THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 5-7, 1995 ============================================================================== Date: Mon, 04 Dec 1995 21:57:35 -0800 (PST) From: Jim VanderNoot Subject: RE: Ozzy Digest, 12-04-95 -----------------Original Message----------------- 2) Did anyone see the Wizard of Oz Musical review on TV (Sunday after Thanksgiving). I don't get TV reception, nor cable so I missed it. I saw it previewed while at a friends house for Thanksgiving. I wrote a letter to the club secretary a couple of weeks ago requesting info. on obtaining a club directory. So far, I've had no reponse but if/when I do I'll let you know. Does anyone know how to obtain the International Wizard of Oz Club Member Directory? -- Dave -----------------End of Original Message----------------- Yes, I saw part of the musical review. It was very well done and looked like lots of fun! I posted info to rec.arts.books.childrens a week or so ago about Fred Meyer's back surgery and recuperation. Your inquiry will be forwarded to Peter Hanff at the club's new mailing address, so it will take some time. The membership directory is currently out of print; I think a new one will be produced in the spring. I'm not sure what the cost will be. Jim ------------------------------------- Jim Vander Noot E-mail: jvandern@sam.neosoft.com Date: 12/4/95 Time: 9:57:35 PM This message was sent by Chameleon ------------------------------------- ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 04:35:23 -0800 (PST) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Oz stuff Hi, Oz fans everywhere. Well, at least we have SOMETHING going on again. No, I don't know why Chris hasn't done anything about fixing the ozfans address . Anyway, a few Ozzy thoughts that have been rattling around in my head of late: 1. I don't know about anyone else, but I enjoyed TNT's "Thw Wizard of Oz in Concert" -- but I had to keep reminding myself, "This is NOT a full-blown performance of the movie script, just a concert!" The one thing that put me off was Roger Daltrey's entrance as the Tin Woodman, he came in like it was a Who concert and twirled his microphone like the good ol' days, and his version of "If I Only Had a Heart" was somewhat -- er -- untraditional. (The audience seemed to like it, though.) After that Daltrey settled down and was all right. Jewel was a great Dorothy, and looked a LOT more like Neill's illustrations than Judy Garland, What has she done before? I'd never heard of her until the concert. Nathan Lane as the Lion, Debra Winger as the Wicked Witch, and Joel Grey as Professor Marvel/The Wizard were all outstanding. Yes, I got it on tape. No, I can't make copies for everybody, sorry. 2. The Club hasn't put out a directory for years because some people got upset that companies were using it to compile mailing lists for Ozzy junk mail. (Well, if you must get junk mail, that's the best kind!) So now when they DO put one out, they're charging around eight dollars for it. >sigh< 3. For those who haven't heard, Fred Meyer has had recent back surgery, and so is laid up and not able to handle a lot of Club business. So the board of directors is taking over his duties for a while, and there's a new temporary address to send Club correspondence. It's: The International Wizard of Oz Club PO Box 10117 Berkeley, CA 94709-5117 Why they couldn't have slipped postcards with this info in the mail to all the Club's members is beyond me, I'm not sure I'll EVER understand how the petty politicking in the Club works, which is why I've resisted all efforts to recruit me for election to the Board of Directors... Anyway, that's all for the moment, I'm sure I'll have more to say later. --Eric Gjovaag PS: Dave, are you archiving these digests, so people who join up later can access the previous issues? ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 06 Dec 1995 13:08:00 -0800 (PST) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: RE: Oz stuff Eric wrote: >Hi, Oz fans everywhere. Well, at least we have SOMETHING going on again. No, I don't know why >Chris hasn't done anything about fixing the ozfans address . You know, when I started this, I sent several messages to both Chris and Nate inviting them to join, and they never replied! Does anyone know whatever became of them? >PS: Dave, are you archiving these digests, so people who join up later can access the previous issues? Good idea! Where shall I archive them? Is Nate's FTP space still available? -- Dave ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 08:13:03 -0500 From: lauram@rand.org (Laura J. Morrison) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-04-95 >Date: Sun, 03 Dec 1995 16:03:45 -0500 (EST) >From: cummingss@kenyon.edu >Subject: RE: New Oz Mailing List!!! > >2) Did anyone see the Wizard of Oz Musical review on TV (Sunday after Thanksgiving). I don't get TV >reception, nor cable so I missed it. I saw it previewed while at a friends house for Thanksgiving. I haven't seen it yet, but I did tape it. E-mail me if you want a copy of the tape. My mom watched it and she said it was hilarious! She's a BIG Joel Grey fan. Laura ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 12:54:29 -0500 (EST) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz stuff Someone asked about "The Life and TImes of the Wicked Witch of the West". I bought the book, but have not read it. USA Today did a review of it and the person who wrote the article seemed to know only of the movie. She praised the author for being imaginative to invent all this other cool stuff about the Land of Oz! (GRRR) I sent her a very nice note explaining the truth about Oz and invited her to ask me for any info she might need. Also, be sure to check out my Web Page. The Oz section is right on top! http://ourworld.compuserve.com:80/homepages/tyler_jones The :80 part may not be necessary, but the whole thing is lower case and the thing between my first and last name is an underscore. See you around! --Tyler Jones TJONES@CSI.COMPUSERVE.COM ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 13:03:56 -0500 From: Sissor Subject: del rey books question Hey ozzies, I have the first 14 from the Del Rey publisher series from 1981. Needless to say they are terribly worn and the pages are turning and ugly brown. Also I have 15-25 of the Ruth Plumly Thompson series also by the Del Rey publishers. I was wondering how I can get new ones of the original 14 and the rest of the others as well. I know that there are a lot more of the stories, something like 50 right? I would really appreciate any informations since the Bookstop and other local big chains have NOT been helpful! Thanks, Eric Henao LaTeRs, ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ |This is in no way any sort of paid advertisement or scandal. Just some honest feelings, opinions, and |talk from one human living on planet Earth. Thanks for |listening, Sissor. Houston, TX (henao@blkbox.com) | ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 06 Dec 1995 13:35:00 -0800 (PST) From: Dave Subject: RE: del rey books question Eric Henao wrote: >...I was wondering how I can get new ones of the original 14 and the rest of the others as well. I know >that there are a lot more of the stories, something like 50 right? There are 40 that are considered "official" (the "Famous Forty" they are called), plus countless others released in recent years, mostly published by Buckethead Enterprises or Books of Wonder/Emerald City Press. The "Famous Forty" however are hard to come by except in the Del Rey editions, unfortunatly. :( Here's what I can offer as advice (I am still struggling to get decent copies of the Oz books myself!): Dover has released quality (not "El cheapo" like Del Rey) paperback editions of the Baum Oz books up thru _Tik-Tok_ ( they insist that it is "not profitable" for them to come out with the others! :( ). Books of Wonder has released facsimilies of the first seven books (up thru _Patchwork Girl_) as well as the Neil and Snow books, _Merry-Go-Round_ (the last of the "Famous Forty") and a volume of Baum's six "Little Wizard Stories". They plan to release the other Baum Oz books, but they are doing it at a rate of one book a year, so we should expect _Glinda of Oz_ to come out in about 2002! :( _Scarecrow_ is available in hardcover facsimilie from the International Wizard of Oz Club (I don't know why they don't have the others), and many of the Thompson books (some in hardcover, but most in the Del Rey editions) In regard to the post-Famous-Forty books, I have not read any of the Buckethead books, but many of the Books of Wonder/Emerald City Press books are good. I also recommend _The Wicked Witch of Oz_ by Rachel Cosgrove Payes (available from the Int'l Wiz. of Oz Club) and Books of Wonder's "graphical novels". These are wonderfully illustrated by Eric Shanower, who IMHO is the best Oz illustrator ever (sorry, Mr. Neil)! Hope I've been of help! -- Dave P.S. Here are the addresses of the publishers I mentioned: Books of Wonder/Emerald City Press 132 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10011 The International Wizard of Oz Club (Temporary address) PO Box 10117 Berkeley, CA 94709-5117 Dover Publications, Inc. 31 East 2nd Street Mineola, NY 11501 Buckethead Enterprises of Oz 1606 Arnold Palmer Loop Belen, NM 87002 ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 14:36:30 -0500 From: "Mark A. Semich" Subject: OZ: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-04-95 Scott Cummings writes: > 1) Has anyone read "Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" (forgot author's > > name)? The NT Times panned it. I agree. A very muddled story that is only mildly interesting. I looked at it in the book store but decided not to buy it. I may be mistaken, but it seems as if the book is one of those "everybody you thought was bad is really good, and everyone you thought was good is really evil, and everything you thought you knew is wrong" kind of books, which I don't like. I have no desire to read about the Wizard as some sort of evil, fascist overlord, nor about Glinda as a greedy, power-hungry type. Of course, my analysis could be completely mistaken, as it's based on the cover-flap info and I haven't actually read the book :-) > 3) I see some e-mail addresses from Columbus, OH. I am now living near Columbus, and was >wondering if the Oz folks in cental Ohio ever get together. I haven't received an Oz Club directory in >years. Does anyone know the current status of the IWOC? I ordered some books from them last year, but didn't receive them. I wrote a couple of letters asking if the books were still available, but I never received any replies. =========================== END=============================================== THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 7, 1995 (2) ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 23:04:00 -0500 From: smcguire@MIT.EDU (Scott McGuire) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-04-95 Hello everybody, First a big thanks to Dave for setting this up! (Has anyone told Chris Heer and Nate Barlowe? :-) A couple of replies: Scott Cummings wrote: >1) Has anyone read "Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" (forgot author's >name)? The NT Times panned it. I agree. A very muddled story that is only mildly interesting. I haven't read it, but I'm also curious to hear what others think. Unlike the New York Times, the Boston Glove gave it a highly favorable review. Dave Hardenbrook wrote: >I wrote a letter to the club secretary a couple of weeks ago requesting info. on obtaining a club >directory. So far, I've had no reponse but if/when I do I'll let you know. Does anyone know how to >obtain the International Wizard of Oz Club Member Directory? I just received a postcard in my mail today that the club secretary, Fred Meyer, is recuperating from back surgery, and has essentially (but reluctantly) retired from the job. All correspondence should be directed to: Peter E. Hanff c/o The International Wizard of Oz Club P.O. Box 10117 Berkeley, California 94709-5117 I imagine there might be some delay in getting a Club Directory while they sort things out! --Scott McGuire / smcguire@mit.edu ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 07 Dec 1995 02:06:00 -0800 From: Dave Subject: Ozzy Birthdays and Anniversaries Hi all! Hope everyone's enjoying the list so far! :) I was wondering: Besides Ozma's birthday (August 21) and as well as Betsy Bobbin's (October 31), are they any other Ozite's birthday or anniversary of an important event in Oz whose date is known for certain? ( I'm looking for an excuse to throw an Ozzy party! :) ) -- Dave ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 06 Dec 1995 15:37:22 -0500 From: "Mark A. Semich" Subject: Fred Meyer and the Wizard of Oz Club Greetings, I received the following postcard in the mail today. Many of you may have already seen it, but it was news to me and I thought it sufficiently important to warrant me sending out a copy. Apologies for the bandwidth :-) INTERNATIONAL WIZARD OF OZ CLUB, INC. November 13, 1995 Dear Oz Club Members: Fred Meyer is recuperating from back surgery and his recovery is going to take several months. With reluctance he has asked other members of the Board of Directors to take responsibility for the numerous duties he has been performing for so many years. Fred has always treasured his work for the Club, and particularly his busy correspondence with members. Now, however, his greatest concern is that the Club continue its many activities and that his recuperation not interfere with the Club's needs. I know you all share in my sentiment that Fred's greatest duty now is to focus on getting well. We will carry on the work of the Club, recognizing that no single one of us can adequately substitute for the devotion and care Fred Meyer has contributed. Fred recognizes that many members will want to write to him or send get-well cards. Because he is not presently staying in Escanaba, too much mail may be burdensome. Fred will not be able to answer any messages. However, those of you who know other Oz Club members might like to coordinate signing cards or letters as a group. That would cut down on the volume of mail and would help cheer Fred up. Please direct all official Oz Club correspondence to Club President Peter E. Hanff, c/o The International Wizard of Oz Club P.O. Box 10117 Berkeley, California 94709-5117 Sincerely, PETER E. HANFF President ================================= END========================================= THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 8, 1995 ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 07 Dec 1995 10:02:51 -0500 (EST) From: smcguire@MIT.EDU (Scott McGuire) Subject: OZ - Re: del rey books Dave Hardenbrook said: >Books of Wonder has released facsimilies of the first seven books (up thru _Patchwork Girl_) as well as >the Neil and Snow books, _Merry-Go-Round_ (the last of the "Famous Forty") and a volume of Baum's >six "Little Wizard Stories". They plan to release the other Baum Oz books, but they are doing it at a rate >of one book a year, so we should expect _Glinda of Oz_ to come out in about 2002! :( Actually, Peter Glassman has said that they have arranged with Morrow (who distributes the Baum reprints) to speed up the schedule so that _Glinda of Oz_ will be released in 2000, the 100th anniversary of _Wizard_. So that means there will be a couple of years