blue cover, black and white. Wizard on pasteboard cover with 8 pigs in tophats. Cover is well attached, no visible writing, corners sharp, pages tight. It looks like one of the color plates was removed, examined, and replaced, and is not attached, but is present.
3. OZMA OF OZ- black and white. Blue cloth cover with Ozma on front padteboard in red dress, opening green curtain to display Emerald City behind her. Writing in pencil on 1st page, name. Pages, spine, and corners have minimal wear.
2. THE LAND OF OZ- blue cloth cover depicting Scarecrow and Tin Man holding hands. Seems to be holding up fine, pages are in place, webbing in front cover is visible but doing its job keeping the cover on. No other glaring flaws, pages are fine, corners are okay.
1. THE WIZARD OF OZ- 1903 Copyright by L. Frank Baum and W. W. Denslow who also illustrated this one. Moss green cover. Rare book. This book is super valuable too and in great condition. Corners are sharp, pages tight, binding secure, no monkey business. Pasteboard on cover has flaw 1/3 inch square.
So, in summation, 14 terrific books, most of which are over 100 years old. No surprises. The books with color plates are being sold elsewhere as 1st editions by Reilly & Lee, but some previous copies were sold by Reilly & Britton. I love the world of Oz, I had these books as a child, like I was saying, but my house burned down and I lost them. I had been keeping them in my attic and by the time I arrived, there was nothing there but ash raining down with phrases from the books that turned to nothing like snowflakes when they touched your skin. "There's no place like home..." Touche.
These books are magic to me. It has been a lot of fun to hunt down these treasures all of my adult life.
Please message me for more photos - I am extremely limited on the detail I can convey with the maximum allowable photos.
*You will see that people sell Oz books as first editions frequently because only the year first printed is usually on the publication page. All of the books until 1918 were first printed by Reilly & Britton and then reprinted immediately by Reilly and Lee and those bearing color plates are accepted/ sold as first editions but they aren't. 1918 and after, Reilly & Lee DID print first editions and I do have true firsts of MAGIC and Glinda and they are glorious. If I have been misinformed in how I have represented these books, please feel free to message me, I want the owner to enjoy these books as much as I have and revel in whatever memories they conjure up.
Thank you!
*I am very festidious in packing so your books will arrive packed tightly and then double boxed with padding, with insurance. Ebay requires a signature so please be have someone authorized to receive your books. Have a wonderful day!