] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 1, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 15:57:16 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-29-97 Earl: Others can doubtless answer with more authority, but I know that I've read that Baum didn't really like Neill's illustrations for his books. My guess is that there was very little collaboration between them; it was probably about like the collaboration between me and George O'Connor when he was illustrating GLASS CAT. Which was that he read my MS and drew some pictures illustrating it; the first I saw of the pictures was xeroxes of a few of them that Peter sent me after the book had gone to press, and the first I saw of most of them was when I got my author's copies of the book. (Or, actually, when I got the first batch I'd ordered for friends and relations; I got those well before my author's copies.) This resulted in about as many discrepancies between text and illustrations as in one of the Baum-Neill books. (Though George was called in on an emergency basis and in no way had time to recheck the text carefully; I don't blame him, and am generally quite happy with his artwork.) Maybe somebody knows whether Baum usually turned in his MSS well ahead of time or whether Neill was usually working to a tight deadline. OTOH, from what I've heard, Thompson and Neill had a much closer working relationship (of course, they lived a lot closer to each other). I don't know if anyone has ever done a study of whether the Baum-Neill discrepancies are more extensive than the Thompson-Neill ones. (And then, of course, sometimes Neill's illustrations contradict the text in his own books, although that's easily explicable by the heavy editing that had to be done by R&L to make them publishable.) But based on comments from friends, some of whom are professional writers and others of whom are professional illustrators of children's books, there is rarely much contact today between writer and illustrator except in the fairly rare cases, like Bruce and Katherine Coville, where they live together. I suspect it wasn't much different in Neill's day. Gordon: I'll have to think about other characteristics typical of the "second phase" of Baum's Oz books. One would certainly be "recycle the old characters," bringing back Dorothy in OZMA, the Wizard in DOTWIZ, Toto in ROAD, and Aunt Em (and to some extent Uncle Henry, though he had a cameo in OZMA) in EMERALD CITY. Another is "there's no danger in Oz;" all the dangerous situations in those four books, which I consider the second phase, are found outside Oz. (FWIW, I consider PATCHWORK GIRL to stand alone as the third phase, TIK-TOK through RINKITINK the fourth, and LOST PRINCESS through GLINDA as the fifth - and best.) And, as I mentioned earlier, those are the books where the child characters, especially Dorothy, exhibit bad diction. Although to be fair, some of the examples are probably more accurate phonetic spellings of the way most people really pronounce the word than the conventional spelling - "s'pose," for instance. Not many people even put a schwa into that first syllable (unless they're emphasizing the word for some reason); they just give a little extra sibilance to the "s" compared to the way a word spelled "spose" would be pronounced. Sometimes Dorothy has a white dress and white stockings, sometimes a white dress and blue stockings, and sometimes a blue dress and blue stockings. If I looked long enough, I might even find a case where she had a blue dress and white stockings. (And they must have both been pretty rank, even on a little girl, by the time she got to Oz - though in fact I guess she was only in them about four days.) It's my understanding, though, that all the color in all Neill-illustrated Oz books, except for the color plates in DOTWIZ and EMERALD CITY, was put in by the printer and not by Neill. And you can't expect a printer to have a high degree of respect for continuity. Speaking from the way my grandfather, who grew up on a farm not long before Dorothy, and who was a gentleman farmer later on, used the words, "chickens" in the plural referred generically to all the barnyard fowl of the species whose meat we call "chicken" (as in, "Time to go out and feed the chickens"); however, an individual member of the species was only called a "chicken" when it was immature. Once a hen began laying or a rooster crowing, they were "hen" or "rooster". I think that was the point Dorothy was making with Billina. Most people understand that difference when the shortened form "chick" is used (referring to the barnyard fowl, not young female homo sapiens), but even the full form of the word referred to a young one as my grandfather used it. More on OZMA: This has been remarked before, but not recently - in OZMA Ev and the Nome Kingdom are to the east of Oz, opposite the Munchkin country. All the directions given anywhere in the book are consistent with this interpretation. But in all the later books, they're opposite the Winkie country, whether the author sets the Winkie country on the west or east side of Oz. This is one of the really serious geographic problems, worse than explaining the flipping around of the countries inside Oz. There are a couple of conceivable explanations for that, but the only way I can see that Ev could change which country of Oz it was opposite would be a serious reversion of either Oz or the rest of Nonestica, and one would expect that anything so drastic would have been mentioned somewhere. (Maybe it became a repressed memory...) Another interesting question: why can Billina talk? When she speaks to Nanda, the maid is surprised she can talk, even though Nanda is obviously familiar with Evian chickens (since she puts Billina in their coop). If Evian chickens can't talk, why does being in Ev enable Billina to do so? There's considerable evidence that most animals can't talk throughout most of Nonestica outside Oz, though they can in Mo. Magical creatures like Bilbil and Pigasus are exceptions, of course, and dragons can talk in most legends, as well as in the Oz books wherever they're located. Something to mull over... David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 18:42:37 -0400 (EDT) From: BARRY ESHKOL ADELMAN Subject: Billina in Oz Jodel, how do you know Billina wasn't part of Glinda's plan? It seems rather fortuitous that the rescue party just happened to run into Dorothy, who was still under the effects of Locasta's kiss, and the person (okay, critter) who would save their skin. Perhaps Glinda caused the storm, knowing this would bring Dorothy and Billina into their path. Thus, if a headstrong Ozma and her party failed, one of the greatest heroes in Oz and a smart chicken were there to save them. Come to think of it, does Ozma's rescue party seem any more well-considered than her (Tip's) gag on Mombi? ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 21:47:40 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Today's Oz Growls Herm and Scott - Thanks for the info. Now I see it wasn't Baum's ghost. Darn! Tyler - You are truly the "Prince of Explicators." :) JOdel The Unsigned - I think you are being much too hard on Ozma. "Gunboat diplomacy?" Surely you are jesting? Ozma is an immortal fairy. She may have enjoyed a brief rest as an ornament. She also has a friend, Glinda, with a magic book. "Hmmm, I wonder where Ozma is? Oops, there she is in the Gnome King's trinket collection." As far as I'm concerned, Glinda can pin the Gnome King with one finger, assuming Ozma can't extricate herself, which isn't clear. Thus..... Ozstensibly, Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 19:42:44 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Ozzie Digest 4/30/97 Bear, As Norris the butler said to Philip Marloe (Humphrey Bogart) in _The Big Sleep_, "I'm sorry sir, I make many mistakes". Dave Hardenbrook, If liking Oz better that Star Wars makes a person a "wimpo pervert freak", you're not alone. Bob Spark -- "A dead atheist is someone who is all dressed up with no place to go." James Duffecy ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 21:50:55 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 Oz Flags: There are small Oz flags made by a commercial outfit that we've sold at conventions. Not all Oz flags were Jerry Mendel's. Fred knows who makes them: I don't. We need to ask him if more will be available. Good witches: Dave wrote: >>Was "good witch" really a "mind-shattering notion"? Were there no good witches before Baumgea rose from the Nonestic sea? Apparently a "good" witch was still a "mind-shattering notion" as recently as 8-12 years ago when WIZARD was banned from libraries (anyone remember where?...I wanna say Kentucky, but I'm not sure...) because religious leaders were offended at the notion that any witch could be considered good. I'd like to know, too, if Glinda is the first "good" witch in popular literature. --Robin O. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 22:34:04 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 Bob: "Cattle" is actually a variant of the word also found in English as "chattel", and historically referred to livestock in general, although it's almost exclusively used for the bovine variety these days. Historically, the generic plural for bovines is "kine". "Cow", other than in casual use, applies only to the adult female of the species (the males being known as "bulls" or "calves", depending on age; immature females as "heifers", and castrated males as "steers" if young or "oxen" if mature). Note that "cow" is also used, with a species modifier, for adult females of other species, such as elk, walrus, and seal. Herm: All your copies of PURPLE DRAGON are stamped with Baum's signature? I wonder, in that case, why mine isn't? For genuine signatures I can understand why some copies of a book have them and some don't, but why did someone stamp a signature into some but not into others? Bear: >I keep hearing Ozma's ear-warmers called poppies. They sure look that way >on p.116 and 258, even including the stems. However, every time I see them >I think "Poppies, phooey! They don't even have a scent. Peonies would >look better and smell nicer." But peonies don't have a narcotic effect, and in our BCF at least, _something_ must have been anesthetizing Ozma's brain! :-) (Of course, poppies don't have a narcotic effect just from being around them in our world. But in Oz they seem to...) Tyler: There's a third alternative (well, strictly speaking, since John K. is reading this, a third option, "alternative" technically referring to a choice between two possibilities) with regard to aging - that being that after Lurline had observed the effects of non-aging for a few years after Ozma's accession, she realized that it had some serious problems and she modified it to remove them. Certainly Lulea - who most of us believe is the same as Lurline - had such a change of heart in ZIXI, once she'd seen what mortals did with her spell, so it's plausible enough to me. I find this more likely than either of your options. Joyce: I think OZMA stands up to adult rereading better than many of Baum's books (like ROAD and DOTWIZ, in particular) because it has a well-defined goal. I'll admit that it's a little surprising, when looking at how far one is in the book at various points, to find that Ozma & company don't set off for the Nome King's dominions until just about halfway through the book. Which seconds your insight that this is Dorothy's book, not Ozma's - Ozma doesn't even appear in it until almost the midpoint (though she's mentioned earlier). In fact, Baum was pretty loose about his character-based titles - WIZARD and OZMA are mostly Dorothy's books, DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD more Zeb's than any other individual's, PATCHWORK GIRL Ojo's, TIK-TOK Betsy's, SCARECROW Trot's, RINKITINK Inga's, and TIN WOODMAN Woot's. GLINDA is arguably either Dorothy's or Ozma's, or even Ervic's, but not really Glinda's. But OZMA is still my favorite Oz book up to RINKITINK, and maybe even LOST PRINCESS. John K.: I guess I don't have as much insight into the "Oz-crit set" as you do. All I know about Oz-crit is what I read in the BUGLE and the Digest and the Research Group, and I haven't seen MAGIC compared with the Russian Revolution in any of them (though I'll admit that there could easily have been something between the last "Best of" that I have, which I think is about 1969, and the earliest BUGLES I subscribed to, in 1984). It's easy to see the parallels with the Russian Revolution in, say, Orwell's ANIMAL FARM, or Burroughs' PIRATES OF VENUS et seq., but I don't see much of one with MAGIC OF OZ. Assuming the BoW edition of LAND didn't omit any of the color plates, and I don't think it did, then there's no color plate of Ozma as a blonde. OZMA would be the first Oz book where Ozma was pictured in color, and that may well have been the reason why Neill changed her to a brunette in that book. I'm not sure that Glinda is a more major character in WIZARD than the GWN; it's true that she gives