Queer Oz : University Press of Mississippi : 9781496845313 : 1496845315 : 15 May 2023 : Regardless of his own sexual orientation, L. Frank Baum's fictions revel in queer, trans, and other transgressive themes. Baum's life in the late 1800s and early 1900s coincided with the rise of sexology in the Western world, as a cascade of studies heightened awareness of the complexity of human sexuality. His years of productivity also coincided with the rise of children's literature as a unique field of artistic creation. Best known for his Oz series, Baum produced a staggering number of children's and juvenile book series under male and female pseudonyms, including the Boy Fortune Hunters series, the Aunt Jane's Nieces series, and the Mary Louise series, along with many miscellaneous tales for young readers. Baum envisioned his fantasy works as progressive fictions, aspiring to create in the Oz series "a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and