The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

A cyclone lifts Dorothy's Kansas farmhouse clean off the prairie and sets it down in Oz, a country of witches good and wicked, talking creatures, and a road of yellow brick leading to an Emerald City where a great Wizard supposedly grants any wish. Dorothy wants only to get home. Along the way she collects three companions with wishes of their own: a Scarecrow who wants brains, a Tin Woodman who wants a heart, and a Lion who wants courage, each already possessing, rather wonderfully, exactly the thing he believes he lacks.

Baum's 1900 original is brisker and stranger than the film: more dangers, more odd little kingdoms, and a Wizard whose secret is even better on the page. It was written to be read aloud to children, which makes it a natural listen, but its gentle joke about self-belief is really aimed at the adults.

At roughly 39,500 words, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz runs about 4½ hours at 1x narration speed. That figure is an estimate based on a typical narration pace. The exact length depends on the voice and the playback speed you choose.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is in the public domain, so the complete text is free on Project Gutenberg and LoudReader has the entire Project Gutenberg catalog built in. To listen:

1. Download LoudReader for Mac or iPhone (free, no account).
2. Search for “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” in the built-in catalog and add it to your library.
3. Press play. A natural offline voice reads the book while each word highlights on screen, and your place is saved between sessions.

LoudReader reads with natural offline voices, so the whole book works on a plane or underground. It is fully on-device and private, your library never leaves your device. Listening is unlimited on the free tier.