Dorothy the means to return to Kansas (or tells her how to use the means she's had all along), but the GWN's kiss protected Dorothy from the Winged Monkeys and the WWW, and she was the one who told Dorothy to take the silver shoes in the first place. And in terms of time on stage, and number of lines, I suspect the GWN comes out ahead in both cases. Glinda is definitely the more important character over the course of the series, but inWIZARD alone? Arguable, to say the least. Although I agree with Eleanor that based on her costume the GWN more strongly resembles a fairy godmother. (One wonders - did Disney, in his conceptualizing of CINDERELLA and SLEEPING BEAUTY, think of Denslow?) Dave: That's an interesting question, and I don't know the answer. Does anyone know of an example of a good witch (as opposed to a good fairy who may appear as an old crone, or the like) in literature prior to WOZ? David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 00:05:58 -0400 (EDT) From: EMiner0411@aol.com Subject: Wizard of Oz Can you tell me why the Wizard of Oz is called Oz? Our Social Studies teacher said it has to do with the depression. Also can you tell me what were the shoes originally and why Dorothy's shoes were a different color in the book than they were in the movie? [Can someone E-Mail this person privately with the answer? -- Dave] ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 00:43:11 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 04-28-97 The first thing I noticed when reading "Ozma of Oz" was "Why did Ozma's hair change from strawberry blonde to black?" When the text made no mention at all of Ozma's hair color, I concluded the illustrator goofed or deliberately disobeyed the author. That's why I usually portray Ozma with reddish-gold hair now. Ozma is also haughty. Ozma looked around her proudly. "Do you wish your ruler to plead with this wicked Nome King?" she asked. "Shall Ozma of Oz humble herself to a creature who lives in an underground kingdom?" "No!" they all shouted, with big voices... Thus Princess Ozma of Oz (cringe) comes across as less likable than her alter-ego, Tip. (Though Tip was too given to pulling pig's tails and playing tricks on Mombi to be strictly perfect, either.) Going from simple peasant boy to ruler of all the land of Oz must have gone to her head, at least for a while.As Baum did to the Tin Woodman. Ozma: I was new to ruling at the time, and I thought princesses were *supposed* to act that way. Another Neill/Baum inconsistency: Baum says the Nome King has bushy hair, Neill depicts the Nome King's hair & beard as slicked up & down into points. In a later book, Baum goes along with Neill's depiction of his villain. However, Baum never mentions Ozma's hair color again. Perhaps Baum liked Neill's "suggestion" for the Nome King but not Ozma? The usual human pattern is for head hair to be flowing and the beard to be bushy. Suppose the Nome King's bushy hair and flowing beard were meant to be subtle hints that the Nome King was not human? "Zauberlinda the Wise Witch," an obvious imitation of "Wizard," featured a little girl who is lured to an underground kingdom by a Gnome King. Since "Zauberlinda" predates "Ozma," one wonders if Baum pulled a "turnabout is fair for all," and imitated his imitator. Come to think of it, that would be a good way for Baum to hurt the sales of the rival book. Oh, yes, and can anyone tell me how Languidere got all her heads? Public executions? By other means? It is also interesting that Baum characterizes her most beautiful head as the meanest. When I illustrated Phyllis Karr's "Gardener's Boy of Oz," I got stuck when it came to portraying the Rackpat. So I wrote and asked her, "Is your rackpat a mammal or a reptile? I cannot tell from the text." She made the imaginative suggestion of making the rackpat a furry critter with scales--so that's the way I drew him in the pics. She made other good suggestions for illustrating her stories as well. Chris: You have a hot temper? You don't, by any chance, have Scotch or Irish in you, do you? The Celtic temper is quite notorious. "My blood began to boil, me temper I was losin'....." (Line from "The Rocky Road to Dublin.") There's some Scotch in my family, which might be why two of my boy cousins used to rock and sock each other all over the place at the drop of a hat. Think twice before hurling that shillelagh! :-) :-) Shillelaugh: An Iris cudgel, traditionally of blackthorn or oak. Dave: You've been pretty quiet, lately. It *is* depressing when reality socks us with the fact that our parents (and us) are not presently blessed with perpetual health and an unlimited lifespan. Hope your mother starts doing well enough for you to post regularly again. We miss you! Phyllis Karr had the same complaint about the portrayal of the fairy Blackstick from "Rose and the Ring" that Oz fans have about MGM's portrayal of Glinda. Every stage or movie adaptation portrayed the powerful, impressive Blackstick as a silly, dizzy airhead. Are directors terrified of strong female characters or what? Glinda and Blackstick: Absolutely! To be fair, some have complained bitterly about how Disney turned the powerful, impressive Merlin into a bumbling boob for "Sword in the Stone." Zim: And if I am ever unfortunate enough to become famous, I suppose I am next. Rick Moranis: Hey, Zim! Guess who I get to play in the upcoming Disney version of "Disenchanted Princess?" Zim (thought balloon): I knew it. Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 23:59:41 -0700 From: Ken Cope Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 On Silent Oz on tape: I would heartily recommend the boxed set, (great box art) with some easily remedied reservations. They've recorded two wacky synthesized background melodies that are quite um, cute. Once each. Also, the voice actress reading the caption cards is not ready for prime time. We used to watch Chaplin shorts with Gershwin playing on the CD player instead of whatever royalty-free junk was provided. You'd be amazed, but no matter what played, it looked like the action was choreographed. Actually, that's the principle behind the average music video. No matter what's happening, you'll make the visual and aural accents fit. Just about anything is better. Hey, I just found my old copy of _Dark Side of the Moon_... On Ozma/Leia: Whether intended it or not, I was hooked on that film the second I saw Leia discovered by threepio. Knocked back in my chair, I recognized the Ozma ref immediately. In 1977 I hadn't seen an Oz book since the last one I returned to the library 10 years earlier. The rule of references in film, or other media in general, is that if you are reminded of antecedent material, and it doesn't look like a cheap knock-off, there is at least a possibility that the author wanted an association to be made by their audience. Sometimes it's the author showing off, sometimes it's shorthand for gaining instant sympathy among a certain type of target fan. Certainly Star Wars is a collection of quotes from famous SF; it can easily be argued that Dune, (spice mines) and especially Foundation Trilogy are at least inspirational. (Han Solo was a Korellian.) I can't figure out whether the long skeleton in the desert was from a sandworm, or maybe it was just Terrybubble. ;) Ozma's poppies: This deserves an article, but Denslow went wild with the poppies, and it's my guess that Neill recognized a good thing when he saw it. This is from an era long before prohibition, or the war against drugs, and Opium poppies especially were associated in the mind of the average consumer of patent medicines with Laudanum. Just the thing to take unsettled children to the land of dreams. Also, Little Nemo's Princess of Slumberland, whose illustrator (Winsor McCay, the kick starter of animation as an art-form) Baum would have preferred for his tales, adorned the Princess of Slumberland in a crown and pair of side ornaments that had the same overall shape as the poppies. This was an era where not long before, Louisa May Alcott could publish a tale about a group of young girls who have an eventful, but innocent afternoon eating hashish with a dashing young medical student without the risk of a raised political eyebrow. For more than you might care to know about Laudanum, you might remember Poe was fond of it, as were many of the romantics. If you don't mind an evening of bizarre entertainment, you might sometime rent _Gothic_ by Ken (nothing exceeds like excess) Russel, wherein Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, and the author of the first Vampire novel, all scare themselves silly on Laudanum in a foreboding castle, telling each other tales and having the horrors that they would later put to paper in novels like _Frankenstein_. So if anybody has followed the tale of Sandman, the tragedy of Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, that 70 plus comic book run contains many references to Oz, not the least of which is found in a trade poster where a pale Dream muses in his garden holding poppies. The Sandman series is available in about 8 or 9 trade paperbacks, and is enjoying a second run. They have started reissuing the series as a monthly (since the tale did end), and are up to maybe issue 10 by now. Highly recommended. Oz transcends mere dreams, of course. We certainly are united in our passion for Oz, and this medium certainly is conducive to the presentation of public personae that we would blush to portray in person. I have a friend who has net.fans of his net.self who probably wouldn't take him so seriously face to face. The strongly phrased flame is usually a better sentence, and we forget that some of us on the digest have a lot of straw in our composition. I tend not to contribute, till I see something that I get passionate about that I just must respond to, and then the strong language demands publication... My friend who is jealous of his net.self says he wished life had a delete key and optional send button. I just think it's harder than it looks to get so many of us now on the same page at the same time. We're all certain that if the others knew what we knew, they'd agree, then we're shocked and dismayed when things we thought everybody knew, weren't known by everybody. (For example) Tyler, how can you live without case sensitive file names? NT is driving me nuts with that! Ken Cope Ones & Zeroes SurReal Estate pinhead@ozcot.com ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 12:39:55 +0200 From: Bill Wright Subject: RE: Ozzy Digest, 04-27-97 Dave H: >Both Vanderbilt and Gates created jobs for a lot of people - but they paid less than their competitors I know a lot of people at MS who get paid very, very well. The pay is not only salary but also stock options, and this has made a very large number of millionaires of ordinary employees, even non-technical ones like office assistants. Wish I had been smart enough to work for Gates a few years back!!. I have had a lot of business dealings with MS and have never encountered any unethical practices. They do have very hardnosed business practices, but this in my view is just good ole American competitiveness, the stuff that has put the USA on top of the world. Gates and MS do get a lot of "evil empire" press, but this always has to be considered in the light of the source..........competitors engaging in mindgames and psychological warfare. Bill in Ozlo ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 07:25:53 -0400 (EDT) From: earlabbe@juno.com (Earl C. Abbe) Subject: Ozzy Digest Submission - The Anti-Aging Spell In the 4/28 Digest, David Hulan says I agree that would be the more rational choice. However, in this reaction phase of response to the anti-aging spell, the people were not making fully conscious decisions in complete possession of the facts. It had only become obvious there really was an anti-aging spell. They didn't yet understand the controlling effect their wis process. Magic practitioners, more attune to such things, might have an idea of the workings or the spell, but not the general Oz public. (Still, with the scarcity of children and the increased appreciation of those few that remained, I think there were plenty of willing secondary care-takers to assume some of the child maintenance burden.) Later, the spell was better understood. The mothers and fathers of these perpetual infants had experienced years of carrying, feeding, burping, diaper changing, etc. Some few births had occurred, which gave assurance that the arrival of new life had slowed, not stopped. Finally it was generally agreed that perhaps it would be good to ease off on the breaks and let the children grow slowly. This is the current phase of reaction to the anti-aging spell, the rational phase. Earl Abbe ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 08:10:38 +0600 From: rri0189@ibm.