Footnotes 7
23d book in the Famous Forty Oz series! Internal evidence indicates this story takes place in the summer.
24th book in the original Oz series!
25th book in the original Oz series! Internal evidence indicates this story takes place in the summer.
Oz book number 26 in the original series!
(I've been led to believe there is no dust jacket to this book, however, if this is not the case please email me)
Oz book 27 in the Famous Forty!
The infamous Laughing Dragon of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum's son, Frank Joslyn Baum, was originally titled ‘Rosine and the Laughing Dragon’ until the story was cut in half by Whitman to fit into its ‘Big Little’ format. Following its publication in 1934, Reilly & Lee sued Whitman for copyright infringement (Ruth Plumy Thompson had already been hired to continue the series and with the approval of Baum's widow who benefited financially from the arrangement.) Whitman settled out of court, agreeing to print no further copies after the original pressing had sold out. Considered the "Holy Grail" of Oz collecting by some. There was a sequel planned, ‘The Enchanted Princess of Oz’ which would incorporate the left-out portions of the original manuscript and although few pieces of art (by original artist Milgrom) were recovered, the lawsuit ensured that this never saw fruition. In 2006, after seventy-two years of being out-of-print, the complete manuscript of Rosine and the Laughing Dragon of Oz was privately printed and distributed (The book also includes Frank's short story "Jimmy Bulber in Oz.") An extremely limited number of copies were made, including one that briefly showed up on Ebay. In the confusion that arose, it was revealed on the official site's forum that the current copyright holders are in fact Roger Baum and his sister, but as of this time, no plans have been forthcoming to officially release this. Until such a time, it would not be surprising to see privately printed books such as this one circulating among fans eager to read the Frank Baum's original story.
Besides Rosine and the Laughing Dragon of Oz, Frank Baum wrote a short Oz story involving the witch Zoru (from The Laughing Dragon) and the titular character. This was published in Oziana 1974 and was included in the private printed version of Rosine and the Laughing Dragon of Oz (see above.)
The 28th Oz book of the original series! (This one features my favorite Thompson character Terrybubble the dinosaur!)
Oz book 29 in the Famous Forty!
The 30th Oz book in the original series!
Oz book 31 of the Famous Forty! Internal evidence indicates this story takes place in the winter. Spoilers: Ruggedo, the Nome King appears for the last time in the Famous Forty, transformed into a cactus.
King Kojo originally appeared in King Comics in 1938. The Ogre of Oh-Go-Wan from ‘Handy Mandy in Oz’ reappears here. Three King Kojo tales are reprinted in “The Wizard of Way-Up and Other Wonders,” for the first time (and do not appear in the book, “King Kojo”) by the IWOOC.
While not technically part of the Oz series, Thompson borrowed certain characters from her other fairytale lands, much as Baum before her had done, and incorporated them into Oz. The Ogre of Oh-Go-Wan (found in Handy Mandy in Oz) from the original King Kojo comics is one. The Kojo tales in this book do not appear in the book King Kojo and are printed here for the first time since their debut.
32nd Oz book in the original series!
Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz
33d Oz book in the original series and the last one penned by Ruth Plumy Thompson (who with this book had penned a whopping 19 up to this point) in what has come to be known as the Famous Forty. Thompson returned to Oz many years later in 1972 care of the International Wizard of Oz Club who were thrilled to bring to fans an Oz book Thompson had written many years earlier but had never been published. She would return to Oz one final time in 1976 with the book, Enchanted Island of Oz, for a total of 21 Oz books! To capitalize on the success of the upcoming MGM musical The Wizard of Oz, Reilly & Lee saw fit to include those words in the title and to reunite the original cast of that first book. Internal evidence indicates this book takes place in the fall.
Hungry Tiger Press reprinted this with larger and improved reproductions of Neill's illustrations.
The Wizard of Way-Up and King Ripitik the Tenth
Though there is no direct connection to Oz in these two stories set in Way Up on the Silver Mountain, and yet they are certainly among Thompson's "Ozziest" adventures and might very well take place somewhere in Oz or one of its bordering lands.
