Affectionately dedicated to my young friend
  Sumner Hamilton Britton of Chicago

   Prologue

    Through the kindness
           of Dorothy Gale of Kansas,
         afterward Princess Dorothy of Oz,
         an humble writer
               in the United States
                   of America
            was once
                  appointed Royal Historian of Oz,
           with the privilege
               of writing the chronicle of
             that wonderful fairyland.

    But after making six books
           about the adventures of
               those interesting
         but queer people
           who live
               in the Land of Oz,
           the Historian learned with sorrow
             that by an edict
                   of the Supreme Ruler,
         Ozma of Oz,
           her country
            would thereafter
                  be rendered invisible to all
             who lived
                   outside its borders and
                 that all communication
                       with Oz would,
         in the future,
           be cut off.

    The children
         who had learned
              to look for the books
                   about Oz and
         who loved the stories
               about the gay
                   and happy people inhabiting
             that favored country,
           were as sorry
               as their Historian
             that there
                would be
                       no more books
                           of Oz stories.

    They wrote many letters asking
         if the Historian
            did not
                  know of some adventures
                      to write about
             that had happened
         before the Land of Oz
            was shut
                   out from
                       all the rest
                           of the world.

    But he
        did not know of any.

    Finally one
           of the children inquired
         why we
            couldn't hear from Princess Dorothy
                   by wireless telegraph,
           which would enable her
              to communicate to the Historian
             whatever happened
                   in the far-off Land
                       of Oz
             without his seeing her,
         or even knowing just
             where Oz is.

    That seemed a good idea;
        so the Historian
              rigged up a high tower
                   in his back yard,
           and took lessons
               in wireless telegraphy
             until he understood it,
         and then began to call
           "Princess Dorothy of Oz"
            by sending messages
               into the air.

    Now,
           it wasn't likely
             that Dorothy
                would be
                     looking for wireless messages
                    or would heed the call;
        but one thing the Historian
            was sure of,
           and that was
             that the powerful Sorceress,
         Glinda,
           would know
             what he was doing and
                 that he desired
                      to communicate with Dorothy.

    For Glinda
        has a big book
         in which
            is recorded every event
             that takes place anywhere
                   in the world,
           just the moment
             that it happens,
         and so
               of course the book
            would tell her
                   about the wireless message.

    And that
        was the way Dorothy heard
         that the Historian wanted
              to speak with her,
           and there was
               a Shaggy Man
             in the Land of Oz
             who knew
               how to telegraph
                   a wireless reply.