Ruth Plumly Thompson: Most Prolific Historian of Oz

Born of a July 29, children’s author Ruth Plumly Thompson (1891-1976), best known as the second and most prolific of the Royal Historians of Oz.

The Philadelphia writer had published one book The Perhappsy Chaps (1918) when she was tapped by publishers Reilly and Lee to pick up the baton left by the recently deceased L. Frank Baum, the Oz books’ original creator. Her first effort The Royal Book of Oz (1921) was originally published under Baum’s name, and afterwards was purported to have been based on notes left by Baum, which was later proven untrue. Some editions still have Baum’s name attached. Thompson wrote 19 Oz books between 1921 and 1939. After breaking with Reilly and Lee, she went on to be an editor at Ace Comics, and to pen items for magazines like Jack and Jill, Ladies Home Journal, and Saturday Evening Post. Towards the end of her life, she published two more Oz books for a total of 21.

After Thompson left the series in 1939, her role as official Oz author fell to the series’ long-time illustrator John R. Neill, followed by others. As for Thompson being the most prolific, this is by the accounting of the keepers of the Oz canon, according to whom Thompson wrote 21 and Baum a mere 14 — but that is deceptive. Baum wrote a lot of other Oz stuff featuring his many characters which was published in book form, as well as books with other characters that are set in the Oz universe. If you add that stuff he’s roughly tied with Thompson, or even comes out ahead. The keepers of the canon have restricted the number of official books to 40 (“The Famous Forty”), but these days the number of books set in Oz by various authors is uncountable. Two are by sons of Baum, and many by his great grandson! Surely those count for something. Many are within the parameters set by the canon. Others, such as Wicked, are alternative “histories”.

For much more about the Oz books, plays, movies, etc, see my finding aid here.