{"product_id":"the-lark-paperback","title":"The Lark - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eLaura C. Rader\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen \u003cem\u003eThe Wizard of Oz\u003c\/em\u003e graced the silver screen in 1939, it changed cinema and popular culture forever. But the true story began decades earlier with the young composer who risked everything to bring it to the Broadway stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the turn of the century, twenty-three-year-old Paul Tietjens is a gifted classical pianist with dreams of greatness and a non-refundable ticket to Europe to study with the master composers of his time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut when the bank calls in the debt on his family's Missouri farm, Paul forgoes his dream to save them from financial ruin. Desperate to find a new road to success, he moves to up-and-coming Chicago, where he persuades author L. Frank Baum to collaborate on a comic opera of \u003cem\u003eThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz\u003c\/em\u003e, setting the stage for the defining cultural touchstone that we know today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaul embarks on his opera with high hopes, but scandal threatens his soaring ambition when he falls in love with his best friend's beautiful but married sister, and his fears grow as the \u003cem\u003eWizard of Oz\u003c\/em\u003e demands not only his talent but his soul.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInspired by Paul's 1901 diary, \u003cem\u003eThe Lark \u003c\/em\u003efollows Paul as he journeys from the theaters of Chicago to the streets of Manhattan, from his family's Missouri farm to the beaches of Michigan, fighting to hang onto the chance of a lifetime, his integrity, and the woman he loves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Lark\u003c\/em\u003e is a poignant biographical historical novel of what can happen when artistic ambition clashes with life's harsh realities and how the human spirit can soar above the darkest clouds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReaders who enjoy richly detailed historical fiction drawn from primary sources, and those who are intrigued by turning points in popular culture, will love this true and previously untold story of the first theatrical adaptation of \u003cem\u003eThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 452\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.01 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 23, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63335332380753,"sku":"9798997128401","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0620\/5023\/8545\/files\/pMsiFSj6yg9798997128401.webp?v=1793281539","url":"https:\/\/apocalypsevinyl.com\/products\/the-lark-paperback","provider":"Apocalypse Vinyl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}