The Royal Book of Oz

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The Royal Book of Oz
Royal book cover.jpg
Cover of The Royal Book of Oz
Author Ruth Plumly Thompson
(some editions list L. Frank Baum as author)
Illustrator John R. Neill
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series The Oz books
Genre Children's novel
Publisher Reilly & Lee
Publication date
1921
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Preceded by Glinda of Oz  
Followed by Kabumpo in Oz  

The Royal Book of Oz (1921) is the fifteenth in the series of Oz books, and the first to be written after L. Frank Baum's death. Although Baum was credited as the author, it was written entirely by Ruth Plumly Thompson. [1] Beginning in the 1980s, some editions have correctly credited Thompson, [2] [3] although the cover of the 2001 edition by Dover Publications credits only Baum. The original introduction claimed that the book was based on notes by Baum, but this has been disproven. [1] The notes, known as "An Oz Book" [4] are known from four typewritten pages found at his publisher's, but their authenticity as Baum's work has been disputed. Even if genuine, they are tied to John Dough and the Cherub and bear no resemblance to Thompson's book.

Contents

Plot summary

The Scarecrow is upset when Professor Woggle-bug tells him that he has no family, so he goes back to the corn-field where Dorothy Gale found him to trace his "roots." When he fails to return, Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion set out to search for him. They meet an elderly knight, Sir Hokus of Pokes. They also meet the Doubtful Dromedary and the Comfortable Camel. Together, they have several curious adventures while searching for the Scarecrow.

In this novel the Scarecrow discovers that, in a previous incarnation, he was human. More specifically, he was the Emperor of the Silver Islands, a kingdom located deep underground beneath the Munchkin region of Oz, inhabited by people who resemble Chinese people. When Dorothy first discovered the Scarecrow (in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ) he was hanging from a beanpole in a cornfield; it now develops that this pole descends deep underground to the Silver Islands. The Emperor of the Silver Islands had been transformed into a crocus by an enemy magician; this magical crocus had sprouted and grown into the beanpole all the way up to the surface of the earth. When the farmer placed his scarecrow on the beanpole, the spirit of the transformed Emperor entered the Scarecrow's body, causing him to come to life.

The Scarecrow digs at the base of the beanpole and slides down the beanpole to the Silver Islands. The islanders hail him as the Emperor, returned to save his people. After spending some time in his former kingdom ruling the quarrelsome Silver Islanders, the Scarecrow decides to return to Oz and continue his carefree existence there. The islanders, however, are reluctant to let him go, and plot to change him back into his human form, an 85-year-old man. Dorothy and her party reach the Silver Islands, rescue the Scarecrow from the islanders, and accompany him back to the Emerald City. Sir Hokus, the Comfortable Camel, and the Doubtful Dromedary become residents of the Emerald City.

Sir Hokus and the Comfortable Camel return as principal characters in The Yellow Knight of Oz .

Related Research Articles

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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their home by a cyclone. Upon her arrival in the magical world of Oz, she learns she cannot return home until she has destroyed the Wicked Witch of the West.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarecrow (Oz)</span> Character in L. Frank Baums fictional Land of Oz

The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator W.W. Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely naïve. Throughout the course of the novel, he proves to have the brains he seeks and is later recognized as "the wisest man in all of Oz," although he continues to credit the Wizard for them. He is, however, wise enough to know his own limitations and all too happy to hand the rulership of Oz to Princess Ozma and become one of her trusted advisors, though he typically spends more time having fun than advising.

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<i>The Yellow Knight of Oz</i> 1930 book by Ruth Plumly Thompson

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<i>The Wizard of Oz</i> (1902 musical) 1902 musical extravaganza

The Wizard of Oz was a 1902 musical extravaganza based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Although Baum is the credited bookwriter, Glen MacDonough was hired on as jokewriter after Baum had finished the script, and the book was largely ghostwritten by a man named Finnegan. Much of the original music was by Paul Tietjens and has been mostly lost, although it was still well-remembered and in discussion at MGM in 1939 when the classic film version of the story was made. The show's history is covered in more than 100 pages of the book Oz Before the Rainbow: L Frank Baum's 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' on stage and screen to 1939 by Mark Evan Swartz.

<i>The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays</i> 1908 American film

The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays was an early attempt to bring L. Frank Baum's Oz books to the motion picture screen. It was a mixture of live actors, hand-tinted magic lantern slides, and film. Baum himself would appear as if he were giving a lecture, while he interacted with the characters. Although acclaimed throughout its tour, the show experienced budgetary problems and folded after two months of performances. It opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan on September 24, 1908. It then opened in Orchestra Hall in Chicago on October 1, toured the country and ended its run in New York City. There, it was scheduled to run through December 31, and ads for it continued to run in The New York Times until then, but it reportedly closed on December 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jellia Jamb</span> Fictional character

Jellia Jamb is a fictional character from the classic children's series of Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. She is first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), as the head maid who works in the royal palace of the Emerald City which is the imperial capital of the Land of Oz. In later books, Jellia eventually becomes Princess Ozma's favorite servant out of the Emerald City's staff administration. She is also the protagonist of Ruth Plumly Thompson's 1939 novel Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz. Her name is a pun on the phrase "Jelly or jam?"

The Soldier with the Green Whiskers is a character from the fictional Land of Oz who appears in the classic children's series of Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum and his successors. He is introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). His name is Omby Amby, but this was so obliquely stated that he also became known briefly as Wantowin Battles.

<i>The Ozmapolitan of Oz</i> 1986 novel written and illustrated by Dick Martin

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<i>The Enchanted Island of Oz</i> Book by Ruth Plumly Thompson

The Enchanted Island of Oz is a children's novel written by Ruth Plumly Thompson and illustrated by Dick Martin, and first published in 1976. The book is an entry in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors. It is the last of Thompson's 21 novels about the Land of Oz. Written as a standalone novel, unrelated to Oz, around 1948, Thompson revised it as an Oz tale at the request of Oz Club president Fred Meyer.

References

  1. 1 2 Simpson, Paul (2013). A Brief Guide to Oz. Constable & Robinson Ltd. p. 46. ISBN   978-1-47210-988-0 . Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  2. "Bookish Math: Statistical tests are unraveling knotty literary mysteries". Science News Online. December 20, 2003. Vol. 164, No. 25/26, p. 392. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  3. Binongo, José Nilo G (2003). "Who Wrote the 15th Book of Oz? An Application of Multivariate Analysis to Authorship Attribution". Chance. 16 (2): 9–17. doi:10.1080/09332480.2003.10554843. S2CID   60951048.
  4. "An Oz Book". Archived from the original on March 4, 2005. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
The Oz books
Previous book:
Glinda of Oz
The Royal Book of Oz
1921
Next book:
Kabumpo in Oz