with two reprints! >_Scarecrow_ is available in hardcover facsimilie from the International Wizard of Oz Club (I don't know >why they don't have the others), and many of the Thompson books (some in hardcover, but most in the >Del Rey editions) The Int'l Wizard of Oz Club also does reprints of "The Hidden Valley of Oz", Rachel Cosgrove Payes's first Oz book (#39 of the original 40). --Scott McGuire / smcguire@mit.edu ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 07 Dec 1995 08:18:32 -0800 (PST) From: Peter Hanff Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-07-95 Dave, The Board of Directors of the Oz Club authorized preparation of a new Club membership directory for early 1996. I am to produce it and Jim Vander Noot will generate the data for it. He is now handling new memberships and updates and then forwarding them to our assistant (Fred Meyer's assistant when Fred is on his feet) in Escanaba. We'll certainly announce the availability of the directory as soon as it's ready. Peter ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 07 Dec 1995 11:35:35 -0500 (EST) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz stuff Info about Oz books and such. You can get a complete description of all (or nearly all) Oz books on my Web Page. http://ourworld.compuserve.com:80/homepages/tyler_jones all lower case and use an underscore between Tyler and Jones. Some of the links are in error, but they should be fixed by Monday morning. In the oz section (right on top, of course!) go to the HACC or to my PROJECTS list and you can see just about every Oz book ever written. I should have addresses for the publishers fairly soon. I believe that Baum 1-14 and Thompson 15-23 are still available thru Del Rey, but you may have to order them directly. I'll try to find their address for you. Maybe we can convince Dover that people would pay more for the Oz books so that it will be profitable for them to publish more :) I'll try to reach Nate and Chris about this. --Tyler ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 Dec 1995 12:55:00 -0800 (PST) From: Dave Subject: Oz stuff Tyler wrote: >I believe that Baum 1-14 and Thompson 15-23 are still available thru Del Rey, but you may have to >order them directly. I'll try to find their address for you. The Baum Del Rey Oz books are also orderable thru Books of Wonder, and I've seen them on the shelves at Barnes & Noble bookstores. -- Dave ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 07 Dec 1995 10:06:36 -0800 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: Re: Welcome to the Ozzy Digest!!! Does anyone know how Fred Meyer is doing? And where can we send him a get well card?? Bill Wright ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 07 Dec 1995 16:32:59 -0500 (EST) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz stuff Gang, Aaron Adelman noticed that there was an error in the HACC. Masquerade in Oz was listed twice. Note that the correct year is 1913. The ????? placement is obsolete, since we have dtermined that the story took place in 1913. There are a few spelling errors in there, too. Hpefully, we can get them all out of there. Thanks for your help. --Tyler Jones ============================= END============================================= THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 11, 1995 ============================================================================== Date: Fri, 08 Dec 1995 21:24:05 -0800 (PST) From: Peter Hanff Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-08-95 Fred will, I'm sure appreciate get-well cards, but he indicated that I should tell people that he will not be able to respond to them individually. He is doing well, but has some months of often painful recovery ahead. He has been reviewing cumulated Club mail with his sister and then having her forward it to the various Club officers who carrying on for him. I suggested in my postcard that it might be helpful if those living near each other sign get-well cards or letters as a group, just to cut down on the volume. The cards should be mailed to 220 N. 11th Street, Escanaba, MI 49829 and should be clearly addressed to Fred M. Meyer. Mail addressed to the Oz Club itself is forwarded from that address to P.O. Box 10117, Berkeley, CA 94709-5117. A really good sign is that Fred called me two weekends ago with a raft of ideas about the 1997 Ozmopolitan Convention. I'm sure he'll appreciate hearing from all who write. Peter ============================================================================== Date: Sun, 10 Dec 1995 15:32:40 -0500 From: smcguire@MIT.EDU (Scott McGuire) Subject: OZ: "The Wizard of Oz in Concert" repeat this week I see that "The Wizard of Oz in Concert" is being repeated this Thursday, December 14, at from 8-10 PM on the cable channel TNT. This is good, since I missed it the first time it was on... --Scott McGuire / smcguire@mit.edu ============================================================================== Date: Sun, 10 Dec 1995 18:24:38 -0800 From: glassman@ix.netcom.com (glassman) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-06-95 >Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 12:54:29 -0500 (EST) >From: Tyler Jones >Subject: Oz stuff > >Someone asked about "The Life and TImes of the Wicked Witch of the West". I bought the book, but >have not read it. I have and it is truly excellent! Imaginative, well-written and very moving. However, it is definitely NOT for children. But if you don't mind revisionist Oz writings (and even if you do, since I normally don't like that sort of thing very much) and some frank sexuality, this is a must read. - Peter Glassman >============================================================================= >Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 13:03:56 -0500 >From: Sissor >Subject: del rey books question > >Hey ozzies, >I have the first 14 from the Del Rey publisher series from 1981. Needless to say they are terribly worn >and the pages are turning and ugly brown. Also I have 15-25 of the Ruth Plumly Thompson series also >by the Del Rey publishers. I was wondering how I can get new ones of the original 14 and the rest of >the others as well. I know that there are a lot more of the stories, something like 50 right? I would >really appreciate any informations since the Bookstop and other local big chains have NOT been >helpful! Thanks, > >Eric Henao "The Oz Collector" is a catalog devoted to the Oz books of L. Frank Baum and his many successors, as well as many other things relating to the world of Oz. It is available FREE by calling the following toll-free number: (800) 207-6968. All 14 Baum paperbacks are offered in the catalog, as well as Baum's "Sea Fairies", "Sky Island", and "Dot and Tot of Merryland". Also offered are John R. Neill's "Wonder City of Oz", "Scalawagons of Oz," "Lucky Bucky of Oz" and his long-unpublished novel, now finally in print, "The Runaway in Oz." Other classic Oz books offered include Jack Snow's "Magicial Mimics in Oz", "The Shaggy Man of Oz" and "Who's Who in Oz" as well as Eloise and Lauren McGraw's "Merry Go Round in Oz". "The Oz Collector" also lists over a dozen original Oz novels by modern authors, including Eric Gjovaag (who regularly posts to this group). Forthcoming issues of the catalog will include titles by Ruth Plumly Thompson, a new Oz game book ad more. - Peter Glassman President Books of Wonder >Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 14:36:30 -0500 >From: "Mark A. Semich" >Subject: OZ: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-04-95 > >Scott Cummings writes: > >> 1) Has anyone read "Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" (forgot author's >>name)? The NT Times panned it. I agree. A very muddled story that is only mildly interesting. > >I looked at it in the book store but decided not to buy it. I may be mistaken, but it seems as if the book >is one of those "everybody you thought was bad is really good, and everyone you thought was good is >really evil, and everything you thought you knew is wrong" kind of books, which I don't like. I have no >desire to read about the Wizard as some sort of evil, fascist overlord, nor about Glinda as a greedy, >power-hungry type. Of course, my analysis could be completely mistaken, as it's based on the cover->flap info and I haven't actually read the book :-) As always, its dangerous to make judgements from covers or flap copy - though I realize it's hard not to! Actually, the book does not turn all the good guys bad or all the bad guys good. It just shows how things might have come to be and tells the story from the Wicked Witch of the West's viewpoint. Since it is an adult novel, it does not try to portray anyone as purely good or purely evil. As all us so-called adults know, nothing is ever that simple. The books is filled with complex, multi-dimensional characters who are all acting the way they do for various, reasons having to do with cultural background, childhood experiences and life's unpredictable occurances. As I in a previous posting, the book is well worth reading - particularly if you are interested in a thoughtful, imaginative adult novel which treats Baum's original novel and the MGM movie as fairy tales or myths which grew up around real events. - Peter Glassman ============================================================================== Date: Mon 11 Dec 95 16:20:08 (PST) From: Dave Subject: Questions Hi Ozzy folks! Just before Chris' list went off line, I posed the following questions to the group, and I thought I'd ask them again: -- Who is everyone's favorite Oz character? -- What is everyone's favorite book and why? -- What is everyone's LEAST favorite book and why? -- Does anyone have an Ozzy prized posession they'd like to tell about? -- Dave ================================= END ======================================= On Mon, 11 Dec 1995, Dave Hardenbrook wrote: > THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 11, 1995 > >============================================================================= > >Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 13:03:56 -0500 > >From: Sissor > >Subject: del rey books question > > > >Hey ozzies, > >I have the first 14 from the Del Rey publisher series from 1981. Needless to say they are terribly worn >>and the pages are turning and ugly brown. Also I have 15-25 of the Ruth Plumly Thompson series >>also by the Del Rey publishers. I was wondering how I can get new ones of the original 14 and the >>rest of the others as well. I know that there are a lot more of the stories, something like 50 right? I >>would really appreciate any informations since the Bookstop and other local big chains have NOT >>been helpful! Thanks, > > > >Eric Henao > > "The Oz Collector" is a catalog devoted to the Oz books of L. Frank Baum and his many successors, >as well as many other things relating to the world of Oz. It is available FREE by calling the following >toll-free number: (800) 207-6968. > > All 14 Baum paperbacks are offered in the catalog, as well as Baum's "Sea Fairies", "Sky Island", and >"Dot and Tot of Merryland". Also offered are John R. Neill's "Wonder City of Oz", "Scalawagons of >Oz," "Lucky Bucky of Oz" and his long-unpublished novel, now finally in print, "The Runaway in Oz." >Other classic Oz books offered include Jack Snow's "Magicial Mimics in Oz", "The Shaggy Man of Oz" >and "Who's Who in Oz" as well as Eloise and Lauren McGraw's "Merry Go Round in Oz". And fine editions they all are! (But you cal also pick up the Baum books, both the paperbacks and the BoW editions, in a number of other bookstores. I see 'em all the time at Barnes and Nobles, for instance. > "The Oz Collector" also lists over a dozen original Oz novels by modern authors, including Eric >Gjovaag (who regularly posts to this group). Forthcoming issues of the catalog will include titles by >Ruth Plumly Thompson, a new Oz game book ad more. Hey, let's be fair, here! I only CO-wrote "Queen Ann in Oz." Karyl Carlson and I split the work fairly evenly, and as the basic story idea was hers she really deserves her share of the credit. (Of course, I'm the one who said, "Hey, wanna collaborate?") --Eric "Yes, I do do autographs..." Gjovaag "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" --The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Oz Club has polled its members several times with David's questions. All I can remember is that among members who had read all 40 in the canon, OZMA was #1 or #2. I think it was #1. (My memory may have been colored by my own personal preference here. I love OZMA. It's terribly satisfying to have Dorothy return to Oz. TikTok embodies many of the best qualities of Ozziness: loyalty, perseverence, intelligence, helpfulness, complete lack of prejudice towards "different" individuals and cultures, etc., etc.) Anyway, among readers who had a more limited Oz experience, WIZARD ranked as #1. I think it was #2 for those who'd read all 40, I can't recall a specific loser/least favorite. My own are DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD because it's so episodic and so very, very dark. Also COWARDLY LION. I really don't like Notta. His running "shtick" of disguises, etc., irritated me. Also, R.P.T. never told us the last of his disguises. The business of Mustafa and the lions struck me as stupid, but that Nickadoodle character was dreadful. The book seems to be a knockoff of Lewis Carrollian weirdities. However, I loved Fiddlestick Forest and did get a kick out of Un. I think one of the top faves for characters was the Scarecrow. I don't ave a favorite. I have preferences, ut no clear favorite. Maybe the Cowardly Lion.... As for favorite Ozzy possessions, I could write a book about 'em. Somehow I don't think I want to bore you all with an elaborated list of them. I've been ollecting for many years. Mostly I enjoy the Neill artwork I own. Sorry for the long post. Robin Olderman THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 15, 1995 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: It has been brought to my attention that many people who send an Ozzy message to the list put the entire list of members in their "To:" field...This is unnecessary, since I forward all messages to everyone on the list. So just send your message to me and I will put it in the digest and send it to each person on my Ozzy list (That way, people won't receive TWO copies of each message!). Please feel free to send me any questions/comments! -- Dave P.S. One other important announcement: The International Wizard of Oz Club now has an E-mail address: iwoc@sam.neosoft.com Note that this address is just for correspondance with the I.W.O.C. and is not in any way affiliated with this Ozzy Digest. ============================================================================== Date: Mon, 11 Dec 1995 22:47:41 -0500 (EST) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-11-95 1) My brother and I have a major dispute about where Oz actually is, and we decided to try and get some third party opinions. Nu, nu? 2) In response to the question about my least favorite Oz book, that would be all of Neill's books, as 1) he was in severe contradiction to Baum and Thompson's books, letting his creativity run amok instead of thinking about what he was doing, and failing to check his work against previous sources, 2) unlike Baum and Thompson, he talked down to the reader instead of treating the reader as an equal, and 3) he could not write to save his own life. Aaron. