] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 1, 1996 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] Hi everyone! I had some personal problems last night, so I can only send a partial Digest for today, and I'll have to append the rest of today's message to tomorrow's Digest...Sorry for the inconvenience! -- Dave ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 14:02:20 +0300 (WET) From: Gili Bar-Hillel Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-96 I second Bill Wright's enquiry. I've been approached by a lady interested in developing a program for teaching English as a second language, based on the Wizard of Oz. I remember that Jane was looking into lesson plans for one of the centennial's projects. Anything Bill or I could pass on to the teachers who contacted us? |\ _,,,---,,_ /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ Gili Bar-Hillel, |,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-' avigailb@zoot.tau.ac.il '---''(_/--' `-'\_) Cat (c) by Felix Lee ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 05:49:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-96 > From: "W. R. Wright" > > I have received an inquiry from a third grade teacher who wants to use the > Wizard of Oz as the text for a lit teaching unit. She wants to know if > there is an available teaching unit at this level using the WOZ. If so, how > would she go about getting a copy. Any teachers out there in the Digest > that can answer this? If there is no teaching unit, this might make a nice > project for the IWOC. I believe Jane is already working on such a project. And in the latest edition of "The Oz Collector," Books of Wonder lists a book entitled "Fantasy Literature in the Classroom, Strategies for Reading, Writing and Responding" by Monica Edinger, which includes sixteen pages on using "The Wizard of Oz" in the classroom. It's probably available from other bookstores as well, but it probably has to be special ordered. > From: steller@mail.pittstate.edu (Stephen J. Teller) > Subject: various > > Sorry not to have replied sooner, but I was at Quadling Convention this > weekend... Full report, please! > From: CurtTofOZ@aol.com > Subject: OZFest > > For all of the world that would be of interest for the upcoming OZFest > in Chittenango, I am proud that we have a Web Page dedicated to our Fest that > gives all of the events that will be going on for the weekend. What's the URL for the Web Page? I can link it to my page. Everyone, you did catch the brief Oz reference on "Star Trek: Voyager" last night, didn't you? --Eric Gjovaag ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 13:01:32 -0400 (EDT) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Ozzy Digest Bill W: This teacher may be able to use _The Annotated Wizard of Oz_ as a teaching aid, but I beleive it is no longer in print. On Ozma/Tip: I can't say anything regarding this marriage in _Seven Blue Mountains_ without giving away a very interesting plot device, but it is kosher. The thread a couple months ago about the real Ozma (the fairy) and the "other Ozma" as Pastorias daughter was, as Dave Hardenbrook said, just a weird theory by Aaron that, IMHO, is not very realistic. Stephen Teller: Thanks for the info. I too believe that _Murder_ took place in 1956. Originally, I was going to put it in 1959, but that gave Chris conniptions, as this was two years after Snow's death. Let me second your appraisal of _Disenchanted Princess_. If you to my Web Page and look at reviews of Buckethead Books, you will see that I also loved this story. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/tyler_jones It's high price has been mentioned, but if there ever was a book that was worth $25.00, it's this one. ********** CRUCIAL PLOT INFO FOR DISENCHANTED PRINCESS ********** It is necessarily true that these two books conflict. When Ozma was transformed into a boy (and the other thing that happened at the same time...), a new persona may have been created in the person of Ozma/Tip. This persona/spirit was submerged, but not eliminated, at the end of _Land_, when Ozma was restored. Therefore, the Tip that we met in _Murder_ was not the real Tippetarius, but instead a carbon copy, or a "ghost image". If true, this means that there may also be a ghost image of Amalea around... ********** END OF SPOILER FOR DISENCHANTED PRINCESS ********** The Ozzy Digest archives are now available, month-by-month up to the end of April. Here are the file sizes: December 1995 295,882 January 1996 484,257 February 1996 911,170 March 1996 1,141,645 April 1996 813,651 If anyone wants one or more of these, please e-mail me privately at TJONES@CSI.COMPUSERVE.COM --Tyler Jones ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 15:53:52 +0100 From: smcguire@MIT.EDU (Scott McGuire) Subject: MGM Wizard of Oz movie on CBS May 10 Hi all, People were wondering when the MGM Wizard of Oz movie is going to be (or was) broadcast on TV. I don't know when it was last broadcast, but according to _The Boston Globe_, CBS is going to show it (nationally in the US) on Friday May 10, just a couple of weeks from now. --Scott McGuire / smcguire@mit.edu ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 15:54:44 +0000 (CDT) From: steller@mail.pittstate.edu (Stephen J. Teller) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-96 In Seven Blue Mountains Vol.I Omza does not appear. However, following the logic of that book there is nothing to prevent Ozma from marrying Tippetarius. Actually they do meet in volume II, but that may not see publication for a while. Are Pendexter's "Oz and the Three Witches" and Abbott's "How the Wizard Came to Oz" compatible? Can they both be fit into one HACC? Of course they could if you believe that the Wizard had a way to cheat on Glinda's magic pearl truth detector, but that would be cheating. SJT ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 19:03:37 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: The HI/RCC 1) Tyler, thanks for the offer (assuming it works). Don't worry about compilation. I've already done that. Included below is the current version: --- The Historically Inaccurate/Rejected Chronological Chain of Oz Compiled by Aaron Solomon Adelman (adelman@yu1.yu.edu) Universe II: March Laumer's Oz (Baum-Thompson-Neill-Consistent) ???? The Good Witch of Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? An Orphan in Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press 1920 The Green Dolphin of Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? Other Lands than Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press 1945 The Magic Mirror of Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press 1947 The Frogman of Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? The Ten Woodmen of Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? The Careless Kangaroo of Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? The Charmed Gardens of Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? A Fairy Queen in Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? The Umbrellas of Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? The Crown of Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press ???? A Farewell to Oz March Laumer Vanitas Press Universe III: Oz among Other Fictional Worlds (Baum-Thompson-Quasi-Consist= ent) ???? "Sir Harold and the Gnome King" (in The Enchanter Reborn) L. Sprague de Camp and Christopher Stasheff Universe IV: Aaron Solomon Adelman's Absurd Oz 1996 The Evil Author of Oz Aaron Solomon Adelman Contact the author at adelman@yu1.yu.edu for a copy Universe V: Marcus Mebes's Absurd Oz ???? Radioactive Teddy Bear from Hell Destroys Oz Marcus Mebes and Peter Sandbothe Universe VI: Oz According to Some People Who Don't Know Dorothy Eventually= Went to Live in Oz (FF-Inconsistent) ???? Dorothy Returns to Oz Shawn Billman, et. al. Buckethead Universe VII: Alexander Volkov's Magic Land (FF-Inconsistent) 1899 The Wizard of the Emerald City Alexander Volkov Included in Tales of Magic Land I (Peter L. Blystone, trans., Red Branch Press) 1900 Urfin Jus and his Wooden Soldiers Alexander Volkov The Wooden Soldiers of Oz (March Laumer, trans.) Included in Tales of Magic Land I (Peter L. Blystone, trans., Red Branch Press) 1901 Seven Kings of the Underground Alexander Volkov The Underground Kings of Oz (Opium Books) Included in Tales of Magic Land II (Peter L. Blystone, trans., Red Branch Press) 1902? The Fire God of the Marranes Alexander Volkov Included in Tales of Magic Land II (Peter L. Blystone, trans., Red Branch Press) 1903? The Yellow Fog Alexander Volkov = A Yellow Fog over Oz (Chris Dulabone, trans., Buckethead) 1904? The Secret of the Forgotten Castle Alexander Volkov = The Forgotten Castle of Oz (Chris Dulabone, adaptor, Buckethead) 1905? The Emerald Rain Yuri Koznitchov Not translated from Russian to English yet. Universe VIII: Phillip Jose Farmer's Oz (FF-Inconsistent) 1923 A Barnstormer in Oz Phillip Jose Farmer Universe IX: Gregory Maguire's Oz (FF-Inconsistent) ???? Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West Gregory Maguire Regan Books/HarperCollins Universe X: Thomas L. Tedrow's Oz (FF-Inconsistent) ???? Dorothy--Return to Oz Thomas L. Tedrow Universe XI: World as Myth (FF-Quasi-Consistent) 2010 The Number of the Beast Robert Heinlein Universe XII: Another Version of Oz ???? Seven Day Magic Edward Eager Universe XIII: The Stupid Psychologist's Oz 1899 Dorothy and the Lizard of Oz ? --- 2) Stephen, what happens to Tip according to A Murder in Oz? 3) On the Two-Ozmas theory: Oh, no! Not that again! I am NOT going to edit The Woozy of Oz to agree with that. That kills so much ammo in arguements and a lot of motivation, and besides that theory has one flaw: Why is the Lurlinide Ozma ruling Oz? She's not of the royal family, and she was never elected by the people (OK, at least not until Jenny Jump came to Oz). Why should she get the throne? 4) Got Mr. Tinker in Oz, Dorothy and the Magic Belt, and Dorothy and the Seven-Leafed Clover today through ILL. ***ENTER POSSIBLE SPOILER MODE*** Mr. Tinker in Oz: Ezra P. Tinker must be incredibly stupid to think that= Tik-Tok's warranty had run out, not being able to tell that his watch was= running so fast that it recorded that 1,000 years had gone by when less than a century had actually past. This book also gives magical objects an incredible amount of foresight which is not passed onto their owner, has no time pass between when Dorothy leaves and when she returns home, and has such psychologically incredible feats as someone standing by a bog for decades instead of giving up trying to cross it and go home, and everyone in the Emerald City forgetting how to laugh. Also, this book has the historical problem of Mr. Tinker taking up residence in the palace as a royal inventor at the end of the book, which makes one wonder= how come he never showed up again. (Missed his friends on the Moon and moved back there?) Dorothy and the Seven-Leaf Clover: Since when was the Wicked Witch of the West a transformational witch? If she could have transformed people,= wouldn't she have used such a power against Dorothy and company instead of sending wolves, bees, crows, and flying monkeys after them? E.g., Bastinda: Ha! Now I've changed them all into silly putty, I can take those shoes at my leisure. Again, we have the no-time journey problem. Dorothy and the Magic Belt: Finally a story in which the elusive Dr. Nikidik appears (much to Barry's chagrin). Unfortunately, this book creates more historical problems than the other two. First, it gives Dr.= Nikidik a deaging powder. Where he got this, I don't know, because the Powder of Youth that Mombi gave to Dr. Pipt was a fake. Perhaps Pipt knew that Nikidik had some of the real stuff, but the latter refused to give him any, resulting in the desperate Pipt being tricked by Mombi. Secondly, this powder acts inconsistently; on living creatures it reverts= them to earlier versions of themselves, but it makes Tik-Tok literally run backwards instead of reverting him to an earlier state. (The misuse of this powder is done by Nikidik the Younger, son of Dr. Nikidik.) Thirdly, Nikidik the Younger wishes 30 people into existence, but unlike all other artifical people in the Oz universe, these are little more than boring automatons. Fourthly, at the end of the story, Nikidik the Younger and Mombi are deaged into infants, which Dr. Nikidik promises to raise himself into hopefully better people. This is seriously problematic, as Mombi shows up again about 20 years later in The Lost King of Oz as an old woman. Sixthly, Dorothy is whisked away to= Oz right before Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's eyes and a note is sent to them. This demonstrates that the author is truly ignorant of Oz, as everyone on this group (hopefully) knows that until Aunt Em and Uncle Henry come to Oz in The Emerald City of Oz, not only do they not believe in Oz's existence, they don't have any proof it exists. Tyler, shall I just put this book into the HI/RCC where it belongs? Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================= ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 2, 1996 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 20:23:10 -0400 From: CurtTofOZ@aol.com Hi again Dave, In re-reading the note I sent, I wish to elaborate. I told you that I print the Digest and pass it around. This is the truth. I am among many (2 dozen) board members in the Chittenango Foundation, and we wish to think that we know a lot about L.Frank Baum and all of his works. When I first printed and showed the members the Digest, they were really aghast. No one would have believed that elsewhere in the world, ordinary people would find his works so appealing and noteworthy to study in so much detail. Yes, we were all brought up in a closet here. There is 6,000 people in our village, and L.Frank Baum was born here, and that gave us the right to assume that we were the only ones that would ever be interested, right. Well, we see things a little differently now, don't we. My wife and I have made it to 2 of the last 3 Munchkin Conventions in Wilmington, and have a taste of what others think of OZ. It will never cease to impress me, though, and I will continue to try and not think that I know all there is to know about Baum & his works. I am trying to gather all of the genealogy on the Baum family that I can get, so that I can house it in the future museum, which will be called "The L.Frank Baum-OZ Museum, Inc.", and has already been chartered here in New York State. So, If you find someone that has family history, please put them in contact with me, Thank you for your time, keep up the good work, it's appreciated. Curt of OZ ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 21:07:05 -0400 (EDT) From: swarkala@cris.com (Sharon Warkala) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-96 Tyler: The Mego Emerald City Playset in mint condition should sell from $125-$250 depending on what part of the country you are in. Out here in New Jersey it usually sells at the higher end of that scale. It is important to note that the condition of the box is very important. Even if all the pieces are there and in mint condition if the box shows alot of wear it could hurt the price dramatically since there are many Mego sets available. If the box is missing it should get between $75-$100 if all pieces are mint. Chris Warkala ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 21:30:33 -0400 From: RMorris306@aol.com Subject: Re: Recent Ozzy Digests Hi again! A very hectic time for me, since it turns out I'll be away two weekends in a row, and very busy in between. (Still, I'll be in New York next weekend, and will try to visit Books of Wonder while I'm there.) So there're a lot of Digests, perhaps fortunately rather short ones, to get caught up on... John Kennedy wrote: <> Traces of this still survive, in references to "sweetmeat" and the "meat" of a nut, neither of which are animal flesh. David Hulan wrote: <> Not one of those things I like to think of too closely, since at least this tribe was there in the first place because of Ozma... (Still, it was a small tribe, and those particular Gypsies might have been able to survive. Might make an interesting book to have one of their descendants return to Oz.) <> Arthur Conan Doyle had Sherlock Holmes refer to a 14-year-old as "a little girl" in "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," and anything that's good enough for Sherlock Holmes is good enough for me... <> Well, Jon L. Breen had a short story published in one of Ellery Queen's anthologies in which Dorothy made a flight to Oz with an early pilot, but that was after DOTWIZ, since the Wizard was already back in Oz (in fact, he solved a very well- plotted mystery). Possibly the message was passed on when the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Wogglebug, and the Gump visited Oz in "Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz?" (Presumably that took place after OZMA, in which Dorothy hadn't yet heard of the last three personages.) Tyler Jones wrote: <> Well, I haven't had a chance to read THE GARDENER'S BOY OF OZ, but there've been at least two claimants to the title of "the Wicked Witch of the South" (in Shanower's ENCHANTED APPLES and Payes' WICKED WITCH). Payes' Sindella clearly couldn't have been an assistant of Blinkie (who no doubt claimed the title herself before she was disenchanted), but Shanower's may well have been. <> Any random number is bound to appear under certain circumstances...47 in particular is something of an in-joke in certain parts of comic book fandom, because the Legion of Super-Heroes first appeared in ADVENTURE COMICS #247. Also, I suspect prime numbers tend to be more noticeable, perhaps even funnier, than composite ones, since they're less likely to be deliberately chosen for specific reasons than more divisible numbers like 48 or 72 or 100. It would've been perfect if there'd been 47 states when ZIXI was written, but it's off by one: there were only 45. Oklahoma would soon make it 46 (which event was the subject of what I've heard was the first musical to break the record of THE WIZARD OF OZ), but there were 47 states for less than a month: New Mexico and Arizona joined less than a month apart: conjoined even more than the last two admissions my own generation remembers: Alaska and Hawaii. (What this has to do with Oz I don't know, unless it added the new territories Captain Salt discovered on an equal basis with the Munchkin, Quadling, Winkie, and Gillikin countries...) <> I'm anxious to read it! (If nobody else has it in print, why doesn't the IWOC publish it? Then they'll have a perfect record of publishing new Oz books by ALL the post-Baum FF writers!) Aaron Adelman wrote: <> It's been done. By Robert A. Heinlein in "All You Zombies." So we should be thankful that, whatever else he did to the Oz characters in THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, he didn't do THAT... AOL seems to be having trouble again! Let's hope this gets through. Rich Morrissey ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 14:07:10 -0400 (EDT) From: Richard Bauman <72172.2631@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Today's Growls Tyler >Bear: I won't rebut David Hulans "meat-heads" comment, as I save my political gripings for other sites. Please speak more plainly - is this comment, criticism, caution, etc.? I thought I handled this very sauvely and debonairly. :) Stephen J. Teller - For the record I have read "Wicked" and I hope the Bugle does not review it. All it can do is create interest in it. IMO ugly things should be ignored as much as possible. Who wrote "Our Landlady," and what is the subject? Regards, Bear (:<) ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 15:12:37 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Bizarre Theories in Oz 1) Uh, Tyler, I did not originate the Two-Ozmas theory. I don't even accept it. My own bizarre theory (now officially a malicious lie in The Woozy of Oz) is that Mombi was Pastoria's wife.=20 2) Can anyone please tell me Volkov's name for the Good Witch of the North? 3) Tyler and Chris, are books in the HACC dated by when they begin or when they end? I'd like to be consistent in the HI/RCC and it means the difference between dating Wicked at 1859 and dating it at 1899. 4) Stephen, Oz and the Three Witches and How the Wizard Came to Oz are mutually incompatible, as they give different versions of how the Wizard was able to convince the Wicked Witches of the East and West of his powers and hence get them to leave him alone. Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 16:03:46 +0000 (CDT) From: steller@mail.pittstate.edu (Stephen J. Teller) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-01-96 Aaron S. Adelman: ................PLOT SPOILER ALERT......................... In "A Murder in Oz" the spirit of Tip remains in existance, but in a sort of Limbo, and murders Ozma because he wants to be re-incarnated (literally). At the end of that story it is suggested that Glinda and the Wizard will find a way to allow both both Tip and Ozma to have physical bodies similtaneously. .............................END OFSPOILER..................................... Do you include the comic book presentations of Oz to be separate Oz universes? Surely _Oz Squad_ and _Oz_ are highly heretical, but thoroughly developed. Well, perhaps. I will check my collection for other universes. Randy Hoffman's _Fairylands of the Sea_ is among the longest, most complex,and (incidentally) unfinished works. His biography of J. Glegg _Mixed Magic Makes Mischief_ deserves greater exposure. It probably has only been seen by people who read things on the OZ RESEARCH TABLE at conventions. Eric: What sort of a report do you want about the Quadling Convention? I showed an unsubtitled Russian film of The Wizard of the Emerald City (live action, not animation). Susan Hall provided several original Oz games: OzBall and Guesstures (the latter was a version of a pre-existing game). Ryan Bunch wrote an original puppet play _The Book Eating Silverfish of Oz_ which was performed by various persons at the convention. Susan Hall had a devilish contest identifying various monarchs and their realms by their pictures. (Marin Xiques and I tied for first place). There was an auction that netted $63 for the Club. That is my brief report. There will probably be a longer version in the Observer. SJT ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 17:07:45 -0400 From: DIXNAM@aol.com Subject: Recent Digests Dave: No apology necessary. In fact, you should give yourself a break, and take more time off. Producing the Digest every day, I don't see how you find any time for yourself. Steve Teller: The current Oz Collector catalog has "Our Landlady" by LFB available at the $35.00 price. Copies ordered before 6/1 will contain a bookplate signed by the editor. Tyler: Although the _Annotated Wizard of Oz_ is now out of print, it is available in many libraries. Dick Randolph DIXNAM@aol.com ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 19:29:49 -0400 (EDT) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Ozzy Digest Eric: I was unable to watch Star Trek Monday night. It came down to taping that show or another one. I can watch STV next Sunday afternoon, but the "other show" is not re-run six days later. I can't wait to spot the reference, though! Stephen Teller: In the long run, Pendexter's book and Abbott are not compatible. There are too many conflicting accounts during the final battle between the Wicked Witches. That is why all of Abbotts books are being split off into the sub-BOW Universe, which will be Baum consistent only. Aaron: Thanks for the HI/RCC. I know that _A farewell to Oz_ takes place in 1999. You may want to consider incrementing your Universes, since Universe II should probably the the sub-BOW Universe. ********** MAJOR SPOILER FOR MUDER IN OZ ********** The persona of Tip has taken over Ozmas life force, since he apparantly was not "destroyed" at the end of _Land_. Glinda manages to give a body of his own. This does not necessarily contradict _Seven Blue Mountains_. ********** END OF MAJOR SPOILER ********** Aaron again: Maybe the Random Housies could be siphoned off to the sub-BOW Universe, which will be Baum-consistent only. However, there is still the problem of Dorothy vanishing right in front of Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, with the subsequent note. Maybe the sub-BOW Universe should be made consistent with only the first three of the FF. --Tyler Jones ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 17:26:46 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-01-96 > From: Gili Bar-Hillel > Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-96 > > I second Bill Wright's enquiry. I've been approached by a lady interested > in developing a program for teaching English as a second language, based > on the Wizard of Oz. I recall a piece from the "Bugle" a few years ago (maybe in one of the "Best" volumes) about a Russian book that was an adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz," followed by an adaptation of "The Magic of Oz," in English, with Russian footnotes to explain the slang, colloquialisms, etc. Probably wouldn't be too tough to do in other languages. > From: Tyler Jones > Subject: Ozzy Digest > > The Ozzy Digest archives are now available, month-by-month up to the end > of April. Here are the file sizes: > > February 1996 911,170 > March 1996 1,141,645 > April 1996 813,651 Well, I see my melding into the background has had some benefit... --Eric "See, shorter 'Digests', that's what I'm talking about" Gjovaag ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 17:30:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: For the Digest Can anyone out there help this person? --Eric ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 20:21:41 -0700 From: Margaret Chapman To: tiktok@eskimo.com Subject: over the rainbow hi. I'm a fellow Oz fan. I'm wondering if you know where(on the net) I can find the lyrics to the song, Somewhere over the rainbow Thanks. Margaret Chapman dachapma@access.k12.wv.us ============================================================================= Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 22:22:56 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" <104270.2374@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: Ozma, Dan, and Tippetarius Dear Dave: Well, I have only imagined a Tip-marries-Ozma possiblity, not written it out. If I ever did it, it would be in an SBM 9 or 10. Plenty of time for you to beat me to it! Tip decides he wants to try being grown up, Zim ages him to about eighteen--and then Tip discovers he sees Ozma differently than he used to! Probably a lot of Oz authors have thought about marrying the Queen of Oz off at one time or another. What if several people married off Ozma at once? Just write the stories, and have the Oz fans vote for the matchup they like best? Just out of idle curiosity, are you entering the IWOO club's Oz books contest? Rather distressed that Laumer already married off Glinda. Hmm. How does one handle that sort of situation? Sounds like you have not read SBM yet. No, Ozma does not marry Tip. Not in Books I or II. Not even book III, which is still mostly ideas floating around in my head. However, part of the plot of SBM is based on the fact that there IS a real Tippetarius out there in Oz--Mombi used the infant Prince Tippetarius to accomplish the infant Ozma's enchantment by switching their outer appearances (and some of their substance as well.) SBM I begins with Princess Amalea waking up to find that she has turned into a boy. She/he has NO idea why. She/he thinks she has been enchanted. In fact, she/he has been DISenchanted. (At the same time Ozma regains her girlish form.) Later, Zim the Flying Sorcerer takes Tip on as an assistant.. One must admit that the above makes an Ozma-Tip match possible. Hmm. How 'bout a story with Tip and Dan as rivals for Ozma's affection? Flip a coin to see who wins. Your character or Baum's. (Coins are impartial, y'know.) If Dan wins, then Ozma decides that marrying Tip would be too wierd.. If Tip wins, it's because Ozma and Tip know each other so well. Might Tip be the ideal romantic complication instead of Tititi Hoochoo? Or in ADDITION to Tititi Hoochoo? Would you like to use Tip? Go ahead! He's Baum's creation, not mine, after all. You may use SBM's explanation of his existence if you like. (Somewhat Ozzier than Snow's 'vengeful spirit' story--and the explanation is based on a "trick Mombi was familiar with" right there in "Land of Oz." Wonder if Baum ever realized he unwittingly gave a future Oz author the means to bring back Tip when he had Mombi perform her "switch forms trick." on Jellia Jamb.) Melody ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 22:14:02 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" <104270.2374@compuserve.com> Subject: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-96 Tyler Jones: No, Ozma does not get married off to Tip in the first two SBM's. Or even the third. It is still mostly a crazy idea I came up with that, if I wrote it at all, would not take place for a while. Still, Tippetarius might be a perfect romantic complication for Dave's Dan... Melody ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 22:14:09 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" <104270.2374@compuserve.com> Subject: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-96 To Aaron: A Tip-Ozma marriage may seem wierd--but perhaps my explanation of how it's possible will have appeared in the Ozzy Digest by the time Dave publishes this