This time, the Oz of old, being in the form of books turned up.
I was most pleased to purchase the Royal Book of Oz as I did not have that one. I think it may be a 1st edition, though further research is required.
Although this book is shown as being written by L. Frank Baum, it actually is more likely the work of Ruth Plumly Thompson, the successor to Mr. Baum as the Royal Historian of Oz. It was released in 1921, 2 years following L. Frank Baum's death, though it is suggested that he wrote most of it and Ruth Plumly Thompson expanded on his work. Who can say?
These two books are reprints from early stories by L. Frank Baum and were printed in 1939 in response to the then just released MGM Wizard of Oz movie everyone knows so well.
All three are in good condition and I am very pleased to add them to my collection. I wonder what I'll find next at the auction???
James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma
It is generally accepted that The Royal Book of Oz is Thompson's first Oz book and that L. Frank Baum had little to nothing to do with it. I even found a study that someone did to settle the question based on word usage patterns that found more in common with Thompson's writing than Baum's.
ReplyDeleteIt's likely that any confusion was deliberate in order to encourage Oz fans to accept a Royal Historian who was not L. Frank Baum.
I've been reading it and it does have language that is not quite like Baum's. Still though, I didn't have ... and now I do! I'm gonna start collecting more of her work. Someday, I'll have the FF!
ReplyDeleteThhanks for the post
ReplyDelete