Meet the Wizard, Mark Shapiro

1899 First Edition, First State

Almost four years ago (January 2007), I spotted a story about a collector of all things Wizard of Oz that absolutely fascinated me.  I posted about Mark Shapiro and his Oz books back then in what was only the 14th posting I had yet made here on Book Chase (Lions and Tigers and Books, Oh My).  Now, almost 1400 posts and four years later, I have the opportunity to update my original thoughts.




I've exchanged a few emails with Mark in the last couple of weeks, emails in which Mark was kind enough to include pictures of a tiny portion of his collection.  Based on what I've seen and on what I have read about Mark's collection on the net, I have to believe that his personal collection of L. Frank Baum material has to rank as one of the finest of its type in the world.

Mark, 64 years of age, has been collecting L. Frank Baum books and related material for some 38 years now, but his collecting bug probably can be traced all the way back to the childhood days he spent with his mother touring museums and libraries.  As you can see from the pictures, Mark has combined the best of both those worlds by becoming a first rate collector of rare books and related material, and displaying his finds in a museum-like setting.  He is building his collection in the spirit of his mother, whom he lost in 1998 at age 83, and sees it as a way of continuing to honor her memory.

Mark now has over 450 first edition Baum books but he is particularly excited about his 1899 Wizard of Oz, "B" binding with "O" outside the "C" on the book's spine.  Mark has 15 first edition, first state copies of Wizard and 5 of them are of the rarer "B" binding (out of only 2000 printed).

Despite the already massive size of his collection, Mark continues to find new items through private purchases, eBay auctions, garage sales and swap meets. The man is forever on the chase.

Illustration by William Wallace Denslow

Best Book Case Ever

There is no way that I can do justice to Mark Shapiro's collection and enthusiasm for Baum books - and other neat stuff.  I will add, though, that I am particularly envious of his collection of Wurlitzer juke boxes from the 1930s and 1940s.  Mark Shapiro is the kind of collector I would be if not for a few limiting handicaps: lack of funds, lack of time, lack of space and, most important, a wife who would kill me.

(By the way, Mark, I suspect I did not accurately describe the B-binding, mentioned above, so let me know how to correct that.)  

Readers might also enjoy Mark's blog, WizardofBaum.  

Please click on the pictures for larger versions.