message. Tip: I can't feel this way about her, Zim. It's so wierd! It'd be like marrying MYSELF! Zim: She is not yourself, Tippetarius. You simply wore her form for the first few decades of your life. And she wore yours. You are two different people, with two different sets of ancestors. The idea of courting her may seem strange, but there is nothing wrong with it. To SJT: Thanks! Melody ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 22:14:05 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" <104270.2374@compuserve.com> Subject: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-96 To Richard Bauman: Thank you very much for trying to help with my plight. My computer is an IBM-compatible, though. But thanks--maybe you did help somebody out there with a Mac. Anybody out there know how to retrieve an oversized E-mail with an IBM? Heeeeelp! Melody ============================================================================= From: Dave, your Ozzy editor :) Subject: Many Ozzy Things :) TYLER: >If true, this means that there may also be a ghost image of Amalea around... And Tattypoo??? >The Ozzy Digest archives are now available, month-by-month up to the end >of April. Here are the file sizes: I also make a point of hanging on to the previous month's Digests... THANK HEAVEN FOR "LITTLE GIRLS": > Arthur Conan Doyle had Sherlock Holmes refer to a 14-year-old as "a >little girl" in "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," and anything that's good >enough for Sherlock Holmes is good enough for me... And in the "Mary Tyler Moore Show", when Bess' 16-year old ex-boyfriend switches his affections to Mary, Mary (perhaps to drive home to him the age difference) calls him a "little boy"...And then there's the episode when Mary hires a baby sitter who turns out to be a year *younger* than Bess, and yet she says things to Bess like, "Want me to help you with that jigsaw puzzle, *little girl*?" :) :) :) NUMBER GAMES: The subject of 47 has come up again, so let me re-assert my conviction that 47 is the number that won't go away...It pops up so much it seems to be in the fabric of the Cosmos. Rich attributed it to 47 being prime, which may be part of the answer, but then where is 83 and 29 in Ozzy lore? :) "It may be that 47 is the Cosmic Random Element, the Agent of Infinite Change." -- Buckminster Fuller, _Synergenics 2_ OZFEST PAGE: Curt E-mailed me the URL of his OzFest web page, which he forgot to give in his post. It is: http://www.netvalue.com/oz BEAR'S "GROWLS": >Tyler >>Bear: I won't rebut David Hulans "meat-heads" comment, as I save my >>political gripings for other sites. >Please speak more plainly - is this comment, criticism, caution, etc.? I >thought I handled this very sauvely and debonairly. :) For the record, I would rather keep non-Ozian politics off the Digest...The only people open to criticism here are Ruggedo, Mombi, and ...Ozma! :) >Stephen J. Teller - For the record I have read "Wicked" and I hope the Bugle >does not review it. All it can do is create interest in it. IMO ugly things >should be ignored as much as possible. I don't agree. I think people should be made aware of this book and of its content. (Note that I'm not saying one way o the other how I feel about _Wicked_, I'm just saying poeple should be enlightened about it.) OZMA AND DAN: BTW, in case anyone was wondering how things were going with Ozma and Dan, Melody kindly E-mailed me some ideas that I think will help me make Ozma and Dan's marriage work *without* contradicting _Seven Blue Mountains_ (I have posted her remarks in this issue's _Digest_ because I realize now that she wanted it to be public because she explains to us how an Ozma-Tip union *could* occur!) I'm sure glad we have this forum in which we Oz fans/authors can help each other!!! (Thanks again Melody!!!) :) :) :) OZ ON CHARON NEWS FLASH!!!: I got an answer from James Christy today about our desire to have an Oz theme for the nomclature of geological features on Pluto's moon Charon! He was very encouraging!!! :) It's getting *very* late for me now and I really should go beddy-bye, but tomorrow I'll post what his letter says (and also my letter to him that his is in reply to, for the sake of the newcomers to the Digest...) -- Dave ============================================================================= ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 3, 1996 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 15:04:32 +0300 (WET) From: Gili Bar-Hillel Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-96 YAAAY for Oz on Charon! Dave, maybe you could print James Christie's answer for us on the digest? Rich Morrisey - You actually can get "A Murder in Oz" through IWOC. it's published in the first volume of "The Best of the Baum Bugle". I wouldn't go to the effort of trying to include in the HACC - it's only a short story, not a book. Have you any idea how many Ozzy short stories are HACC inconsistent? Unless you want to give this one special status becasue it was written by an actual ex-Royal Historian, Jack Snow. But then, other Royal Historians have written short stories about Oz, some of which were published in "Oziana"... I'm sure Robin can elaborate. Eric - could you check for me which Bugle has the article about the Russian textbook? It just so happens I have a copy of the textbook itself, I never knew it had ever been reviewed in the Bugle. This is the only adaptation I know of in which the characters of Glinda and Ozma were merged, so that "The Magic of Oz" could be a logical sequel to "The Wizard of Oz", with noone noticing all that was missing inbetween... Melody, Dave - I love the idea of Tip as a romantic complication between Dave and Ozma. Ooh, another cool thing I remembered about 47: my mother is an official "skeptic", like Martin Gardener, and she has a couple of books about how charlatans like Uri Geller manage to impress people with their "telepathy". When you tell people to think about a "random" two-digit number, they are indeed more likely to come up with an odd than an even number, there is a preference for numbers ending with a seven, and there is a preference for numbers which are close to 50, which I guess is the "average" two digit number... "47", in other words, is concieved of as being more "random" than other numbers... So when Uri Geller says: "I'm getting 47, or 57..." he has much higher than a one in fifty chance of being right. |\ _,,,---,,_ /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ Gili Bar-Hillel, |,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-' avigailb@zoot.tau.ac.il '---''(_/--' `-'\_) Cat (c) by Felix Lee ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 05:59:23 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-96 > From: RMorris306@aol.com > Subject: Re: Recent Ozzy Digests > > < while and I'm anxious to place it chronologically. >> > I'm anxious to read it! (If nobody else has it in print, why doesn't > the IWOC publish it? Then they'll have a perfect record of publishing new Oz > books by ALL the post-Baum FF writers!) "A Murder in Oz" is not a novel, but a short story. It is currently available from IWOC as part of their first "Best of the 'Baum Bugle'" collection, or as a pamphlet from Buckethead Enterprises of Oz. > From: Richard Bauman <72172.2631@CompuServe.COM> > Subject: Today's Growls > > Who wrote "Our Landlady," and what is the subject? "Our Landlady" was a column L. Frank Baum wrote ca. 1890 in his newspaper in the Dakotas. A collection of the columns is coming out soon, and Books of Wonder has it in their latest "Oz Collector" catalog. > From: steller@mail.pittstate.edu (Stephen J. Teller) > Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-01-96 > > Eric: What sort of a report do you want about the Quadling > Convention? That one you gave (and I just deleted to save space) will do nicely for now, thank you. > From: Tyler Jones > Subject: Ozzy Digest > > Eric: > I was unable to watch Star Trek Monday night. It came down to taping that > show or another one. I can watch STV next Sunday afternoon, but the "other > show" is not re-run six days later. I can't wait to spot the reference, > though! It's not a big deal, just a character using a memorable line from the movie. But it was fun. I hear there was also an Oz joke or reference on "The Dana Carvey Show" on Tuesday, but I didn't see it. Then there's the ubiquitous Oz reference "Mystery Science Theater 3000" has in just about every experiment... > From: Dave, your Ozzy editor :) > Subject: Many Ozzy Things :) > > OZFEST PAGE: > Curt E-mailed me the URL of his OzFest web page, which he forgot to > give in his post. It is: http://www.netvalue.com/oz I will link this to my page ASAP, although probably not in time for this year's event. --Eric Gjovaag ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 11:06:35 -0700 From: steller Subject: various Greetings all! Bear: In 1890-91 LFB edited _The Aberdeen Staurday Pioneer_, a newspaper in Aberdeen SD. For this he wrote a column entitled "Our Landlady" dealing with the residents of a boarding house and their comments on current affairs. These form the first published imaginative writing by Baum, and have some foreshadowing of things in Oz books. Some of these pieces were reprinted with annotations by the South Dakota Writers Project in 1940, a very rare edition indeed! A few columns fave appeared in the _Baum Bugle_. Nancy Koupal has now produced a complete edition of all the columns with introduction, introductions to each column, detailed annotation and glossary. This is being published by U of Nebraska Press. It is far more "Baumian" than _The Book of the Hamburgs_. Eric: The lyrics to "Over the Rainbow" can be found in any edition of the screenplay for The Wizard of Oz. RMorris: "A Murder in Oz" is available from IWOC. It is included in _The [first] Best of the Baum Bugle (1957-1962). It was originally published in four early issues of the Baum Bugle, but those would every expensive. General: I have seen nothing yet (in the two weeks that I have been reading the Digest concerning two of the most important works of Oz, the 1914 film _His Majesty the Scarecrow of Oz_ which contains the Jinxland story that later became part of _The Scarecrow of Oz_ put which differs from the book in many significant ways (One of these is that Dorothy is a slave to the witch Blinkie and does some the things Trot does in the book. The Wizard traps Blinkie and puts her in a can labled PRESERVED SANDWITCHES which he relables PRESERVED WITCH), and the musical _The Tik-Tok Man of Oz_ which preceded the book Tik-Tok in Oz_ and which differs from it in many ways (RobinO knows more about this as she acted in it at Castle Park). Should these two works be included in the Oz Canon? They were written by the original Royal Historian, afterall. And they came before the books, unlike _The Wogglebug_ and the 1914 _Patchwork Girl of Oz_ in which the book was written first. Give me your thoughts. Whether we like _Wicked_ or not it should be reviewed. I have run reviews of _Was_, _Dorothy--Return to Oz_ and _Oz Squar #1_, and a review of the BofW/Morrow edition of _Patchwork Girl_ should be in the Winter Bugle. I spoke to Chris Dulabone yesterday, and he is still not receiving e-mail, so, if you sent him any, or ordered anything by e-mail from Buckethead in recent weeks you know why he hasn't replied. SJT ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 14:30:06 -0400 (EDT) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Ozzy Digest CurtTofOz: The good thing, of course, is that our two groups now know about each other and can combine forces to spread Baum and Oz all over the world! :-) Chris W: Thanks for the Mego scoop. I sent the Oz fan the info. Rich: Actually, we believe that _Quer Visitors_ and all the others which were eventually combined in the volume _The Third Book of Oz_, took place BEFORE _Ozma_, since Dorothy did not know about the newer characters. IMHO, I view this book as Historically Inaccurate, since it has Uncle Henry and Aunt Em meeting these characters (hence knowing about the Land of Oz) when it is clear from Baums other books that they do NOT know about or believe in Oz until _Emerald City_. This book is in the HACC as the result of compromise with Chris. In order to resolve the apparant contradiction between _Enchanted Apples_ and _Wicked Witch_, we have determined that there could be many people claiming to be "THE" Good/Wicked Witch of (Choose your Compass point). This is a self-imposed title after all, and anybody can take it. Rich again: If you go to my Web Page and check out the Buckethead page, you will see that Buckethead is currently offering this book for the low, low price of only $3.00! http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/tyler_jones Aaron: I do not remember Volkovs name for the Good Witch of the North, but Farmer called her Helwedo. Aaron again: Well, now, that's the trick. I believe that multi-year books should be placed in the year that they begin, while Chris believes that they should be placed in the year that they end. Currently, SBM1 is placed in the year that it ends, the result of more compromise. Melody: Oh, No! You gave away your plot device! Thankfully, this is only a small part of your story, and I still recommend this book very highly to anybody who has not yet read it. By the way, Button-Brights marriage to Glinda is resolved by shipping the Laumer books off to a separate Universe, where the Baum, Thompson and Neill books are the only FF titles that "happened". If many people write about Ozma marrying somebody, we'll burn that bridge when we come to it. AH HA! That's why I didn't remember the marriage of Ozma to Tip. It didn't happen! I knew I couldn't have forgotten something like that! :-) May I submit that Ozma and Tip/Amadin/Dinny do not know each other so well? When Mombi did the transformational swithceroo, they traded shapes only, they did not acquire the personalities, knowledge and memories of each. They may each know what the other looks like, but they are still strangers, although they have a unique link to each other, and that may be the basis for getting to each other and then we can have him and Dan vie for the hand of Ozma, with TTH possibly interfering. This could be really cool! It could even become a serial. "Next week, On Emerald City Place, 90210", Dan comes out of his coma and reveals that Tip has hidden the body of Mombis twin sister in Glindas basement as revenge for Glinda spoiling the confrontation between Button-Bright and Ojo for Betsy Bobbins affections, assuming that Trot recovers from her amnesia... Melody again: When I get large text mailing, it usually gets downloaded automatically into C:\CSERVE\DOWNLOAD. You could also use "File|Save" to turn the mail message into a text file. Putting it in you filing cabinet turns it into a file that is not QUITE ASCII text. Dave: Yes, and Tattypoo, and Sir Hokus, and the Scarecrow/Chang Wang Woe, and maybe even the wooden doll-image of Peg Amy. Dave again: I am with you on this: keep politics off the digest, except for Oz politics! E-mail me privately for my words of wisdom in THIS Universe! :-) Oz on Charon: YES!!!! We need a Mount Munch. Oh, yes. We really really really do! :-) --Tyler Jones ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 10:15:23 -0400 (EDT) From: jnw@vnet.net Subject: A Murder in Oz RMorris306@aol.com writes: [on _A Murder in Oz_] > I'm anxious to read it! (If nobody else has it in print, why doesn't > the IWOC publish it? They did. See "The Best of the Baum Bugle 1957-1961" page 14. Personally I don't think much of this story. Oz magic simply doesn't work this way. Also [SPOILER ALERT] the spirit of Tip needed a body, so he took Ozma's spirit??? