''Aunt Jane's Nieces on Vacation'' is a 1912 novel by
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...
, writing under the name "Edith Van Dyne". Baum's intended title was the more accurate ''Aunt Jane's Nieces in Journalism'', but the publisher changed it without telling him, to his consternation.
The title is true enough to begin with. John Merrick and his nieces, return to their vacation home in Millville, in
upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
. The three girls, Patsy Doyle, Beth De Graf, and Louise Merrick Weldon, become bored with vacationing and want to participate more in town life. Beth is a regular reader of newspapers, so with Uncle John's money, they decide to establish a newspaper of their own, with stereotype plates from the wire service liberally peppered with local news and gossip. The latter is primarily handled by Louise. Her husband, Arthur Weldon, has his name highest on the masthead (as was common with female-run organizations at the time),
[Isenberg, Alison. ''Downtown America: A History of the Place and the People Who Made It''. ]Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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: The University of Chicago Press
The University of Chicago Press is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including ''The Chicago Manual of Style'', ...
, 2004. pp 20-21. which gets him forced into a duel with one of the yokels.
The main plot, however, comes from the problems introduced by greedy mill owners in the area attempting to scam the town. Most of the employees are
white ethnics whom the locals hold in contempt.
Baum fills the town with colorful characters, and the girls realize that all people are unique and quirky, and not to be judged as "the masses." He also brings back the character of private detective Quintus Fogerty, introduced in ''
Aunt Jane's Nieces in Society'', to help resolve plot complications.
Footnotes
External links
*
Aunt Jane's Nieces books
1912 American novels
Novels set in New York (state)
1912 children's books
Children's books set in New York (state)
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