The Lost Princess of Oz

Some of my youthful readers are developing wonderful imaginations. This pleases me. Imagination has brought mankind through the Dark Ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity. Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So I believe that dreams—day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain-machinery whizzing—are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization. A prominent educator tells me that fairy tales are of untold value in developing imagination in the young. I believe it.

Among the letters I receive from children are many containing suggestions of “what to write about in the next Oz Book.” Some of the ideas advanced are mighty interesting, while others are too extravagant to be seriously considered—even in a fairy tale. Yet I like them all, and I must admit that the main idea in “The Lost Princess of Oz” was suggested to me by a sweet little girl of eleven who called to see me and to talk about the Land of Oz. Said she: “I s’pose if Ozma ever got lost, or stolen, ev’rybody in Oz would be dreadful sorry.”

That was all, but quite enough foundation to build this present story on. If you happen to like the story, give credit to my little friend’s clever hint.

L. Frank Baum Royal Historian of Oz

LIST OF CHAPTERS

Chapter 1 A Terrible Loss Chapter 2 The Troubles of Glinda the Good Chapter 3 The Robbery of Cayke the Cookie Cook Chapter 4 Among the Winkies Chapter 5 Ozma’s Friends Are Perplexed Chapter 6 The Search Party Chapter 7 The Merry-Go-Round Mountains Chapter 8 The Mysterious City Chapter 9 The High Coco-Lorum of Thi Chapter 10 Toto Loses Something Chapter 11 Button-Bright Loses Himself Chapter 12 The Czarover of Herku Chapter 13 The Truth Pond Chapter 14 The Unhappy Ferryman Chapter 15 The Big Lavender Bear Chapter 16 The Little Pink Bear Chapter 17 The Meeting Chapter 18 The Conference Chapter 19 Ugu the Shoemaker Chapter 20 More Surprises Chapter 21 Magic Against Magic Chapter 22 In the Wicker Castle Chapter 23 The Defiance of Ugu the Shoemaker Chapter 24 The Little Pink Bear Speaks Truly Chapter 25 Ozma of Oz Chapter 26 Dorothy Forgives

THE LOST PRINCESS

CHAPTER 1 A TERRIBLE LOSS

There could be no doubt of the fact: Princess Ozma, the lovely girl ruler of the Fairyland of Oz, was lost. She had completely disappeared. Not one of her subjects—not even her closest friends—knew what had become of her. It was Dorothy who first discovered it. Dorothy was a little Kansas girl who had come to the Land of Oz to live and had been given a delightful suite of rooms in Ozma’s royal palace just because Ozma loved Dorothy and wanted her to live as near her as possible so the two girls might be much together.

Dorothy was not the only girl from the outside world who had been welcomed to Oz and lived in the royal palace. There was another named Betsy Bobbin, whose adventures had led her to seek refuge with Ozma, and still another named Trot, who had been invited, together with her faithful companion Cap’n Bill, to make her home in this wonderful fairyland. The three girls all had rooms in the palace and were great chums; but Dorothy was the dearest friend of their gracious Ruler and only she at any hour dared to seek Ozma in her royal apartments. For Dorothy had lived in Oz much longer than the other girls and had been made a Princess of the realm.