#AtoZChallenge : Yellow Knight of Oz and a Camel!

Yesterday was a day off from the blogging madness, but that was then and now it's the 5th and final Monday of April. Since that is the case, today's blog posting is brought to you by the letter Y!

The Yellow Knight of Oz is the twenty-fourth book in the Oz book series, and the tenth Oz book written by Ruth Plumly Thompson, the 2nd Royal Hisotrian of Oz. As usual, John R. Neill serves once more as the illustrious illustrator.

It turns out that Oz has a number of knights that roam about doing knightly stuff. One of them is Sir Hokus of Pokes.

And wouldn't you know it, the yellow knight is bored and in search of something worthy of a knight's attention.

Seems that Sir Hokus of Pokes has a friend, who just happens to be a camel named The Comfy Camel. What else?



But as any camel knows, they don't do so well in water! Now if only the guy in the hat knew that!!

Then the hat guy goes complaining to Princess Ozma when he can't get his way with the darn camel.

Now comes into view a most glorious horse, one of the very few actually living in Oz.

Somewhere along the way, this strange fellow finds himself looking about Oz with a most unusual telescope. It reminds me of the Wizard's Magic Telescope which he uses in Family of Oz to watch over his great grandson as he makes his way into Oz.

He's probably watching the Yellow Knight get his metal-clad butt blown up!!!

And all because some sultan wants some bag being carried by the Comfy Camel. He kinda looks like the Ghost of Christmas Present from the Christmas Carol stories.

Of course, like nearly every Oz story ever written, Princess Ozma and Dorothy show up to save the day and provide for a happy ending. Princess Ozma and Dorothy are looking a bit older now.

One more post and the month's madness of blogging will be complete! I hope I've presented Oz in a favorable way this month.

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison of Oz

#AtoZChallenge : X. Pando the Elevator Man and a Bear!

Xavier is a fine name that allows me to start this blog posting on the 4th saturday of April. As such, today's blog posting is brought to you by the letter X!

In the Land of Oz, X is a rare letter that is almost never heard. One exception is from Ojo in Oz, which is the twenty-seventh book in the Oz book series, and the thirteenth Oz book written by Ruth Plumly Thompson.

The Oz Wikia describes X. Pando as follows:

"X. Pando the elevator man provides lifts to the top of Moojer Mountain in the Munchkin Country of Oz.


He is a tall, serious-looking fellow in a blue leather uniform; he emerges from a stone doorway set into the surface of the mountain. His legs expand accordion-like, allowing him to reach atmospheric heights, high above the top of the mountain itself. His lifting is controlled by the gold buttons on the front of his jacket. He demands payment for his service — though that payment can be as minor as dancing a waltz. (Ojo in Oz)
Without going into detail, X. Pando claims to derive his unusual abilities from his father. In this, he resembles Kuma Party, another magical anomaly of Oz who gained his special skill from his paternal parent."

John R. Neill continues on as illustrator and provides a single piece of art depicting the only character in Oz I could find that starts with an X.

Here he be, dancing with Snufferbux, a brown bear... with a belt?

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison of Oz

#AtoZChallenge : Wonderful Wizard of Oz!

We often get distracted by the workings of grandkids, and so once more, the late hour turns early and I still think of this as Friday!

The Oz Wikia describes the first of all Oz books as follows:

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, also known as The Wizard of Oz, is the first book in the Oz series by L. Frank Baum. The book was illustrated by W. W. Denslow, and published in 1900."



It also gives a fine, short summary of the story.

"Dorothy Gale, a girl from Kansas, gets swept into the Land of Oz with her dog Toto by a cyclone. She meets a living Scarecrow, a man made entirely of tin, and a Cowardly Lion while trying to get to the Emerald City hoping that the the Great Oz can help her return home. Oz commands them to destroy the Wicked Witch of the West, which they do, but when they return they discover that the Wizard is a humbug. Dorothy and her friends travel to Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, and she finally is able to help Dorothy get home."


Of course, we all know the story from the movie... or do we?

Nice way to start a book!

Here, we meet the Good Witch of the North and three Munchkins.

Soon, Dorothy has a new friend.

Then another one appears!

Then the Cowardly Lion makes 5!

Along the way, they run into Kalidahs, whihc have the heads of tigers, the bodies of bears and claws sharp enought to split a man in two! Lion, tiger and bears, oh my! Sound familiar?

Then, it's a jump into the field of poppies and the Queen of the Field Mice and her subjects save the day... Notice no snow! 

Now the Emerald City shows off its brilliance, courtesy of green glasses.

Looks like the Tin Woodman needs a tune-up!

And then we're off to see the Wizard!

W.W. Denslow certainly had a unique view of Oz and varied greatly from John R. Neill, who took over after this book. His was the first though...

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison of Oz

#AtoZChallenge : Victor Columbia Edison and Dr. Pipt!

Virtually every day this month, I've succeeded in blogging about something Oz in nature while adhering to the A to Z April Blogging Challenge. Today is no different since today's blog post is brought to you by the letter V!

Very often, odd characters make a brief appearance in the Land of Oz and Victor Columbia Edison is just one of those things.

The Oz Wikia state the following about this most unusual creation in the Land of Oz.

"Victor Columbia Edison is a phonograph that once belonged to Dr. Pipt. It has a large gold-colored horn, and is screwed to a tall, round, four-legged table, which it uses for movement. It speaks with a brazen, scratchy voice.
The phonograph was inadvertently brought to life when the Powder of Life was spilled on it. Once alive, it continued to bother the magician by playing loud and offensive "classical" music, until he forced it from his home.
It then tried to endear itself to Ojo and his friends in much the same way, (first with classical, then jazz music), but was finally scared off by the Shaggy Man, who threatened to smash it and scatter its pieces across the country, as a favor to the people of Oz. The Phonograph has never been seen since.
The Phonograph's name is Victor Columbia Edison, but was dubbed Vic for short by the Patchwork Girl. (The Patchwork Girl of Oz)"

As stated above, it was Dr. Pipt who once owned this phonograph.  

And of course, it was his Powder of Life which done the deed of bringing the record player to life.

It turns out that both Victor Columbia Edison and Dr. Pipt will be appearing in The Emerald Slippers of Oz, which makes its debut on the Summer Solstice.

The Emerald Slippers of Oz tells the story of several magicians and witches, all of whom have been stripped of their magic powers. Dr. Pipt happens to be one of those magicians and Victor Columbia Edison will show up here and there, though what kind of music it plays remains to be heard. I hope it ain't opera!

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison of Oz

#AtoZChallenge : Ugu the Shoemaker and The Emerald Slippers of Oz!

Unless you've been not paying attention, you know that the month of April has been host to a blogging madness known as Blogging From A to Z April Challenge. You should also know that today is the 4th Wednesday of April, which means that today's blog posting is brought to you by the letter U!

Ugu the Shoemaker is a most interesting character from L. Frank Baum's 11th book; The Lost Princess of Oz, published in 1917.

The Oz Wikia states the following about Ugu the Shoemaker.

"Ugu the Shoemaker was a shoemaker in Herku until he discovered the magic recipes of his ancestors. Thereupon, he decided to become a powerful sorcerer and take possession of the Land of Oz as its ruler. He moved away from Herku and built a Wicker Castle in the west of the Winkie Country. After stealing the Magic Dishpan from Cayke, he used it to steal Glinda's Magic Book of Records and the Wizard's Black Bag of Magic. In the process of stealing the Magic Picture he was seen by Princess Ozma, so he kidnapped her and hid her in the form of an Enchanted Peach Pit.
He was finally defeated by Dorothy Gale, who used the Nome King's Magic Belt to transform him into a dove. Realizing how much damage he had done, he only asked to remain a peaceful dove and apologized to Dorothy. (The Lost Princess of Oz)."

This particular character of the Royal Historian of Oz now finds himself part of a new story which my wife Amanda (creator of the legendary Potato Soup), and I are working on entitled: The Emerald Slippers of Oz.

It seems that Dorothy Gale wants Ugu to make Princess Ozma a new pair of Emerald Slippers for her upcoming birthday. First things first, she has to transform him back into a person (he's been a gray dove for many years now) following his failed attempt to take over the Land of Oz long ago.