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================== Date: Thu 14-Dec-95 00:53:27 (PST) From: Dave Subject: Where is Oz? Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman writes: >My brother and I have a major dispute about where Oz actually is, and we decided to try and get some >third party opinions. Nu, nu? My personal theory (that I assert in my upcoming Oz book) is that Oz and the rest of the "Baum universe" lies at the bottom of a 4-dimensional "wormhole" or "gravity well" that is a protrusion of of the Earth's surface into the "quantum foam" that fills hyperspace. The fact that the Nonestic Ocean and all its lands, including Oz, is in contact with these multi-dimensional "quantum vibrations" outside of the three dimensional universe we know allows for the existance of magic. In fact, the "magical powers" of an individual (Glinda, Mombi, the Wizard, the Adepts, whoever) is just a measure of to what extent he/she is able to manipulate "quantum waves" in Oz and other Fairylands. The reason why Baumgea (the continent in which Oz et. al. lies) is so hard to reach is that the mouth of the 4-dimensional "wormhole" that Baumgea lies in is usually "pinched off" from the outside world, and only through magical intervention does the mouth (which lies somewhere in the ocean of our world) open up and permit the entry into the Fairy realm of outsiders like Dorothy or Betsy or Trot and Capt'n Bill. (This all of course is in a parallel universe in which magic through Quantum Physics and Einstein's General Theory of Relativity is possible, but because there are an infinity of different universes, this universe DOES exist, and in it Oz IS A REAL PLACE!) -- Dave ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 12 Dec 1995 09:53:48 -0500 From: michael f burns Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-11-95 Since childhood, my favorite Thompson character was Handy Mandy. My favorite Baum character is the Hungry Tiger. My favorite book would have to be the Wizard of Oz because that's where it all began, I don't know that I have a least liked one. These are the books I first remember being able to read by myself so they all hold a special place in my heart. My favorite Oz possession is a signed Eric Shanower lithograph of Polychrome (Possession that isn't a book anyway!) Mike ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 12 Dec 1995 12:33:13 -0500 (EST) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz faves Well, my favorite character has probably always been the Scarecrow, although Captain Salt is a close second. My favorite book in the FF is CAPTAIN SALT IN OZ, because it is just good solid adventure. Oddly enough, this is the only book in the FF that does not enter the Land of Oz. My least favorite is probably any of the three John R Neill books. Not to disrespect the great Oz illustrator. In fact, I heard a nasty rumor that Mr. Neills original versions were very well written but some junior editor at Reilly & Lee hacked them up. This has resulted in three books that are filled with errors, mistakes and very weird things. However, his non-FF title "RUNAWAY IN OZ" is very good. This is available from Books of Wonder. I don;t know their 800 number, but I am sure that Peter Glassman will be glad to provide it (it's also in a previous Ozzy Digest). My favorite overall author is Ruth Plumly Thompson. She had a great sense of history and her stories were much more action-based than the others. Not that she is perfect. The word "cozy" was vastly overused and she gave the Oz characters a little too much power, but her stuff is still the best. My favorite Baum book is "Queen Zixi of Ix". This is not an Oz book in the classic sense. Rather, it takes place in the "Oz Universe", similar to such stories as The Sea Fairies, Sky Island, The Magical Monarch of Mo, John Dough and the Cherub, The Life and Adventuires of Santa Clause, The Enchanted Isle of Yew, The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa and maybe a few others. That's all for today. --Tyler Jones TJONES@CSI.COMPUSERVE.COM http://ourworld.compuserve.com:80/homepages/tyler_jones ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 12 Dec 1995 23:00:32 -0600 (CST) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-11-95 For all who are interested: Fred Meyer is recovering well, but slowly. He is, intelligently enough, backing off from his IWOC work, but he's still very much interested in us. He sounds better and stronger every week. I certainly agree with Pete Hanff that he'd appreciate cards and letters, but he won't be able to respond to y'all who are kind enough to write him. Actually, I believe that our expressions of affection and concern will help him to recuperate even more rapidly than he has so far. Fred hides it fairly well, but he's really a sentimental fellow. Your cards will really mean something to him. The Escanaba post office will forward them. Just be sure (to repeat Pete's caveat here) to address mail to Fred personally, to identify it from generic Club mail. And completely off that subject...HI, Y'ALL! I'VE MISSED SEEING YOU ON-LINE. --Robin Olderman ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 11:21:46 -0800 (PST) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-11-95 > >From: Sissor > >Subject: del rey books question > > > >Hey ozzies, > >I have the first 14 from the Del Rey publisher series from 1981. Needless to say they are terribly worn > >and the pages are turning and ugly brown. Also I have 15-25 of the Ruth Plumly Thompson series > >also by the Del Rey publishers. I was wondering how I can get new ones of the original 14 and the > >rest of the others as well. I know that there are a lot more of the stories, something like 50 right? I > >would really appreciate any informations since the Bookstop and other local big chains have NOT > >been helpful! Thanks, > > > >Eric Henao > > "The Oz Collector" is a catalog devoted to the Oz books of L. Frank Baum and his many successors, >as well as many other things relating to the world of Oz. It is available FREE by calling the following >toll-free number: (800) 207-6968. >All 14 Baum paperbacks are offered in the catalog, as well as Baum's "Sea Fairies", "Sky Island", and >"Dot and Tot of Merryland". Also offered are John R. Neill's "Wonder City of Oz", "Scalawagons of >Oz," "Lucky Bucky of Oz" and his long-unpublished novel, now finally in print, "The Runaway in Oz." >Other classic Oz books offered include Jack Snow's "Magicial Mimics in Oz", "The Shaggy Man of Oz" >and "Who's Who in Oz" as well as Eloise and Lauren McGraw's "Merry Go Round in Oz". And fine editions they all are! (But you cal also pick up the Baum books, both the paperbacks and the BoW editions, in a number of other bookstores. I see 'em all the time at Barnes and Nobles, for instance. > "The Oz Collector" also lists over a dozen original Oz novels by modern authors, including Eric >Gjovaag (who regularly posts to this group). Forthcoming issues of the catalog will include titles by >Ruth Plumly Thompson, a new Oz game book ad more. Hey, let's be fair, here! I only CO-wrote "Queen Ann in Oz." Karyl Carlson and I split the work fairly evenly, and as the basic story idea was hers she really deserves her share of the credit. (Of course, I'm the one who said, "Hey, wanna collaborate?") --Eric "Yes, I do do autographs..." Gjovaag "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" --The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 16:38:30 -0500 From: "Mark A. Semich" Subject: Ozzy Books Peter Glassman sez: > "The Oz Collector" also lists over a dozen original Oz novels by modern authors, including Eric >Gjovaag (who regularly posts to this group). Forthcoming issues of the catalog will include titles by Ruth >Plumly Thompson, a new Oz game book and more. Oooh! Can you tell us any more? Like, which Thompson books are you planning on offering? And are they going to be printed by BoW? ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 22:57:53 -0600 (CST) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-11-95 The Oz Club has polled its members several times with David's questions. All I can remember is that among members who had read all 40 in the canon, OZMA was #1 or #2. I think it was #1. (My memory may have been colored by my own personal preference here. I love OZMA. It's terribly satisfying to have Dorothy return to Oz. TikTok embodies many of the best qualities of Ozziness: loyalty, perseverence, intelligence, helpfulness, complete lack of prejudice towards "different" individuals and cultures, etc., etc.) Anyway, among readers who had a more limited Oz experience, WIZARD ranked as #1. I think it was #2 for those who'd read all 40, I can't recall a specific loser/least favorite. My own are DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD because it's so episodic and so very, very dark. Also COWARDLY LION. I really don't like Notta. His running "shtick" of disguises, etc., irritated me. Also, R.P.T. never told us the last of his disguises. The business of Mustafa and the lions struck me as stupid, but that Nickadoodle character was dreadful. The book seems to be a knockoff of Lewis Carrollian weirdities. However, I loved Fiddlestick Forest and did get a kick out of Un. I think one of the top faves for characters was the Scarecrow. I don't have a favorite. I have preferences, but no clear favorite. Maybe the Cowardly Lion.... As for favorite Ozzy possessions, I could write a book about 'em. Somehow I don't think I want to bore you all with an elaborated list of them. I've been collecting for many years. Mostly I enjoy the Neill artwork I own. Sorry for the long post. Robin Olderman ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 18:34:25 -0500 (EST) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz stuff I want to compile a list of Ozzy references from "The Simpsons" on the Simpsons chat line. The goal of this is to explore a possible Baum-link in one of the episodes. The episode in question is the one where Lisa, enraged by the sexist remarks of the first talking Malibu-Stacy, creates her own doll, Lisa Lionheart. At the beginning of this episode, they are all in the toy store and Lisa spies a section called "The Valley of the Dolls", an aisle filled on both sides with dolls. I think Matt Groening got this idea from "Dot and Tot in Merryland" and I need a list of Ozzy stuff on the Simpsons to break the ice. Here are the ones I remember. 1. When Ned Flanders Leftorium goes bankrupt, Marge is sure that he will find happpiness somehere. "Where?" bellows Homer, "In the Merry old Land of Oz?" 2. Homer and Michelle Pfiefer order room service, prompting Burns to send in the Winged Monkeys. 3. When Uncy Herb passes out gifts, Homer whines "I don' think there's anything in that black bag for me". 4. When we look at Lisas future, several college students are walking around dressed as the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion. 5. When Homer follows his co-workers to the Stonecutters meeting by tying a can of yellow paint to their car and poking a hole in it, he says "all I have to do is follow the yellow drip road!" I am sure that there are some more. Can anybody help me out? ============================================================================== Dear Tyler, I read How the Wizard Came to Oz yesterday and came to two conclusions: 1) The date given for How the Wizard Came to Oz is probably way too early, and 2) there seems to be no logic in the shapes that Mombi transformed Pastoria, Ozma, and the prime minister (can't remember his name at the moment) into. Justification for conclusion 1: We all know that Mombi raised Ozma/Tip from infancy, but we also know that by the time the Wizard got to Oz, Pastoria was no longer in the picture at all. (See How the Wizard Came to Oz. Pastoria is not mentioned even once in the book.) Hence the Four Wicked Witches must have conquered Oz and Mombi must have transformed Pastoria, and the Prime Minister before then, which according to the HACC must have happened before 1850. (As we know from The Land of Oz, Ozma was not transformed until the Wizard brought her to Mombi.) Since Ozma was adopted before Pastoria was deposed (see The Lost King of Oz), the HACC would put Ozma/Tip's age at the time she/he ran away from Mombi at over fifty, which since people were not halting their aging at that point in Oz, is an absurd age for her/him. Therefore, I propose that the Wizard came to Oz not in 1850, but in 1889 (I know this is pushing it), which would bring Ozma/Tip's age down to about 14 when she/he runs away. It is this date which I am currently assuming in the Woozy of Oz (most of which actually takes place in 2097), which brings us to Justification for conclusion 2: 1) Leaving the Prime Minister with his memory intact is incredibly risky, as he could have spread news of the usurping to neighboring countries and used his influence to convince other magic workers to aid him in reconquering Oz. 2) Even though Pastoria was given amnesia when he was turned into a tailor, magical amnesia seems to be imperfect at best and liable to wear off. Notice that Quox's ribbon didn't completely destroy Ruggedo's knowledge of magic, and that his memories, at least in part, resurfaced after he drank from the Fountain of Oblivion. So Mombi was extremely lucky that Pastoria didn't suddenly remember who he was, leave Blankenburg, and rightly reclaim the throne. 3) Why would Mombi have taken the trouble of raising Ozma/Tip in the first place? Raising children is reputedly (at least to me, as I have not had children yet) very taxing, physically and mentally, and rather expensive. 4) Mombi could have obviated these difficulties easily by just transforming Pastoria, Ozma, and the prime minister into rocks, which require no maintenance and never say anything to get one in trouble. This leads directly to my proposed explination for why Mombi undertook such an apparently stupid task. I propose that when the Four Wicked Witches overthrew Pastoria, they did do the smart thing and transform Pastoria, Ozma, and the prime minister into rocks. Then Glinda overthrew Singra and put her into a hundred year sleep (which would put The Wicked Witch of Oz in 1988), and Tattypoo overthrew Mombi. Mombi's magical instruments and ingredients were confiscated, and she was threatened with being turned into a chunk of granite if she caused trouble again. Sent into a state of depression and seriously considering giving up magic for needlepoint, Mombi was visited by a mysterious magician, who offered to give her plenty of magical supplies and give her ways of evading Glinda and Tattypoo if she would do four "simple tasks", to which Mombi agreed, especially as this mysterious magician, who proved himself to have great powers, told her that she had a great future ahead of her, for he had been there. Then Mombi finds out what the "simple tasks" are, and it's only the promise of a better future than doing needlepoint that makes her agree to them. The tasks are: 1) Gayelette's castle and its inhabitants must be transformed into a kiwi fruit. 2) Pastoria must be transformed into a tailor, given amnesia, sent to Blankenburg, and some cells must be scraped off the inside of his cheek with a toothpick. 