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. And what was he doing hanging around Glinda's palace, anyway? Ozma was disenchanted near the Emerald City. I like the DISENCHANTED PRINCESS idea much better. -- jnw@vnet.net (John N. White) ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 19:03:15 -0400 (EDT) From: David Bedell Subject: Ozzy Digest: 47 From the standpoint of number theory, of course, 47 is unique in being the only random prime. David Bedell, University of Bridgeport, CT, USA ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 19:19:02 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: The Wicked Witch of the South 1) Uh, Rich, Payes's Wicked Witch of the South is Singra (if my memory serves me correctly), not Sindella. 2) Melody, I was thinking about entering the IWOC contest, but Barry has suggested we try passing The Woozy of Oz off as science-fiction. Also: In The Woozy of Oz it is revealed at one point that Ozma was married at one point. (Dave, I am sorry the marriage didn't last.) As her husband's name is not mentioned, it could be either Dan or Tippetarius (or someone else even). The idea of a Tippetarius whose form Mombi stole at one point requires only a minor change in a spell in Mombi of Oz, so I have no objections to it. As for the ghost idea, why am I wondering how often such magical side effects happen? Also: I take it for granted that Tippetarius (and/or its neuter and feminine equivalents Tippetaria and Tippetarima) is a fairly common Gillikin name and not unique to one person. Otherwise Mombi would have been arrested for kidnapping. 3) In private communication Stephen mentioned to me that some of the books referred to in footnote in Laumer's books were for books that he intended to write later. Based on this, I assume that An Orphan in Oz and Other Lands than Oz are two such phantom books, in which case they should be removed from the HI/RCC. If anyone has any information contrary to this (such as a copy of one of these books), please tell me. I might just appropriate these titles for the two sections (pre-Dorothean and post-Asmardian respectively) of Mombi of Oz. Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 19:53:44 +0000 From: rri0189@ibm.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-96 Rich>> "A Murder in Oz" is being reprinted by Hungry Tiger Press, in a collection of Jack Snow stories called "Spectral Snow". There's an order form in the Spring '95 Bugle. (Well, *ours* arrived in the mail yesterday.) Bear>> "Our Landlady" was the name of a regular column of satiric essays that Baum wrote for his newspaper in South Dakota. The main character is a boarding-house landlady, and much wry comment on then-current events, politics and attitudes is offered in the exchanges between her and her boarders. The Winter 1992 Bugle has an article on them (taken from the book that's just come out, I believe, then in preparation) and a representative column. -- Eleanor Kennedy ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 20:26:55 -0700 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: Question: Does anyone know how to go about getting a copy of the Australian film Oz (aka Twentieth Century Oz)? Bill Wright ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 21:04:36 -0700 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: Dave Said: I'm sorry that no one I sent my JPEG of Mount Flathead to has been able to decode it. I don't know if this helps, but the JPEG is 640x400 resolution and was either encoded for mailing in MIME-64 or UUEncode depending on who I sent it to. I don't know if the problem is with the JPEG or with the encoded mail files... ---------- Dave, the copy that came to me was not encoded as a mime attachment. It was buried in the message itself, rather than coming as an attached file with its own header so it could be trapped by my email sw (Eudora). I normally have no problem receiving mime attachments. Bill W. ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 21:25:46 -0700 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: To CurtTofOZ: I have added several links at my website to your Chittenango Festival Schedule page. Good luck with the festival. Bill W. ============================================================================= Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 21:10:21 -0700 From: "W. R. Wright" Eric: Thanks so much for the info on the book with stuff for use in a class using WOZ. I will pass it on. On your question from a lady asking for where on the net she can find "Over the Rainbow": I sent her a separate email advising she won't find it legally on the net since this song is still under copyright. There is a songbook available that has this and all the other songs from the movie. Costs about $13 plus postage. Wow.........as I was composing this note a big earthquake just hit. I thought the roof was going to come in on us. Headed for cover. I'm back now and looks like we survived it this time. Bill W. ============================================================================= From: Dave, your editor MELODY AND _SEVEN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OZ_: Tyler wrote (to Melody): >Oh, No! You gave away your plot device! Thankfully, this is only a small >part of your story, and I still recommend this book very highly to anybody >who has not yet read it. Actually in 20-20 hindsight, I realize I could have surrounded Melody's comments in regard to _SBM of Oz_ with "*** SPOILER ALERT ***", but I hate altering what other people write...I don't think her message will spoil the main story for anyone though. However, to help everyone out with what they want and don't want posted, and with what caveat... TWO POSTING TIPS (That I will probably add to the FAQ): -- When sending a message to me that addresses its comments to people besides me, it is obviously meant for public posting; but if you write a message to just me, please indicate whether or not the message is private or meant for the whole Digest to "overhear". -- When divulging the plot of a story, whether yours or someone else's, frame it in a "*** SPOILER ALERT ***" warning , or something similar, so people know that the info therein may "spoil" part of a story they have not yet read. TYLER: >I do not remember Volkovs name for the Good Witch of the North, but Farmer >called her Helwedo. I like Locasta better. :) >I believe that multi-year books should be >placed in the year that they begin, while Chris believes that they should >be placed in the year that they end. IMHO, multi-year books (including my own), should be shown in *ALL* eras that they take place, so for example the HACC with _Locasta and the Three Adepts_ might look like this: . . . 1921B Ridiculous Rivals in Oz 1921C Locasta and the Three Adepts of Oz (Chapter 1) 1922 Kabumpo in Oz . . . 1928 The Giant Horse of Oz 1928A Locasta and the Three Adepts of Oz (Chapter 2 to 3) 1929 Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz . . . 1993K Brewster Bunny in Oz 1993L Locasta and the Three Adepts of Oz (Chapter 4 to End) 1993M The Healing Power of Oz Would this make things too messy? >May I submit that Ozma and Tip/Amadin/Dinny do not know each other so well? >When Mombi did the transformational swithceroo, they traded shapes only... Could someone refresh my memory? When did Mombi perform a similar "switcheroo" on Jellia Jamb (and with whom)? >They may each know what the other looks like, but they are still strangers, >although they have a unique link to each other, and that may be the basis >for getting to each other and then we can have him and Dan vie for the >hand of Ozma, with TTH possibly interfering. This could be really cool! I'm getting excited about it myself! :) :) :) >YES!!!! We need a Mount Munch. Oh, yes. We really really really do! :-) Except that since the *official* designations would be in Latin, all the maps of Charon would say, "Munch Mons". :) :) DAVID B.: >From the standpoint of number theory, of course, 47 is unique in being >the only random prime. What do you mean? What does it mean in number theory for a number to be "random"? AARON ADELMAN: >Also: In The Woozy of Oz it is revealed at one point that Ozma was >married at one point. (Dave, I am sorry the marriage didn't last.) I have said this before, but I'll say it again -- I *DON'T consider Laumer's or the Adelmans' stories to be part of the "Main Oz Universe" (in which Ozma and Dan live *happily ever after*!!!). OZ ON CHARON: Here is the letter I wrote to Christy, and his reply that I received yesterday: >Dear Mr. Christy: > > My name is David Hardenbrook. I am an astronomy >enthusiast and the Internet Digest editor for the >International Wizard of Oz Club. I recently read in the book >_New Worlds_ by Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest that when you >first discovered Charon you wanted to name it "Oz". I >recognize that this name was overruled because there are >strict rules in the astronomical community limiting names for >new moons, but I also know that no such limits exist for the >nomenclature of geological features of moons, and that in >fact each moon in the outer Solar System has a particular >theme for its geological features. My fellow Oz fans and I >feel that since "Oz" was your first choice for the name for >Pluto's, that we should petition NASA to make Oz the theme >for Charon, so that when the upcoming Pluto flyby >photographs Charon, its features will be named for people >and places in the Oz books. > > Such a mounment to L. Frank Baum and Oz seems especially >appropriate for the upcoming celebration of the centennial of >the publication of _The Wizard of Oz_. > > Any advice or support you can offer we would greatly >appreciate. > > Sincerely, > [Our names appeared below this] >Dear Dave, > >I think that your suggestion is a good idea. Naming features on Charon >using names from the "Wizard of Oz" is certainly a theme that I could >support. I suggest making contact with Robert Staehle, who is organizing >the Pluto Flyby mission. How nomenclature is worked out between NASA and >the International Astronomical Union is a mystery to me. Presumably names >associated with the many astronomers who have worked on Pluto could be the >theme for Pluto itself. Because Pluto and Charon do not rotate with respect >to one another, it may be appropriate to develop four themes, for back >sides and facing sides. Thus, you might make your proposal more modest by >suggesting that the back side of Charon be "Oz". Good luck with your effort. > > Sincerely, > > James W. Christy Just to fill in some info for the newbies, Charon is the moon of the planet Pluto, discovered in 1978 by James Christy. Christy wanted to name the moon "Oz", but the International Astronomical Union forced him to use a name from classical mythology (Charon was Pluto's ferryman -- the cloak-and-hooded skeleton in the movie _Clash of the Titans_), but since the surface features *on* Charon can be named anything, I got the idea to have the Oz books as the theme for the geological features of Charon, which will be first observed and mapped during the Pluto Flyby Mission, launch scheduled for 2002. Hence the letters I've posted above. The next step seems to be to get in touch with this Robert Staehle, but first I welcome any comments on Christy's letter from Digest members. -- Dave ============================================================================= ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 4, 1996 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 13:55:45 +0300 (WET) From: Gili Bar-Hillel Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-96 Hi Digest! Yeah, David B., what is a "random prime"? Bill W. - I also want a copy of the Australian Oz film, as I posted here about a month ago... no luck for me so far, I hope you do better! If you do discover some sort of general source, please let me know too. Glad you survived the earthquake ... but next time, won't you oblige us by falling into a crack in the ground, so you can give us first-hand reports from the land of the Mangaboos? :-) Aaron - Volkov's name for the Good Witch of the North is "Villina". (Kind of like a cross between "Evilline" from "The Wiz", and "Billina"!) Bear - "Wicked" absolutely SHOULD be reviewed in the Baum Bugle. It may not be a good book, or a nice book, or a pretty book. But it has to do with Oz, and many collectors are interested in at least knowing something about all books related to their collection. Plus, having been reviewed in "The New York Times Book Review", this book has prbably already reached a wider audience than most non-FF Oz books, so that it many ways it is an IMPORTANT book for Oz-fans, and therefore newsworthy to the Bugle.