Wonderful Game of Oz

I've been gradually piecing together a set of The Wonderful Game of Oz. This was first sold by Parker Brothers in 1921, and continued to be available for a number of years after that. I came across the game board and box first, then found a boxed set of dice and playing pieces - these are the later version made of turned wood, rather than the original pewter figures. I have come up with one of the pewter pieces, a Cowardly Lion...now I just have to find a Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin Woodman!

I coaxed a few friends into trying the game, and have to admit it's not one of the more exciting board games I've ever played! But the game board is really attractive - it's easy to see how it would appeal to younger kids familiar with the Oz stories.

Neill Newspaper Art

Here are a few examples of work done by John R. Neill and published in the Philadelphia North American newspaper, in March of 1905. Neill did illustration work for this paper over a number of years. His most memorable pieces are probably the Little Journeys of Nip & Tuck comic page from 1909-1910. He also drew another comic titled Life Among the Macaronis - I've never seen this last one, but I imagine it would contain the same fanciful streak. In 1905 he provided illustrations for a serialized version of The Fate of a Crown, one of L. Frank Baum's pseudonymous novels.

I believe most of the work he did was in the magazine section, (not a separate publication but a section of the paper) for articles covering a wide range of topics. He also illustrated stories, some in a style that brings his early Oz illustrations to mind.

I won't be posting for the next few days, but will return sometime next week!

Denslow Titles

W. W. Denslow illustrated several children's novels, after breaking away from L. Frank Baum. I've already mentioned The Pearl and the Pumpkin in an earlier post - two other major titles are Billy Bounce, and The Jeweled Toad. All of these books suffer from being written with the intention of being turned into stage musicals. While Denslow's artwork helps to liven up the books, it can't overcome the story flaws.

Billy Bounce was originally a comic strip created by Denslow in 1901. He drew the character for about a year, before it was taken over by another artist, C. W. Kahles. This comic inspired two different pinback buttons, as well as a brand of cigars! Denslow returned to the character and wrote this book in 1906, the year the comic ended. All the artwork for this book survives, one of the unusual cases of a complete suite of drawings being kept together.

Del Rey Purple Prince

For the Del Rey edition of The Purple Prince of Oz, Michael Herring provided an image of Kabumpo, Jinnicky and Randy sliding down a rainbow crossing the Deadly Desert into Oz. This incident was written well before the MGM film and hit song Over the Rainbow.

Here we have another wonderful pink sky, and a very apprehensive Kabumpo. As the travelers are heading into the Winkie Country of Oz, where everything is yellow, I'd expect a more golden sky - but the pink is very effective.

John R. Neill also illustrated this scene, from a different angle. I think I prefer his rainbow, as it looks a bit more subtle in terms of color.

The image on the book cover is cropped, as always. In this case, I think it loses the sense of space and traveling through the air. Ruth Plumly Thompson did like to send her characters flying!

Denslow Thank You

Here's something that falls under the heading of' "How about that!"

About two weeks ago, some clients stopped in at the studio and made a purchase. While they were shopping, we talked about W. W. Denslow a bit, as they were buying a sea horse door-knocker. They were familiar with Denslow's work, particularly his Mother Goose, and we had a nice chat. To my surprise, an ingenious thank you note arrived from them in the mail this week!

The note is made from a pocket that would be used in the back of a library book, and the slip that would be used for checking out the book. The slip fits in the pocket, and a note is written on the plain side. I was very impressed by the trouble taken to create such a very appropriate thank you note!

The Purple Prince in Oz

I've always enjoyed The Purple Prince of Oz, Ruth Plumly Thompson's Oz book for 1933. This story doesn't bring anyone into Oz from America, but works with characters already there. Both Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant, and Jinnicky, the Red Jinn are involved in the story - so it's no wonder I like it.





The endpapers feature a spread of John R. Neill's drawings of Jinnicky - here you can see how much his concept of the character changed since Jack Pumpkinhead in Oz.

I also really like the dust jacket for this book, because of the chartreuse spine. It's such a great color, and combined with the purple type, stands out on the shelf as a very Ozzy adventure.

