Hidden History of Oz – 2012 recap

The wizard, by W.W. Denslow, original illustrator for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Free promo time on Amazon is over, and I want to say THANK YOU to all of the hundreds of readers who downloaded The Hidden History of Oz, Book One: The Witch Queens. If a link in the book brought you here, welcome. If you are looking for information about L. Frank Baum‘s Oz, you’ll find some useful pieces of canonical knowledge, as it relates to the Hidden History of Oz.

But first, a welcome and introduction-

What is the Hidden History?

The Hidden History of Oz is a book series written by Tarl Telford that explores the backstory and true-universe events that created the Oz that welcomed Dorothy. (see Hidden History)

Why is the Hidden History important?

Oz is an important part of pop culture. It will become even more important in the years of 2013-2014 as more stories and movies are released.  These build on the 1939 MGM movie, and the pop culture version of Oz. This was not the original vision of Oz – L. Frank Baum wrote the novel before he wrote the Broadway play, or the movies were ever conceptualized.

It is important to know why the Wizard became a shut-in, and what history the Wicked Witches shared. Why was Glinda so agreeable if she was the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz? She had no more competition, so why did she quickly agree to Dorothy’s requests?

Whimsy does not win wars. The Hidden History of Oz is not the light-hearted fare that subsequent visions of Oz have served up. This series does not imitate L. Frank Baum’s style of writing. This series explores the light and the dark of Oz, and serves it up in a fun, family-friendly adventure that is fast-paced and exciting.

How does the Hidden History fit with Oz?

The Hidden History intersects Baum’s work in exactly one place – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. That was the original vision, and that is, I believe, the truest version of Oz. View an infographic here to explore the different visions of Oz, and how the Hidden History fits in.

Where do I fit in?

You, dear reader, are one-half of the vital magic of Oz. For, you see, Oz is powered by human dreams. The more you dream, the more vivid and wonderful Oz becomes. I was about to say “and dreadful [Oz becomes]”, but I stopped. For we know that wickedness and evil must exist in a story to make the conflict interesting. Oz is as real as you dream it to be. It is my hope that by reading these stories you can dream Oz more and more real.

How can I participate?

Do you draw? Paint? Make digital art? Make music? Create games? Cosplay?

There are as many interpretations to Oz as there are imaginations to dream it. Send me an email at Oz@tarltelford.com to share your ideas.

What if I don’t do any of those things?

Read. Read and share and dream. The readers are the ones that make the stories worthwhile. Write up a review for the book. Support this Hidden History movement. I know where the story is going, and I want to share it with you. The more people that we share the story with, the greater Oz becomes.

To find the Hidden History

Visit the author page on Amazon for links to the various versions of the books. More venues and versions will be available in January 2013. Don’t have a kindle? Soon there will be versions of the book available in the iTunes store, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play store. Stay tuned for more information here and on Goodreads.com.

Again, I thank you, dear readers, for your support. Your comments and suggestions are most beneficial to crafting this story. Without you, this dream of Oz would be simply that – a dream.

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