Ruth Plumly Thompson (27 July 1891 – 6 April 1976) was an American writer of children's stories, best known for writing many novels placed in Oz, the fictional land of L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels.

Life and work

An avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. While in high school she sold her first fairy tale to ''

St. Nicholas Magazine ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' was a popular monthly American children's magazine, founded by Scribner's in 1873. The first editor was Mary Mapes Dodge, who continued her association with the magazine until her death in 1905. Dodge published work by th ...

'' to which she continued contributing, along with '' The Smart Set''.Ruth Plumly Thompson 7/27/1891 - 4/6/1976
/ref> In 1914 she took a job with the Philadelphia ''Public Ledger'', writing a weekly children's column for the newspaper. She had already published her first children's book, ''The Perhappsy Chaps'', and her second, ''The Princess of Cozytown'', was pending publication when William Lee, vice president of Baum's publisher

Reilly & Lee The Reilly and Britton Company, known after 1918 as Reilly & Lee, was an American publishing company of the early and middle 20th century, best known for children's and popular culture books from authors like L. Frank Baum and Edgar A. Guest. Found ...

, solicited Thompson to continue the Oz series. (Rumors among fans that Thompson was Baum's niece were untrue.) Between 1921 and 1939, she wrote one Oz book a year. (Since Thompson was the primary supporter of her widowed mother and disabled sister, the annual income from the Oz books was important for her financial circumstances.) Thompson's contributions to the Oz series are lively and imaginative, featuring a wide range of colorful and unusual characters. She emphasized humor to a greater extent than Baum did and more specifically targeted children as her primary audience. Illustrator John R. Neill wrote her on completing the illustrations for ''Kabumpo in Oz'', "Incidentally, I would like to tell you how much I enjoyed reading the anuscriptand making the pictures. After illustrating about seventeen Oz books, I think it worthwhile to let you know this with my congratulations on having secured an author of such superior qualifications to continue the work of supplying the 'Oz books.' Every feature of the child appeal is handled with the greatest skill. The whimsical, the humor, the interest and the zip of the book make me think it one of the very best Oz books so far." After a falling out with the Oz Publisher in the 1930s she did articles for '' Jack and Jill'', ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

'' and ''

Ladies Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In ...

''. In addition she was the initial editor of ''

Ace Comics ''Ace Comics'' was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title reprinted syndicated newspaper strips owned by King Features Syndicate, followi ...

'', ''King Comics'' and later became also editor of ''Magic Comics'', all for David McKay Publications. In some cases she used the pen name Jo King. Her friend Marge provided illustrations for many of the pieces she contributed.Ruth Plumly Thompson (Grand Comics Database)
/ref> 1965-1970 for ''Jack and Jill'' she did the Perky Puppet page. Returning to Oz after many years her last two books were published by The International Wizard of Oz Club: ''

Yankee in Oz ''Yankee in Oz'' is a 1972 Oz novel by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was the first published by The International Wizard of Oz Club. A letter from the Henry Regnery Company, which bought Reilly & Lee, is reproduced in the front indicating the publ ...

'' (1972) and '' The Enchanted Island of Oz'' (1976); the latter was not originally written as an Oz book.

Oz books by Thompson

* 1921: '' The Royal Book of Oz'' * 1922: '' Kabumpo in Oz'' * 1923: '' The Cowardly Lion of Oz'' * 1924: '' Grampa in Oz'' * 1925: ''

The Lost King of Oz ''The Lost King of Oz'' ( 1925) is the nineteenth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fifth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R. Neill. The book went into the public domain ...

'' * 1926: '' The Hungry Tiger of Oz'' * 1927: '' The Gnome King of Oz'' * 1928: '' The Giant Horse of Oz'' * 1929: '' Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz'' * 1930: '' The Yellow Knight of Oz'' * 1931: ''

Pirates in Oz 200px, Cover of ''Pirates in Oz''. ''Pirates in Oz'' (1931) is the twenty-fifth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the eleventh written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. Plot Pet ...

'' * 1932: '' The Purple Prince of Oz'' * 1933: ''

Ojo in Oz 200px, Cover of ''Ojo in Oz''. ''Ojo in Oz'' (1933) is the twenty-seventh in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the thirteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. Ojo (from ...

'' * 1934: '' Speedy in Oz'' * 1935: '' The Wishing Horse of Oz'' * 1936: ''

Captain Salt in Oz ''Captain Salt in Oz'' (1936) is the thirtieth in the series of Oz novels created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the sixteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. Captain Samuel Salt Jack Snow, ''Who ...

'' * 1937: ''

Handy Mandy in Oz ''Handy Mandy in Oz'' ( 1937) is the thirty-first of the Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the seventeenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. Synopsis The book's heroine is an "honest and ...

'' * 1938: '' The Silver Princess in Oz'' * 1939: ''

Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz ''Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz'' (1939) is the thirty-third in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the nineteenth and last written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. The phrase "Th ...

'' * 1972: ''

'' * 1976: '' The Enchanted Island of Oz'' A short collection of Thompson's Oz poetry, ''The Cheerful Citizens of Oz'', was published in 1992.

Non-Oz books by Thompson

* ''The Perhappsy Chaps'', P.F. Volland Co. (1918) * ''The Princess of Cozytown'', P.F. Volland Co. (1922) * ''The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa'', Reilly & Lee (1926) * ''The Wonder Book'', Reilly & Lee (1929) * ''King Kojo'', illustrated by Marge, Donald MacKay (1938) * ''The Wizard of Way-Up and Other Wonders'', The International Wizard of Oz Club (1985), edited by James E. Haff and Douglas G. Greene * ''Sissajig and Other Surprises'', The International Wizard of Oz Club (2003), edited by

Ruth Berman Ruth Berman is an American writer of weird science fiction and speculative poetry. In 2003, she won the Rhysling Award for Best Short Poem. She was also the winner of the 2006 Dwarf Stars Award for her poem ''Knowledge Of''. In 1973, she was a f ...

and Douglas G. Greene

References

External links

* * * *
On Thompson's ''The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Ruth Plumly 1891 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers American children's writers American fantasy writers American women children's writers American women novelists Novelists from Pennsylvania Oz (franchise) Women science fiction and fantasy writers Writers from Philadelphia

Life and work

Oz books by Thompson

Non-Oz books by Thompson

See also

References

External links