Animal Fairy Tales

L. Frank Baum's Animal Fairy Tales was another series of short stories, originally published in The Delineator magazine, in 1905. These stories dealt with the animal kingdom, and the fairy legends of the animals.

These stories were not collected in book form until 1969, when they were published by The International Wizard of Oz Club, with illustrations by Dick Martin.

A later edition was published by Books of Wonder, using facsimiles of the original magazine pages with illustrations by Charles Livingston Bull. I've seen many pieces of Bull artwork offered over the years, but haven't run across anything from this series - I'd be curious to know whether any of these drawings survive.

In 1953, Reilly & Lee published Jaglon and the Tiger Fairies, a re-written version of one of the stories, as a book with illustrations by Dale Ulrey. One of these days, I'll have to get a copy of that!

American Fairy Tales

American Fairy Tales, from 1901, is a collection of short stories written by L. Frank Baum, with some distinctly American attributes. The stories are a mix of different styles, but in general Baum designed his stories for American children, using elements that would be familiar to them, rather than settings of long ago and far away.

This book was illustrated by four artists, three of whom worked on other books by Baum - the title page and borders were by Ralph Fletcher Seymour, who lettered Father Goose, His Book; Ike Morgan, who illustrated The Wogglebug Book, provided the majority of the illustrations; Harry Kennedy, who illustrated the Army and Navy Alphabets, also drew a few; and N. P. Hall did drawings for one story. It's tempting to think he might be related to H. Putnam Hall, who illustrated the first edition of Annabel. Hall's two pieces are the least of the batch - overall, it's a bit of an odd mix. In 1909 these stories, together with a few more, were published as Baum's American Fairy Tales, by the Bobbs-Merrill company. This edition had new illustrations by George Kerr.

First editions of this book really do seem to have suffered more wear than most Baum titles. I've seen a fair number of absolutely awful copies. Apparently the book was originally sold boxed, but I haven't heard of any surviving boxed copies - they could be out there!

Yellow Knight and Pirates in Oz

As I get further along in the Oz series, I'm finding I have less to call out about some of the actual books. The format of the titles stayed consistent for a number of years, and I don't mean to do plot summaries for each one. So, I'm doubling up a couple to help fill space!

The Yellow Knight of Oz, from 1930, brings another of Ruth Plumly Thompson's boy characters to Oz. This time it's Speedy, a boy very similar to Peter. We'll meet him again in his own book. I've always felt this story, which I enjoy, is not completely successful; the solution to the mystery at the center seems so very obvious.

Pirates in Oz, from 1931, introduces another classic Thompson character - Captain Salt, a gentle pirate who would rather explore and collect specimens than conquer. Peter from Philadelphia is back for this story, along with Ruggedo the Gnome King, the perennial Oz villain.

Ruggedo never seems to be truly finished off, regardless of how many times Ozma enchants or banishes him. This is a stark contrast to the removal of Mombi at the end of Lost King of Oz. As was pointed out in the comments on my posting for that book, Ozma simply has Mombi melted at the end of the story - she's not coming back!

I think John R. Neill's lettering for the book titles through the 1930's is so evocative of their time period - the modern touch together with the fantasy images is great!

Neill Adventure Art

John R. Neill did a lot of work for adventure story magazines - particularly Argosy Magazine, and others of the same sort. Here I have two drawings that could have been used in magazines of this type. I don't know where these pieces were actually published.

The drawing of the man swinging on a vine has the caption "Head Hunters /p. 15/ "With every bit of his strength he swung out." This is a lively action image, and includes some of Neill's stereotypical savages - just for the record, Neill also produced very sensitive drawings of various races.

The second drawing is captioned "Off Finistere", and shows a man on deck signaling with flares. This drawing makes me think of some of the illustrations of magical happenings in the Oz books - something about the sparks flying!

Both of these drawings are shaped to fit around text on the published page.

Update: Thanks to research by Atticus Gannaway, I have found that both these drawings are unpublished. The headhunter drawing was drawn for a story published in Argosy, June 30, 1931, titled Headhunters and Gold. The other was drawn for a story in Adventure magazine titled Off Finisterre, published Feb. 15, 1929. In both cases, Neill drew other illustrations that were published with the stories.