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 Bob Spark wrote: >As a parallel (and totally off the point) when >are bovine "cows" and when can they be called "cattle"? Cows are female. "Cattle", by the way, is a recent specialization; the word is related to "chattel", and can apply to any beasts kept for dairy, meat, work, etc, although the particularized sense of "bovine" has been making steady inroads since the 16th century, to the point where nowadays it would be unsafe to use the word otherwise. "Deer", which originally meant any wide animal (c.f. German "Tier") is a parallel case. I suppose it is due to a vague awareness of this that you will sometimes find the word "beef" (pl. "beeves") used instead. (As "Ivanhoe" rightly points out, modern English in general has a unique trick of using Anglo-Saxon words for animals on the hoof and French words for the same animals as meat.) Dave Hardenbrook wrote: >Was "good witch" really a "mind-shattering notion"? Were there no >good witches before Baumgea rose from the Nonestic sea? I guess I'm >more used to witches being good...I guess I consider Oz, Elizabeth >Montgomery in _Bewitched_, and Hermone Gingold in _Winter of the Witch_ >more part of my makeup than _Hansel and Gretel_, etc... The history of the word is complex, but outside of occasional British dialect use, I think it is safe to say that ca. 1900, a "witch" was generally assumed to be female (except -- obviously -- in "he-witch") and wicked (except in the phrase "white witch"), and the assumption of wickedness was much stronger in puritan America. The instances you speak of are both post-Oz, and "Bewitched", in particular, came out only some years after the 1939 movie had become a American TV fixture. On the other hand, "Zauberlinda" demonstrates clearly that the notion of a "good witch" was not utterly repugnant. I can at any rate safely say that as a child in the 50's, more literate than most and raised in a family with no religion to speak of, I found the notion of a "good witch", after the surprise wore off, an intriguing oxymoron, and I think, judging from Dorothy's reaction in the book, that this was more or less what Baum expected. But a prose narrative is not a drama. Narrative does not demand that the writer "find the fingerprints" of the characters, and this is just as well for Baum, because it's something he was, as a writer, pretty much incapable of doing; "The Last Egyptian" is really the only time he ever even made an approach to it. But drama, if it is to go beyond farce, pantomime, or pageant, does require this of the writer, because the dramatist is constrained to deliver something an actor can be. Imagine the words of the dialog between the GWN and Dorothy transcribed verbatim in a play. Now imagine being an actress having to play the role of Dorothy; it can't be done, at least at any level of conviction beyond an elementary-school play. Somehow more meaning has to be put into it, either by a long (and dramatically deadly) digression or by the concentration of meaning in a few words that is characteristic, for example, of late Shakespeare. (Imagine Imogen in Oz! Indeed, it took the utter poetic mastery of Shakespeare's last years to make possible the combination of the fantastic and the earnest that is the final romances.) // John W Kennedy -- Hypatia Software -- "The OS/2 Hobbit" ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 10:24:59 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 > > Still, OZMA OF OZ is an enjoyable story, and Billena is a strikingly successful > creation. She is unmistakably a hen in character and outlook, and one of the > few "adult" characters (yes, there were others) which Baum ever sent to Oz > who hadn't anything noticably peculiar about them. > Actually I consider Billina the true heroine of the story. > > Dave Hardenbrook wrote: > >One thing I've always wondered -- Since they're never mentioned at all in > >any FF text, how do we for certain that they *are* poppies, or that she > >*always* wears poppies, and doesn't also don hybiscus or elysium for > >variety? > > Because poppies are Romantic High Art. I don't know why, but they are. > (Of course given the tendencies of the _spaetromantik_ era in general, > one explanation comes to mind....) It's one little Art Nouveau idiom > that made it into post-Denslow Oz, somehow. > Perhaps the popularity of Poppies in the aesthetic movement was their association with rest and sleep (consider the deadly poppy field) and with opiates. Shakespeare's Iago (about 1604 says, "Not poppy nor mandragora . . . Shall ever Medice thee to that sweet sleep which thou owedst yesterday." > > >I agree heartily with Gordon about Billie Burke's "ditzy" portrayal > >of Glinda...She seems to be the most maligned of all Ozians (by both > >MGM and _Wicked_)... > > I don't think "ditzy" is quite the right word (although BB spent most > of her later career doing "ditzy"); the character never says or does > anything that is foolish or a non-sequitur. MGM's Glinda is clearly a > figure of authority, drawn from both of Baum's characters, but then > utterly diluted to an "acceptable" and "fairy-tale" degree of feminine > power. > > // John W Kennedy -- Hypatia Software -- "The OS/2 Hobbit" > I find Billie Burke's portrayal of Glinda as rather patronizing rather than ditzy. The way she smiles at the Munchkins looks more like a mother looking at performing children than anything else. > Re: Easton Press editions (_Wiz_ thru _Emerald City_) > > The pamphlet I had at work didn't give the price. Since I personally didn't > buy them, my price estimate may have been off. I usually don't like to buy > the "instant" collectible (or collectable--Webster's says it can be spelled > either way) stuff, either. But I have to admit, IMHO, these are the best > editions of Oz books 1-6 that have been published to date. The only thing > better they could have done was included a slipcase. > > Scott (still trying to figure out Windows 95) Olsen > Different people have different ideas about what constitutes a best edition. Textually the Easton Press versions are identical to Books of Wonder/Morrow. > Was "good witch" really a "mind-shattering notion"? Were there no > good witches before Baumgea rose from the Nonestic sea? I guess I'm > more used to witches being good...I guess I consider Oz, Elizabeth > Montgomery in _Bewitched_, and Hermone Gingold in _Winter of the Witch_ > more part of my makeup than _Hansel and Gretel_, etc... > > -- Dave > One of the reasons for one school board trying to ban the Wizard of Oz was that it had "good witches" because witches are worshippers of pre-Christian deities. Therefore, to a "true" Christian "Good Witch" is a contradiction of terms. Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 13:19:38 -0400 (EDT) From: Saroz@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 Regarding the Wiz.....I'm going to go see this magnificent performance next week...I've never seen it before, and I know it's much different from the film (which I own). The only thing I have to go on is the '75 soundtrack and a two-page article in THE WORLD OF OZ. Could someone tell me more about this musical, and how it differs from the film? Thanks Sarah Hadley ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 12:19:58 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 Dave, George Lucas admitted to being inspirfed by the Oz books, Flash Gordon, John Ford's _The Searchers_, Eiji Tsuburaya's _Ultraman_, and films by Ishiro Honda and Akira Kurosawa. I'm absolutely certain that Avalow in John Boorman's _Zardoz_ wears her hair like Princess Leia (that film was made in 1973, mind you) was a direct reference to Ozma. After all, it was inspired, in part, by the Oz books. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 14:13:46 -0400 (EDT) From: ZMaund@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 Dave: Did you manage to post my request that anyone with auction material please contact me? If you did and I missed it, many thanks. If you did not, can you do so? Should I re-send the text? A new favor. We have a problem in that I won't be at Munchkins and we do not have anyone volunteering to coordinate the auctions. No coodinator, no auction, as far as I can tell. Therefore I am hoping you can post the following in the Ozzy Digest, and perhaps even run it again in a week if I get no response. Thanks, Dave -- this is a truly Ozian public service!: ============================================================ The following is an appeal to everyone planning to attend this year's Munchkin Convention of the International Wizard of Oz Club: The Munchkin Auction is in need of a coordinator. Without a coordinator, there may not be an auction this year at this convention. The coordinator would have the following duties: 1) Become familiar with the computer program being used to clerk the auction. 2) Accept books and other auction materials in advance. The books will have already been catalogued, auction slips will have been prepared, and the information will have been entered into a database. The books can be sent directly to the hotel, or anywhere else designated. 3) Make sure a computer is available for use. .Loans of equipment can likely be arranged with other Munchkins who are attending. 4) Accept any last-minute donations or consignments; catalog and lot them, and enter information into the database. 5) Make sure the auction materials and computer are brought to the auction room, and the room is set up. 6) Oversee the security of all the auction material at all times 7) Supervise the silent auction. 8) After the conclusion, make sure payment is collected from the buyers, and the money forwarded to Theo Carson, the Club's treasurer.. We have volunteers already to clerk the auction, and other volunteers can be found to do much of the chores outlined above. There will be experienced people available at all times to assist. What we need is someone to coordinate everything, to delegate jobs and make sure they're performed, and in general to take the responsibility to shepherd the process through. Anyone interested should contact Patrick Maund (ZMaund@AOL.com) ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 97 13:20:34 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things BARRY AND _OZMA_: I think you're right -- Glinda planned the whole thing... BANNING OZ: Some people get so uptight -- What do they think, that if kids read about "good witches" they'll all be converted to satanism??? That seems as reasonable as the assertion that if kids have gay teachers then *they'll* turn out gay! Locasta: Besides Dave, don't you remember when Larry King had on his show representatives of the national congregation of Christian witches? COWS: The term "cow" is also applied to the females of other species, e.g. elephants and whales...I've even heard it applied to female dinosaurs! THE EVENTS IN _OZMA OF OZ_: Ozma: I wish people weren't always reminding me of the stupid things I did when I was young... :) Jellia: You're Queen -- I'm afraid it come with the territory, Milady! Dan: We still love you! :) -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 2, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 22:33:45 +0000 From: "Estelle E. Klein" Subject: ozzy cookie cutters Thanks for all the info about the cookie cutter- yes we have the "second series" with holes-- but, not to belabor an issue, who is this munchkin Jerry Mendel? The S.Cox book does not have him as part of the list of male munchkins in the movie? Thanks, estelle ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 18:03:29 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-01-97 Melody: Have you noticed that Baum describes Polychrome's eyes as "violet" in _Road_, and "blue" in _Tik-Tok_? I mentioned at least three times in my book that her eyes were violet, since I don't think Baum really thought about that much, since there were, to my knowlede, only two mentions of her eye color. Sarah, I have wanted to see _The Wiz_ on stage very much; however, I have read the script and it is one of the closest dramatizations of the novel. The dialogue is original, but so, of course is MGM's. Some unsual highlights include the lion arrested by field mice for associating with the poppy girls (prostitutes). Dorothy's friends are placed in barrels on the shelf after they are torn apart. The Kalidahs are five people with masks and claws, and the Wizard it obsessed with money. Some of the things Allen Eyles claims the play features are not in the script as published by Samuel French, such as the helicopter, the billboard, and the football player. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 18:53:40 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-01-97 Barry: You could be right, although in my opinion you're making Glinda vastly more powerful than she seems to be elsewhere in the series. It's hard to imagine, for instance, that if she could cause a storm on the Pacific, so accurately controlled as to pop Dorothy and Billina off a ship without wrecking it, that she wouldn't be able to send Dorothy home at the end of either WIZARD or OZMA on her own, without bothering with silver shoes or magic belt. There's also the case of Billina's unfortunate coop-mates, who appear to have drowned because of the storm; would Glinda do that? On the other hand, it's certainly an amazing coincidence that Dorothy would turn up in Ev less than 24 hours before Ozma's expedition arrived, if there were no guiding intelligence involved. I'd be more inclined to suspect Lurline than Glinda, though. Bear: What Ozma was doing was, except for the fact that it was done on land, essentially the same thing as the classic "gunboat diplomacy" - which was what it was called when the representatives of a country that considered itself to have a higher set of moral standards used its clearly higher military technology to punish the inhabitants of countries who didn't share their moral views. The only problem was that Ozma was pretty ineffective; her "gunboat" turned out to be more of a canoe. Only a couple of amazing coincidences made the operation successful. You may be right, of course, that if Billina hadn't happened to overhear the conversation between Roquat and his steward, Glinda would have rescued Ozma. But if Glinda had that much power, why didn't she just liberate the Queen of Ev and her children without sending Ozma and her ridiculous little "army" to Ev? Robin: I think the attempt to ban WOZ because of the good witch was in either east Tennessee or western Virginia. I know I have a mental picture of its happening in the general area of Bristol, which sits on the state line there. I don't think this qualifies it as a "mind-shattering notion", though; I mean, those same people feel the same way about evolution, and I don't think anyone would say that evolution is a "mind-shattering notion" today, even though some people bitterly denounce it. >I'd like to know, too, if Glinda is the first "good" witch in popular >literature. I can give you an unqualified "no" on that one. The Good Witch of the North comes the better part of a whole book earlier than Glinda. :-) Melody: Since I didn't read the Oz books in sequence my first time through, I was more surprised when I finally read LAND (which was one of the last few I read in my initial "read all I can get hold of" phase back in 1942-45) and saw she was a blonde in it. OZMA was another one that I read relatively late in that phase, as far as that goes. (If anyone's interested, the ones I didn't read in that phase, besides the ones that hadn't been written yet, were CAPTAIN SALT, HANDY MANDY, WONDER CITY, and SCALAWAGONS.) >It is also interesting that Baum characterizes her [Langwidere's] most beautiful >head as the meanest. I don't think this is strictly true. That is, he neither says that her No. 17 head is her most beautiful one (just that it's particularly beautiful) or that it's her meanest (just that it has a bad disposition that causes her to do things while wearing it that she regretted with wearing her other heads). It seems unlikely that Langwidere got her heads from public executions. Beautiful women are rarely executed. I would guess that she got them from a fairy godmother or something of the sort. After all, when she wanted Dorothy's head she was going to swap one of her other heads for it. >Chris: >You have a hot temper? You don't, by any chance, have Scotch or >Irish in you, do you? Nah, I don't think Chris drinks. Now, I frequently have Irish in me, though bourbon is my more typical tipple, but my wife likes Scotch... (I'm playing on the fact that the Scots make a fairly big deal out of the view that "Scotch" is an adjective properly applied only to whisky; the adjective for a person from Scotland is "Scots", though "Scottish" is acceptable.) Ken C.: There's a classic 19th century book, though from the opposite end from Baum, called CONFESSIONS OF AN OPIUM EATER. De Quincey, or something like that. I've never read it, but have seen quite a lot of references to it. And I can remember my high school Latin teacher reminiscing about being sent down to the drugstore by her next-door neighbor, when she was a little girl, to pick up an ounce of opium. (I also remember a friend of mine telling me about having tried smoking opium when he was in China while in the Navy shortly after WW II. He said it gave him technicolor daydreams, which were sort of neat, but it wasn't worth the hassle of getting hold of it.) Bill: A lot of people at Microsoft have done very well, though most of them are people who got on board early. My opinion of the company is influenced by my wife, who's worked in the computer industry for 21 years now and has known a lot of people who have worked at MS at one time or another. It does not have a good reputation in the industry as a place to work. (And the companies where she's worked haven't really been in competition with MS.) Earl: You got your theory and I got mine. (About aging in Oz.) Neither of us can prove ours conclusively. Dave: >Some people get so uptight -- What do they think, that if kids read about >"good witches" they'll all be converted to satanism??? That seems as >reasonable as the assertion that if kids have gay teachers then *they'll* >turn out gay! The problem with the people who want to ban WIZARD (and a lot of other good books for children) is that they want to stop children from thinking for themselves, for fear that they'll stray from the path that their parents know is Truth. This is not me demonizing them; they say that in so many words themselves. However, as far as I'm concerned this _is_ the equivalent of demonizing them - and the fact that those people have a lock on the Republican party in a lot of areas is the biggest reason why I reject the Republicans, even though in general I disagree with about as many Democratic stands as I do Republican. I just feel much more strongly about some issues than others, and this is one that's almost a "litmus test". As long as the Republicans cultivate the Know-Nothings, I'll stay clear of them. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 19:49:28 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Today's Oz Growls Oh no David! You are not going to start the idea that Ozma is hooked on her poppies? I know that recreational drugs were not illegal in Baum's time but surely not. :) Melody - I am amazed you characterize Ozma as "haughty." She is an immortal fairy and the ruler of Oz. I thought her behavior was perfectly consistant with her position. Oz isn't some commune where everyone is "equal." Monarchically, Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 19:55:55 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Wierd Magical Properties in Oz 1) Barry et al., perhaps Glinda had nothing to do with Dorothy ending up in Ev. An anomalously large number of unusual events, many of them magical, seem to happen in Dorothy's presence. This can be explained in one of two ways: 1) She is a favorite character of Oz writers. 2) She has a property which makes her a virtual magnet for magical and improbable events. Undoubtedly the second is the correct explination. (: Other characters which may have such a property are Trot, Cap'n Bill, the Wizard, Peter, and Speedy, all of which travelled to enchanted countries at least twice spontaneously; once is extremely rare, but what are the chances for a repeat? More study of this problem would be indicated. 2) On Baumian books not being named for their main characters: Oh dear. _Woozy_'s main character IS the Woozy! I'll have to rename it after a less important character. How about _A Moose over Oz_? moose: Well, whadaya know! I appear only in one scene, but they name the entire book after me! litle girl holding a teddy kalidah: Why _A Moose _over_ Oz_? 3) Ladies and Gentlemen, I present for your entertainment Review Theater! moose: Run for your lives! It's not that bad. Victim #1: _The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa_ by Ruth Plumly Thompson. Exceeds my expectations for how different it would be from Baum's _The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus_. Not only violates Baum's conception of Santa (and the general American conception as well), but it also violates without possible rationalization all conceptions of cosmology since Ptolemy. Neptune (a character from Greek mythology) shows up, calling into question Thompson's theology--Christianity and ancient Greek religion aren't compatible, except according to neo-Platonists. Truly wierd is that Penny the Penguin, one of Santa's helpers, collects three small alligators on the expedition to be used as Christmas presents. While reptiles are cool, alligators, if I remember correctly, aren't quite designed to be good pets. God only knows what that penguin was thinking. Santa has much to explain. Victim #2: _Zauberlinda, the Wise Witch_ by Eva Katharine Gibson. This book actually struck me as not particularly Ozzy. Much of the book is dedicated to portraying the situation the protagonist, Annie McGrew, is in, and when she finally goes on her journey, she's fairly passive. (Dorothy could beat her up, no contest. Come to think of it, Roquat-Ruggedo could--and would--beat up the Gibsonian Gnome King even without the Magic Belt.) No thrills. Nothing to write home about. Victim #3: _Der Wizard in Ozzenland_ by Dave Morrah. I am not amused. I don't think Germans would be amused by the mock-German. Didn't even get to the second story in the book, I was so underimpressed with the title story, which is the shallowest and least complete rendition of _Wizard_ on record. Victim #4: "The Exiles" in _The Illustrated Man_ by Ray Bradbury. Bizarre. Can't explain. This is so wierd that you have to read it yourself. Victime #5: _The Other Side of Time_ by Keith Laumer. This is not an Oz book, but it was mentioned in _The Annotated Wizard of Oz_ along with "Exiles" as being Oz-related. Read this book. This guy writes even better than his brother March. Even harder to describe without sounding flaky. Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 19:40:44 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Ozzie Digest-ruminations Bear, Immediately upon receiving that information about the videotapes, I called Critic's Choice and placed my order. Thanks,I appreciate that. You saved me a not inconsiderable amount of money given their total cost. I am in your debt. Everyone (or at least one knowledgeable person), I have noted the convention that most of you seem to use, denoting book titles by underscores i.e. _Ozma Of Oz_. At times the titles seem to stand alone, no prior or subsequent punctuation. I have attempted to use the underscoring punctuation, but have no idea If I am doing so correctly. I am sure that there are rules, but don't know where to find them. Could you let me know, please? Also, do the same rules apply to monograph and movie titles? Thanks, Bob Spark -- "A dead atheist is someone who is all dressed up with no place to go." James Duffecy ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 23:01:50 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 Re Billina and role as eavesdropper/"narrator": Many authors create characters such as that to expedite the telling of the story. Denslow and fairy godmother--interesting idea... David: You say,(One wonders - did Disney, in his conceptualizing of CINDERELLA and SLEEPING BEAUTY, think of Denslow?) I think it more likely Disney thought of Glinda (Sorry, but I'm baaack!) Melody: I don't think Ozma displays haughtiness in her comments, <"Do you wish your ruler to plead with this wicked Nome King?" she asked. "Shall Ozma of Oz humble herself to a creature who lives in an underground kingdom?"