(To stretch a point, SOMEONE has to read "Mein Kampf", or even "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" which is one of most repugnant and dangerous peices of propaganda ever written, just to know whats in there, so that potential readers can be armed with the historical facts that counterargument these vile books) I'm not saying every Oz fan should read "Wicked", I'm saying every Oz fan should know enough about "Wicked" to make the decision whether to read it or not. I'm glad I read "Dorothy - return to Oz" when it was translated into Hebrew, even though I actually suffered while reading it, and I consider it one of the most odious books I have read in my life. Having read it, I reviewed it for Israel's most prestigious literary reviews. If five parents walked into a bookshop the next day, and said to themselves, "I won't buy that book for my child, the newspaper said it was awful", I'm glad I read the book and wrote the review. If one parent walked into a bookshop that same day, and said: "I wonder if they have the REAL sequel to 'The wizard of Oz', the newspaper said it was excellent", I'm very very glad I read the book, and wrote the review I wrote. Plus, though I loathed "A Barnstormer in Oz" as much as I thought I would after reading reviews of it, I was riveted by "Was", which many people detest (for reasons that are obvious to me). I think it was clever of Stephen to publish two opposing reviews of "Was" in the Baum Bugle. I actually think that the negative review was the better review, because it didn't just say: "I hated this book", but was intelligently written, and gave enough examples and an accurate enough description of the atmosphere and plot of the book, to let me make a more educated decision about reading it. I read the book thinking I was probably not going to like it, and maybe this very belief made it easier for me to enjoy what I did of the book. I've been writing for hours, gotta go now. |\ _,,,---,,_ /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ Gili Bar-Hillel, |,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-' avigailb@zoot.tau.ac.il '---''(_/--' `-'\_) Cat (c) by Felix Lee ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 06:06:00 -0700 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: Can anyone answer this one? What was the name of Dorothy's pet in the original STAGE version of the Wizard of Oz? Bill Wright ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 09:11:42 -0500 (EST) From: cummingss@kenyon.edu Subject: RE: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-96 I believe that March Laumer *DID* publish a book called IN OTHER LANDS THAN OZ. ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 06:32:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Hanff Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-96 The Winter 1995 issue of _The Baum Bugle_ arrived at my house yesterday. Imagine my surprise at discovering its cover is dated "Spring 1995"! Both Eleanor Kennedy and I edited page proofs for Dan and Lynne Smith (it was the Smith's final issue--Spring 1996, nearly ready to go to press, will be edited by the Oz Club's new _Bugle_ editor, Bill Stillman), but we didn't get to see a mock-up of the cover. It's a good issue. Peter ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 08:57:20 -0700 From: steller Subject: various -----FAIRUZA ALERT----- All fans of Fairuza Balk (Dorothy in the 1985 _Return to Oz_) should know that her new film is _The Craft_ which has a saturation opening this week. Perhaps the distributor thought he could sneak it through before the reviews came in. From the review I read I see Fairuza plays an witch wannabe. She played an apprentice witch in the made for television movie _The Worst Witch_, which was fun, about 10 years ago. The reviewer of _The Craft_ said Balk was the one bright spot in an otherwise mediocre film. Aaron S. Adelman: _In Other Lands than Oz_ is a real production by Vanitas Press (March Laumer). It is a collection of stories by Laumer and others most of which have nothing to do with Oz. Two of them, by Laumer, deal with the Woozy, his [its?] creation and "sticky end." The former of these did appear in _Oziana_ quite a long time ago. There are other books, mentioned in footnotes in Laumer books, that have not yet been written. Several years ago March Laumer told me he was planning to write _The Woozy in/of Oz_ if the title had not been used. Has it now been used? I had not heard. What do we do with adaptations? _Return to Oz_, Vinge's novelization of _Return to Oz_ etc.? Consider, _Tik-Tok_ is an adaptation of _The Tik-Tok Man of Oz_ which was,in turn,a stage adaptation of _Ozma of Oz_ (That's why there are so many similarities between the two books). Similarly, should Jack Snow's _Shaggy Man_ be considered a rewriting of _John Dough and the Cherub_? There are some very close similarities between the two. Just a few thoughts that roam my mind. SJT ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 11:02:27 -0400 From: DIXNAM@aol.com Subject: Ozzy stuff Eleanor Kennedy: I, too, received the "Baum Bugle" package yesterday, but although the issue cover says "Spring 1995", (an obvious typo), it is actually "Winter 1995", as indicated on page 1. The "Oz and Ends" section contains a very nice write up on the Digest, and particularly in regard to our esteemed Editor, Dave!! (:-D) Eric: Great article regarding the economy and monetary system of our favorite fairyland. (:-) Steve Teller: Two of the Buckethead books you review in the current Bugle, "The Lost Emeralds of Oz", by Fred Otto, and "The Healing Power of Oz", by Gil Joel, are two that I have recently read, and agree that, (while I never had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Otto, but have heard many complimentary words expressed about him), that he would have preferred a much different style of illustrations. ( No offense intended toward Mr. Sullivan or his work.) I did buy the special edition of "The Healing Powers of Oz" with the hand colored illustration by Marcus Mebes! Kudos to Dan Smith and the rest of the Bugle staff for a fine issue. (:-D) Dick Randolph (DIXNAM@aol.com) ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 11:47:05 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: HACC dating 1) On the subject of dating stuff for the HACC, some of the stuff in Lurline's Machine is going to cause at least as much trouble as Locasta and the Three Adepts of Oz. The Woozy of Oz according to Tyler would be 1903A (it has a chapter which takes place one month after Ozma comes to the throne) and according to Chris would be 2097 (at the earliest; it could also be labled 1 YA (Year of the Asmard) to avoid forcing the series to end at a particular date). The third book (current ordering), Mombi of Oz, in which part 1 recounts the overthrow of Pastoria from Mombi's point of view and part 2 continues post-Asmardian history, is going to be even worse. According to Tyler it would be 1861 (assuming adoption of the date from my working model of the overthrow of Pastoria), according to Chris 2097A/1A YA, and according to Dave it would have to be mentioned in at dates from 1861 to 1903 several times and then in 2097/1 YA as well. While technically more correct, it would definitely take a lot more research to put into practice that either Tyler or Chris's proposals. Currently I favor Chris's proposal, that books be dated by where they end, as that would put the books in Lurline's Machine in correct order, at least so far as post-Asmardian history is concerned. 2) Stephen, since none of the plays melds well with the FF, at best one could consider them to represent alternate versions of Oz and not standard Oz. Hence if they go anywhere, they go in the HI/RCC rather than the HACC. If you can give me references to published versions of them, I'll gladly put them in. Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@yu1.yu.edu ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 15:40:21 -0600 (MDT) From: estelle@usa.net (Estelle E. Klein) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-96 I did catch most of the Oz spoof on The Dana Carvey Show- the four main characters stood in rage while Dana sang a take off entitled "If I Only Had An A**". It was a very short segment, but he was entertaining!! ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 15:20:43 -0400 (EDT) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Ozzy Digest ********** ON A MURDER IN OZ ********** WHile it is true that this was originally a short story published in a magazine, it has now been published as a book, and therefore goes into the HACC as it is historically accurate to the FF. While it seems to contradict the information in _Disenchanted Princess_, in fact it does not. The "Tip" that we met in Jack Snows book was a by-product of Mombis transformation, and thus could only achieve life thru Ozma. When she was unenchanted, the newly-created "ghost" followed her around instead of being bound at the Emerald City. This Tip has no relation to the Tip we meet in _Disenchanted Princess_. Let me say again that this book is available for the low low price of $3.00 from Buckethead and you can find this info on my web page. According to yesterday's digest, Chris is not currently receiving e-mail, so it would be a good idea to use his snail-mail address, also given on my web page. Stephen Teller: In my honest opinion, I believe that these two films should NOT be listed in the canon, simply because they were written by L. Frank Baum. Using this arguement, one could also say that such things as the Aunt Janes Nieces books and _The Book of the Hamburgs_ should also be considered canonical Oz books. It is true that Baum was the one who brought Oz to us and he will be honored and remembered for that forever, but that does not mean that everything Baum wrote, drew, saw, did, heard, felt, thought, etc. is by definition historically accurate Ozian history. I realize that many people have this attitude that "All Baum is Oz and all Oz is Baum", but I cannot accept that. Projects like the films and _The Third Book_ of Oz were meant as sidelights to the Land of Oz and they are not accurate to the main Oz books. IMHO, I view the Oz books themselves as the heart and soul of Oz, with all other activities (movies, toys, plays, etc.) as offshoots. Oz has grown in the last century and, as a concept, has superseded Baum and is now bigger than he ever was. The Baum 14 are still the core of the FF which is the core of Oz, but I believe that other stuff by Baum should not be granted canononical status simply because of the name on the cover. John White: Yes, _Disenchanted Princess_ is far, far, far, far (add a few hundred more fars) superior to _Murder in Oz_, but see my comments above as to why both books can be considered accurate and not contradictory to each other. Aaron: Your remark means, of course, that Ozmas marriage (to Dan or somebody else) did not last in YOUR Universe. Which reminds me, here's something to start with: The four Historically Accurate Universes. This is only a rough approximation, but should get things going: HACC 1: The Mainline Universe: Accurate to the entire FF plus the entire IWOOC extension. This is the main one. The vast majority of non-FF material goes here. HACC 2: Lurlines Machine: Accurate to the entire FF and contains some Laumerisms. Has a few differences with HACC 1, but they are enough to require a separate Universe. HACC 3: Laumerian Universe. Accurate to the first 35 books of the FF. Written in a very different tone from other Ozzy Universes. Note that in this Universe, the dates of the first six Baum books will be closer to the date of publication, as Dorothy is at least sixteen by the time she moves to Oz permanently. HACC 4: Sub-BEOO/BOW. Accurate to the Baum 14 (or possibly only the first 3 Baum Books). This Universe is for stuff by authors who have not read the entire FF or even the entire Baum 14 and thus may not know of the major changes and revelations that occured later in the series. Note that at this time, it is unknown whether Dorothy moved to Oz permanently and it is also unknown if the Wizard returned in this Universe. All other Universes (the HI/RCC) are as Aaron as put them out so far. Obviously, I am not the end-all and be-all of this, and I hope to have lots of input from other people on this. Aaron again: Actually, there was no chance that Mombi would have been arrested, but I can't tell you why. You'll have to get the book and read it yourself, which would be well worth the effort. Also, _In Other Lands Than Oz_ sounds familiar. I'll look to see if I have it. I will also provide you with a list of books that I do have, along with the dates that Laumer himself provided. Dave: Ick! The splitting up of each book by chapter and assigning each chapter a separate year was suggested as a joke once by Chris. Yes, it would be VERY messy, but it was a nice though :-) Actually, there are problems no matter which way you do it. Dave again: Mombi did the switcheroo on herself and Jellia Jamb in _Land of Oz_ to fool Glinda. Dave and Aaron: As you can see, your two books will occur in two different Universes, (assuming that this thing pans out), thus what happens in one book will not affect events in the other. I am encouraged by Christy's response. I don't think we should settle for just one side of Charon, though. We oughta take the whole hog! :-) --Tyler ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 15:26:38 -0400 From: DavidXOE@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30 through 05-03-96 I've spent most of my spare time the last few days assembling some computer furniture and setting up the computer so I can use it without considerable discomfort. That's now taken care of, so I should be able to respond daily without much problem from now on (assuming I have anything to say, which I usually do. :-) ). Digest of 4/30: Aaron: Lurline and Tititi-Hoochoo as a marriage isn't totally far-fetched - since they're both rulers, such a marriage might be entered into for reasons of state with no pretense of love on either side. Not that it's likely, but I find it less bizarre than Glinda and Button-Bright... Tyler: I largely keep my political opinions off the Digest as well; I was just riposting to Bear's original comment. But I probably shouldn't even have done that. I'll try to refrain in the future. Steve: I've sent you a review of WICKED; it was written for a general readership rather than Oz fans, but it might serve if you get nothing better. John White: We don't KNOW that Ozma didn't start Dorothy and the Wizard on their adventures underground, but if so it seems even less bright of her than setting Dorothy on the ROAD - the only dangerous place in the latter was the Scoodler country, but the underground adventure was dangerous almost everywhere. How could she rule Oz effectively when she'd need to monitor Dorothy's progress almost continuously? And why would she do it in the first place? It's not as if she couldn't have wished Dorothy - and the Wizard and the rest of Dorothy's companions - to Oz directly, without all the underground stuff. Dave: >David H. wrote: >>...it's one more point for my essay on why, though Ozma is >>sweet and adorable, she's not terribly bright... >Dan (rolling up his sleeves): You wanna step outside and say that?! :) :) :) But Danny-boy - your own sweetie-pie has repeatedly said that violence never solves anything! :-) :-) :-) Digest of 5/1: Dave, hope your personal problems were nothing serious. Tyler: OK, I misremembered about the two-Ozma theory. I agree that it's highly unlikely, but then I think a lot of things that have crept into published books are highly unlikely, and they've been published anyhow. I'd remembered that as one of them. Digest of 5/2: Curt of OZ: Glad to hear that there's so much interest in Baum in Chittenango. Rich Morrissey: OK, I'll give up on "little girl" necessarily implying a pre-puberty Dorothy. But in one of the books - don't recall for sure which, but probably TW or MAGIC - Baum says that Ozma appears to be fourteen or fifteen, and Dorothy "much younger" or "several years younger", something