Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) was an American writer of children's books, best known for creating the marvelous Land of Oz in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." This fanciful kingdom was catalogued in a series of children's books beginning with the publication of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Baum's Oz series compasses the first fully developed fantasy world created by an American author. In 1900, Baum and Denslow, famous illustrator with whom he shared the copyright, published "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," making it one of the first commercially successful uses of color illustrations in American publishing. Dorothy and her friends soon began their journey toward becoming an integral part of the American consciousness. "Tik-Tok of Oz" is the eighth book in the Oz series. This tale presents Betsy Bobbin and her loyal mule, Hank when they wash up on the shores of an unknown fairyland during a storm. They encounter the man Tik-Tok and find themselves trapped in a battle with the king of the Nomes.