> This is said for effect and to keep her followers following her, so to speak. Dramatic effect, not haughtiness! Until next time, Kiex (alias Jeremy Steadman) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 00:19:01 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Robin: The episode rings a bell. ISTR that the people in favor of the banning said that witchcraft is always associated with Satanism, and thus _The Wizard of Oz_, by having a "Good Witch" (two in fact), was promoting devil worship. While I consider myself to be a member of the religious right, this kind of attitude is ludicrous. I cannot believe that anybody who has sat down and actually read the book could seriously beleive that it promotes such things. Bear: Thanks for the compliment. What precisely was I explicating? David: I'm not sure where our options differ. In mine, I said that one possibility is that Lurline altered the spell after Ozma ascended the throne, and in your theory, Lurline also does the same thing. Am I missing something? Lulea's action in _Zixi_ does provide precedent, although simply removing the cloak from circulation is more trivial than altering a spell over an entire nation. I will concede that the alteration is a possibility, but so far I remain uncomitted either way. Just to mention it, I am one of those who views Lulea, Lurline and Zurline as three separate entities. I would love to discuss the nature of the roles of Glinda vs GWN in _Wizard_ and Dorothy and the Wizard vs Zeb, but that is part of a project so top secret, it's not even listed on my web page! Melody: AHA! You have finally given me the opportunity to show off this little bit of knowledge: Scotch is the stuff you drink, your family is Scottish. :-) Ken: I pity thee. :-) I cut my teeth on the Apple ][+, which had no lower case. Therefore, I came of age without knowledge of or need for case-sensitive names. I sometimes use underscores to separate words, though. I believe that NT 4.0 allows case-sensitive names, though. "Remember WHEN..." My cousin used to complain that her mother would bring things up that happened long ago over and over and... It looks like Ozma is having the same luck. As Dave, says, though, we all still love her :-) --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 01:35:47 -0400 (EDT) From: HermBieber@aol.com Subject: For Ozzy Digest Dave Hulan: I wasn't aware until this week that all Purple Dragons weren't cut from the same cloth! Maybe there were several printings and only the first state had the Baum facimile. Does anyone else know about this? Robin? On Cooperation Bewteen Author and Illustrator: It is fairly certain that Neill did not communicate in person with Baum frequently. Most of the time he was working on the Baum books he was living on his estate, Endolane, in Flanders, NJ, while Baum was in Chjicago or California. On the other hand, Thompson, living in Philadelphia only 50 miles south of Flanders, was probably much more accessible. Cheers, Herm ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 09:59:48 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-01-97 David: You're right about Baum not liking Neill's work. His feelings surfaced in a letter to Reilly & Britton complaining about Neill's _The Oz Toy Book_, which was published in 1915 without Baum's permission. He wrote, "I see my characters and incidents so differently from the artist that I fail to appreciate his talent." Baum apparently felt that Neill's pictures weren't humorous enough. For a while he wanted to find another artist who was stylistically more of a cartoonist. This, of course, is hard to accept by those of us who know and love Neill's work and can't imagine Oz without it. More on this can be found in the introduction to IWOC's reprint of _The Oz Toy Book_ and on pages 41-47 of David L. Greene and Dick Martin's _The Oz Scrapbook_. -- Craig Noble ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 09:03:38 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest Many thanks to all of you who responded to my chicken question! On Glinda's "ditziness": when I wrote "ditzy Billie Burke," of course I was also influenced by memories of her as Mrs. Cosmo Topper. As Glinda she doesn't appear flighty or scatter-brained, but I still think her *voice* is ditzy--that high-pitched tight vibrato and her tinkling little laugh. (It's positively refreshing, as an antidote to the BB performance, to listen to Harburg and Arlen singing the Munchkinland sequence in their tough urban acccents on the Rhino CD.) Joyce: I agree with Bear that Ozma's interventionism isn't really "gunboat diplomacy":--I think of her group more as a human-rights delegation, though it's true that she brings along an army to back her up, and the abused human rights in question happen to be those of fellow royalty. I find it interesting that there is in fact so much discussion in the book of the legal ramifications of Ozma's intervention, and it is primarily Tik-Tok, the mechanical man, who argues along strictly legalistic lines with regard to the contractual arrangements between Evoldo and the Nome King. (Could Baum have been making a comment on lawyers?) I have always assumed, incidentally, that Evoldo had already reached his decision to commit suicide by the time he locked Tik-Tok up--otherwise why would he do such a thing to his useful and loyal servant?--and informed the mechanical man of his intention to throw both himself and the key into the sea. Since there has been quite a bit of talk about BoW's discreet correction of typographical errors, I'd like to report that as far as I can see, every one of the typos from the first state are intact in the BoW edition ("Noma King" on p. 112; "you re" on p. 208; "now useful" (for "how useful") on p. 118; "it's next visitor" on p. 213; and a couple of others). In other words, this really does appear to be a true facsimile edition except for the understandable omission of the ad page. --Gordon Birrell ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 09:10:59 -0500 From: jswilliams@UH.EDU (Jim Williams) Subject: The Wonderful Land of Oz-UH Children's Festival The Children's Theatre festival presents new productions each summer. We are in our 20th year. Last year Dr. Sidney Berger (director of the University of Houston School of Theatre) and Nationally know musician and composer Rob Landes wrote The Wonder Land of Oz. This one hour musical was a compelation of some of the Oz stories and characters. Dorothy returns for a visit to Oz just in time for Ozma's birthday. The gnome king sends his hunchmen to the Emerald City and steal the Ruby Slippers. Through a number of adventures, Dorothy and her friends get back the slippers and save the day. No video was made of the production, but interested parties can contact the Univesity of Houston School of Theatre secretary at sjudice@uh.edu to reach Dr. Berger. JSWilliams@uh.edu ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 10:24:20 -0600 (CST) From: Ruth Berman Subject: ozzy digest Joyce Odell: I like the idea of "true-blue Lulu" as a revision! Very Baumish, even though he didn't think of it. Dave Hardenbrook: I don't think there were any good witches before Baum. There were benevolent old female magic-workers, but their stories referred to them as fairy godmothers or wise women, or sometimes even sorceresses and enchantresses (like Melissa in Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso," in English translation, and I suppose the original Italian words were something close). MacDonald avoided specifying what kind of being Grandmother Irene is in "The Princess and the Goblin," and the miners in "The Princess and Curdie" who call her a witch and assume she is wicked are rebuked as ignorant fools. David Hulan: I think the belief that the animals' revolt in "Magic" is based on the Russian Revolution goes back to Warren Hollister's "Bugle" article on "Baum's Other Villains" in the 70's. He discusses it only briefly, quoting Ruggedo's speech urging the animals to take over the houses and cities and drive the humans out to live in the forest as rhetoric that reminds him of the Russian Revolution. I assume the resemblance he meant was in an analogy between animals urged to take over humans' place and proletariat urged to drive out aristocrats. The resemblance to the Russian Revolution isn't as close as it might be, because it doesn't have the ideals about sharing things equally, regardless of class. It's rather more like the hatred of the aristos in the French Revolution. Still, it does seem plausible that Baum at least had the current revolution in mind in coming up with a revolution, although it probably overstates the case to refer to it by implication as the only model or the main one. Melody Grandy: I don't think having a Gnome/Nome King in both "Ozma" and "Zauberlinda" would undercut the sales of the earlier book, but it seems plausible that "Zauberlinda" help alerted Baum to the idea that gnomes could be fun to write about. (As I discussed in my Dunkiton pamphlet on gnomes, though, Baum would almost certainly have also been familiar with the gnomes who were popular figures in operetta throughout the 19th century.) How Languidere got heads -- perhaps she made artificial heads (like the ones the Magical Monarch of Mo tried when the Purple Dragon swallowed his) and paid women to swap? If the heads weren't any better than the Mo ones, the deals weren't very fair, though. (If the artificial heads were a lot better than the Mo heads, Languidere herself might have been using artificial ones. But her intention of swapping with Dorothy implies that she'd done similar deals before.) Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 12:20:25 -0400 (EDT) From: Gili Bar-Hillel Subject: digest Hi Dave, hard to believe the day has come, but I would like to ask you to unsubscribe me from the digest, temporarily. I simply have no time to read it, and the unread digests are piling up in my inbox and making me feel guilty and unhappy. My love to all, especially you for all your work and the trouble you take with the digest. I promise I will be back one of these days. Gili ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Gili Bar-Hillel abhillel@fas.harvard.edu gili@scso.com http://www.scso.com/~gili ====================================================================== "He thought he saw a Rattlesnake |\ _,,,---,,_ That questioned him in Greek: /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ He looked again, and found it was |,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-' The Middle of Next Week. '---''(_/--' `-'\_) 'The one thing I regret,' he said, (cat by Felix Lee) 'Is that it cannot speak!'" - Lewis Carroll, "Sylvie and Bruno" ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 17:21:01 +0000 From: oclc-fs@oclc.org (First Search Mail) Subject: FirstSearch text delivery ------------------------------------------------------------ PLEASE DO NOT REPLY OR SEND MESSAGES TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS. ------------------------------------------------------------ ACCESSION: 35137900 AUTHOR: Phillips, Matthew. TITLE: The witches of Oz / PLACE: Chieveley : PUBLISHER: Capall Bann, YEAR: 1994 1991 PUB TYPE: Book FORMAT: ii, 149 p. : ill. ; 21 cm. NOTES: Originally published: Australia : 1991. Bibliography: p. 142-146. ISBN: 1898307180 (pbk) : SUBJECT: Witchcraft. Ritual. Magic. Goddess religion. Paganism OTHER: Phillips, Julia, 1953- ------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for using FirstSearch. This e-mail account is only for distribution of FirstSearch documents. Please contact your librarian with comments or concerns. ------------------------------------------------------------ ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 17:23:36 +0000 From: oclc-fs@oclc.org (First Search Mail) Subject: FirstSearch text delivery ------------------------------------------------------------ PLEASE DO NOT REPLY OR SEND MESSAGES TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS. ------------------------------------------------------------ ACCESSION: 34501771 AUTHOR: Hockney, David. TITLE: [Oz poster]: for the Oz obscenity fund ... PLACE: [London, PUBLISHER: n. pub.] YEAR: 1971 PUB TYPE: Book FORMAT: [1] f. illus. 58 x 90 cm. ------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for using FirstSearch. This e-mail account is only for distribution of FirstSearch documents. Please contact your librarian with comments or concerns. ------------------------------------------------------------ ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 17:31:29 +0000 From: oclc-fs@oclc.org (First Search Mail) Subject: FirstSearch text delivery ------------------------------------------------------------ PLEASE DO NOT REPLY OR SEND MESSAGES TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS. ------------------------------------------------------------ ACCESSION: 30623639 AUTHOR: Wilson, Wayne, 1932- TITLE: Sexuality in the Land of Oz : searching for safer sex at the movies / PLACE: Lanham, Md. : PUBLISHER: University Press of America, YEAR: 1994 PUB TYPE: Book FORMAT: ix, 419 p. ; 22 cm. NOTES: Includes bibliographical references (p. [377]-393) and indexes. ISBN: 0819196223 (cloth : alk. paper) 0819196231 (pbk. : alk. paper) SUBJECT: Sex in motion pictures. Cinema -- Films (Motion pictures) -- Special subjects -- Sexuality ------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for using FirstSearch. This e-mail account is only for distribution of FirstSearch documents. Please contact your librarian with comments or concerns. ------------------------------------------------------------ ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 17:43:34 +0000 From: oclc-fs@oclc.org (First Search Mail) Subject: FirstSearch text delivery ------------------------------------------------------------ PLEASE DO NOT REPLY OR SEND MESSAGES TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS. ------------------------------------------------------------ ACCESSION: 25769636 AUTHOR: Wilder, Alec. TITLE: Land of Oz PLACE: Banner Elk, N.C. : PUBLISHER: Land of Oz, YEAR: ? 