like that. Thirteen isn't significantly younger than fourteen or fifteen. The trip by the Gump in QUEER VISITORS is very narrowly dated by the World's Fair that they end up in the midst of toward the beginning. If you accept it as Historically Accurate, and after OZMA (and therefore presumably also after DOTWIZ, since Dorothy didn't return to Kansas in between), then you squeeze the chronology back pretty far. Maybe not farther than I already have with my aging theory, but pretty far. (Dang, I wish I had my books!) "All You Zombies" was probably the first SF story where a character had sex with him/herself, but there's a lot more of it in David Gerrold's THE MAN WHO FOLDED HIMSELF. Aaron: When I get my books back I can check and see if Volkov gave the Good Witch of the North a name, but probably someone else can check for you sooner. Eric: As others have pointed out, the lyrics to "Over the Rainbow" can't be legally posted on the Net. But it would be easy enough to quote them in a private E-mail to Ms. Chapman, and legal as far as I know. Digest of 5/3: Steve: I don't think the film "His Majesty the Scarecrow of Oz" or the play "The Tik-Tok Man of Oz" should be considered canonical, any more than "Queer Visitors" or "The Woggle-bug Book". They contradict the FF, which have to be the basis of everything. IMO. David Bedell: A "random" prime? I don't recall anything like that from number theory, but then number theory wasn't ever one of my favorite parts of mathematics. Aaron: Why would Mombi have been arrested for kidnapping, even if only one person in Oz ever had the name of Tippetarius? (In fact, who would have arrested her? I don't recall any evidence of a police force or justice system in pre-Ozma Oz.) Bill: I doubt if the Australian film "Oz" has anything to do with the real Oz - it's a pet name they use for their own country. (I remember seeing a comic in London titled "Judge Dredd in Oz", but he was visiting Australia, and it had nothing to do with our Oz.) A big earthquake in the Seattle area? Glad you survived it OK, and hope all my other friends and acquaintances there did as well! David Hulan ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 16:55:41 -0400 From: Nathan Faut Subject: Storylines In OZ Dave, Thank you for the Oz Digest. I find it alternately interesting, wonderful, fascinating, frustrating, and certainly thought-provoking. I just received my Baum Bugle last night and noticed that you and the OZ Digest are written up in it, with glowing reports even. Congratulations. I started reading the "heretical" book by Gregory Maguire titled _Wicked_. I have read a lot of folks' (rather dismissive) comments about Wicked, and caught the FF vs. non-FF chat. Darned few folks bring up Barnstormer (that I've read) and fewer still seem to have read Weird Heroes (#2?): The Oz Encounter (THAT was an eye-opener!). Don't get me wrong, I love the originals (well, I have some problems with the Thompsons, but let that pass). But I am intrigued with the facets of childhoodness and adultness when comparing the originals to the hereticals. For instance, the Tin Woodman axes the Kalidahs in the original story, rather brutally, if my memory serves me properly. And I still shiver when I think of the casual way that the Wizard kills off the Wooden Gargoyles in DotWiz -- the Wizard makes some off-handed remark that they were probably leading evil lives anyway, after torching their village as the pair escape down the mountain's interior. Then, of course, the deleted references to the Meat Kingdom in DotWiz, too, that was published in the Baum Bugle a few years back. [I am far away from my Baum Bugle and other references, so I can't quote this as accurately as I'd like.] So here we are, challenged by writers who bring reality to OZ. In the FF and many of the pastiches since, holding to the childhoodness has been an important underpinning of each novel. Philip Jose Farmer, Gregory Maguire and Ted White, however, reconsider Oz. Oz suddenly has its own unique language, sex and birth and death, and rape (in that order), and other "adultnesses". I am of two minds about the hereticals, myself. On one hand, I am intrigued by the vision these people bring to Oz. They ground the fantasy land while staying within the places and events we have come to accept as minor Gospel. The writers look at Oz and take the fable away. For instance, Glinda is a tool. She travels here and there, makes some spells, and then goes back to her castle. She never has a Life. She never lets her hair down. She hardly talks for goodness' sake! Dorothy and Ozma gossip like young girls (Ozma, DOTWIZ, Road, etc.), but Glinda remains cool, aloof and estranged. Yet she obviously has tremendous knowledge, power, ability, and a vast array of tools. The hereticals (The Oz Encounter this time) give Glinda movement, face, character ... and death. Dorothy, in the original FF, is the impertinent yet charming little girl. She slaps the Lion, she says No at the oddest times and gets away with it -- half the time, I'm not sure if she isn't spoiled rotten. Yet other times, she is totally charming and winsome. Dorothy, like most children, is a creature of action and emotion first, thought (if any) much later. Yet the hereticals try to determine what kind of girl she REALLY was (Wicked) or what kind of adult she became when she returned home (Barnstormer). I find the constrast of airy, light, nearly flighty (FF) and confused, scared, scarred, damaged by the trip to Oz (hereticals) to be endlessly interesting and fascinating. On the other side, I am repulsed by what is, essentially, a fantasy world forced into reality. The original FF don't have death (other than hideous kinds), taxes, money, and more fears than I can count. The hereticals strip away that Nirvana, rend and shred the comfort and brightness of Oz and replace it with our world's troubles. I read Oz books to NOT deal with double-dealing politics, NOT deal with bills and bosses and bad hair days. It's good, old-fashioned escapist literature. And the hereticals tear that away. Along that line, I admit that I find the idea that Ozma gets a boyfriend just repugnant. Dorothy never gets one in the FF; neither Trot nor Betsy, too. Why Ozma? Why not pick on Glinda -- get her a husband, she's old enough. Let's look at this another way. Ozma, Dorothy and friends are just at that age, in Baum's day, when girls tittered, tattled and gossiped. RPT didn't change that (thank Ghod!). These days, a lot of young women in that age bracket are smoking, getting AIDS or pregnant -- maybe not a majority, but enough to get local attention. I graduated high school with boys who had tried sex when they were twelve and eleven. The local news here in D.C. occasionally reads about a boy (aged maybe eight or ten) sexually molesting a girl (aged seven or nine). Baum lived and died in a Victorian/Edwardian world where manners were far more important, added structure to the civilization, and cotillions and balls were The Events. Between the hereticals and the FF spans a lot of published work that you folks and others like us are reading and writing. Baum, Thompson, Neill, et.al. never gave Ozma a boyfriend, nor Dorothy nor any of the other friends. Yet, when Wicked or Barnstormer comes out, most "true Oz" fans dismiss those as heretical and interesting but "not valid". Then what makes giving Ozma a boyfriend valid? Oh, it's cute, it's fun to play with the idea, write down the story. But it's heretical. It breaks the characters as they are written in the original stories. The comfortable thing about Thompson and Neill and Snow is that they left those storylines alone. They didn't fill-in hoztory between the FF -- they pursued new, additional hoztory, whether travelogues, mysteries, or political intrigues. I suggest that, wonderful writing and interesting plot though it is, the tale of Ozma and Dan romance be considered as heretical as Wicked, Barnstormer and Encounter. Nathan ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 20:10:24 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-96 Dave, your letter to Christy and his response are really super. How exciting! Yip Mons, anyone? I wish I could remember more of my high school Latin; then I'd know how to say things like "Lake Quad." Actually, there probably are no lakes on Charon anyway. Mombi/Jellia switcheroo: LAND, p.251. "So Mombi called Jellia Jamb to her, and performed a certain magical rite with which she was familiar. As a result of the enchantment Jellia took on the form and features of Mombi, while the old witch grew to resemble the girl...." Jellia did not lose her own sense of identity. When, on p.253, Glinda asks "...what is your name?" Jellia is frightened. "This Jellia dared not tell, having been threatened with death by the witch if she confessed the fraud." She knows quite well who she really is. --Robin ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 21:44:09 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" <104270.2374@compuserve.com> Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-96 To whomever asked about the Mombi-Jellia Jamb transformational switcheroo--it occurs in Land of Oz when Glinda's troops camp outside the Emerald City. Glinda tells General Jinjur by messenger to surrender Mombi to her. Mombi refuses to go, and "by a trick familiar to her" (Baum's own words) causes Jellia to exchange forms with Mombi herself. Two of Jinjur's woman soldiers take Jellia, disguised as Mombi, to Glinda, who shortly discovers the deceit and changes Jellia back to herself. At the same time, Mombi changes back into herself. ******* SPOILER ALERT FOR DISENCHANTED PRINCESS ****** One reason I gave away the Plot Device is because I've been freely giving away that Plot Device for years! In fact, Steve Teller published it in a review of SBM and other original Oz novels in a Baum Bugle. Anybody who read that review knows how Tip turns out to be just as real as Ozma. I'm glad he published the Plot Device in the review. That way, I get credit for it. If it's swiped, people know who it was swiped from! However, there's lots of stuff about SBM I have NOT given away, or given to very few. However, for SBM, because Mombi meant for the Ozma-Tip switch to be permanent, she used a stronger version of the above, and Ozma and Tip indeed have some switched memories as well as outer shapes. Working for Zim the Flying Sorcerer seems comfortable and natural to Tip because he (very) unconsciously remembers working for another magic-worker-- Mombi. Switching some of Ozma's and Tip's substance would also be a good explanation why Glinda could not find the lost Ozma--she (and Tip) was in two places at the same time, which would cleverly confound any magic used to find Ozma (or Tip). It would also explain why Ozma behaves so differently from Tip. SHE unconsciously remembers having been a princess of Lostland, and so behaving like a princess with courtly manners and ways suddenly comes naturally to her after her untransformation from Tip. *******END OF SPOILER ALERT!******** Well, I don't know how much of a spoiler the above is--much is not directly mentioned in SBM itself--it is merely implied. Hmmmm. It might be a spoiler even for readers of SBM! Gaaaah! Since Buckethead's asking price for SBM I is $25.00--well, I don't know how much my autograph's worth, but it's going into every one that Buckethead manages to sell. Melody ============================================================================= Date: Saturday 04-May-96 02:17:12 From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things GILI: Thanks for your comments! I agree that all books should be reviewed and discussed, no matter how "ugly" we may think they are. DICK R.: >The "Oz and Ends" section contains a very nice write up on the Digest, and >particularly in regard to our esteemed Editor, Dave!! (:-D) :) :) :) TYLER: >The splitting up of each book by chapter and assigning each chapter a >separate year was suggested as a joke once by Chris...Actually, there are >problems no matter which way you do it. How about doing it this way: Put the book where the *majority*, or the *most significant* part of it of it takes place (Either way, _Locasta and the Three Adepts of Oz_ would be placed in 1993, just prior to _Healing Power_. >I am encouraged by Christy's response. I don't think we should settle for >just one side of Charon, though. We oughta take the whole hog! :-) I think I agree with you. *MOST* moons (including Earth's) are non-rotating with respect to their primaries (Translation: they keep the same face pointed toward their parent planet), but to the best of my knowledge, *NO OTHER* moon has a theme that is restricted to only one hemisphere... Let's go for the gold -- Oz for *ALL* of Charon! (Any more comments on this, anyone?) NATHAN (MORE OZMA-AND-DAN-BASHING): I'm sure a lot of people of sick of hearing me repeatedly defending my Ozma-Dan romance over and over...So for a change I'll let them defend *themselves*...! :) > For instance, Glinda is a tool. She travels here and there, makes >some spells, and then goes back to her castle. She never has a Life. She >never lets her hair down. She hardly talks for goodness' sake! Glinda: No wonder Dave thinks I'm that Irish singer Enya in disguise! We both get criticized for being "private people"! :) > Along that line, I admit that I find the idea that Ozma gets a >boyfriend just repugnant. Ozma: Why is my having a love interest given the same level of vileness as bringing violence, rape, and other terrible things into Oz? Love is one of the joys of life, and *does* exist in utopian worlds like Oz that are free of those horrible things. Dan: And if love and romance is "adult", where did all those Disney movies from _Snow White_ to _Aladdin_ come from? Scraps (singing): "A whole new world...Ozma and Danny's point of view--" Ozma: Er, thank you, Scraps... >Dorothy never gets one in the FF; neither Trot nor Betsy, too. Dan: Not to quote President Reagan, but: "There they go again!" :) If it's not in the All-Powerful FF, it can't ever be! >Why Ozma? Ozma: Why not? Baum rightly says I'm "fifteen or sixteen", which is old enough for a serious relationship! Glinda: And Thompson's and other's subsequent inferences that Ozma's no older than Dorothy, Betsy, and Trot is (as you'll find out when you read _Fairy Princess of Oz_) our elaborate propaganda campaign to protect Ozma from the wrath of-- Kabumpo: AHEM! Glinda: Sorry...I won't leak... >Why not pick on Glinda -- get her a husband, she's old enough. Ozma: So am I! Glinda: I *AM* next on Dave's list! :) >These days, a lot of young women in that age bracket are smoking, >getting AIDS or pregnant... Ozma: And you won't see *ME* doing those things...The love I have for Danny *HAS NOT* and *WILL NOT* alter my overall character of sweetness, gentleness, "lovingkindness" and devotion to the welfare