Oz at School

Here are a couple school-related Oz pieces from the 1920s. This was a popular time for the Oz series, and it's fun to see the influence of the books spilling over into the classroom.

The notebook is from the Famous "Oz" Series, published by White and Wyckoff; This was produced as a set of six - I think I've seen two other copies from this set. They've all used color plate illustrations from The Tin Woodman of Oz on their covers - in this case, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman who have been changed into a tin owl and straw stuffed bear. The interior is simple lined paper, and the rear cover has a blurb telling a bit of the story and promoting the Oz books. My copy has been used on the first few pages by a student for some sort of assignment or test that appears to be unfinished - I'd say it wasn't their lucky notebook!

I've seen a couple versions of the seating poster, using different color schemes and photos. The basic information is the same, but the layout of drawings and type varies. These were produced by The American Seating Corp. Obviously the Oz characters were considered familiar enough to help sell products!

Evelyn Copelman

I grew up with the 1944 edition of The Wizard of Oz, illustrated by Evelyn Copelman. I think this was the first unabridged edition to use new illustrations, and the title page claims that they were based on the original W. W. Denslow drawings. I think the MGM film had a stronger influence on the drawings than anything else, and some incidents are independent of any influence. A later edition added more illustrations to the book. I used to get this version out of the local library frequently, much to the confusion of my family. I don't think they realized the reason - more pictures!

When I first saw the original Denslow illustrations, they struck me as very odd - I was so used to this version of the story. I still have the original copy that I read; it was already worn by the time I got it, and is now a pretty decrepit book.

Copelman also illustrated a new edition of The Magical Monarch of Mo. Both of these titles were published by Bobbs-Merrill, who still had the rights to a number of Baum's early titles.

Enchanted Island of Yew

The Enchanted Island of Yew, from 1903, is one of L. Frank Baum's less "Americanized" stories. As with Queen Zixi of Ix, I think this tale has more of a long ago and far away sensibility, and is a bit more European in style.

This book was illustrated by Fanny Cory, who also illustrated The Master Key. For this title, Bobbs-Merrill tried a different approach. There are 8 full color plates, but the text illustrations are printed in orange under the actual text. It's a fun look for the book, but the drawings are difficult to distinguish - I'd much prefer to see them on their own.

M.A. Donohue publishers re-used the cover design from this title for another book, a collection of stories and fairy tales. I ran across one in a small antique mall once and was quite surprised to recognize the cover - since then I've seen a copy of it featured in the Baum Bugle. I had passed up the copy I saw, as it was in pretty rough condition!

An Oz Relic?

I'm sorry to say I've only ever made it to one Oz convention, and that was an Ozmopolitan convention about ten years ago in Wisconsin. I didn't get to attend the whole weekend, but was there for the day on Saturday and enjoyed myself - having read about the conventions for years, I was happy to see one in person.

One of the Saturday highlights, of course, is the Oz auction. I didn't have much luck at the auction, but did come away with one unique item - in a fit of desperation (perhaps?), I bought Dick Martin's typewriter. ?Why? I would never be able to say, but it was there and no one was bidding - and I must have been carried away by the moment. Anyway, a few dollars later it was mine and has been residing in my basement ever since! There are no signs of his ownership, and I couldn't say if he ever even used it - although it's clear that someone did.

Among his many Oz-related projects, Dick Martin did write and illustrate one Oz book. The Ozmapolitan of Oz was published by the International Wizard of Oz Club and is currently available in a new edition.

Del Rey Jack Pumpkinhead

Here we have Jack Pumpkinhead crossing a chasm by means of a magic beard. This painting by Michael Herring for the Del Rey edition of Jack Pumpkinhead in Oz, gives us another exciting scene of Oz antics.

In this case, Herring isn't following the text as closely as possible - the beard should be wrapped around a tree, and Jack should be pulling himself across. John R. Neill illustrated a couple variations of this scene in the original book.