1900 1992 PUB TYPE: Recording FORMAT: 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 12 in. NOTES: Live cast recording of the musical performed at the Land of Oz amusement park, Beech Mountain, Banner Elk, N.C. Notes on container. Lorri Ham, Joey Powell, Roger Brantley, Jim Cremins, and others. Fanfare -- Did you come to see the Wizard? -- I'd like to have a brain -- I lost my heart -- I'm a scairdy cat -- Open your eyes -- Over the rainbow / Arlen -- The wonderful Land of Oz -- Scarecrow vignette -- Tin woodsman vignette -- Cowardly lion vignette -- Wail of the witch -- How do I brew this stew? -- Did you come to see the Wizard? MUSIC NO: PRP22201--PRP22202; Land of Oz SUBJECT: Musicals. OTHER: McGlohon, Loonis. Land of Oz (Banner Elk, N.C.) ------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for using FirstSearch. This e-mail account is only for distribution of FirstSearch documents. Please contact your librarian with comments or concerns. ------------------------------------------------------------ ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 17:32:38 +0000 From: oclc-fs@oclc.org (First Search Mail) Subject: FirstSearch text delivery ------------------------------------------------------------ PLEASE DO NOT REPLY OR SEND MESSAGES TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS. ------------------------------------------------------------ ACCESSION: 30389041 AUTHOR: Mieras, Emily, 1968- TITLE: Oz in the valley of ashes : Visions of tomorrow at the New York World's Fairs of 1939 and 1964 / YEAR: 1993 PUB TYPE: Book FORMAT: ix, 141 leaves : ill., maps ; 29 cm. NOTES: Typescript (photocopy) Vita. Thesis (M.A.)--College of William and Mary. Bibliography: leaves 134-140. ------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for using FirstSearch. This e-mail account is only for distribution of FirstSearch documents. Please contact your librarian with comments or concerns. ------------------------------------------------------------ ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 97 12:52:51 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things OZMA'S FIRST 100 DAYS: Bear wrote: >Oh no David! You are not going to start the idea that Ozma is hooked on >her poppies? FWIW IMHO, one of the most un-Ozzy things in any Oz book is in _Healing Power of Oz_, when one of the visiting Outside-World criminals attempts to purloin Ozma's poppies in order to manufacture narcotics...But then, I'm on record believing that it's OK to have "Un-Ozzy" behavior from an Oz *villian*... FWIW, Ozma *was* just starting out her rule in _Ozma_ and I think she acted as she best knew how under the circumstances...The only time I really fault her is in _Glinda_, because she knew better then! Ozma: Sigh...Even *I* make mistakes... Jellia: Actually, "Do you wish your ruler to humble herself to a creature who lives in an underground kingdom?" was only her for-the-record remark...Her off-the- record remark was, "Do you wish your ruler to bring herself down to the sub-human level of this vile, ruthless, smelly twerp of such sickening anti-social smeggy-ness that he lives underground away from decent, peaceloving souls?" But she *does* believe in diplomacy, after all. Ozma: Thank you, Jellia. :) :) -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 3, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 16:06:39 -0400 (EDT) From: ZMaund@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-30-97 Please post the following: If anyone has books or other materials which they intend to donate to the auctions at the International Wizard of Oz Club's Ozmapolitan, Winkie, or Munchkin Conventions this summer, I would be very grateful if you can contact me. Thanks! Patrick M. Maund ZMaund@AOL.com ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 16:46:19 -0500 (EST) From: better living through chemistry Subject: RE: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-97 Estelle: Jerry Mendel is an EAST COAST Oz Club member. Therefore, he is a MUNCHKIN. And on top of that, a very nice man with wonderful craftsmanship. Cheers, Scott ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 16:22:54 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-97 > Everyone (or at least one knowledgeable person), > I have noted the convention that most of you seem to use, denoting > book titles by underscores i.e. _Ozma Of Oz_. At times the titles seem > to stand alone, no prior or subsequent punctuation. I have attempted to > use the underscoring punctuation, but have no idea If I am doing so > correctly. I am sure that there are rules, but don't know where to find > them. Could you let me know, please? Also, do the same rules apply to > monograph and movie titles? > > Thanks, > Bob Spark I do not call myself the most knowledgable, but this matter was discussed some months ago and no concensus was reached. I concluded that all caps was the way to go, and I have used it ever since. Others do differently. > Melody: > AHA! You have finally given me the opportunity to show off this little bit of > knowledge: Scotch is the stuff you drink, your family is Scottish. :-) > > > --Tyler Jones > Tyler, how do YOU know what MELODY drinks??? > AUTHOR: Phillips, Matthew. > TITLE: The witches of Oz / > PLACE: Chieveley : > PUBLISHER: Capall Bann, > YEAR: 1994 1991 I wonder if this has *anything* to do with our Oz. "Oz" is a common name for Australia in Australia. > AUTHOR: Hockney, David. > TITLE: [Oz poster]: > for the Oz obscenity fund ... > PLACE: [London, > PUBLISHER: n. pub.] > YEAR: 1971 > PUB TYPE: Book > FORMAT: [1] f. illus. 58 x 90 cm. This certainly does NOT have anything to do with our Oz. I sure would like that Banner Elk recording. It would bring a fortune at an Oz Convention auction. Steve T. > ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 17:22:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Hanff Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-97 Here's the catalog record from my library for the book David Hulan cites in today's Ozzy Digest. Despite his addiction to opium, in the form of laudanum I believe, De Quincey lived to a rather respectable age for his era, dying three years after the birth of L. Frank Baum. Peter Hanff 22. De Quincey, Thomas, 1785-1859. Confessions of an English opium-eater. London : Taylor and Hessey, 1822. vi, 206 p. ; 18 cm 22. Call #: PR4534 .C65 1822 Bancroft Author: De Quincey, Thomas, 1785-1859. Notes: 1st ed. Subjects: De Quincey, Thomas, 1785-1859. Also listed under: Moyes, J. (1822) [book producer]. Birdsall (W.) & Son. [binder]. Non-circulating; may be used only in The Bancroft Library. Circ. note: Copy 2: Permission of librarian required. Library has: 2 copies Note: Copy 1: bound in full polished calf. Note: Copy 2: autographed by Richard Garnett on t.p., and on flyleaf with the note "From this copy the edition in the Parchment Series (1885) was printed"; marginal manuscript notes by Garnett; his bookplate mounted on Non-circulating; may be used only in The Bancroft Library. Note: (cont'd) flyleaf. Note: Copy 2: bound in olive levant morocco, gold-tooled and lined with green silk, by Birdsall, Northampton. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 22:00:11 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-97 Jerry Mendel is not a "little person." He is a regular attendee at the Munchkin Conventions of IWOC, thus a "Munchkin." David: I fell into the same trap as Dave, or whoever 'twas who started the query. Of course the GWN was before Glinda. Did Baum create the first juvenile "good witch"? Bob: I'm not sure there's a formal standard for title punctuation in e-mail. It seems that the underline format may be more acceptable to more people than the all caps version, but no one really seems to care much as yet. Aaron: One of our old threads in the DIGEST concerned the inordinate number of things that just seem to happen around some of the major Oz characters. Many of us, IIRC, believe in what Robert Jordan calls the Ta'averen concept. In other words, as you guessed, these characters have properties that cause crossroads in the sequences of important events. Purple Dragon: I, too, was unaware of variants. Ruth: Thanks for your discussion of early good female magic workers. Your memory tallies with mine. For the life of me, I can't think of a pre-Baum good *witch*. Or good *witch.* (I'm beginning to wish there *were* some truly standardized e-mail grammar rules. Robin O. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 23:08:45 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-97 Ruth Berman: I just finished reading _The Oz Scrapbook_ and noticed it makes the link that you and David Hulan have been talking about between _The Magic of Oz_ and the Russian Revolution. Could this have come from the Hollister article you mentioned? Which came first the article or the _Scrapbook_? -- Craig Noble David Hulan: I think the belief that the animals' revolt in "Magic" is based on the Russian Revolution goes back to Warren Hollister's "Bugle" article on "Baum's Other Villains" in the 70's. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 23:53:54 -0400 (EDT) From: HermBieber@aol.com Subject: For Ozzy Digest Estelle: Jerry Mendel is not a 1939 MGM Munchkin. I call him a Munchkin because he lives in the East and attends Munchkin IWOC Conventions. This is IWOC custom! Herm Bieber ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 01:39:07 -0500 From: International Wizard of Oz Club Subject: RE: wanted 'Dave Hardenbrook' Ozzy Digest subscribers and club officers - FYI -----Original Message----- From: Marilyn Hill Allen [SMTP:allendesign@worldnet.att.net] Sent: Saturday, January 23, 1904 3:10 AM Subject: wanted My sones school is having their annual auction. The theme this year is "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" This is a school for dyslexic children. The only one in this area. If anyone would like to donate items related to this theme, they would be greatly appreciated. Contact me at. allendesign@worldnet.att.net ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 11:26:17 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-97 Scott H.: >Melody: Have you noticed that Baum describes Polychrome's eyes as >"violet" in _Road_, and "blue" in _Tik-Tok_? Well, the old poem says "Violets are blue," after all. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Polychrome's eyes changed color with her moods, at least over the violet-blue-gray-green range. Bear: I didn't say Ozma was _hooked_ on her poppies; just that her actions in OZMA aren't inconsistent with her being under the influence of something that diminished her mental capacity. :-) Aaron: You could add Button-Bright to your list of those who traveled to enchanted countries more than once - though I suppose that technically his trips to Sky Island and Mo weren't "spontaneous", since he used the magic umbrella. OTOH, by that argument Trot and Cap'n Bill probably don't qualify either; their only "spontaneous" trip was in SCARECROW, since both their earlier adventures were entered into with premeditation. Many of the later Oz books were titled for their main character, and it could be argued that Scraps is the main character of PG and Dorothy and the Wizard are the main characters of DOTWIZ, though they're certainly not noticeably more important than Ojo and Zeb respectively. Grampa, Ojo, the Purple Prince, Speedy, Handy Mandy, and Lucky Bucky all were clearly the major characters of their books, and Kabumpo and the Shaggy Man were arguably the major characters of theirs. THE CURIOUS CRUISE OF CAPTAIN SANTA wasn't intended to relate to the Oz universe, and doesn't. It's not very good Thompson, I agree. Tyler: I don't think "Lurline did a thorough psychological study of the effects of non-aging over a period of centuries, then made a major alteration to the spell of enchantment after it finally all came together?" is equivalent to "after Lurline had observed the effects of non-aging for a few years after Ozma's accession, she realized that it had some serious problems and she modified it to remove them." Granted, both options involve Lurline altering the spell, but there's a considerable difference between doing a thorough psychological study over a period of centuries, and observing what happened for a decade or so. The first, I concede, is improbable, but the second seems quite likely. Whether Lulea and Lurline are the same or not, they're both fairy queens, and would presumably have similar powers and psychologies. If Lulea was capable of deciding she'd made a mistake with a spell, and altering some of its results, then surely Lurline could do the same thing. (And Lulea didn't just remove the cloak from circulation - that was effectively done by the sailor who lost a piece of it. She also reversed most of the wishes that it had granted.) I agree, by the way, that Zurline is distinct from Lulea and Lurline; I'm neutral on whether the latter two are distinct from each other, since we never actually see Lurline on-stage in the FF. Herm: The colophon in my copy of PURPLE DRAGON says it's part of the first printing, but I have no independent verification of that. Gordon: Most if not all of the typos in DOTWIZ are uncorrected in the BoW edition as well. Ruth: Since there isn't yet a BEST for the BUGLES of the '70s, and I wasn't a member then, I've never seen Hollister's article you refer to. Still, I don't think there's much resemblance between the war of animals against humans that Ruggedo was trying to inspire and the Russian Revolution. It's not as if the humans of Oz were actually oppressing the animals of the forest; the war, had it happened, would