Before long, Ugu the Shoemaker has a new apprentice, a fine young man named Pacifico who never wears shoes but longs to be a shoemaker and the quest to find a perfect pair of emeralds for the new slippers begins.

In time, Ugu completes his task for Dorothy, only to encounter various other former witches and magicians, all of whom long to regain their Evil magic powers. When they discover the Emerald Slippers and the origin of the Gemini Emeralds, now part of the magic footwear, their desire to corrupt the magic footwear takes over.

Then the fun begins and all ends well for all involved.

While thinking about today's posting, I ran across a nice audio recording of Ugu's introductory chapter from the Lost Princess Of Oz.

The Lost Princess of Oz: Chapter 19 -- Ugu the Shoemaker

Here's hoping The Emerald Slippers of Oz will be well recieved when it premiers on the approaching Summer Solstice.

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison of Oz



#AtoZChallenge : Tis Tuesday Till Tonight!

To try twisted, T 'tis the thing to be. Too often, the letter T turns up terrible and totally tainted, yet takes the time to torment totality!

T

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaisoin of Oz

#AtoZChallenge : Scarecrow of Oz and Crows!

Somehow, I managed to notice that today is the 4th Monday in April, which can lead to only one conclusion.

Today's blog posting is brought to you by the letter S!

The Scarecrow of Oz was L. Frank Baum's 9th book about Oz and was published in 1915. Of course, John R. Neill remains as illustrator, so we'll take a look at his great artwork.

This story starts out back in America with Cap'n Bill and Trot;

Two locals who wind up in Mo, a small country near Oz, courtesy of a whirlpool in the ocean.

Once in Mo, they meet up with an Ork in a cave and find themselves shrunk down small enough to fit in a sunbonnet. Nobody wears sunbonnets anymore, do they?

At some point in the story, the Scarecrow winds up back on a pole, facing a bit of fire this time. Somehow, he just can't seem to catch a break, can he?

Of course, Button-Bright shows up and it's time for lunch!

Cap'n Bill manages somehow to book passage across the Deadly Dessert that surround Oz, courtesy of some birds that look very much like crows. Nice hats!



Hmmm? Looks like they have an audience watching from the grape arbor!

Of course, the Scarecrow loses his head in the confusion of the day!

I wonder if that cricket's name is Jimminy? Are those poppies I see?

During the fun, Blinkie the Witch, leader of all the witches in Jinxland finds herself airborne.

Blinkie is one of the witches we write about in our new book, The Emerald Slippers of Oz, which premiers on the Summer Solstice.

Fortunately for the headless man of straw, Cap'n Bill comes to the rescue.

And of course, a happy ending ensues and the Scarecrow regains his head and hopefully is a bit wiser for the experience.

Once again, the endpapers provide a wonderful vision of Oz and all its unique characters.

Well, bust my buttons, I've come to the end of another look at John R. Neill's wonderful artwork about Oz!

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison of Oz

#AtoZChallenge : Royal Book of Oz and Stuff!

Reading the calander, I see that it is the 3rd Saturday of April, which can mean only one thing.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter R!

I had occassion a while back to acquire several Oz books at our local auction. One of them was The Royal Book of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson.

The Oz Wikia descibes this book as follows: "The Royal Book of Oz is the fifteenth volume in the Oz book series, and the first written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. While the book was originally credited to series creator L. Frank Baum (who died in 1919), it was in fact written entirely by Thompson."


This is a fine story, written in 1921, though it should be noted that with the passing of L. Frank Baum, this is the earliest version of someone else's vision of Oz. We know her as the 2nd Royal Historian of Oz.

This is a story of the Scarecrow and his search for his roots, which I assume are made of field grass of some sort.

More owls in the background, I see...

Soon, he's off to cross the A-B-C Sea Serpent, courtesy of John R. Neill, the illustrious illustrator.

"How about a little fire, Scarcrow?"

Here, our friend the Scarecrow is in a lecturing mood...

I'm just pleased to see one of the Knights Who Say "NEE!"



Of course, the local citizenry has to march to its own drum.

The Scarecrow don't look so happy, but you gotta love them boots!

And before you know, we're at the end. I love the endpapers on this particular volume of Oz.

Looks like eveyone's there!!

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison of Oz