Ruth Plumly Thompson (27 July 1891 – 6 April 1976) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

writer of children's stories, best known for writing many novels placed in Oz, the fictional land of

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 ...

's classic children's novel ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a 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 s ...

'' 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 largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. While in high school she sold her first fairy tale to '' St. Nicholas Magazine'' to which she continued contributing, along with ''

The Smart Set ''The Smart Set'' was an American literary magazine, founded by Colonel William d'Alton Mann and published from March 1900 to June 1930. Its headquarters was in New York City. During its Jazz Age heyday under the editorship of H. L. Mencken and G ...

''.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, 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 John Rea Neill (November 12, 1877 – September 19, 1943) was a magazine and children's book illustrator primarily known for illustrating more than forty stories set in the Land of Oz, including L. Frank Baum's, Ruth Plumly Thompson's, and three o ...

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 "Jack and Jill" (sometimes "Jack and Gill", particularly in earlier versions) is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The Roud Folk Song Index classifies the commonest tune and its variations as number 10266, although it has been set to severa ...

'', ''

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 c ...

'' 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, follow ...

'', ''King Comics'' and later became also editor of ''Magic Comics'', all for

David McKay Publications David McKay Publications (also known as David McKay Company) was an American book publisher which also published some of the first comic books, including the long-running titles '' Ace Comics'', '' King Comics'', and '' Magic Comics''; as well a ...

. In some cases she used the pen name Jo King. Her friend

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932� ...

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 The International Wizard of Oz Club, Inc., was founded during 1957 by Justin G. Schiller, a then thirteen-year-old boy. The sixteen charter members, some of whom continue to make valuable contributions to the club, were garnered from the mailing l ...

: '' Yankee in Oz'' (1972) and ''

The Enchanted Island of Oz ''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. As its title indicates, the book is an entry in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum an ...

'' (1976); the latter was not originally written as an Oz book.

Oz books by Thompson

* 1921: ''

The Royal Book of 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. Beginning in the 198 ...

'' * 1922: ''

Kabumpo in Oz ''Kabumpo in Oz'' (1922) is the sixteenth Oz book, and the second written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was the first Oz book fully credited to her. (Her first, '' The Royal Book of Oz'', was credited to L. Frank Baum on the cover.) Plot summary ...

'' * 1923: ''

The Cowardly Lion of Oz ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'' (1923) is the seventeenth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the third written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. Plot The story opens with Mustafa o ...

'' * 1924: ''

Grampa in Oz ''Grampa in Oz'' (1924) is the eighteenth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fourth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. Plot Things are going from bad to worse in the dilapidated kingdom of Ragbad; even ...

'' * 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 on ...

'' * 1926: ''

The Hungry Tiger of Oz ''The Hungry Tiger of Oz'' (1926) is the twentieth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the sixth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. Plot summary Thompson begins with a us ...

'' * 1927: ''

The Gnome King of Oz ''The Gnome King of Oz'' (1927) is the twenty-first in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the seventh by Ruth Plumly Thompson. Like nineteen of the twenty previous books, it was illustrated by John R. Neill. ...

'' * 1928: ''

The Giant Horse of Oz ''The Giant Horse of Oz'' (1928) is the twenty-second in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the eighth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R. Neill. Plot The tiny kingdom of the Ozure ...

'' * 1929: ''

Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz ''Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz'' (1929) is the twenty-third of the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and continued by other writers; it is the ninth Oz book written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R. Neill. Synopsis A ra ...

'' * 1930: ''

The Yellow Knight of Oz ''The Yellow Knight of Oz'' (1930) is the twenty-fourth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the tenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. Plot Sir Hokus of Pokes grows t ...

'' * 1931: '' Pirates in Oz'' * 1932: ''

The Purple Prince of Oz 200px, Cover of ''The Purple Prince in Oz''. ''The Purple Prince of Oz'' (1932) is the 26th in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the 12th written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill ...

'' * 1933: '' Ojo in Oz'' * 1934: ''

Speedy in Oz 200px, Cover of ''Speedy in Oz''. ''Speedy in Oz'' ( 1934) is the twenty-eighth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fourteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R. Neill. Th ...

'' * 1935: ''

The Wishing Horse of Oz ''The Wishing Horse of Oz'' (1935) is the twenty-ninth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fifteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R. Neill. This book marked the point at ...

'' * 1936: '' Captain Salt in Oz'' * 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 an ...

'' * 1938: ''

The Silver Princess in Oz 200px, Cover of ''The Silver Princess in Oz''. ''The Silver Princess in Oz'' (1938) is the thirty-second of the Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the eighteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John ...

'' * 1939: '' Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz'' * 1972: '' Yankee in Oz'' * 1976: ''

'' 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

, 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 Douglas G. Greene (born September 24,1944) is an American historian, editor, and author. He is the son of Margaret Chindahl Greene and the Reverend George L. Greene, He is married to Sandi Greene with whom he has a son, Eric and a daughter, Kather ...

* ''Sissajig and Other Surprises'', The International Wizard of Oz Club (2003), edited by Ruth Berman and

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