of my people! Dave's story will *NOT* alter or "corrupt" Oz's Ozziness, as many seem to think. Dan: . So many seem to think that any love story in Oz must have drugs, violence, explicit sex, etc., etc., when in fact, Dave's story will be as innocent and charming as any FF Oz book...You'll just see a tender relationship developing between two people! >Then what makes giving Ozma a boyfriend valid? Ozma: What makes giving me a boyfriend INvalid? Scraps: Is _Patchwork Bride of Oz_ "invalid" because the FF doesn't insinuate anything romantic between me and the Scarecrow? Reera: Is _Red Reera the Yookoohoo and the Enchanted easter Eggs of Oz_ "invalid" because Baum said I was even more reclusive than Glinda? Adepts: Is _Glinda of Oz_ "invalid" because we're not Glinda, Ozma, or the Wizard but we practice magic anyway? :) >Oh, it's cute... Sir Humphery Appleby: Also original, imaginative, and novel. Prime Minister Jim Hacker: The three "killers" as far as Humphery is concerned... Bernard: Are you sure we should even *BE* here, Prime Minister? Your diplomatic schedule doesn't include Oz this week... >But it's heretical. Dan: Okay, I'm heretical. Kind of gives me a feeling of importance. :) >It breaks the characters as they are written in the original stories. Ozma (examines herself): As far as I can tell, I'm still in one piece... :) :) >I suggest that, wonderful writing and interesting plot >though it is, the tale of Ozma and Dan romance be considered as heretical as >Wicked, Barnstormer and Encounter. Dan: _Fairy Princess_ can't POSSIBLY be as heretical as _Wicked_ because _Fairy Princess_ doesn't contradict the FF. (Granted it does if you are convinced that Ozma can't have a love interest period, but I'm betting that most Oz fans are more willing to approach Dave's tale of mine and Ozma's relationship with an open mind.) ROBIN O. (OZ ON CHARON): >Dave, your letter to Christy and his response are really super. How >exciting! Yip Mons, anyone? I wish I could remember more of my high >school Latin; then I'd know how to say things like "Lake Quad." Okay, here's a quick lesson in Latin nomenclature for planetary features: ( so we can come up with names for things on Charon ahead of time! :) :) ) Latin Term Translation Example Mons Mountain Olympus Mons (Arizona-sized mountain on Mars) Mare Seas Mare Tranquillitatis (where Armstrong walked) Planitia Flat Plain Chryse Planitia (where Viking I landed on Mars) Patera Round depression Loki Patera (Volcano mouth on Jupiter's Io) Valles Valley Valles Marineris (5000-mile-long canyon on Mars) Linea Linear formation Phineus Linea (on Jupiter's Europa) Rupes Ridge Discovery Rupes (on Mercury) Terra Continent/Plateau Aphrodite Terra (on Venus) >Actually, there probably are no lakes on Charon anyway. Don't be too sure...It's cold enough out there that there *could* be lakes of liquid nitrogen! -- Dave ============================================================================= ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 5, 1996 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 20:34:33 -0700 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: SJT asked: Ref the 1914 film _His Majesty the Scarecrow of Oz_ and the musical _The Tik-Tok Man of Oz_... Should these two works be included in the Oz Canon? Well, the first was a silent film so it may be difficult to incorporate into the Canon. But the Tik-Tok musical is an interesting question. Where might the stageplay be available? If someone could get a copy (fax will work) to me, I will enter it into a web page for everyone to have access to. Then we may have a more informed discussion on the merits of including it in the Canon. Unless a reasonably large number of the Ozzy crew has a chance to read and talk about it, then the won't go very far (I suspect). Bill W. ============================================================================= Date: Fri, 03 May 1996 20:46:06 -0700 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: Here's a suggestion on the Charon/Oz venture. Why not enlist the international reach of the I'net to promote the idea. We can put together a set of pages that give the idea and background, host them at our sites, and see if we can enlist a lot of mirror sites. It could include a form email response that would go to who ever should get letters of support. Visitors to the pages could then easily send an email of support to the people (particularly in Nasa/JPL and its funders), to whom these letters might make a difference. The downside risk is that not many emails might be generated. But the basic idea is to get a lot of publicity for the idea. Any other thoughts? Bill W. ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 14:13:29 +0300 (WET) From: Gili Bar-Hillel Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-04-96 Dave - Charon! Charon! Charon! I think we should get unwired Oz fans to sign the letter too. Maybe circulate a form with one of the next bugles, as was once done with the campaign to get Baum's face on an American stamp? Especially effective would be celebrity names, such as Ray Bradbury and Martin Gardner. David H. - the australian film Bill Wright and I are looking for does have an Oz connection. There is a section about it in Allan Eyelle's book "the world of OZ". It is a modern parable of Oz - Dorothy is a groupie of a rock star called "the wizard", and she sets off across Australia looking for him. On the way she befriends some Australian characters who parallel the Scarecrow, tinwoodman and Lion, except they're all 'real' people. She buys a pair of red shoes in a boutique called "The Good Fairy". All this according to Allan Eylle, as I haven't seen the film myself! Bill Wright - the name of Dorothy's pet COW in the original stage version of the wizard of Oz is Imogene. Hey digest, whaddya know, the Winter Bugle actually arrived in Jerusalem a few days ago, BEFORE it reached the rest of you in the States... I've only arrived in Jerusalem recently myself, so I haven't had much time to read it, but I did read the report on the digest. maybe we could write up a digest of the digest a couple of times a year, and submit it to the"Bugle", so others know whats going on here? (This is like asking, "maybe we should tie a bell to the cat?" I can't think why anyone would want to volunteer for such a lot of work... but just in case any of you are crazy enought to attempt this, I think its a good idea.) Bye! |\ _,,,---,,_ /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ Gili Bar-Hillel, |,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-' avigailb@zoot.tau.ac.il '---''(_/--' `-'\_) Cat (c) by Felix Lee ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 10:15:42 -0700 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: David: >I doubt if the Australian film "Oz" has anything to do with the real Oz - >it's a pet name they use for their own country. Basically, as I have been told by others, it is the WOZ story set in modern Australia with contemporary characters. >A big earthquake in the Seattle area? Glad you survived it OK, and hope all >my other friends and acquaintances there did as well! It rattled our cages pretty good......the folks who study this stuff keep telling us that we are due for "The BIG ONE" before too long. Hope not. But then, as Gili noted, I can always look forward to its transporting me to a place I would really like to visit, and maybe stay a while. :-) Bill W. ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 10:23:06 -0700 From: "W. R. Wright" Subject: Nathan: > For instance, the Tin Woodman axes the Kalidahs in the original >story, rather brutally, if my memory serves me properly. Actually, it's a wildcat that gets axed. Didn't seem all that brutal to me. Just one clean stroke and voila!, the problem is solved. No blood, no mess. :-) Bill W. ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 14:13:57 -0400 (EDT) From: BARRY ESHKOL ADELMAN Subject: Romantic Tension in Oz In our last episode, Dave said: >Scraps: Is _Patchwork Bride of Oz_ "invalid" because the FF doesn't insinuate >anything romantic between me and the Scarecrow? Actually, I was under the impression that in _The Patchwork Girl of Oz_ you could see the sparks virtually flying between the Scarecrow and Scraps. Bill, in the play version of _The Wizard of Oz_, Dorothy was accompanied by a calf named Imogene, presumably because a small dog on stage would not be very visible. This character was appropriated by Shanower in _The Giant Garden of Oz_. (Not that I'm complaining; Aaron and I have been seriously considering appropriating Danx and Trixie Tryfle.) Given all this talk of heretical books which overinject reality (or rather the worst aspects of reality) into Oz, I have gotten the idea for a book which would parody these attempts to get at "the real story." The book, which would be called _The Broad Side of a Barn in Oz_, would of course involve the more memorable charaters from these heretical works (especially Sharts and Blogo) and deal with the real story behind them and ridiculously unparsimonious explanations a la Farmer to explain all the problems in the heretical books. Blogo: Somehow I don't think that this is very funny. Wogglebug: Well, when it's revealed that you were created in a very strange accident involving a turkey and a rubber glove, it gets very amusing. Blogo: NO! ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 12:54:54 -0700 From: steller Subject: various Gili: The negative review of _Was_ was so good because it was written by Phyllis Ann Karr, who is a published writer (beyond her Ozian writings) of novels and Arthurian material. It is my hope to get opposing reviews of _Wicked_, although I have not yet found anyone who really liked it. Bill Wright: Dorothy's pet in the stage version of _The Wizard of Oz_ was a calf named Imogen. It would have been hard to get an actor in a dog suit. By the way, I have a British stage adaptation of _Wonderful Wizard_ in which Dorothy's pet is a mouse, that way you didn't need anyone to play the role. The author of that did a sequel called, as I recall, _The Scatterbrained Scarecrow of Oz_ (I am writing this in my office and my books are at home) which also has this mouse friend. I will check and see if it has a name (if anyone cares) and report back. *****ANOTHER FAIRUZA ALERT****** Fairuza Balk's next film to be released is _The Island of Doctor Moreau_ starring Marlon Brando. She plays a genetically engineered cat woman. This is due for release October 10, so you need not hold you breath. Aaron Solomon Adelman: I have no idea where to find the text of _The Tik-Tok Man of Oz_, it was never published. However a complete description of it ran in the _Baum Bugle_. I would have to look the exact source. _His Majesty the Scarecrow of Oz_ is currently available in videotape (Books of Wonder has offered it for sale, and it is available elsewhere). Again, a complete description has been published in the _Bugle_, some years ago. The script was never published. Tyler: I would never dream of including _The Book of the Hamburgs_ or any of Baum's non-fantasy books in the canon because they have nothing to do with Oz; BUT the films and plays do deal with Oz and were written by the person who knew most about it. (I do not include the 1903 _Wizard of Oz_ because that was largely written by others. It is the fantasy novels of Baum such as _The Sea Fairies_, _Sky Island_ and _John Dough and the Cherub_ that I feel should be considered canonical, not _Aunt Janes' Neices_ or _The Boy Fortune Hunters_. If you reject the "Queer Visitors from the Land of Oz" stories (which is a more accurate title than _The Third Book of Oz_, an editor's name for a compliation of the stories and _The Wogglebug Book_ which had been expurgated as thoroughly as the BofW edition of _Patchwork Girl_), do you accept the "Little Wizard Stories" as full fledged members of the Ozian history. They were never part of the FF. I really believe that L. Frank Baum is a better source of information about Oz than a group of fifth graders who had never read an Oz book (with the possible exception of _The Wizard_ in their lives!!! Dave: _The Patchwork GIRL of Oz_ definitely does suggest a strong attraction between Scraps and the Scarecrow. Speaking of Ozma's marriage, L. Sprague de Camp had her married already in _Sir Harold and the Gnome King_. That's the end of my grumbles. SJT ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 18:27:55 -0400 (EDT) From: Tyler Jones Subject: Ozzy Digest Gili: Well, differences are there, but not too great. I loved both _Was_ and _Barnstormer_. Aaron: Here is a list of the Laumer titles that I have, along with the dates that Laumer has assigned to them. Note that Laumer considers all FF titles to occur in the year of publication except for _Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz_ (1906) and _Road to Oz_ (1907). 1911 Uncle Henry and Aunt Em 1912 Careless Kangaroo 1944 Magic Mirror 1947 Frogman 1953 Umbrellas 1978 Green Dolphin (Ick!) 1983 Aunt Em and Uncle Henry (Not the same as 1911) 1984 Good Witch 1988 Charmed Gardens 1989 Fairy Queen 1991 Crown 1999 Ten Woodmen 2000 Farewell Titles that he has listed with dates that I do not have 1943 Vegetable Man 1984 In Other Lands 1990 China Dog Stepen: I will agree with Aaron on this: That adaptations such as _Return to Oz_ and _The Tik-Tok Man of Oz_ should not be considered Canononical as they do not meld with the FF or even the Baum 14. _Tik-Tok of Oz_ the book IS canononical in that it was a book written and published that DID (and does) meld with the FF. The fact that it was based on a stage play that was in itself based on an earlier book is immaterial. The book itself stands on its own as Historicall Accurate to the FF; the other offerings are not. Aaron and Dave and Chris (assuming Chris gets his e-mail turned on) I am now complying with Aaron and Chris in saying that stuff should go at the last year if it is a multi-year book, or possibly in the year that the main action takes place, especially if the book is about time-travelling. ON PLUTO'S MOON: On most moons, their "day" is as long as their "year". That is, the amount of time it takes to revolve is the same as it takes to orbit its parent. Therefore, the people on the planet would always see the same side, like our own Moon. I have also heard that Charon orbits Pluto in a fixed pattern travelling the same speed and direction as Pluto. Therefore, not only does the same side face Pluto, its position in the sky relative to Pluto is fixed. That is, Charon is always in the same place as viewed from Pluto. John and David: I agre that it is unlikely that Ozma would start Dorothy off on an adventure by involing her in an earthquake. It is true (as David said) that she would have trouble ruling if she kept a constant watch on Dorothy. David and Rich: Remember, though, that according to my theory, Dorothy was chronologically 13 when she moved to Oz permanently, but physiologicall 11, which could be considered several years younger than a 14 or 15 year old Ozma. Matt, who lives next door to me and is 8, considers himself to be MUCH older, wiser, more mature, etc. than his little brother of 5. :-) David again: I will almost definitely send _The Third Book of Oz_ off packing to Universe 4, which would resolve any contradictions. This book is simply not accurate to the FF, but may be accurate to just the first three. ********** ON THE LYRICS TO OVER THE RAINBOW ********** I have sent them to Ms. Chapman (or will after I finish this post). David and Aaron: For all practical purposes, there isn't a police force NOW, aside from the municipal governments. The only time that "justice is served" is when Ozma hears about something and then handles it herself. Melody: Autographs are usually not worth much as long as a person is alive (therefore, may your John Hancock always be worthless :-)), but the book itself is well worth the $25.00 asking price. Nathan Faut: Your comments of yesterday had two main points. 