3) The Prime Minister must be transformed into a goose, his memory being left intact, dumped in the middle of nowhere, and a feather must be pulled out of his tail. 4) --And this is the most difficult of all--Ozma must be transformed into a boy, some stuffing must be removed from her teddy bear, and Mombi must raise her. The mysterious magician takes the cells, the feather, the teddy bear stuffing, and the kiwi fruit, warns Mombi that under no conditions is she to turn Ozma into a marble statue, which would retroactively invalidate the teddy bear stuffing he needs for a truly demented spell, and leaves for the future. The question is, is all of this consistent with the rest of the Oz series? (Since you're the one with 200 Oz books...) Sincerely yours, Aaron. PS: I may change the teddy bear into a teddy kalidah. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 17, 1995 ============================================================================== Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 11:27:50 -0500 From: "Mark A. Semich" Subject: Ozzy Confession I must confess - in spite of my life long efforts, I have still not managed to read all (40?) of the canonical Oz books. Of course, I've read the Baums and (thanks to BoW) the Neils, the Snows, and Merry Go Round. I'm still trying to get ahold of the Thompsons, a few of which I've read, but not many. Which brings me to my question: I'm begining to feel the tinglings of an idea for a story about Ruggedo. I know that at one point in the series, Ruggedo was no longer the (g)nome king and that there was someone else on the throne. But what is Ruggedo's "final" fate (or status) in the original series? Did he ever return to the throne? What's he up to? Anyways, thanks for any info, and I hope I'll be able to find out all this for myself someday :-) ============================================================================== Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 18:30:29 -0500 (EST) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Ozzy Digest Aaron Adelman wrote me an interesting letter asking some very good questions about the pre-history of Oz. I thought I would answer them all in the public forum. By the way, if Aaron (or anybody else) would like to ask me stuff about Oz, please send them message to Dave so that the entire membership will benefit from our discussions. The purpose here is to expand EVERYBODYS knowledge and interest in Oz. Anyway, Aarons comments are based on his reading of HOW THE WIZARD CAME TO OZ, which is about the early history of the Wizard. Unfortunately, OZ AND THE THREE WITCHES is not generally available, and it also covers this period in history. Maybe I can publish a description of the main points of that book. On my HACC, I have the Wizards arrival in 1850. I assumed that he was 25 years old at this time, and that he ruled for about 50 years. The number 50 was mentioned by Chuck Sabatos in an OZIANA story. The Wiz may have been exaggerating his length of rule, but there is no hard evidence for just how mcuh time elapsed between his arrival and his assumption of the throne of the Emerald City and between that and the arrival of Dorothy. He needs enough time to build the Emerald City and for his reputation to spread, if not throughout all of Oz, at least a decent-sized part. I used this to determine in part the placement of Roger Baums Silly Ozbuls Trilogy when he says that the Wizard is ninety years old. I may have to move these books now. Aaron is correct in saying that Pastoria was not on the scene when the Wizard arrived (HOW THE WIZARD and OZ THREE WITCHES confirm this). This is another problem. How much time elapsed between the disappearance of Pastoria and the arrival of the Wizard? I've always thought it was about a dozen years, though there is no evidence for any solid number. As an aside, Mombi was not mentioned in HOW THE WIZARD CAME TO OZ, yet we know that the Wizard had dealings with her. She was mentioned extensively in OZ AND THE THREE WITCHES. Aaron assumes (as I have, for many other reasons) that the four Wicked Witches had deposed Pastoria and taken over one quadrant each. The Emerald City area (according to Prime Minister Pajuka, there was a castle of some sort there before the Wizard) was probably declared a "no-witches land". Aarons problem with the dates is the length of time Tip/Ozma stayed with Mombi before running away. If we assume that the Wizard rose to power, built the Emerald City and gave Ozma to Mombi within ten years, Tip would have spent just over four decades with Mombi before running away. This is not very likely. And what about the aging thing? Ozma would have been a baby for about 20 years before the Wizard finally did something about it. Since Ozma was a fairy and the un/slow aging was beginning to take effect, we can assume that she could have been a baby for several years (if not a couple of decades). How about this? 1. Pastoria is deposed in 1860, right about the time that Ozma is born as a baby into Pastorias family. We do not know what became of Ozmas mortal mother. 2. The Wizard arrives in 1870, ten years after Pastoria vanishes. He is about 30 years old at this time. 3. The Wizard takes five years to assume the throne and notice Ozma. In a fifteen year time span, she has gone from newborn to perhaps two years old. 4. Mombis transformation of Ozma into Tip messed up his/her aging process and Tip becomes about 14 by the year 1903, the year of THE LAND OF OZ, a nearly 3:1 slowing down of the aging process. Aaron mentioned that before Ozma assumed the throne, that there had been no change to the aging process. We have assumed that this process began when Lurline enchanted the land and was building to a culmination. Therefore, SOME slowing down of aging was happening at this time. There are a couple of problems to be cleared up, though: 1. Why didn't Mombi simply transform Pastoria, Pajuka and Ozma into rocks instead of keeping them as living creatures which could potentially disrupt her plans? 2. Glinda must have defeated Singra (Wicked Witch of the South) after She took over the Quadling country, which must have been after the disappearance of Pastoria. The hundred year clock should have woken her up in the 1960s sometime, not 1952. We can assume that Ozma, as a fairy, cannot be transformed into inorganic material. Why didn't Mombi change her into a bush or something? In OZ AND THE THREE WITCHES, Mombi agrees to take care of Ozma in a deal with the Wizard. At the time, Mombi thought the Wizard was very powerful, so she did not want to displease him. She kept him alive and safe so that she would not incur the Wizards wrath. When the Wizard left Oz, Mombi was used to having Tip around as a servant, but she finally wised up and decided to get rid of him permanently. Perhaps Mombi hoped to use Pastoria at a later date, so she kept him alive and safe, just out of the way. At the time, about 40 years before Ozma assumed the throne and Lurlines enchantment became complete, talking animals were few and far between. In THE WIZARD OF OZ, for example, the Kalidahs and the Jaguar did not talk, although Kalidahs could talk by the time of THE MAGIC OF OZ. Therefore, changing Pajuka into a goose was not THAT risky (the risk that he could stir up rebellion against Mombi). Maybe it pleased her sense to turn him into a goose, with all memories intact, in the hopes that someone would catch him and eat him. He would suffer physically and mentally, knowing that he was once the Prime Minister of Oz, and now he's someones dinner. Wicked Witches can be awful cruel at times. Aaron postulated a "Mysterious Stranger" who beset Mombi with all manner of strange tasks. I'm sorry, Aaron, but your story of the four tasks by the guy form the future was just a little too much. It is better to explain things with the fewest and most logical assumptions that you can. In light of this though, it seems I should move HOW THE WIZARD CAME TO OZ ahead about 20 years, to 1870. As for THE WICKED WITCH OF OZ, however, it was written in 1952, so I don't really want to move it ahead to a place after it was written. It is easier to say that her 100-year clock was a little faulty, and woke her up about a decade early. This has been a long message, but it is a good starting point for revealing the truth about that time in Ozian history. --Tyler Jones TJONES@CSI.COMPUSERVE.COM http://ourworld.compuserve.com:80/homepages/tyler_jones ============================================================================== Date: Sat 16 Dec 95 15:14:47 (PST) From: Dave Subject: The Wizard on Trial (reply to Tyler's above message) Hi Tyler! I hope you don't mind my taking our dialogue about my book into the public forum, but as it is a question in response to your message to the list about Ozian pre-history, I thought I'd make my remarks public as well. (Just for everyone else's info, I am writing an Oz book centering around Locasta, the original Good Witch of the North (NOT Tattypoo who as it turns out is just a "carbon copy"). At one point in the story, Locasta is explaining to her friend Dan (the newest Ozian immigrant from the U.S.) how Mombi banished her and replaced her with Tattypoo---She says that Mombi kidnappe Pastoria & his family *BEFORE* the arrival in Oz of the Wizard (and of Glinda and Locasta), so that there was a short period when Oz was ruler-less until the Wizard arrived. Is this scenario completely off the mark? I notice that in your message you accept the truth of "Ozgate" (i.e. "The Wizard was behind the kidnapping of Ozma" scandal), but if I may quote Ozma, who tells part of the story in DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD, Chapter 15: "[O]nce upon a time, four witches leagued together to depose the king and rule the four parts of [Oz] themselves...one wicked witch named Mombi stole him and carried him away, keeping him a close prisoner. Then the witches divided up the kingdom, and ruled the four parts until you [she's addressing the Wizard] came here..." The Wizard then observes that when he came, Glinda had already conquered Singra and Locasta had conquered Mombi. Ozma continues: "But Mombi was still my grandfather's jailor, and afterward my father's [and her mother's!] jailor. When I was born [INTO captivity--she wasn't GIVEN to Mombi by the Wizard or anyone else!], she transformed me into a boy, hoping that no one would ever recognize me and know that I was the rightful Princess of the Land of Oz..." From this, I conclude that the sequence of events was: (1) Mombi kidnaps the royal family, including Ozma's parents, (2) Ozma is born in Mombi's captivity and Mombi enchants her, (3) Glinda and Locasta arrive and conquer Singra and Mombi, (4) The Wizard arrives, (5) Dorothy arrives and "liquidates" the other two wicked witches, (6) Mombi banishes Locasta, and (7) Glinda finds Ozma. And we the jury find the defendant, Oscar Zoroaster Diggs, the Wizard of Oz, not guilty of the offence as charged in the indictment... Does this verdict represent a miscarrage of justice, and if so, then why upon returning to Oz wasn't THE WIZARD put in a cage instead of Eureka? -- Dave ============================================================================== THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 18, 1995 ============================================================================== Date: Sat, 16 Dec 1995 23:56:53 -0800 (PST) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-15-95 Aaron S. Adelman wrote: > 1) My brother and I have a major dispute about where Oz actually is, and > we decided to try and get some third party opinions. Nu, nu? That all depends on how you look at it, I guess. Some say that Oz is Australia (or a parallel-Australia). Some say it's somewhere else in the Pacific -- which doesn't explain how people get there from Kansas or the Atlantic coast, of course. In "A Barnstormer in Oz" Philip Jose Farmer puts it in a split-level continuum with our world -- it's not quite the same reality as ours, but we DO share the same moon, sun, and stars (if you can see that). Problem is, it's never been really stated definitively in any of the books -- which is probably just as well! Dave Hardenbrook wrote: > My personal theory (that I assert in my upcoming Oz book) is that Oz and the > rest of the "Baum universe" lies at the bottom of a 4-dimensional "wormhole" > or "gravity well" that is a protrusion of of the Earth's surface into the > "quantum foam" that fills hyperspace. The fact that the Nonestic Ocean and all > its lands, including Oz, is in contact with these multi-dimensional "quantum > vibrations" outside of the three dimensional universe we know allows for > the existance of magic. In fact, the "magical powers" of an individual > (Glinda, Mombi, the Wizard, the Adepts, whoever) is just a measure > of to what extent he/she is able to manipulate "quantum waves" in Oz > and other Fairylands. Somebody's been watching too much "Star Trek" and picking up a lot of technobabble... :D > The reason why Baumgea (the continent in which Oz et. al. lies) is so hard to > reach is that the mouth of the 4-dimensional "wormhole" that Baumgea lies in > is usually "pinched off" from the outside world, and only through magical > intervention does the mouth (which lies somewhere in the ocean of our world) > open up and permit the entry into the Fairy realm of outsiders like Dorothy > or Betsy or Trot and Capt'n Bill. Er, the continent's name is the Continent of Imagination, as revealed in one of RPT's books (but I can't remember which one off the top of my head). But I DO like Baumgea... > (This all of course is in a parallel universe in which magic through Quantum > Physics and Einstein's General Theory of Relativity is possible, but because > there are an infinity of different universes, this universe DOES exist, and > in it Oz IS A REAL PLACE!) Are they having the same discussion on the Ozian equivalent of the Internet as to whether America really exists? Tyler Jones wrote: > However, his non-FF title "RUNAWAY IN OZ" is very good. This is available from > Books of Wonder. I don;t know their 800 number, but I am sure that Peter > Glassman will be glad to provide it (it's also in a previous Ozzy Digest). I suspect Eric Shanower had a big hand in improving "Runaway." It is very good, and not as Neillian as his other books, and since Eric edited...well, you can decide for yourself . BoW's number is 1-800-835-4315. Their address is 132 7th Ave. at 18th St., New York, NY 10011, and in case you don't already get it (I suspect most of us on this list do), you want their Oz catalog, "The Oz Collector." Ask and ye shall receive! > And completely off that subject...HI, Y'ALL! I'VE MISSED SEEING YOU ON-LINE. > > --Robin Olderman HI, ROBIN!!!!!!!! Tyler Jones wrote: > I want to compile a list of Ozzy references from "The Simpsons" on the Simpsons > chat line. The goal of this is to explore a possible Baum-link in one of the > episodes. Pointless, IMHO, as there are so MANY (and more being added all the time)! I mean, "Oz" (or at least the movie) has become so much a part of American culture that you can't avoid it any more! If we were to compile a list of pop culture references to "Oz," it could take a very long time, and more would just keep coming. I say, enjoy 'em when they come, but let's not make a big deal out of it. Of course, "The Simpsons" is one of the better places to spot "Oz" stuff. I still get a kick out of Burns releasing the flying monkeys... --Eric "Gee, did I say a little bit of something to EVERYONE who posted?" Gjovaag ============================================================================== Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 00:24:37 -0800 (PST) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-17-95 Mark A. Semich wrote: > I must confess - in spite of my life long efforts, I have still not > managed to read all (40?) of the canonical Oz books. Of course, I've > read the Baums and (thanks to BoW) the Neils, the Snows, and Merry Go > Round. I'm still trying to get ahold of the Thompsons, a few of which > I've read, but not many. Which brings me to my question: Before we go on, you do know that the Oz Club now has most of the Thompson books available, in one form or another? > I'm begining to feel the tinglings of an idea for a story about Ruggedo. > I know that at one point in the series, Ruggedo was no longer the > (g)nome king and that there was someone else on the throne. But what is > Ruggedo's "final" fate (or status) in the original series? Did he ever > return to the throne? What's he up to? Read "Handy Mandy in Oz" (one of the books the Club has reprinted). Nothing's happened to him since his rather prickly fate in that book. Tyler Jones wrote: > Aaron is correct in saying that Pastoria was not on the scene when the Wizard > arrived (HOW THE WIZARD and OZ THREE WITCHES confirm this). This is another > problem. How much time elapsed between the disappearance of Pastoria and the > arrival of the Wizard? I've always thought it was about a dozen years, though > there is no evidence for any solid number. Probably even less time than that, as the citizens think the Wizard is their new ruler from the OZ on his balloon, and so not much time would have past for them to forget it. (If it had instead passed into legend, it would have been a LOT *more* time than that.) > As an aside, Mombi was not mentioned in HOW THE WIZARD CAME TO OZ, yet we know > that the Wizard had dealings with her. She was mentioned extensively in OZ AND > THE THREE WITCHES. Mentioned??? Heck, she was half the plot! > Aaron assumes (as I have, for many other reasons) that the four Wicked Witches > had deposed Pastoria and taken over one quadrant each. The Emerald City area > (according to Prime Minister Pajuka, there was a castle of some sort there > before the Wizard) was probably declared a "no-witches land". The way I've always seen it is that the witches each actually controlled relatively small areas, with LOTS of unclaimed territory between them. Look at "Wizard," where Dorothy and Co. spend some time between the Munchkin Country and the Emerald City, and again between the Emerald City and the Quadling Country. None of this is clearly defined as being part of any one country until later, when Ozma may have divided the country into administrative districts. > Aarons problem with the dates is the length of time Tip/Ozma stayed with Mombi > before running away. If we assume that the Wizard rose to power, built the > Emerald City and gave Ozma to Mombi within ten years, Tip would have spent > just over four decades with Mombi before running away. This is not very likely. > And what about the aging thing? Ozma would have been a baby for about 20 years > before the Wizard finally did something about it... In his essay "The Early History of Oz" in "Unexplored Territory in Oz," Robert R. Pattrick estimates Ozma may have been born 150 years before gaining the throne, assuming that there was some slowing of the aging process already going on. (Really, Pattrick's essay, and the new version with additions and annotations by Patrick Maund, would both be invaluable to this discussion.) > There are a couple of problems to be cleared up, though: > > 1. Why didn't Mombi simply transform Pastoria, Pajuka and Ozma into rocks > instead of keeping them as living creatures which could potentially disrupt > her plans? Perhaps Mombi wasn't that powerful. > 2. Glinda must have defeated Singra (Wicked Witch of the South) after She took > over the Quadling country, which must have been after the disappearance of > Pastoria. The hundred year clock should have woken her up in the 1960s > sometime, not 1952. Assuming, of course, that "Wicked Witch" takes place in 1952 (I'm not convinced of this year-it-was-written rule). Or perhaps the clock was measuring Old Ozian years, which are shorter. Or perhaps Glinda defeated Singra BEFORE Pastoria was overthrown, before either one came to rule the Quadlings (but I'll have to reread "Wicked Witch" for evidence for or against this). > We can assume that Ozma, as a fairy, cannot be transformed into inorganic > material. Then how did the Nome King transform her into an emerald grasshopper? > At the time, about 40 years before Ozma assumed the throne and Lurlines > enchantment became complete, talking animals were few and far between. In > THE WIZARD OF OZ, for example, the Kalidahs and the Jaguar did not talk... ...or maybe like Toto, they just had nothing to say. (It's not like the Tin Woodman ever gave that jaguar a CHANCE...) Dave wrote: > The Wizard then observes that when he came, Glinda had already conquered Singra > and Locasta had conquered Mombi. Ozma continues: > > "But Mombi was still my grandfather's jailor, and afterward my father's > [and her mother's!] jailor. When I was born [INTO captivity--she wasn't > GIVEN to Mombi by the Wizard or anyone else!], she transformed me into > a boy, hoping that no one would ever recognize me and know that I was the > rightful Princess of the Land of Oz..." > > >From this, I conclude that the sequence of events was: (1) Mombi kidnaps > the royal family, including Ozma's parents, (2) Ozma is born in Mombi's > captivity and Mombi enchants her, (3) Glinda and Locasta arrive and conquer > Singra and Mombi, (4) The Wizard arrives, (5) Dorothy arrives and "liquidates" > the other two wicked witches, (6) Mombi banishes Locasta, and (7) Glinda finds > Ozma. You know, I LIKE this theory, that Ozma was born while her parents were Mombi's prisoner. And it sure does explain a lot... > And we the jury find the defendant, Oscar Zoroaster Diggs, the Wizard of Oz, > not guilty of the offence as charged in the indictment... > > Does this verdict represent a miscarrage of justice, and if so, then why upon > returning to Oz wasn't THE WIZARD put in a cage instead of Eureka? Statute of limitations had run out? --Eric "Everyone, get a copy of 'Unexplored Territory in Oz'" Gjovaag ============================================================================== Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 14:29:59 -0500 (EST) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-17-95 Concerning Ruggedo's fate: As I remember, In Handy Mandy in Oz Ruggedo and the Wizard of Wutz ended up being transformed into cacti and put in the Royal Greenhouse. Of course, in the HACC they list a later book called Ruggedo in Oz, so apparently he escapes this condition (I know not how), and in my own book in progress (The Woozy of Oz) I'm going to bring him back no matter what anyone else does to him. Aaron. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================== Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 14:49:10 -0500 (EST) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: The Wizard's Age Concerning Ozite Pre-Dorothean History: How the Wizard Came to Oz puts the Wizard in his early forties when he comes to Oz, not at about 25. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================== Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 15:13:06 -0500 (EST) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Another idea of how to fix the chronology How about this: When the four Wicked Witches depose Pastoria, they do transform Ozma into some sort of non dangerous form (a rock, a bush, etc.). She remains in this form for many years until after the Wizard takes over the Emerald City, at which point something happens that reverts Ozma to her natural form (a passing sorcerer something is wrong with a certain rock and investigates, or perhaps transformed people/things sometimes spontaneously revert to their natural form, or if I want to save my Mysterious Stranger hypothesis, I can have him do it in order to obtain an ingredient for a spell). However, since Ozma's been a rock or a bush all this time she hasn't aged a bit. The Wizard or someone high in his political hierarchy finds the child, and the Wizard recognizes by some sort of signs who this child is. The Wizard then makes his three visits to Mombi, and Ozma/Tip spends the next 10-14 years with Mombi until she/he runs away, during which time she/he ages normally. Note: Ozma does not have a mortal other. According to The Lost King of Oz, she was adopted by Pastoria. I realize this is in direct contradiction with Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, but that story is incredibly suspicious. Mombi would have had to be insane to let the royal family do any reproduction during their imprisionment. But who would have fabricated such a story, I really don't know. Now what I'm starting to wonder is: Why does the Wizard take Ozma to Mombi in the first place? Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================== Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 18:20:51 -0500 From: Athos4@aol.com Subject: Posting 12/18 Hello all, My name is Warren Baldwin and I can hardly remember a time when I haven't been reading Oz books, however I'm merely a dilettante and have no commercial or artistic investment in Oz. Favorites are a tough choice in Oz, but I suppose my favorite character is the scarecrow because at times he and I are about as scatterbrained as can be. I simply can't pick one favorite book -- the three or four I could read over and over again are Pirates in Oz and Captain Salt in Oz (I like Samuel), Grampa in Oz (Grampa is so cozy) and The Hungry Tiger in Oz (Carter Green is delicious). Probably my least favorite is The Scarecrow of Oz. I couldn't accept the premise for some reason; thought it was too far-fetched -- a concept tautologically and semantically mystifying. My *library* is my only ozzy possession as I'm primarily interested only in the books and the lore. I hope to chat with other amatuers like myself, just for fun. Athos4@aol.com (Warren Baldwin) ============================================================================== Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 18:20:55 -0500 From: Athos4@aol.com Subject: Posting 2, 12/18 Hello all, I would like to find if any such thing as an Oz database is in existence, or something like. I'm of a mind to create one myself, but I think I will need some special software and hope that one of you computer aficionados might be able to give me a name. I had in mind to move through the e-texts and mark entries by the word, selection, sentence or paragraph and assign those marked to predetermined categories which would be searchable when data are to be retrieved. It would be something like a database program and I started out that way, but had no way to paste in the selections and wound up typing in all the marked text and (due to inadequate preparation) the categories as well. I estimated it would take me about two years to complete at the rate I was going. My result should be something a little bit like hypertext and a little bit like a database. Of course searching for particular words in e-text is easy, but what do you do when you're looking for something like *politics*? That's where the predetermined categories (which should also be customizable) would come in. I have no doubt the perfect program is waiting somewhere for me, and it's probably from Writers Digest. Aspiring writers? . . . Athos4@aol.com (Warren Baldwin) ============================================================================== Date: Sun 17 Dec 95 13:37:42 (PST) From: Dave Subject: The Wizard on Trial (continued) and other recent postings Eric Gjovaag wrote: >Read "Handy Mandy in Oz" (one of the books the Club has reprinted). >Nothing's happened to him since his rather prickly fate in that book. Until now. :) In my book, one of the Adepts at Sorcery inadvertently disenchants Ruggedo and he races off, gets some "friends" (I'm using coded words a lot so as not to divulge too much of the plot to everyone!), ALMOST succeeds in conquering Oz, but at the end he repents and promises to be a "good nome" from now on ( yeah, right :) ). Also, in the first chapter, which is a sort of prologue, I reveal why and how Rggedo's loss of memory by the Fountain of Oblivion "wore off" in the period ewteen _Magic_ and _Kabumpo_! ( Just thought I'd wet your juices! ;) ) > >From this, I conclude that the sequence of events was: (1) Mombi kidnaps > >the royal family, including Ozma's parents, (2) Ozma is born in Mombi's > >captivity and Mombi enchants her, (3) Glinda and Locasta arrive and conquer > >Singra and Mombi, (4) The Wizard arrives, (5) Dorothy arrives and "liquidates" > >the other two wicked witches, (6) Mombi banishes Locasta, and (7) Glinda finds > >Ozma. >You know, I LIKE this theory, that Ozma was born while her parents were >Mombi's prisoner. And it sure does explain a lot... Ah, a vote of confidence! :) On reflection, I do see two stumbling blocks to my theory, but watch how swiftly I explain them away! :) 1. In _Lost King_ and _Magic Mimics_ (and elsewhere?) it states that Lurline gave Ozma as a baby to Pastoria and his wife, who were childless. My explanation: Mombi kidnapped the entire family--Ozma, Pastoria, Mrs. Pastoria, etc. 2. Mombi says when she's interogated by Glinda in _Land_ that the Wizard brought baby Ozma to her and "begged" Mombi to hide her. If this was untrue, Glinda's truth pearl should have turned black. My explanation: Mombi *HAS* to be lying because she says the Wiz gave her some magic spells and charms, which is impossible because he was then 100% HUMBUG! Glinda's magic pearl *MUST* have been faulty or at least on the fritz that day ( did she remeber to install fresh batteries? ;) ). Seriously, if the Book of Records is flawed (and we know that it is), perhaps so are other things of Glinda's, such as the pearl. Possible? And here are my answers to my own questions to the group: >-- Who is everyone's favorite Oz character? Ozma!!! She's so beautiful and sweet and I don't care if she "waffles"! :) I am also very fond of Scraps, Glinda, the Cowardly Lion, and also the Adepts at Sorcery (largely because I greatly develop their characters in my book), but I think Ozma is still #1 for me! I was totally in love with her when I was a kid, and she is still my idea of an "ideal woman" as well as an "ideal world leader". :) (I'm done. You may now flame me.) :) :) >-- What is everyone's favorite book and why? _Patchwork Girl_ is at the top, because Scraps makes her debut, and it is one of the most whimsical of the series. Runners up are _Scarecrow_ (I like Trot, Capt'n Bill, and the Ork), _Glinda_ (all that magical machinery), and _Wicked Witch_ (I also like Percy, and I *LOVE* Shanower's illustrations!!!). >-- What is everyone's LEAST favorite book and why? No question, rock bottom is _Tin Woodman_. Nick Chopper puts himself through so much anguish for a girl he no longer loves! And those paradoxes inherent in "The Tin Woodman Talks to Himself" are just "too deep for me!" Others that do nothing for me are _Dorothy and Wizard_ (too dark), _Magic_ (too Orwellian), and the Neil books (too anarchal-- Oz gone berzerk--Oz meets Monty Python, however you want to characterize them. I'll reserve