Tag Archives: john dough

Nonestic Promotion

One thing I think about occasionally is the promotion that the Oz books received in their heyday. L. Frank Baum had been a salesman and a contributor to a magazine about decorating shop windows, so it’s not too surprising that he … Continue reading

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The Offbeat Officials of Oz

The Oz books have a lot of small royal courts with unusually-titled officials. This is something we see much more often in Ruth Plumly Thompson, but L. Frank Baum did have a few examples. In John Dough and the Cherub, … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, C.S. Lewis, Characters, Chronicles of Narnia, Humor, L. Frank Baum, Magic Items, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Map Attack

On the map of the countries surrounding Oz from the Tik-Tok of Oz endpapers, L. Frank Baum included places from his non-Oz fantasies, including the as-yet-unpublished King Rinkitink that would become Rinkitink in Oz two years later. Most of these had already … Continue reading

Posted in Dick Martin, Jack Snow, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Maps, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A House Full of Ginger

Gingerbread houses are a well-known Christmas tradition, not that I’ve ever seen anyone actually make one. They’re a pretty cool idea, though. The idea of objects made of foodstuffs is an old one in legends throughout the world, especially when … Continue reading

Posted in Advertising, Authors, Characters, Christmas, England, Fairy Tales, Food, Germany, History, Holidays, Jasper Fforde, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Nursery Crime, Oz, Oz Authors, Plays, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Meatless Mortality

We know that flesh-and-blood people and animals are pretty much functionally immortal in Oz. They can be potentially be destroyed, but won’t die of old age or disease, and even being torn into pieces isn’t necessarily fatal. What I sometimes … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Food, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Everybody Gets a Crown

Someone recently asked me whether Betsy Bobbin and Trot were ever made princesses within the Oz series. L. Frank Baum never gives them this title, and neither does Ruth Plumly Thompson in her earlier books, but she does in later … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

She’s a Real Nowhere Witch

I finally got around to purchasing the third and fourth issues of Kirk Kushin and Gonzalo Martinez’ Ozopolis, a comic series that sticks to the continuity of the original Oz books. It provides the sense of familiarity that I get … Continue reading

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If I Could Talk with the Animals

While they can often amount to the same thing in narrative, there’s a clear difference between animals speaking in human language and people being able to understand animal language. Dr. Dolittle is probably the most famous example of the latter, … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, L. Frank Baum, Language, Magic, Mythology, Norse, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Pauper, on the Other Hand, Is Ruling, Strong and Wise

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s three companions all end up as rulers: the Scarecrow of the Emerald City, the Tin Woodman of the Winkie Country, and the Cowardly Lion of the Quadling Forest. In later books, only Nick … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, L. Frank Baum, Onyx Madden/Jim Nitch, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Pumpkin Under the Sea

The Pearl and the Pumpkin, by Paul Clarendon West and W. W. Denslow – After the success of a children’s book called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (perhaps you’ve heard of it), there were many attempts to recapture it. This … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Halloween, Holidays, Hugh Pendexter, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments