Frank Kramer (November 23, 1905 – July 10, 1993) was an American artist known chiefly for his illustrations for Jack Snow's two

Oz books The Oz books form a book series that begins with ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) and relates the fictional history of the Land of Oz. Oz was created by author L. Frank Baum, who went on to write fourteen full-length Oz books. All of Baum's b ...

, ''

The Magical Mimics in Oz ''The Magical Mimics in Oz'' (1946) is the thirty-seventh in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the first written by Jack Snow. It was illustrated by Frank G. Kramer. The book entered the Public Domain in th ...

'' and ''

The Shaggy Man of Oz ''The Shaggy Man of Oz'' (1949) is the thirty-eighth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the second and last by Jack Snow. It was illustrated by Frank G. Kramer. The book entered the public domain in the Un ...

'', founded on and continuing the famous Oz stories 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 ...

. He also illustrated

Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

's ''

Solution Unsatisfactory "Solution Unsatisfactory" is a 1941 science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. It describes the US effort to build a nuclear weapon in order to end the ongoing World War II, and its dystopian consequences to the nation and ...

'',

Maureen Daly Maureen Daly (March 15, 1921 – September 25, 2006) was an Irish-born American writer who wrote the 1942 novel '' Seventeenth Summer'' while still in her teens. Originally marketed for adults, it described a contemporary teenage romance and drew ...

's '' Twelve Around the World'' (

Dodd, Mead and Company Dodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneer publishing houses of the United States, based in New York City. Under several names, the firm operated from 1839 until 1990. History Origins In 1839, Moses Woodruff Dodd (1813–1899) and John S. Ta ...

, 1957), and many of Caary Paul Jackson's sports novels for children, including the Bud Baker series. Other than a short biography (with an incorrect birth date) in Jack Snow's reference work '' Who's Who in Oz'' (1954), almost nothing was written about Kramer. Recently, however, the Spring 2011 issue of ''

The Baum Bugle ''The Baum Bugle: A Journal of Oz'' is the official journal of The International Wizard of Oz Club. The journal was founded in 1957, with its first issue released in June of that year (to a subscribers' list of sixteen). It publishes three times pe ...

'' featured articles discussing his life, career, and work. Snow notes that Kramer was born in New York City and lived in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and was a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, living as modestly as a "typical" (Snow's quotation marks) business man. He had indeed been a business man, but gave it up to become a freelance artist. His work appeared in

Street & Smith Street & Smith or Street & Smith Publications, Inc. was a New York City publisher specializing in inexpensive paperbacks and magazines referred to as dime novels and pulp fiction. They also published comic books and sporting yearbooks. Among t ...

magazines prior to Snow's discovery of his "flair for the imaginative" in his sports drawings that drew Snow to his art, which Snow states is known nationally.

Personal life

In 1938, he married Alice Aichele. They did not have children.

Books illustrated

" by

('' Astounding Science Fiction'', 1941) *''

'' by Jack Snow ( Reilly & Lee, 1946) *''

'' by Jack Snow (Reilly & Lee, 1949) *''Fullback in the Large Fry League'' by C(aary) Paul Jackson (

Follett Corporation Follett Corporation is a Westchester, Illinois-based company that provides a variety of educational products to schools, colleges, and public libraries through its subsidiaries. History Follett Corporation was founded in 1873 when Charles M. Bar ...

, 1951) *'' Twelve Around the World: True Accounts of the Lives and Countries of a Dozen Teenagers'' by

(

, 1957) (with Frank Daly) *''Bud Baker, T Quarterback'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1960) *''Bullpen Bargain'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1961) *''Pro Hockey Comeback'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1961) *''The Ironclads'' by Frank Robert Donovan (A Wonderful World Book. A.S. Barnes and Company, 1961) *''Great Suspense Stories'' compiled by Rosamund Morris, (

Hart Publishing Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a U ...

, 1962) *''Pro Football Rookie'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1962) *''Bud Baker, Racing Swimmer'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1962) *''Little Major Leaguer'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1963) *''Chris Plays Small Fry Football'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1964) *''Bud Plays Senior High Basketball'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1964) *''Pee Wee Cook of the Midget League'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1964) *''Junior High Freestyle Swimmer'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1965) *''Minor League Shorstop'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1965) *''Bud Baker, High School Pitcher'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1967) *''Hall of Fame Flankerback'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1968) *''Big Play in the Small League'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1968) *''Pennant Stretch Drive'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1969) *''Stepladder Steve Plays Basketball'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1969) *''Bud Baker, College Pitcher'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1970) *''Tim, the Football Nut'' by C. Paul Jackson (Hastings House, 1972) *'' Physical Feats That Made History'' by Harold H. Hart (Hart Publishing, 1974) *''Rocket to Limbo '' by Alan E. Nourse, (David Mckay company) (fourth printing 1965)

Magazine work

*ADVENTURE: Vol. 112, No. 5 (Popular Publications, May 1946) *ADVENTURE: Vol. 112, No. 5 (Popular Publications, December 1947) * Astounding Science Fiction: May 1941, Vol. 27, No. 3 (illustrations for the novella ''

'' by Anson MacDonald, pseudonym for

) * Astounding Science Fiction: December 1941, Vol. 27, No. 10 (illustrations for the novella ''

Defense Line A defense line or fortification line is a geographically-recognizable line of troops and armament, fortified and set up to protect a high-value location or defend territory. A defense line may be based on natural difficult terrain features, su ...

'' by Vic Phillips)

References

Gannaway, Atticus. "Frank Kramer: The Lost Illustrator of Oz." ''The Baum Bugle'', Spring 2011.

External links

biographical information on Frank Kramer
*, listing his science fiction and fantasy illustrations {{DEFAULTSORT:Kramer, Frank 1905 births 1993 deaths American illustrators Oz (franchise)