judgement on _Runaway_ until I've read it though...) >-- Does anyone have an Ozzy prized posession they'd like to tell about? Besides the books themselves, I have a collection of paper dolls of the Oz characters that I made myself. I really prize them! One thing I also prize (although they're not really "possesions" are all the terrific people I've met in the Oz Club and here in the Oz groups on the 'Net! -- Dave ============================================================================== THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 19, 1995 ============================================================================== Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 08:20:24 -0800 (PST) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-18-95 Warren Baldwin writes: > I would like to find if any such thing as an Oz database is in existence, or > something like. I'm of a mind to create one myself, but I think I will need > some special software and hope that one of you computer aficionados might be > able to give me a name ... My result should be something a little bit like > hypertext and a little bit like a database. Of course searching for particular > words in e-text is easy, but what do you do when you're looking for something > like *politics*? That's where the predetermined categories (which should also > be customizable) would come in. Well, a good place to start might be John Ebinger's electronic versions of the Oz books. He's put many of them onto disk, but I don't think he's online, and I CERTAINLY don't think he's posted them into archives on the Internet or anything like that. Maybe I'll bring this up with him at the next Winkie Convention... Now, here are a few random comments from me about things that have been going on in this digest of late: The big problem I have with the HACC (what does that stand for again???) is that many of the books are either out of print, not generally available, or not even published yet. So it would be VERY , VERY hard for most people to get these books. Yet the way it's presented, they all carry the same weight, as if all Oz fans are expected to have read them, or at least know of them. Doesn't work like that, I'm afraid. Now, if titles could be marked so as to indicate which were part of the Famous Forty, which were by FF authors, which are currently available, which aren't, which haven't been published, etc., that might make it more useful. But I think the HACCers are doing a BIG, BIG disservice by treating all books the same. What if Eloise Jarvis McGraw wanted to write a story where the Nome King comes back, but she totally ignores "Ruggedo in Oz" because she doesn't even know about it? Does that make her new book unofficial? My point here is, I think, read the Oz books, no matter who writes or publishes them, and enjoy them -- but don't read too much into them! Hey, it's only a series of children's books. True, a very GOOD set, but still... (It would probably help if all Oz fans could agree on what is an "official" Oz book and what isn't, but there isn't even one Oz publisher any more!) What is the point of all of this "Favorite"/"Least favorite" stuff? Call me odd, but it doesn't really matter to me. To be sure, I do have some preferences amongst the books and characters, but I like them all in one way or another, and picking a favorite is very hard for me, so I don't worry about it and just enjoy 'em. I STILL want to know what others on this list think of "The Wizard of Oz in Concert"! Did you like it? Not like it? --Eric "Okay, that's all I have to say for now" Gjovaag ============================================================================== Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 19:45:40 -0500 (EST) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Various 1) Does anyone out there know the name of the continent on the other side of the planet from Oz? (The place that the Great Jinjin rules; see Tik-Tok of Oz.) 2) It was a wildcat, not a jaguar. 3) Concerning the Oz database idea: I think it would be more worthwhile to put the effort into scanning in as many of the Oz books as possible (Oz-related stuff by Baum, such as the Magical Monarch of Mo, included.) My pocketbook (and probably many other people's pocketbooks) would really appreciate that. As far as I understand it, Baum and Neill's books all should be public domain by now since they've both been dead over fifty years, though I will certainly defer to anyone who knows more about copyright law. While I'm on the topic, for anyone who's interested, the following Oz/Baum books are available at the On-Line Books Page (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/Web/books.html): The Wizard of Oz The Marvelous Land of Oz Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz The Magic of Oz The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus A Kidnapped Santa Claus Also: Ozma of Oz is currently being entered and The Master Key is being proofread. 4) Dave, which Oz book did you write/are writing? (No one with the last name 47 is listed in the HACC. (:) 5) On with Dave's theory that Glinda's pearl is faulty: Maybe it isn't. Perhaps Mombi considered some of the Wizard's conjuring tricks to be genuine magic. As Arthur C. Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Come to think of it, what is genuine magic anyway? 6) Favorite character: When I was a little kid, my favorite Oz character was the Tin Woodman. Now I'm not so sure. I'm finding myself liking the Woozy a lot, but then again I'm writing a book about him. Favorite book: Also difficult, but Baum's books as a rule rank the highest to me, with the exception of The Road to Oz, which has no plot. Least favorite book: Still Neill's Famous Forty stuff, same reasons as before (inconsistency with the rest of the series, talking down to the reader, makes the characters rather shallow and stupid...) Least favorite character: Neill's singing shoes. 7) Can anyone explain how come Trot, Cap'n Bill, and Button-Bright stayed in Oz, even though they have close family still living in the Outside World? (At least 2 our of 3 of them. ) They didn't even send a message to the effect of: Dear Mom and Dad, Moved to Oz. Not coming back. Aaron. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 13:00:50 -0500 (EST) From: "Nathanel J. Barlow" Subject: First Post Hi everyone, This is my first post to the Ozzy digest, though most of you know already know me. With this (horrible) semester behind me, I've finally gotten an opportunity to read all the posts. Favorite Character--I've always loved the Scarecrow, Carter Green and Kabumpo. Least Favorite--Can't think of any. Favorite Book--_Emerald City_ is up there, since it was one of the first I read outside of _The Wizard_. _Kabumpo_, _Patchwork Girl_ and _Magical Mimics_ also rate highly. Least Favorite--this is going to sound cliche, but any of the Neill's (I haven't acquired _Runaway_ yet, so I don't know about that) Favorite Possession--This is a tough one. There are a couple that rate up there: _Laughing Dragon_, since it took three years at being at the top of my want list for me to find it. _Phoebe Daring_, which my mother found at a tag sale for 50 cents. There's a lot of other, too. Has anyone seen The Wizard of Oz on Ice? I caught it last Friday night at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, PA, 7 rows from the ice. I thought it was pretty good. My favorite sequences were the poppy field and the subsequent snow storm. My biggest gripes were with the updating of the music--it would have been fine except for the addition of a horrible drum-machine beat in the background. The Jitterbug's struck me as a little out of place (not the sequence, just the actual physical appearance of the jitterbugs). There was _a lot_ of merchandising; I picked up a few things, but the best was one of the actual adveritising posters (not for sale), which I got by talking to one of the Arena staff. Nate RociNate -- wiz@CMU.EDU * Red Sox, Patriots, Steelers, Celtics -- nb2b@andrew.cmu.edu * Bruins, Whalers, Pens, UConn, FRINGE ___________________________________________________________________________ |"I've got a bad feeling about this."|"Don't ask me, I'm just improvising"| | --(Take your pick) | --Rush, _Presto_ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- O N T H E E D G E ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 13:54:40 -0500 (EST) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Ozzy Digest NON HISTORICAL Yes, I am interested in other parts of Oz! The continent was indeed called "Imagination" somewhere in RPT. I can't for the life of me remember where, though. It's also been called "Sempernunquam" by March Laumer. In my earlier days, i was always looking for a name for the green area that surrounds the Emerald City, but it has never bveen named. It's just "Emerald City and enviorns". The Nome King is the guy you love to hate. He's everybodys favorite villian and he's been brought back several times after the FF. Aaron, who is writing THE WOOZY, wants to being him back again. I would suggest that you un-transform him from the cactus, and we can assume that since his last enchantment, Ozma turned him into that shape again out of sentimentality. This way, you can have fun with old Rug and you won;t contradict anyone else. i would suggest, that for the sake of consistency, that you wvoid references to past transformations, like having Dorothy say"He hasn;t done anything since we met handy Mandy". This could lead to omplications. The best thing to do is ignore his history altogether, since the important stuff is well-known already. I can't wait to read your story! Any idea on when it will be published? Oz is definitely in a paralell Universe. The split level continuum is a possibility, but I'm not sure. There appears to be a dynamic fold in space, so that openings appear and disappear on occasion. I don't want to contradict you, Eric "Turn off that TV" Gjovaag, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to watch to much Star Trek, whether original, Next Generation, DS9 or Voyager. Maybe Oz is in the Delta quadrant! --Tyler Jones ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 11:07:30 -0800 (PST) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: My newest Oz acquisition (for Digest) I just got a new book yesterday that I wanted to share with you all. But first, some background. As many of you who are active in the Oz Club's conventions know, Fred Otto shared poetic versions of the Oz books every year at all three conventions, calling them "The Oziad." For years now some folks have talked about collecting them into a book. Unfortunately it took Fred's death a couple of years ago to get it rolling. But it's out now, with endpapers and decorations by John Anthony Miller and plates by another sorely missed Club member, Rob Roy MacVeigh. (Gads, I STILL miss him, after three years.) It is a gorgeous book, bound in green leather, with the title in gold leaf, and the poems are nicely laid out. And it's a terrific tribute to two of the Club's most enthusiastic members who are no longer with us. I am SO glad I have this! I have no idea if there are any copies left or not -- it's a privately published book, not a Club publication -- and if you want a copy I'll warn you now it ain't cheap. But if you're interested write to: Onyx Madden 16720 Bajio Rd. Encino, CA 91436 --Eric Gjovaag ============================================================================== Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 16:48:14 -0500 (EST) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Ozzy Digest MORE OZ HISTORY I sent this message to Dave yesterday, but it got garbled. Unfortunately, I deleted the file and can't seem to get it back. No matter. I will redo the message and hopefully I will remember everything. I think it has been established that Pastoria had been kidnapped by mombi before the arrival of the Wizard. Eric suggested that the interval between the kidnapping and the arrival be less than a dozen years, so that the memory of "OZ" is still fresh in the minds of the people. Five or ten years is a good number for now. A new question has come up, whether Ozma was born into the custody of Mombi or if the Wizard delivered her in a secret deal, uncovered by Glinda years later. A side question is was she born of Pastorias wife or adopted? If she was adopted, it is unlikely in the extreme that it was done while under the custody of Mombi. "Mr. Chairman, I would like to clarify my earlier position, which Senator Glinda had previously stated, and to say that I have no recolltection of any "Wizard" or "Ozma". The Wizard never came to my house, except for tea-biscuits. In fact I've never heard of the Wizard, and was unaware that he ruled in the Emerald City, at the time in question, which was the alleged meeting, which did not occur". If Ozma was born in custody, that meant her mortal mother was also a prisoner of Mombi. It is unlikely that Mombi would allow Ozmas parents the time to get this done. Also, it is confirmed in LAND and OZ AND THE THREE WITCHES that the Wizard indeed gave up Ozma to Mombi for protection. "Don Mombi the enforcer is not threating Ozma. It's just a dangerous world out there and it would be a shame if something happened to her...". The White Pearl of Truth and the Great Book of Records are accurate as far as they go. When Mombi said that the Wizard gave her some magical goodies, she said that some were Humbug and some were decent. Remember, we know the Wizard to be a humbug, to but most of the people of Oz, he was (and is) a great and powerful Wizard. Even though Mombi may have known some or most of the truth about O.Z. Diggs, in the back of her mind, he was still a mighty Wizard. This is the "truth" as Mombi believed it to be and that is what the Pearl picked up on. As for the Great Book, obviously it cannot give a detailed explanation of EVERY action by EVERY person 24 hours a day. At best, it can give high-level cryptic statements on a few important events. It may have a mechanism which gives more weight to Ozzy news (red print), but it cannot do everything. Also, even if something is (or will be) important to us, the Book may not be able to determine that in advance. But if the Wizard did deliver Ozma to Mombi, why was he not arrested upon his return? Well, Ozma has always had a soft heart for villians and in fact, in OZ AND THE THREE WITCHES, Glinda expressed some concern about his staying in Oz. The Wizard then told his story under the watchful eye of the White Pearl. The Pearl went gray a few times, but it was white as snow when he denied any knowledge of Pastoria. He said that when he arrived in Oz, there was no ruler. Eric made a good point that I had made several months ago, but never mentioned. This is "How much of each quadrant did each Wicked Witch rule?" It is unlikely that each ruled the entire quadrant. We know that the southern Winkie country was free (Gloma, the Good Witch of the West in WISHING HORSE). Ojos family ruled the southern Munchkin country and Cheeriobeds father probably ruled parts of the northern Munchkin country. The Witches probably claimed the entire areas but may have exerted control only over a realtively small area. Pattricks essays are excellent and they started me off on my interest in ancient Ozian history. I doubt that Ozma was born 150 years before ascending the throne. The age-slowing was partially in place at the time, and she could not have been a baby for very long. We can assume that Sringa clock used some archaic calendar. Remember, the year-it-was-written rule is the second rule and is used only if textual evidence cannot provide a specific date or range of them. Even so, I don't like to put books in a year after they were written, but it may be necessary sometimes. As for Ozmas story in DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD IN OZ, Ozma may not have known the entire truth. She came into the world as a mortal baby and spent most of her time with Mombi, who certainly told her nothing of her fairy heritage. She may have made up a clever story about Mombi adopting "him" (Tip) or that his parents worked for her and died young. The noble Mombi took Tip under her wing. The truth is out, but Ozma may have still believed some of Mombis story. She had been out of communication with Lurline for her whole mortal life, Glinda knew very little of the truth and her only sources of info must have been Mombi and people in the Emerald City, who probably also knew very little. Ozma may have gotten scraps of info here and there and patched into the best story that she could think of at the time. Here is a new probable sequence of events. 