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'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 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. Since ...

. 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 ''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 ...

''.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 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'' 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'', ''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 as ...

. 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. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...

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 pub ...

'' (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 ...

'' (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 19 ...

'' * 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 ...

'' * 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 on Ja ...

'' * 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 u ...

'' * 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 Ozur ...

'' * 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 r ...

'' * 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 P ...

'' * 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 (fr ...

'' * 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'' * 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: ''

'' 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 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 ...

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