From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Master Key (novel)
The Master Key (novel)
fore difficult to impress with the dignity of science
and the gravity of human existence. Life, to him,
was a great theater wherein he saw himself the
most interesting if not the most important actor,
and so enjoyed the play with unbounded enthusi-
asm.[2]
We are introduced to Rob as an electrical experimenter
whose father encourages him and sees that he "never
lacked batteries, motors or supplies of any sort." A "net-
work[sic] of wires soon ran throughout the house," and
the house is full of "bells, bells, bells everywhere, ringing
at the right time, the wrong time and all the time. And
there were telephones in the different rooms, too,
through which Rob could call up the different members
of the family just when they did not wish to be dis-
turbed."
Rob loses track of the elaborately interconnected
wires, and trying to get a cardboard house to light up, he
"experimented in a rather haphazard fashion, connect-
ing this and that wire blindly and by guesswork, in the
hope that he would strike the right combination." There
is a bright flash, and a being who calls himself the Demon
of Electricity appears. He tells Rob that he has accidental-
ly "touched the Master Key of Electricity" and is entitled
to "to demand from me three gifts each week for three
1st edition (publ. Bowen-Merrill) successive weeks." Rob protests that he does not know
what to ask for, and the Demon agrees to select the gifts
The Master Key: An Electrical Fairy Tale, Founded Upon the himself.
Mysteries of Electricity and the Optimism of Its Devotees is a During the first week, the Demon gives Rob three
1901 novel by L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful gifts:
Wizard of Oz. It was illustrated by F. Y. Cory.[1] • A silver box of food tablets, each one of which
provides sufficient nourishment for a whole day.
• A "small tube" which can direct "an electric current"
Plot summary at a foe, rendering him unconscious for the period of
The protagonist is a boy named Rob Joslyn. His age is not one hour. As the story unfolds, it appears that this
specified. Baum dedicated the book "To My Son, Robert tube has no limit to the number of times it can be
Stanton Baum," who was born in 1886 and would thus fired, and has other capabilities (such as breaking
have been about fifteen at the time it was published. Rob, locks when fired at them).
we are told, is • A wristwatch-sized transportation device, which
allows the wearer to fly at any height and travel at
in truth, a typical American boy, possessing an av- high speeds in any direction, when it is working
erage intelligence not yet regulated by the balance- properly. It is, however, somewhat fragile and
wheel of experience. The mysteries of electricity becomes damaged and unreliable during Rob’s
were so attractive to his eager nature that he had adventures, creating predicaments for him.
devoted considerable time and some study to elec- During the second week, the Demon gives Rob three ad-
trical experiment; but his study was the superficial ditional gifts:
kind that seeks to master only such details as may • A "garment of protection," which renders him
be required at the moment. Moreover, he was full of invulnerable to bullets, swords, or other physical
boyish recklessness and irresponsibility and there- attack.
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Master Key (novel)
• A "record of events," which provides remote views of venture and exciting incident. It is a strange story of
important events taking place at any part of the the electrical Demon, treating of powers that dominate
world at any time within the last twenty-four hours; all nature, and written for the eager, alert, and striving
• A "character marker," a set of spectacles: "while you American boy."[3]
wear them every one you meet will be marked upon
the forehead with a letter indicating his or her
character. The good will bear the letter ’G,’ the evil
Footnotes
the letter ’E.’ The wise will be marked with a ’W’ and [1] Carrie L. Hedges, "The Master Key: Its Electrical
the foolish with an ’F.’ The kind will show a ’K’ upon Origins," The Baum Bugle, Vol. 45 No. 3 (Winter
their foreheads and the cruel a letter ’C.’" 2001), pp. 6-12.
Over the next two weeks, Rob experiences adventures ex- [2] Baum, L. Frank, 1901, The Master Key: An Electrical
ploring the use of the Demon’s gifts, but eventually con- Fairy Tale. "typical American boy..." p. 97.
cludes that neither he nor the world is ready for them. [3] "Notes and News," The New York Times, November 9,
On the third week, Rob rejects the Demon’s gifts and tells 1901, p. BR16
him to bide his time until humankind knows how to use
them. The Demon leaves. With a light heart, Rob con-
cludes that he made the right decision, and that "It’s no
External links
fun being a century ahead of the times!" • The Master Key, full text online at Project Gutenberg
• The Master Key, page images of 1901 edition at
Google Books.
Reception
In 1901, the New York Times ran a brief notice calling it
"a story for boys—all boys who love good wholesome ad-
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Master_Key_(novel)&oldid=433923559"
Categories:
• 1901 novels
• American children's novels
• American fantasy novels
• American science fiction novels
• Books by L. Frank Baum
• 1900s science fiction novels
• Children's science fiction novels
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