One of the things I really enjoy in Herring's paintings are the skies. I may have mentioned this before, but they really do add to the sense of enchantment in the images - particularly when they are presented in such Ozzy colors as this. In this case, the pink/lavender sky would be appropriate for either the northern Gilliken country, or for the southern Quadling country where this incident takes place.

Denslow Bindings

I've realized that when posting the various W. W. Denslow covers designed for Rand McNally, I've only been showing the cover itself. The decoration extended to the spine of the book as well, and often continued onto the back. In some cases it was a complete wrap-around design. On the right are some of the spines of titles I've shown. The decorations are eye-catching and colorful, which naturally was what the publisher wanted.

The rear covers often had a smaller emblem of some sort relating to the story, or possibly a small decoration which continued the cover theme. On the left is the rear cover of The Fifth of November, featuring an executioner's mask and ax.

Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz

Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz, from 1929, brings Ruth Plumly Thompson's Peter back to Oz from Philadelphia. This book also introduces another of my favorite Thompson characters - Jinnicky, the Red Jinn of Ev. Jinnicky is a wizard, and his body is a red glass ginger jar. John R. Neill's one illustration of the character in this book is nothing like his later, much better interpretations.


For some reason, the fabric on first editions of this book tends to pucker, across the spine and rear cover. I don't know if the glue or sizing being used at the time was defective, but it's a condition I've noticed on most firsts that I've seen.

I have to admit, I always got a kick out of Jack's bell bottom pants. But then, he was always a stylish dresser!

Denslow Covers

This pair of W. W. Denslow covers for Rand McNally titles show two different approaches to cover design. For Marsa, the cover text is minimal and the image is basically a small four-color poster which holds the viewer's attention. This story is a semi-historical romance between a Hungarian prince and a Tzigana (gypsy/peasant girl), with a fateful letter thrown in to botch up the works - some of these elements are indicated on the cover.

The Fifth of November has a different style of cover - it also resembles a poster, but the text of the title and authors, together with small thistle and rose emblems, make up much more of the monochromatic decoration. The smaller image of Guy Fawkes and his barrel of gunpowder are there to balance the rest of the cover. I haven't read this title yet, but plan to in the near future.

I think Guy Fawkes bears a bit of a resemblance to The Bandit from L. Frank Baum's Father Goose, His Book. Perhaps they are related!

Mary Louise

After finishing the series of Aunt Jane's Nieces books, L. Frank Baum began the Mary Louise series, using his Edith Van Dyne pseudonym. Baum took the title character's name from his favorite sister - there was also a Mary Louise in the book Annabel.

The Mary Louise books have the plainest bindings of any Baum title published by Reilly & Britton. Maybe the publishers felt that Edith Van Dyne was such a popular author, there was no need to spend money on attractive covers!

On the left I'm showing a first edition in dust jacket, a first without the jacket, and a Reilly & Lee edition in jacket from the early 1920's. The original dust jackets use the same image on all the titles, a flock of bluebirds in flight. The series was given the additional title of The Bluebird Books, for no apparent reason that I know of, unless it was to justify the bluebirds on the jacket! As you can see, the later Reilly & Lee editions used a new jacket design - once again the image is the same on all the titles, but the color in the background changes.

After Baum's death, the series was continued using another author - just as the Oz series was continued with Ruth Plumly Thompson.

High Boy

For The Giant Horse of Oz, John R. Neill created page-and -a-half chapter title drawings. The gap in the middle of the drawing was to allow for the binding of the book, as the image appeared over two pages. This drawing is from chapter 13, and also has a blue watercolor wash to indicate areas where half-tone shading would be added. There is a lighter and a darker blue - for lighter and darker grey. It's not clear whether this color was added by Neill or by Reilly & Lee staff , but it's probably the latter.

I don't care much for the half tones - they add depth, but I think they tend to muddy the images, and would rather see the illustrations without the grey haze. This technique was used in a number of the Oz titles during this time period.

The drawing shows Trot, the Scarecrow and Benny (a living stone statue) gazing up through the legs of High Boy, the Giant Horse - a horse with telescopic legs. This is the only Neill drawing I have of the Scarecrow, and he's looking rather apprehensive!