1: Ozma's boyfriend and 2: the general loss of innocence in non-FF writings. Your concerns with Ozma getting a boyfriend are ones that have been discussed before. One thing you mentioned was the fact that nowehere in the FF was it ever mentioned that Ozma has, is having or ever could have a romantic interest. My answer is "So what?" It seems, rude, but consider what would happen if people only wrote about stuff that had already happened and people, places etc. that were already there and NEVER put in anything new. Oz would have died years ago. We HAVE to invent things every time somebody writes a new Oz book. Even Baum himself did this as early as _The Land of Oz_. I cannot accept the logic of "If x has never been mentioned in the FF, then x can NEVER happen ANYWHERE EVER". While the FF is the foundation of Ozzy history, it is not the complete end-all and be-all of Oz. If it were, there would be no need to write any other Oz books, because everything would have been said, seen and done in the FF. As for ruining Ozma, that has also been discussed. I will breifly summarize my conclusions here. I believe that a change of situation, either by giving the character new experiences or by engaing in simple character development, is not the same as a personality change. That is, while giving Ozma a boyfriend is definitely a change of pace from the FF and will also broaden her character from what we have seen in the FF, it will not make her into a different person. She will still be the same sweet, gentle, kind, caring compassionate person that we all know. The disagreement here seems to stem from the question "Can we have a love story without it degenerating into a sick prono fantasy?" I say yes, provided the author is good enough. I will assume for the moment that Dave has the ability to pull this off :-) But what about the general loss of innocence that permeates the non-FF titles? Well, I will admit that the childlike atmosphere was that which gave Oz its original success and as Rob Rhein (no Oz connection) once said, "What got you there is what's gonna keep you there". However, there comes a time when you want something more "meat", to use a word that has also caused a lot of discussion on the digest. Part of the price of growing up is that dancing down the YBR in a land of sunshine and lollipops is no longer enough. Every once in a while, we crave more. Don't misunderstand me. I am not belittling your point of view. It is precisely that vision of Oz which has made it so enduring throughout this entire century. It is a vital part of Oz, but only one part. To put it another way, someone on this digest once asked us "Can't we just read the Oz books and enjoy them just becuase they are fun stories?" My answer to that question is two-fold. Yes, I can do that, but I cannot JUST do that. I can enjoy the Oz books on that level some times, but not all the time. Tyler: Boy, what a nice story!. Dave: Yes, that story was really nice. Tyler: What was it about? Dave: I can't remember, but it sure was nice. Tyler: Yes, if there's one thing it was, it was nice. [T & D breathe a long sigh of contentment] That just won't do it for me anymore. So yes, Oz is a place of escapist childlike innocence, but it is also a lot more and Oz books that are written that way are just as much Oz books as the other kind, as long as they do not textually contradict the FF, of course. --Tyler "Super long post" Jones ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 16:42:53 -0400 From: David A Gerstein Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-04-96 BILL WRIGHT: The name of Dorothy's animal sidekick in the 1902 play is Imogene. She is a cow. And, if I'm not mistaken, a recent Oz book from, I believe, Books of Wonder, included the character (but gave her an origin within Oz). I recall that in this book, Imogene had a hobby of giving unusual kinds of flavored milk (butterscotch, etc.). Very enjoyable book -- was it THE GIANT GARDEN OF OZ? (I read it while sleeping over at a friend's house a year ago; the friend had lots of recent Oz books and I can't recall precisely which one this was!) David Gerstein <96dag@williams.edu> ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 19:58:25 -0400 From: DavidXOE@aol.com Subject: Ozzy Digest 05-04-96 Gili: Actually, I don't think WICKED is a bad book. It's not a great book, but it has some very good parts in it, and Maguire definitely knows his Oz, at least through the Baum books. He twists and distorts it in ways that may offend a lot of Oz fans, but as a book it holds up quite decently. If it had been written as an ordinary fantasy without the specific Ozzy references, I don't think many people would have any problem with it - its world is no nastier than, say, Tolkien's. As an Oz book, of course, it's highly heretical; at least as much so as BARNSTORMER, and probably more. (BARNSTORMER at least accepted the general truth of WIZARD, with some relatively minor modifications; WICKED makes major modifications in WIZARD, and even more major ones in the rest of Baum.) Of course, I liked BARNSTORMER on the same basis - a good fantasy playing off the idea of Oz, though in no sense consistent with the FF. Why did you loathe it? Bill Wright: Someone else can probably answer this with more authority, but I'm pretty sure that Dorothy's pet in the original stage version of WIZARD was Imogene the cow. Which Shanower borrowed for a character in GIANT GARDEN, almost certainly on purpose. Steve Teller: I may have to see "The Craft" just to see if Fairuza turned into as pretty a young lady as she was a little girl. I've never seen anything she'd done besides RETURN. As far as I'm concerned, adaptations that didn't make the FF (meaning exclusive of TIK-TOK and SCARECROW - and SHAGGY MAN if you want to consider it an adaptation of JOHN DOUGH, although to my mind the resemblances, while obvious, aren't strong enough to justify that) are just as non-canonical as any other FF work (including, decidedly, the 1939 movie). Most, if not all of them, are in fact heretical, since they contradict the FF. But that's just my opinion; I'm hardly in a position to pronounce anything ex cathedra. (Of course, neither is anyone else...) Nathan Faut: I don't think the Tin Woodman axes Kalidahs in WIZARD - unless you mean when he cut the bridge he'd built as the Kalidahs were crossing so that they fell into the gulf. The only animals he killed directly with his axe were the wildcat that was chasing the queen of the field mice, and the wolves the WWW sent against them, as far as I can recall. (Not that this is really relevant to your argument, to be sure.) I pretty much agree with your opinion that Dave's FAIRY PRINCESS is going to be heretical. (If for no other reason, accepting it into the HACC would severely limit other writers, including myself. Future Oz stories and books I write, if any [and I have one story and two books in progress at the moment], are not going to include a romantic interest for Ozma. Nor, I think, will those of most other Oz authors.) But I've liked quite a few heretical books, and have every hope of liking his, too. I -don't- find the idea of Ozma having a romance, or even getting married, "repugnant". I just think that it interferes with the Oz universe as it has developed over the course of the FF and most of the subsequent books enough that it can't be accepted as something later authors should consider. (For that matter, I'd say the same about PATCHWORK BRIDE, though its overall effect would be far less.) Robin: I don't have my Latin dictionary handy, but I'm pretty sure that the Latin word for "lake" is "lacus". I know there's a "Lacus Solis" somewhere, I think on the Moon but possibly on Mars. (And astronomers use the terms "lake", "sea", "ocean", and such on dry worlds for large flat areas - e.g. the aforementioned "Lacus Solis", "Mare Imbrium", "Oceanus Procellarum", etc. on the Moon. So a "Lacus Quad" or something of the sort would be quite in order on Charon. Or a winding crack of some sort could be, say, "Flumen Winkiorum"... David Hulan ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 19:16:04 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-04-96 Bill "Piglet": I assume you refer to Dorothy's pet cow, Imogene? My .02 worth on reviews: If it bears the name Oz and/or is about Oz, it probably should be reviewed, even if we hate it. Maybe *especially* if we hate it, as long as we can still review it rationally and with appropriate elaboration to back up our main points. --Robin ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 22:49:34 -0400 From: HermBieber@aol.com Subject: Kansas Oz Theme Park For Ozzy Digest, I just attended an economic development meeting in Santa Fe. One of the attendees was the business advisor to the governor of Kansas, so I asked him if the Oz Park was really for real. He said that Kory (the promoter) had received a promise of critical financing from a wealthy Arab investor, that the presentation to the Kansas officialdom was well received, and that the outlook for the Oz Park was "encouraging." Let us hope! Best, Herm ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 23:03:57 -0400 (EDT) From: jnw@vnet.net Subject: misc DavidXOE@aol.com writes: > How could [Ozma] rule Oz effectively when she'd need to monitor > Dorothy's progress almost continuously? She may have taken a "vacation" and left the Scarecrow in charge. I suspect that watching Dorothy having adventures is one of Ozma's favorite pastimes. She certainly didn't mind doing it in ROAD. > And why would she do it in the first place? It's not as if she couldn't > have wished Dorothy - and the Wizard and the rest of Dorothy's > companions - to Oz directly, without all the underground stuff. Perhaps Ozma thought that Dorothy might not like being wished about when she (Dorothy) hadn't asked for it. But this wouldn't be a problem if Dorothy just "happened" to have an adventure. If Ozma did start Dorothy on her adventures in DORWIZ, then she (Ozma) was careful to pick a safer path in ROAD. She evidently had decided to tell Dorothy about it this time, using her birthday party as an excuse. That party may have been mostly just an excuse for bringing Dorothy to Oz. After Dorothy came to Oz permanently Ozma doesn't seem to have had any more birthday parties with so many international guests. Nathan Faut writes: > For instance, the Tin Woodman axes the Kalidahs in the original > story, rather brutally, if my memory serves me properly. The Tin Woodman had felled a tree to make a bridge across a gulf. When the Kalidahs tried to follow he chopped off the end causing the Kalidahs to fall and to be "dashed to pieces on the sharp rocks at the bottom". He did behead a cat that was chasing a mouse. He also beheaded the forty wolves that were slaves of Bastinda. For all we know these wolves might have been friendly and sweet tempered had they been freed from Bastinda's spell of enslavement. > And I still shiver when I think of the casual way that the Wizard kills > off the Wooden Gargoyles in DotWiz -- the Wizard makes some off-handed > remark that they were probably leading evil lives anyway, after torching > their village as the pair escape down the mountain's interior. That has always bothered me, too. It was so clearly unnecessary, since they had a good head start and the Gargoyles would never have followed them into the tunnel. Also, the Gargoyles were clearly good creatures who had reasonable laws. They couldn't stand sound, so that had a law against making noise, and lawbreakers were placed on the top of a tall building until they promised to be good. The Wizards words were: "Perhaps the flames will set fire to all that miserable wooden country, and if it does the loss will be very small and the Gargoyles never will be missed". That looks rather like genocide of a sentient race, just because their customs are a bit different. I hope that Ozma was watching with the Magic Picture and used the Magic Belt to discreetly put the fire out and to repair the wings and restore them to their rightful owners. Robin Olderman writes: > ... "Lake Quad." Actually, there probably are no lakes on Charon anyway. Billions of years ago the tremendous heat that was locked away inside Charon when it had formed suddenly burst forth as rivers of molten nitrogen flowing from the moons interior. The rivers converged to form a great ocean of boiling nitrogen, from which rose vapors that condensed to form a haze of fine nitrogen ice that shrouded the entire moon. Over time the sea cooled and froze, and was covered with a fine nitrogen snow. And thus was Lake Quad formed. :-) Dave Hardenbrook writes: > Don't be too sure...It's cold enough out there that there *could* be lakes > of liquid nitrogen! Actually, it's rarely *warm* enough for liquid nitrogen! In your letter to the naming committee perhaps you could give some examples the prove to them just how wonderful an Idea an Oz theme is. For instance: Scarecrow Rupes, Cowardly Linea, Big Enough Mons, Little enough Patera, Valles Hidden, Mare Soup, Deadly Planitia, Tattypoo Terra ... -- jnw@vnet.net (John N. White) ============================================================================= Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 23:58:46 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Heresy and other things 1) Bill, Dorothy's pet in the stage version of The Wizard of Oz was a calf named Imogene. From what I've heard secondhand, a cow by this name appears in The Giant Garden of Oz. 2) Stephen, Hah! Seems I'm beating Laumer to writing something called The Woozy of Oz (full text exists, 48,809 words in latest edition). Worst comes to worse, I'll change mine to The Lost Woozy in Oz. Any word on how much work Laumer had done? Also: Return t