1. Ozroar (Pastorias father, Ozmas grandfather) kidnapped (BLUE EMPEROR OF OZ) 2. Pastoria assumes throne. He may have moved the capital from Morrow to the Emerald City area. 3. Pastoria kidnapped. Ozma born/adopted near this time and is temporarily hidden from Mombi. 4. Locasta overthrows Mombi, Glinda overthrows Sringa 5. Wizard arrives (10 years after number 3). 6. Dorothy arrives and smashes/liqudates Wicked Witches of East and West As for ages, if the Wizard was in his early forties when he arrived, he would be in his late sixties when he left. He still needs about 20 years to become ruler of the green area, build the Emerald City and establish his reputation. How about if he arrived in 1880? This would put the kidnapping of Pastoria at 1870, so that Ozma would have gone from a newborn to age 3 in a span of 20 years. This is not TOO slow. --Tyler Jones TJONES@CSI.COMPUSERVE.COM http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/tyler_jones p.s. if any of you do chatgroups, etc. feel free to post my web page address everywhere you can! ============================================================================== Date: Tue 19 Dec 95 22:21:36 (PST) From: Dave Subject: Ozzy things Eric Gjovaag writes: >The big problem I have with the HACC (what does that stand for again???) >is that ... > ... I think the HACCers are doing a BIG, BIG disservice by >treating all books the same. What if Eloise Jarvis McGraw wanted to >write a story where the Nome King comes back, but she totally ignores >"Ruggedo in Oz" because she doesn't even know about it? Does that make >her new book unofficial? >My point here is, I think, read the Oz books, no matter who writes or >publishes them, and enjoy them -- but don't read too much into them! >Hey, it's only a series of children's books... ONLY a series of children's books??? "That's like saying Sabu is ONLY an actor!!!" (This non sequitur brought to you courtesy of the _Odd Couple_'s Felix Unger) :) :) :) Actually you make some good points, but I think the fact is that just as the Velveteen Rabbit was made real by love, our love for Oz gives us a drive to strive to write out Histotries and Atlases and "User Manuals" or at least try to reconcile discrepancies between the various books, all in order to get as much as possible a clear picture of what Oz is "really" like (since we don't yet have the technology to voyage to the parallel universe that Oz actually resides in). Aaron S. Adelman writes: >4) Dave, which Oz book did you write/are writing? (No one with the last >name 47 is listed in the HACC. (:) It WAS to be titled _The Good Witch of Oz_ because it is about the Good Witch of the North, but I just found that this title is taken (by March Laumer), so I guess I'm going to have to call it something else ( $#@&^%$! "Good Witch" seemed so perfect! :( ). The reason my book doesn't show on the HACC is they only include books that have at least been *accepted* by a publisher (I'm just on the verge of sending mine to Buckethead), so mine doesn't qualify...yet. I won't go into my perceived signifcance of the number 47...Let's just say that I have concluded that it is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Fairy Life, the Baum Universe, and Everything Ozzy. :) :) :) > ... As Arthur C. Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is >indistinguishable from magic." Come to think of it, what is genuine magic >anyway? Is Arthur C. Clarke an Ozophile by any chance? I know Ray Bradbury is, as well as Buckminister Fuller (who called the number 47 "The Agent of Infinite Change"), radio astronomer Frank Drake (he named his search for extraterrestrial intellegence "Project Ozma"!), and I just read that my childhood "hero", Carl "Billions and Billions" Sagan is as well. >6) Favorite character: When I was a little kid, my favorite Oz >character was the Tin Woodman. Now I'm not so sure. I'm finding myself >liking the Woozy a lot, but then again I'm writing a book about him. The "which came first" paradigm -- Do you like the Woozy because you're writing about him, or are you writing about the Woozy because you like him? (Looking forward to your book, BTW!) Tyler wrote: > ... I would suggest that you un-transform him [Ruggedo] from the >cactus, and we can assume that since his last enchantment, Ozma turned >him into that shape again out of sentimentality. This way, you can have fun >with old Rug and you won;t contradict anyone else. >i would suggest, that for the sake of consistency, that you wvoid references to >past transformations, like having Dorothy say"He hasn;t done anything since we >met handy Mandy". This could lead to complications. The best thing to do is >ignore his history altogether, since the important stuff is well-known already. Yes, this is what I'm doing... >I can't wait to read your story! Any idea on when it will be published? Thanks!!! I'm just about to send it to Buckethead Enterprises -- they were very encouraging, and I am optimistic that they will publish it! >Oz is definitely in a paralell Universe. The split level continuum is a >possibility, but I'm not sure. There appears to be a dynamic fold in space, so >that openings appear and disappear on occasion. That seems likely -- I can't help thinking that Oz's universe is very nearby to ours in the multi-dimensional network of universes, or what Douglas Adams whimsically calls the WSOGMM ("Whole Sort Of General Mish Mash"). >I don't want to contradict you, Eric "Turn off that TV" Gjovaag, but it is >IMPOSSIBLE to watch to much Star Trek, whether original, Next Generation, DS9 or >Voyager. Maybe Oz is in the Delta quadrant! Very possible! -- Dave ============================================================================== Hi! I've made out a preliminary list of Ozzy questions to be included the FAQ for the list, and I want to submit it for everyone approval/disapproval/suggestions/additions/etc. etc. Actually, Eric Has announced that he is working on a Ozzy FAQ of his own, but I thought I'd still do one specific to the Ozzy Digest, with fundamental info. on Oz, and info. about the Digest and other Ozzy resources. Here is my list of questions (no answers as yet): Ozzy Digest FAQ (proposed) 1. Overview/History of Oz 1.1 What is Oz? 1.2 How did Oz come to Be? 1.3 Who is Ozma? 1.4 Who has "immigrated" to Oz? 1.5 What lands surround Oz? 1.6 What is the HACC? 2. Some Info. on Ozzy Denizens 2.1 How did the Scarecrow and Tin Man come to life? 2.2 What was "Ozmagate"? 2.3 Did the Wizard ever return to Oz? Is he still a humbug? 2.4 What's Glinda REALLY like? 2.5 Who is the Good Witch of the North? 2.6 When is Ozma's birthday? 2.7 Who is the Nome King? 2.8 Who are Ozma's councelors? 2.9 What creatures make up the "Oz Managerie?" 2.10 What wild animals live in Oz? 3. The Magic of Oz 3.1 What is the Magic Picture? 3.2 What is the Magic Belt? 3.3 What is the Book of Records? 3.4 Who is allowed to practice magic in Oz? 3.5 What is "Pyrzqxgl"? 3.6 What is the comparative magnitude of powers in Oz? 4. Miscellanious Ozzy "factoids" 4.1 Is Oz loved outside the U.S.? 4.2 Why is Oz less famous than Narnia or Middle Earth? 4.3 Was Ozma a victim of the McCarthy "Witch Hunts"? 4.4 What moon of a major planet was *ALMOST* named "Oz"? 4.5 How did Astronomy Honor Ozma? 5. The Books 5.1 "What's an Oz Book?" 5.2 Who were/are "The Royal Historians of Oz"? 5.3 What are the "Famous Forty"? 5.4 What other books are there? 5.5 How can I get my eager little hands on the Oz books? 5.6 Will there ever be a "Hitchhiker's Guide to Oz"? 6. Oz Fans Online and Off 6.1 What is the "International Wizard of Oz Club"? 6.2 Are there any other Ozzy Fan Clubs? 6.3 What is the "Ozzy Digest"? 6.4 What other Ozzy resources are on the 'Net? -- Dave THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 20, 1995 ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 09:46:44 -0500 (EST) From: cummingss@kenyon.edu Subject: RE: Ozzy Digest, 12-19-95 Hi all, Just a quick question: Are readers opposed to "sale lists" appearing in the Ozzy Digest? I have a box of Oz "stuff" (books and miscellaneous items) that I'm looking to "download". But, my past experience is that mixing Oz history with Oz sales is like mixing politics and Thanksgiving dinner (someone always gets upset). My problem is that the Oz Trading Post has such a slow schedule, I'm usually moved from my address by the time my ad gets in print! I received the Oz Club newletter the other day and was surprised to see that the Ozmapolitan Convention will be moving to Kentucky. That strikes me as an odd location (not really a major metropoilitan center). Does anyone know why the convention has moved locations? I would be very interested in knowing WHO everyone on this chat list IS? Where do you live? What is your profession (if any)? Are you an Oz Club member? If so, for how many years? I'll start: I'm Scott Cummings and I live in Gambier, OH, which is a (VERY) small village in rural Ohio. I am a Professor of Chemistry at Kenyon College. I have been a member of the Oz Club since 1979. Although in recent years, my activities related to Oz have been few, I still look forward to receiving Bugles and occasionally reading aan Oz book. I collect early edition Oz books (of the 40), but have sold off a large collection of other items in the past few years. Some may remember me from a small "newsletter" I printed when I was younger called The Munchkin Times. I just ran across a few copies a few weeks ago and had a good laugh. I have not yet attended an Oz Convention, but hope to this year. Happy holidays to all! Scott Cummings ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 09:54:17 -0800 (PST) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-19-95 > 1) Does anyone out there know the name of the continent on the other > side of the planet from Oz? (The place that the Great Jinjin rules; see > Tik-Tok of Oz.) Since "Tik-Tok" was the only place we've ever seen that place, and it wasn't given there, I think it's safe to say that the answer is "no." > 2) It was a wildcat, not a jaguar. Well, it STILL didn't say anything... > 5) On with Dave's theory that Glinda's pearl is faulty: Maybe it > isn't. Perhaps Mombi considered some of the Wizard's conjuring tricks to > be genuine magic. As Arthur C. Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced > technology is indistinguishable from magic." Come to think of it, what > is genuine magic anyway? If Glinda's pearl works like a conventional American lie detector, it senses what the teller BELIEVES to be the truth or a lie. So if (as was once speculated in the "Bugle") someone ELSE was messing with Mombi and the Wizard, but they didn't know it, then of course the pearl didn't know Mombi was lying, because SHE didn't know she was lying. Also, perhaps what the Wizard really accomplished was scientific, not magic, but since Mombi didn't understand it, she thought it was magic (similar to the Clarke quote). The example used in "Oz and the Three Witches" was putting potassium in water, which caught on fire. Of course the Wizard also used his showmanship and a bit of bluffing... > 7) Can anyone explain how come Trot, Cap'n Bill, and Button-Bright stayed > in Oz, even though they have close family still living in the Outside > World? (At least 2 our of 3 of them. ) They didn't even send a message > to the effect of: Dear Mom and Dad, Moved to Oz. Not coming back. Well, yes, it is pretty disturbing about poor Mrs. Griffiths, but nobody in his family has ever seemed to have cared that much for Button-Bright anyway, so he just probably wasn't missed. And emigrating to Oz is probably a better deal than going with Child Protective Services... > From: Tyler Jones > Subject: Ozzy Digest > > The continent was indeed called "Imagination" somewhere in RPT. I can't for the > life of me remember where, though. It's also been called "Sempernunquam" by > March Laumer. But Laumer is probably even less canonical than most writers outside of the FF, and he CERTAINLY is less faithful to Baum. (His books aren't even listed in the HACC -- unless they've been added since I last looked.) > I don't want to contradict you, Eric "Turn off that TV" Gjovaag, but it is > IMPOSSIBLE to watch to much Star Trek, whether original, Next Generation, DS9 >or Voyager. Maybe Oz is in the Delta quadrant! Well, I'm a much bigger fan of "Doctor Who," but yes, I am a "Star Trek" fan myself. And yes, maybe Voyager will find Oz on its way home (but I wouldn't count on it). Anyone read the story in "The Emerald City Mirror" a few issues back about Q taking Picard, et. al., to Oz? > From: Tyler Jones > Subject: Ozzy Digest > > MORE OZ HISTORY > > If Ozma was born in custody, that meant her mortal mother was also a prisoner > of Mombi. It is unlikely that Mombi would allow Ozmas parents the time to get > this done. Also, it is confirmed in LAND and OZ AND THE THREE WITCHES that the > Wizard indeed gave up Ozma to Mombi for protection. I just want to add here that, if Ozma was born and not adopted, it's possible that her Ozian mother was already pregnant when Mombi captured her. > The White Pearl of Truth and the Great Book of Records are accurate as far as > they go. When Mombi said that the Wizard gave her some magical goodies, she > said that some were Humbug and some were decent. Remember, we know the Wizard > to be a humbug, to but most of the people of Oz, he was (and is) a great and > powerful Wizard. Even though Mombi may have known some or most of the truth > about O.Z. Diggs, in the back of her mind, he was still a mighty Wizard. This > is the "truth" as Mombi believed it to be and that is what the Pearl picked > up on. As for the Great Book, obviously it cannot give a detailed explanation > of EVERY action by EVERY person 24 hours a day. At best, it can give > high-level cryptic statements on a few important events. It may have a > mechanism which gives more weight to Ozzy news (red print), but it cannot > do everything. Also, even if something is (or will be) important to us, the > Book may not be able to determine that in advance. I just want to point out here that we do NOT know that Glinda got her information about the Wizard from the Great Book of Records. She only mentions "spies" in "Land," and so it's entirely possible that she didn't HAVE the Great Book of Records at that point (it's not mentioned until "Emerald City," after all), and so had to rely on human (and animal?) witnesses instead. So Glinda's records on the Wizard may be quite incomplete, and possibly inaccurate. > From: Dave > Subject: Ozzy things > [my anti-HACC posting cut for brevity's sake] > >My point here is, I think, read the Oz books, no matter who writes or > >publishes them, and enjoy them -- but don't read too much into them! > >Hey, it's only a series of children's books... > > ONLY a series of children's books??? "That's like saying Sabu is ONLY an > actor!!!" (This non sequitur brought to you courtesy of the _Odd Couple_'s > Felix Unger) :) :) :) Well, "Star Trek" is only a TV show, except to its fans who take it TOO seriously. I'm just syaing here, let's not take Oz TOO seriously or read TOO much into anything... > Actually you make some good points, but I think the fact is that just as the > Velveteen Rabbit was made real by love, our love for Oz gives us a drive to > strive to write out Histotries and Atlases and "User Manuals" or at least > try to reconcile discrepancies between the various books, all in order to get > as much as possible a clear picture of what Oz is "really" like (since we > don't yet have the technology to voyage to the parallel universe that Oz > actually resides in). Granted, but what I'M trying to say is, most Oz fans do not have access to all of the material in the HACC -- for many, even some of the FF is out of reach right now -- and it's entirely possible for someone to write a fan-published story and not even be aware that he or she is contradicting someone else's fan story. I'm just saying that what we use as our sources should be weighted, with the FF getting the most weight, other generally available commercial books being given less weight, and fan writings with small, limited press runs should be given even less weight. > Is Arthur C. Clarke an Ozophile by any chance? I know Ray Bradbury is, as > well as Buckminister Fuller (who called the number 47 "The Agent of Infinite > Change"), radio astronomer Frank Drake (he named his search for > extraterrestrial intellegence "Project Ozma"!), and I just read that my > childhood "hero", Carl "Billions and Billions" Sagan is as well. So far as I know Clarke isn't an Ozophile, but I do know that Harlan Ellison and Jane Yolen are, to add two more authors to the mix. Oh, and of course Edward Eager, who even had his characters visit Oz in one book. Oh, and of course Robert Heinlein and Philip Jose Farmer, who both wrote Oz into some of their books. (Which reminds me of something: For its 200th issue, "Starlog" magazine a year or so ago compiled a list of the 200 most important people in science fiction. One of them was L. Frank Baum, he's had that much influence in the field.) > >I can't wait to read your story! Any idea on when it will be published? > > Thanks!!! I'm just about to send it to Buckethead Enterprises -- they were > very encouraging, and I am optimistic that they will publish it! Be warned, however, that Chris has a VERY big backlog and little money to produce books (I keep telling him he'd have even more if he publicized his stuff!), so it may be a long while before we see it. --Eric "My, we're all certainly saying a lot these days, aren't we?" Gjovaag ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 11:32:37 -0500 (EST) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Ozzy Digest IN DEFENSE OF THE HACC The HACC stands for Historically Accurate Chronological Chain. Eric made a lot of good points in his discussion of the HACC last time, but I believe there is justification for it. Even though most of the titles on the list are not yet published, out of print or only available in small quantities, there is little cause for alarm. Most of the titles are only generic adentures with a few of the Baum characters and do not really affect Oz history. Therefore, two people could write Oz books completely unaware of each other and not contradict each other at all. There are only a few that really change or explain things. Most of these are books that deal with ancient history or those that deal with the Nome King. Ruggedo is a special case. Everybody likes to write about the old Nome King, enchanting and un-enchanting him at will. Even if someone were to write about him in a way that contradicts someone else, we can assume that he had been re-enchanted a couple times between the adventures. Part of the purpose of the HACC (and the Ozzy Digest) is to help make people aware of the current state of Oz history. For example, Dave and I have discusses all kinds of things relevant to his story (How about the Hidden Witch of Oz for a title?). In this way, people interested in writing Oz books can come together to help make sure that they do not grossy contradict each other. Of course, there are contradictions already (even within the Famous Forty or the Baum 14), bu nothing is ever perfect. In our won world, do we always know the complete and objective truth about everything? Our goal should be to get as close to perfection as possible. My point here is that there will always be errors, but if we work together, we can minimize them and explain away any leftovers as minor differences. As for which books carry more weight than others, the FF can be considered the baseline of Oz history. The layout of Oz was created here, as were most of the major characters. Many of the rulers and other authority figures were established here. As for books outside of the Famous Forty, there are usually a few unspoken guidlines, such as that Oz as it was seen in the FF will remain unchnaged. That is, Ozma will always be the ruler, the major characters will not die or be destroyed, etc. To get back to Ruggedo, I don't remember his last situation offhand, but I can find out. I do not feel that authors should be constrained by previous non-FF books. As long as someones story is textaully consistent with the FF, it can usually be reconciled with the rest of it. It is only when we try to change something or look to the past that a little extra work must be done, like with Daves book. Yes, these are just childrens stories, but Oz is a special (almost real) place, and we must give every effort to figure out what's really going on there! by the way, when I asked when "The book" was coming out, I meant Aarons THE WOOZY OF OZ, although of course I am looking forward to Daves book (and anybody elses) also. True, it would be easier if there was only ONE publishing house with an "Accuracy Division" to ensure that everybody knows whats going on. Maybe our little group can serve that purpose. And, of course, this is a challenge: To get all the publishers and authors into at least partiall agreement on the course of Oz history, even if they do not know that much about each other. One thing I can do is to publish a little summary of books that effect Oz history and make it available on the Web. Of the 211 books on the list right now, not many would qualify (thankfully). --Tyler Jones TJONES@CSI.COMPUSERVE.COM http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/tyler_jones ============================================================================== THE OZZY DIGEST, DECEMBER 21, 1995 ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 21:20:16 -0500 (EST) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Various Things 1) I think it's about time that I asked about the ultimate fates of all the evil magic workers that I intend to have show up in The Woozy of Oz (aside from those I invent myself, of course). Mostly I've been working off the top of my head, so I'm curious to know where I messed up. Yes, I know that some of these characters are dead, but I have a way of getting around this. A. Wizard of Mo: Last encountered in the mountains of Mo (?1899, The Magical Monarch of Mo.) Blinkie of Jinxland: Shrunken by the Scarecrow (1911, The Scarecrow of Oz) Coo-ee-oh: Turned into a diamond swan by the Supreme Dictator (1920, Glinda of Oz) Gorba/Abrog: Don't remember. (1924, Grampa in Oz) Imp Ertinent, Imp Olite, and Imp Udent: Turned into buttons by the Wizard (1908, Ozma and the Little Wizard), however I suspect they escape this fate in 1989 in Chris Dubalone's The Three Imps of Oz Imp Etuous: Imprisioned in some Enchanted Trees (1900, The Magic Chest of Oz) J. Glegg: Exploded after being forced to drink some of his mixed magic (1922, Kabumpo in Oz) Jinnicky the Red Jinn: (I know he's not usually though of as a bad character, but there is a secret life of his that I intend to reveal) Still living happily in his castle in Ev. Kiki Aru: Made to drink from the Fountain of Oblivion (1919, The Magic of Oz) Kizzo: I think he may of appeared in The Shaggy Man of Oz, but I don't remember. I may have confounded him with another wicked wizard. Mombi: Melted in the Emerald City (1925, The Lost King of Oz) Mooj: Don't remember, just know that he was in Ojo in Oz and did stuff with clockwork Mrs. Yoop: Turned into a green monkey (1918, The Tin Woodman of Oz) Ruggedo/Roquat the Ex-Nome King: From the discussions on this mailing list, by the time the events in The Woozy of Oz take place (2097), only G-d knows Singra: Put into yet another hundred-year sleep (1952, The Wicked Witch of Oz), and considering The Woozy of Oz is in 2097 I'll have to make something up for what happens when she wakes up in 2052 Victor Columbia Edison the Phonograph: Rather badly scratched up and considered a menace by anyone who met him (1909, The Patchwork Girl of Oz) Zog: Don't remember, just know that he was in The Sea Fairies and some sort of chimera the Cookiewitch: Presumably still in the Preservatory (1923, The Cowardly Lion of Oz) the Magical Mimics: Exiled back to their mountain, I think (1946, The Magical Mimics in Oz) the Phanfasms: Exiled back to their mountain (1907, The Emerald City of Oz) the Purple Dragon: (OK, so he doesn't work magic, but he's showing up anyway) Stretched thin and cut up into fiddle strings (?1899, The Magical Monarch of Mo) the Wicked Witch of the East: Dorothy's house fell on her and killed her (1899, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) the Wicked Witch of the West: Dorothy melted her with a bucked of water (1899, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) the Wizard of Wutz: Turned into a cactus (1937, Handy Mandy in Oz) 2) What are the names of the Shaggy Man and his brother? 3) Whatever happened to Gayelette and Quelala? The latest I know they appear is in The Magic Chest of Oz (1900). 4) Does anyone know anything of Glinda's origins? 5) Why is The Third Book of Oz in the HACC? In The Third Book of Oz (= The Visitors from Oz + The Wogglebug Book), the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Jack Pumpkinhead, Sawhorse, Wogglebug, and Gump visit the Outside World and attend Dorothy's birthday party. This is in serious contradiction with The Emerald City of Oz, in which Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, until they actually go to Oz, don't really believe it exists. If they had been visited by Ozites which didn't look like creatures from the Outside World, they'd be insane not to belive in Oz. (Come to think of it, Neill's books are really problematic too...) 6) Why has Eureka changed color several times? Hypotheses: The Food Poisoning Hypothesis: Toto, being a dog, despises cats. Hence he has tried to poison Eureka several times. However, since death is practically impossible in Oz, the effects of the chemicals he used was to change the color of her fur. The Revenge Hypothesis: The Nine Tiny Piglets, having been threatened by Eureka many times with being injested, decided to obtain their revenge by making her look absurd. Hence while Eureka has been asleep (her normal state of consciousness), they have painted her pink, purple, and other silly colors for a cat. The Spontaneous Magic Hypothesis: Sorry, no conspiracy here. Just the idea that magic sometimes happens in Oz with no one intending it to happen. See The Wicked Witch of Oz for a possible example of this (the origin of Leon the Neon). Eureka may have spontaneously changed colors! Aaron. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================== Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 20:28:55 -0800 From: glassman@ix.netcom.com (glassman) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 12-19-95 For anyone who's interested, the following Oz/Baum books are available at the On-Line Books Page (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/Web/books.html): The Wizard of Oz The Marvelous Land of Oz Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz The Magic of Oz The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus A Kidnapped Santa Claus Also: Ozma of Oz is currently being entered and The Master Key is being proofread. ============================================================================== Date: Thursday 21-Dec-95 13:17:21 From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Aaron's book >1) I think it's about time that I asked about the ultimate fates of all >the evil magic workers that I intend to have show up in The Woozy of Oz >(aside from those I invent myself, of course). Mostly I've been working >off the top of my head, so I'm curious to know where I messed up. Yes, I >know that some of these characters are dead, but I have a way of getting >around this. >[List omitted] Gee, is there any past Ozzy villian that DOESN'T appear in your story? :) May I ask two questions about your story, as one author to another? :) (If you don't want to reveal too much, that's okay.): 1. Why does it take place in 2097? 2. Why do so many villians make a comeback? Is it a "final battle" or something? -- Dave ============================================================================== Date: Thursday 21-Dec-95 13:43:15 From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Eric Shanower's Graphic Novels I received Eric Shanower's Graphic Novels, and they're great! I hope he writes more! I just was wondering a couple of things abbout how they pertain to Ozzy history: _The Enchanted Apples of Oz_: 1. Is Oz really kept magic by Apples? 2. Were there TWO Wicked Witches of the South? (The one here is apparently NOT Singra.) _The Forgotten Forest of Oz_: 3. Is Zurline a misspelling of Lurline, or is this Wood Nymph Queen someone else? Every time I think about the possibility (however slight) of E.S. illustrating MY book, it makes my heart race. :) -- Dave P.S. One more question: Is _The Giant Garden of Oz_ as unsuitable for children as the Baum Bugle review makes out? ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 01:09:26 -0800 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: Sale Lists Ref the list etiquette question by Scott Cummings about posting "sale lists". Its fine by me. Bill W. ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 01:11:16 -0800 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: 96 Oz Conventions Could someone post a note listing the dates and locations of the Oz conventions this year, and the name/address of the coordinator for each. Thanks.......Bill W. ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 01:31:33 -0800 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: Proposed Ozzy FAQ >Hi! I've made out a preliminary list of Ozzy questions to be included the >FAQ for the list, and I want to submit