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Published by EH.NET (January 2003) 
 
Ranjit S. Dighe, editor, _The Historian's Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank 
Baum's Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory_. Westport, CT: 
Praeger, 2002. xi + 149 pp. $59.95 (hardcover), ISBN: 0-275-97418-9; $21.95 
(paperback), ISBN: 0-275-97419-7. 
 
Reviewed for EH.NET by Timothy E. Sullivan, Department of Economics, Towson 
University. <[log in to unmask]> 
 
 
L. Frank Baum's _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ published more than a century 
ago is a celebrated and much-loved classic of children's literature but as 
is the case with many fables it appeals to a wide audience and the precise 
meaning and intent of the story depends on how it is interpreted. It can be 
read purely as a delightfully entertaining fairy tale, full of whimsical 
characters and an enchanted adventure. It can, and has, also been 
interpreted as an allegory of the political, economic and social adventures 
of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The interesting thing 
of course, and what makes this such an enduring story, is that there are 
plausible and contrary interpretations of the fable's characters and their 
adventures. Reading it as a pro-populist metaphor for the economic effect 
of bimetallism and the expansion of the nation's money supply along with 
the empowerment of western farmers and industrial laborers seems apparent 
enough. On the other hand, others have interpreted it as an anti-populist 
metaphor, or as a parable about Progressivism, or as an allegory of the 
perils of imperialism and the direction of American foreign policy in the 
late nineteenth century. Although these interpretations, as well as 
assorted pro and anti-feminist interpretations that others have attributed 
to the characters and their adventures, help to make this fable much richer 
and thus much more interesting than being merely a simple, albeit fantastic 
child's fairy-tale, _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ succeeds as a work of 
fiction not simply because it is entertaining but rather because it engages 
its readers. Any writer who succeeds in not only entertaining his or her 
audience but then gets them to imagine things they hadn't imagined before 
or even surprises them with questions of how one thing might be related to 
another thing has accomplished something wonderful indeed. Baum's story 
remains a classic because it continues to entertain and surprise a wide 
audience of readers; whatever was intended when it! 
 was originally penned. 
 
Dighe (Economics, State University of New York at Oswego) has put together 
a very useful and engaging book that introduces and explains the context 
under which Baum's book was written and provides some of the basis for the 
economic and political interpretations that have emerged over the years. 
Throughout the work, he has synthesized his own interpretations with the 
work of other scholars and thus not only makes the contributions of others 
(such as, Hugh Rockoff and Henry Littlefield) more accessible but also 
provides a more meaningful comparison of alternative perspectives on Baum's 
intent and likely meaning. There are a few introductory chapters that 
outline the basic issues of the American monetary system and the Populist 
movement of the late nineteenth century but the central part of this work 
is an annotated reprinting of Baum's _Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ as published 
in 1900. Another practical feature of the book is found in an appendix that 
reprints the text of William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" Speech that 
was delivered to the Democratic National Convention in July 1896. Dighe's 
annotations make this a useful and entertaining book and will, I think, 
provide functional and amusing information for almost anyone who reads it. 
In fact, this is the kind of book that I hope reaches a wide audience since 
it helps to make economics and economic issues more accessible and 
demonstrates that impassioned debate over economic policy is much older and 
more pervasive than is commonly believed by some undergraduates. It is not 
only a concise and thoughtful study of an interesting work of American 
literature but more importantly it clarifies economic topics and the 
potential effect of alternative economic policies. Indeed the most 
compelling characteristic of Dighe's book is that it demonstrates the 
usefulness and even the fun of using a familiar work of literature to 
explain economic events and policies. Speaking from personal experience in 
the classroom, I have invariably found that undergraduates actually ! 
enjoy and benefit from classroom discussions about the _Wizard of Oz_ and 
its alternative interpretations. As a teaching tool, it encourages students 
to relate a seemingly simple but familiar story to events and topics that 
usually seem distant and unfamiliar. And I have to admit that I am looking 
forward to building on this discussion again next semester since I now have 
a few additional interpretations and questions to pose to my students after 
having read Dighe's handy and thoughtful book. 
 
Since classic works often seem to be those books that people discuss the 
meaning and significance of without having taken the time to actually read 
them, this convenient book accomplishes two valuable and worthy objectives. 
Reprinting the original text clearly makes Baum's words more accessible, 
and the author's annotations ought to encourage a lively and informative 
discussion of alternative, plausible though opposing interpretations. 
Baum's intentions when he created the _Wizard of Oz_ are probably beside 
the point to a fable that has become part of American culture. Deliberate 
or not, the fable spun by Baum has taken on a life of its own. Even a 
cursory Internet search reveals that there are thousands upon thousands of 
web sites related to Baum's characters and the possible significance of 
what is on its surface just a child's fairy-tale. America's fascination 
with Baum can also be judged by the observation that one full-length 
biography of Baum (Katharine M. Rogers, _L. Frank Baum: Creator of Oz_, St. 
Martin's Press, 2002) has recently been published and another (by Michael 
Patrick Hearn) is apparently in the works. The fact that _The Wonderful 
Wizard of Oz_ can be read for pure delight by a child or alternatively can 
become part of a scholarly debate over the events and significance of 
economic and public policy is a testimony to the power of words and the 
importance of metaphors to understanding complex relationships. For 
students and teachers, for novice and seasoned scholars alike, I heartily 
recommend Dighe's interesting and entertaining book. 
 
 
Timothy Sullivan is Associate Professor of Economics at Towson University; 
his research interests lie in nineteenth century American industrialization 
and twentieth century urbanization. 
 
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