The Wizard of the Emerald City is a 1939 children's novel by Russian writer Alexander Melentyevich Volkov. The book is a re-narration of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum's name is sometimes credited in the book (in the appendix by Volkov, which is found in some editions, where Volkov describes the origins of his book). The names of most characters are changed, some elements of Baum's novel are removed, and some new elements are added. Volkov's Magic Land series, as it was called, was translated into many languages and was popular with children all over the Eastern Bloc. Volkov's version of Oz seems to be better known than Baum's in Russia, China, and the former East Germany. Five sequels were written by Volkov in the 1960s and 70s. The books in the series have been translated into English by Peter L. Blystone, and were published by Red Branch Press in three volumes (two books per volume) in 1991, 1993, and 2007. A revised edition of the first two-book volume was published in 2010.

Characters

Notable differences

The following are notable differences between The Wizard of the Emerald City and the original book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:

Sequels

In 1959 a new edition of the book was published, significantly revised by the author. This edition first featured illustrations by artist L.V. Vladimirsky and became popular in the 1960s, leading to five sequels: These sequels were written by Volkov himself and are not based on Baum's plot elements, although we do encounter the powder of life, a character called Charlie Black similar to Cap'n Bill, intelligent foxes, and the use of a Sandboat similar to Johnny Dooit's, albeit with wheels.

Film and TV adaptations