Dorothy and her profound journey of self-discovery with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and her little dog Toto have long ascended to the level of cultural myth. Now, the editors at LIFE celebrate yet another decade of its vivid life and influence with this special, commemorative issue, ‘The Wizard of Oz: A Timeless Film Turns 80.’ Begin with “The Eternal Oz,” an extensive and insightful essay by Richard Corliss that goes

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"We all know the movie and storyline well. But have you experienced the original? Influenced by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, L. Frank Baum created this classic story and fantasy using the dream of young Dorothy on her journey home to demonstrate the theme of good vs. evil. Throughout her adventure, she encounters several newfound friends: a scarecrow, a tin woodman, and a cowardly lion. They traverse the land of Oz together by following...

Introduces Ann Soforth, Queen of Oogaboo, whom Tik-Tok, the clockwork man, assists in conquering the Nome King.

Rinkitink of Oz is a tale of high adventure beginning in the islands of the Nonestic Ocean and eventually culminating in the darkness of the Nome King's Caverns. Rinkitink is the fun-loving runaway king of his eponomous land who accompanied by his beast of burden, a surly talking goat named Bilbil, makes his way to the beautiful and peaceful island of Pingaree. His timing, however, is poor for soon after his arrival the island is overrun by a marauding...

Trot from California and Benny, a living stone statue from Boston, join a giant horse in Ozian adventures involving a monster sea serpent.

Tip and his creation, Jack Pumpkinhead, run away to Oz, where they save the city after it is captured by girls.

Dorothy and her friends follow the enchanted road to Oz and arrive in time for Ozma's birthday party.

A boy, a patchwork girl, and a glass cat go on a mission to find the ingredients for a charm which will transform some people turned to marble.

When Princess Ozma and all the magic of the Land of Oz are mysteriously stolen away, Dorothy and the other residents of Oz are determined to find their missing ruler and the thief responsible for her disappearance.

Blackstone agrees to help a former lover before he realizes that it concerns the body of her dead partner and a trail of intrigue leading back to his latest film.