This
past weekend was OzCon, in San Diego. I've been asked what happens at
an Oz convention, and really it's basically like any other gathering of
the sort - there are presentations, special guests, dealers selling Oz items (winged monkey on the left created by Joe Phillips), as well as an auction, costumes, etc.
- but the real heart of the convention is the opportunity to catch up
with friends and acquaintances that you may not have an opportunity to
see otherwise! It's easy to see why people return year after year.
On Friday morning at the convention, Irwin and I gave an hour long talk
on the Oz themed stained glass panels we have been creating at our
studio for the past 30 years. The presentation was illustrated with
projections of our work which included pieces we created for Books of
Wonder in the 1980's & 90's and continued to the larger windows we have been
making in recent years.
On Saturday, I was also part of a panel that discussed collecting original Oz art.
One of the primary themes of the convention was the 30th anniversary of the Disney movie
Return to Oz. Highlights at the convention included cast and production members as special guests, as well as examples of costumes and set models on display.
Next year's convention will be held in Portland, Oregon - further details can be found
here.
Father Goose, His Book was the first book by L. Frank Baum and W. W. Denslow, and it was a runaway success in 1899. Due to its popularity, the book was kept in publication for many years - first by the original publisher, George M. Hill, then by Bobbs-Merrill, and finally by Donohue & Co. Donohue was a reprint house, who produced cheaper versions of several Baum titles in the mid-teens. The book then dropped out of print and basically disappeared! Strange, in some ways, for such a popular title.
The final Donohue printings are certainly less attractive than the earlier editions of the book. On the right is a copy with a gift inscription from 1919 - "To Billy from Granddaddy". The original Hill printings had a blank spine, but in the Bobbs-Merrill years a title was added - this is still in use on this late Donohue copy. The book itself is slightly smaller than the original printing, and on a heavier, coarser paper, making for a thicker book.
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