have been in the nature of a pre-emptive strike by the animals against something that was not, in fact, going to happen. (It would probably be most closely comparable to something like the Oklahoma City bombing, though obviously Baum couldn't have had that in mind.) Gili: Ave atque vale. Hope to see you again when you're less busy. Whoever inserted those First Search items (Scott H.?): I was interested to note that it seems Alec Wilder wrote songs for a second musical version of WIZARD, many of which apparently paralleled the Arlen/Harburg songs. I found this particularly intriguing because in his excellent book, AMERICAN POPULAR SONG, Wilder says at one point that while he greatly admires Gershwin, Kern, Youmans, and Rodgers, he considers Arlen the greatest composer that American popular song has ever had. (He also considers "Over the Rainbow", while a first-rate ballad, the Arlen song that least reflects his style.) David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 12:18:00 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest Bear: >Ozma is an immortal fairy. >She may have enjoyed a brief rest as an ornament. She also has a friend, >Glinda, with a magic book. "Hmmm, I wonder where Ozma is? Oops, there she >is in the Gnome King's trinket collection." As far as I'm concerned, >Glinda can pin the Gnome King with one finger, assuming Ozma can't >extricate herself, which isn't clear. This is the old deus-ex-machina problem again, i.e., "If you've got a problem, why not go straight to Glinda?" The way I see it, though, is that it's anything but clear that Glinda *could* have reversed the ornament spell. She has considerable expertise in certain kinds of magic but is thoroughly stumped, for instance, by Coo-ee-oh's spell in _Glinda_, and her evident interest in holding on to the Magic Belt at the end of _Ozma_ indicates that the belt exercises magic powers that she doesn't already possess. On the other hand, Glinda might be able to "pin" Roquat and force him to undo the spell himself, but is there any evidence that her powers extend to the areas beyond the borders of Oz? (And isn't that one of the most extraordinary features of the Magic Belt--that its magic range extends even into the "real" world?) Joyce: "True-blue Lulu" is a wonderful idea--RPT, with her penchant for zany internal rhymes, would have loved it too. Peter Glassman: is there any possibility of incorporating Joyce's suggestion into the next printing of _Patchwork Girl_? On collectable/collectible: An antique dealer once informed me that "collectable" is an adjective and "collectible" is a noun. Speaking of collectibles, it strikes me that there are some intriguing parallels between Roquat's underground rooms filled with ornaments and Langwidere's inner chamber filled with heads in mirrored cupboards. In some ways Langwidere is turning herself into a living ornament by switching out one decorative head for another. What fascinates me here is that the idea of a purely "ornamental" existence was very much in the air at the turn of the century. The dedication of one's life to the pursuit of beauty, the rejection of "useful" activities, the attempt to make one's existence into a work of art: these ideas were familiar to a whole generation of poets and aesthetes, from Rimbaud to Rilke and beyond. Hofmannsthal, in the poem that he wrote as an introduction to Schnitzler's _Anatol_, describes his contemporaries as existing in a kind of enchanted garden behind heavy rusty gates, perfumed voluptuaries reclining decorously and langorously, as immobile and as artificial as the antique sculptures and topiary hedges that adorn the garden. I also think of Yeats, in "Sailing to Byzantium" (1927), wishing himself "out of nature" and into a form of pure artifice "of hammered gold and gold enameling . . .set upon a golden bough to sing / To lords and ladies of Byzantium / Of what is past, or passing, or to come." Dorothy's reaction to the Nome King's subterranean palace could describe as well the feelings of Americans encountering the hothouse atmosphere of European Decadence: "Yes, it was a beautiful place; but enchantments lurked in every nook and corner, and she had not yet grown accustomed to the wizardries of these fairy countries, so different from the quiet and sensible common-places of her own native land." --Gordon Birrell ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 18:02:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Hanff Subject: Enchanted Island of Yew Hi Dave, There has been sufficient discussion lately of the image of poppies worn as ornaments by Ozma of Oz that I thought some readers might want to know that the central fairy character of Baum's 1903 fantasy, _The Enchanted Island of Yew_, sports a pair of poppies as well. Indeed the image was fairly common in art-nouveau posters of the period, as well. The cover image, drawn by Fanny Y Cory, is decidely art-nouveau in style. Alphonse Mucha certainly used such an image in some of his posters. The diaphonous garment of the fairy is stamped in pale coral, the petals of the iris (?) are stamped in mauve, and the dazzling tip of the fairy's staff is stamped in yellow. I'll attempt to attach a "tif" version of the first-edition cover for those who are interested in seeing the image. The voluptuousness of Fanny Cory's drawing is striking enough in 1997, but one wonders about its impact in 1903. Peter Hanff Attachment Converted: "c:\Dave\Internet\Archive\merle.tif" (See my comments below. -- Dave) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 22:19:12 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-97 To: "Dave L. Hardenbrook" Content-disposition: inline David, Tyler & Bear (Oh, My!): To my Panel of Esteemed Judges.... :-) (One of these days I'm gonna' submit a post so full of malaprops, mistakes and grammatical errors you boys will be busy fixing them for a week! :-) :-) :-) ) The Random House Dictionary says: Scotch: adj. 1. (used mostly outside Scotland and esp. in referring to whisky, fabrics, etc.) Scottish (def. 1) --n. 2. (often Lc.) Also called Scotch whisky. whiskey distilled in Scotland, esp. from malted barley. 3. Brit. Scots (fef 1.) 4. Scottish (def. 2). Scottish: adj. 1. of Scotland, its inhabitants, or the dialect of English spoken there. 2. the people of Scotland. 3. (U.S.) Scots (def. 1.) Scotchman: : (used usually outside Scotland) Scot Scot: 1. Scotch. 2. Scotland. 3. Scottish. Crossreference of all definitions above says that "Scotch" as applied to Scots is *correct* usage in the U.S. But I'll try to remember your advice if I ever travel to Scotland. It would be so humilitating to be laughed at by the natives... :-) :-) By the way, I understand that L. Frank Baum was of Irish descent, thus the Emerald City (Emerald Isle). Ozma in "Ozma" still sounds a bit prejudiced against people who live underground. "Shall Ozma of Oz grovel to a wicked Nome who enslaves innocent people?" would have sounded more like she wasn't simply prejudiced, or thought she was better than, "creatures" who live in underground kingdoms . :-) Sorry, Bear, but the words, "I am better than you," whether explicit or implied, have been "fighting words!!" throughout history. In the Bible, even God himself has been known to use the word, "Please," which is how Dorothy persuaded the Nome King to give her friends an audience. :-) :-) Hmmm. Baum sneaked in a lesson on good manners in that episode, didn't he? Graciously and egalitarianly yours, Melody Grandy P.S. Baum also slipped in more fatherly advice for children earlier in the book. In "Dorothy Opens the Dinner Pail," he says, after she eats, "Dorothy packed the rest of the food back into the pail, so as not to be wasteful of good things..." Baum doesn't badger and browbeat his reader; he kindly passes on his advice and then goes on with the story. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 22:15:55 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Today's Oz Gruel To: DAVE HARDENBROOK Content-disposition: inline David - I thought we were going to avoid politics but since you brought it up, >The problem with the people who want to ban WIZARD (and a lot of other good books for children) is that they want to stop children from thinking for themselves, for fear that they'll stray from the path that their parents know is Truth. This is not me demonizing them; they say that in so many words themselves. However, as far as I'm concerned this _is_ the equivalent of demonizing them - and the fact that those people have a lock on the Republican party in a lot of areas is the biggest reason why I reject the Republicans,..... I defy you to produce statistics showing this is true. I think there are as many of "these people" in your party as in mine. By the way, none of them are allowed in Oz. Bob - Glad to help. Thank you for your "dead atheist" definition. :) Tyler - See your previous post. Great! Have a good weekend all. Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 03 May 97 12:49:43 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things CONVENTIONS: As others have pointed out, being a "Munchkin" just means you go to the Munchkin Conventions and live in that region of the USA...I am a "Winkie", but I *don't* go around singing, "Oh ee oh..." :) Hmmm...I never thought about it until this minute, but "Oh ee oh" rhymes with Coo-ee-oh!!! Coincidencee??? "BEASTS OF OZ"???: I don't know about the _Magic of Oz_/Russian Revolution parallel, but I have always noted the resemblence _Magic_ bears to Orwell's _Animal Farm_...Maybe that's why I've never been crazy about _Magic_... BOOKS: Steve T. wrote: >I wonder if this has *anything* to do with our Oz. "Oz" is a common >name for Australia in Australia. This is true...In other Internet groups outside the Ozzy Digest, "Oz" is pretty much synonymous with "Australia"...When I introduce myself, I always have to say I'm a fan of the "Wizard of Oz" books because if I just say "Oz books" they think I like books about Australia... >> AUTHOR: Hockney, David. >> TITLE: [Oz poster]: >> for the Oz obscenity fund ... >This certainly does NOT have anything to do with our Oz. Are you sure? Maybe someone is trying to ban Oz books somewhere, and Hockney is raising money to fight them... EMERALD ISLE: Is *that* where Emerald City comes from? I always thought it might have to do with the fact that Baum's birthstone was the emerald (I've wanted to ask about this for a long time and always forgotten to...) "GLINDA CAN'T DO THAT, CAN SHE?": Perhaps the caveat in the Aladdin/Agrabah world that "You can't mix magics" applies to Baumgea as well, and so Glinda can't break spells created by totally alien means...Though perhaps she can learn how in time, but our hero(ine)s find their own solution sooner... "YEW" PICTURE: I have posted Peter's _The Enchanted Island of Yew_ cover picture temporarily on my "Oz Gallery" page. I hope Peter doesn't mind, but I reduced it by 25% and converted it to JPEG so it would load faster. I also increased the contrast so that the picture comes out better...It *is* voluptuous, as Peter says -- I don't think Ozma would *ever* wear a getup like that, even for Dan! :) Ozma: I *do* have my queenly dignity to think about... :) The URL is: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/Oz_Gallery.html and the "Yew" picture is at the bottom of the page (I know, my "Gallery" page is due for major upgrading, but this will have to do for now...) Well, that's my comments for today...Back to working on writing _Red Dwarf in Oz_... :) :) -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 4, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 17:03:20 -0400 (EDT) From: Mark Anthony Donajkowski Subject: oz bookmark serena and another sorry i cant rememebr who else it was but serena i got your disk nad its messed up my puter cant read it i know its the disk cause all my other ones work adn when i try yours it says unable to read drive a but to you and the other who wanted it w hose name i forget i know have access to aol my freind is giving me a account so if you will kindly write anthonyvp@aol.com ill send it to you lickety split just write and request thanks hugs anthony van pyre ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 15:04:50 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Hanff Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-97 Dave, Your edited version of the cover of _The Enchanted Island of Yew_ is greatly improved over the original scanned image. I didn't realize sufficient data was included in the scanned record to make that possible. Thanks! Peter ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 19:48:14 -0500 (CDT) From: atty242@mail.utexas.edu (R. M. Atticus Gannaway) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-97 RE: email grammar rules the more i think about this, the more i feel it's understandable that email possesses no real grammar rules. besides its neostatus, email is naturally less formal than physically existing correspondence because we are limited in our control over its appearance once it's transmitted (ASCII, or whatever process it undergoes, can be unkind). besides, it's easier and faster to send: hence, no real rules regarding the more particular points of form. as for me, i don't even use caps most of the time. but that's just because i'm so bohemian. atticus * * * "Catherine thought, perhaps if we travel together, I shall get to know them at last, for so far I have been all wrong, and they have turned out different to what I thought. How is one to know what people are like? . . . Perhaps one can never know; perhaps people are uncapturable, and slip away like water from one's hand, changing all the time." ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 21:09:47 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Ozzy Doings Re Lurline and Lurlea: Assuming the time at which each was written about was roughly the same, they c an't be the same person because of physical impossibility. (Any more than someone can be in two places at the same time.) That is, if two characters from the same era were described in the same way, doing the same things, either the author erred and got one of the names wrong, or the entire situation is impossible. Re Oz and a continent in the Pacific: Well, of course! Oz-strailia! If I'd only known before I turned down those free tickets ... (If I can't get over the rainbow any other way, why not try it?) Boy! Using AOL to respond to a long post is rather a pain . . . Perhaps that's why AOL is not terribly well-liked among the majority of Digesters. I'll see what I can do about getting my parents to change servers, but who knows what'll happen. Until my next attempt at posting, Jeremy Steadman (Kiex) ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 22:11:43 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-97 Gordon: As is frequently the case, there's good food for thought in your last post. Living for aesthetic pleasure...Baum just might have been playing with that. Langwidere does as little as possible. Roquat's extensive collection may be a dig at collectors, as well as at aesthetes. Baum says:"...the underground palace was quite a museum of rare and curious and costly objects." His description indicates that the collection was kept in a suite of rooms used exclusively to house it, not just scattered through palace rooms that had any other function other than to be beautiful and show off the collectibles. Dave: How's your mom? Better, I hope. --Robin ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 00:20:04 -0400 (EDT) From: JOdel@aol.com Subject: Ozzy Digest I can't buy the "manufactured storm" theory, but I CAN believe that the entry in the Great Book that "Dorothy Gale of Kansas has been swept overboard in a chicken coop in the South Pacific" showed up just about when Glinda, or whoever she set to monitoring the progress of Ozma's expedition, took up their watch. Locasta's kiss kept the coop afloat, and Billena's own tenatiousness kept her on board. Glinda, remembering the child, MIGHT very well have made the time/space shift to bring the coop from the Pacific into the Nonectic, (as Ozma did in ROAD) placing it in Evian coastal waters, and may have managed to send some sort of Ozian influence to grant her companion the power of speech (and intellegence). If this is accepted, it may be assumed that Glinda, still monitoring the progress, made sure that Billina woke up in time to hear the discussion between Roquat and Kaliko that was going on over her head. Glinda is not identified as a (good) witch. She is a sorceress. David; And from the name Dulabone (sp?) it is quite possible that Chris has Bourbon in him too. Or at least French. ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 07:43:11 -0400 (EDT) From: earlabbe@juno.com (Earl C. Abbe) Subject: Ozzy Digest Submission - Irrelevancies & Nonsense Comments based on the 5/3 Digest... Robin Olderman asks Robin, which of Baum's good witches are juvenile? On title punctuation in e-mail: Using the underscore before and after book titles expressed in mixed case looks better to me. And the e-mail etiquette that has been pounded into me for the last decade says that all caps is SHOUTING. :-) And we thought the postal service was slow: Marilyn Hill Allen's note is dated January 23, 1904 3:10 AM! (This is amazing. I did not know that they had e-mail or even life then, at 3:10 a.m. :-)) Where is her son's school located? On Glinda's magical powers: As a minor magic worker myself -- I program; it IS magic. -- and as someone who has been around for several decades, I have noted that magics I knew very well five or ten years ago, but not used since, are not easy to recall. They can be remembered with effort, looking at the documentation or examples, and experimentation, but that takes time. As to keeping the Magic Belt, a good tool is worth diamonds, regardless how much you can instantly recall. To Melody on Scotch/Scottish/Scot: I'll drink to that! (And buy you one, too.) Earl Abbe ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 06:59:27 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Announcement: Ozzy Digest I have FINALLY made some additions to my all-"Wizard of Oz" web page, and I'm very excited about the possibilities. No, I haven't updated the FAQ yet (that's my big project for the summer), but I've added three new sections, and for those sections to work I'll need lots of input from my fellow Oz fans. I hope everyone with access to the web will take a look. Please remember to send all comments about my page directly to me at tiktok@eskimo.com, since I won't be able to read it otherwise. --Eric Gjovaag ### Visit my "Wizard of Oz" web site! http://www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/ ### ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 10:59:11 +0600 From: rri0189@ibm.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-01-97 Melody G. Keller wrote: >There's some Scotch in my family, which might be why two of my boy >cousins used to rock and sock each other all over the place at the drop >of a hat. As a person of _Scottish_ ancestry, may I recommend A.A. to your cousins? And why does your family allow little boys to get at the usquebaugh in the first place? >Are directors terrified of strong female characters or what? Here, don't go blaming the director for what the producer did.... >To be fair, some have complained bitterly about how Disney turned >the powerful, impressive Merlin into a bumbling boob for "Sword in >the Stone." Indeed, the Matter of Britain provides a useful test here. Offhand, it seems to me that in any given production, Merlin and Morgan receive roughly equal degrees of misrepresentation, except that Merlin is more likely to be given a cameo when he doesn't belong in the story -- but of course he was a member of the court. >(For example) Tyler, how can you live without case sensitive file names? >NT is driving me nuts with that! NT (and OS/2, for that matter) are case-insensitive because too many DOS-based programs would drive users nuts if the underlying file system became case-sensitive, and DOS is case-insensitive because CP/M was, and CP/M was because the old DEC system it was based on was case- insensitive, and that was case-insensitive because it used a three-characters-packed-into-two-bytes encoding for file names to save disk space. (It had 6.3 names, not 8.3; CP/M decided to be generous on that point.) >Gates and MS do get a lot of "evil empire" press, but this always has to >be considered in the light of the source..........competitors engaging >in mindgames and psychological warfare. Well _I_ am not a competitor. And I tell you that MS repeatedly lies. They lied about supporting OS/2. They lied about having secret hooks in Windows and DOS that only their own applications division could use (which is in itself unethical, and given MS's position, quite possibly a violation of antitrust law). They lied about Windows '95 being a new operating system from the ground up. They lie out of habit, even without need, even knowing that they will be caught, because the public, most of the the press, and, unfortunately, the Justice Department are so besotted with MS that no matter how many lies they are caught in, it doesn't seem to matter, or to diminish in any way the impact of the Big Lie that Microsoft software is in any way generally superior to the competition, or particularly innovative. (There hasn't been anything significantly original from MS in nearly a decade.) They have on at least one proven occasion incorporated code in a product (Windows) for the express and sole purpose of disabling a competitor's product (DR-DOS). Even new release of MS system software has broken a substantial portion of applications software, which would be unprofessional or inept if inadvertant, but considering that MS always has a "new and improved for $50 more" version of _their_ software ready to go, while users of competeting products have to suffer, would seem to support a more sinister interpretation. Whenever something new and available on a broad range of computers appears, they immediately produce a twisted version that works only in an all-MS environment and dump it on the market to drive the originator out of business. (Recent instances would be MS Internet Explorer -- it is more expensive to buy Windows '95 _without_ Internet Explorer than _with_ -- and J++.) They also do their best to present a massively false image of Bill Gates himself. It is very little known to the public at large that he has been a multimillionaire since birth, and that the last piece of software he made any substantial contribution to was the MS BASIC interpreter from the 70's. Stephen J. Teller wrote: >One of the reasons for one school board trying to ban the Wizard of Oz >was that it had "good witches" because witches are worshippers of >pre-Christian deities. Therefore, to a "true" Christian "Good Witch" is >a contradiction of terms. Err.... If you're talking about extreme fundamentalists, I suppose they might not accept the notion of a "virtuous pagan", though mainstream Christianity has certainly always known better, but if you _are_ talking about extreme fundamentalists, then they certainly do not define "witches" as pagans, but rather as willing servants of the Christian Satan. // John W Kennedy -- Hypatia Software -- "The OS/2 Hobbit" ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 12:00:02 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-03-97 Gordon: I don't know about the technical usages in the business world, but generally speaking "-able" is a "live" suffix in English, which means it can be attached to any verb or verb phrase, even new coinages. (E.g., a "bootable" disk.) "-ible", on the other hand, isn't "live"; it's properly used only with verbs appropriated fairly directly from the Latin 3d and 4th declensions. However, since "collect" is such a verb, either ending is linguistically acceptable. (At least, I've seen this analysis in a linguistic publication, not specifically for "collect" but for a similar verb. I'm not a professional in linguistics myself, and the above may be disputed by those who are, for all I know.) I think the attitude of living as an ornament that you speak of was pretty common in the wealthy classes through most of history, especially for the women. (It was OK for men to fight and be in politics, though heaven forfend that they do anything useful.) The _fin de siecle_ decadence of a century ago wasn't particularly new; it's just that it was the last flicker of a traditional way of life that was to largely disappear in the 20th century. (It never struck very deep roots in America.) Peter H.: Definitely that fairy on the cover of YEW is one sexy babe. Did Cory do that one? The style looks very different from her interior illustrations, besides which I know that I've seen that same illustration on the cover of another book somewhere. I thought maybe Bobbs-Merrill used it as a kind of stock cover for their fairy-tale books. Bear: Apologies for the political post. I wanted it back after I sent it, but it was too late. (Not that I didn't mean it, but it didn't belong on the Ozzy Digest.) Dave: I doubt that the Emerald City had anything to do with the Emerald Isle (Baum's several unkind characterizations of Irish immigrants to the US in his early books don't indicate that Irish ancestry, if he had it, was something he took pride in). It probably didn't have anything to do with his birthstone, either. I suspect it was just because he liked green. There aren't profound esoteric reasons for everything an author puts into his books. (Or, looked at from a different point of view, it's because the Wizard made everyone wear green glasses, and he did that because _he_ liked green!) David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 12:42:17 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Dorothy: Clearly, many usual thigns happen to Dorothy, but I'll lean to the theory that it is either coincidence, or Dorothy being some kind of magent to magical events. As David Hulan says, if Glinda has that much power, then many things in Ozian history would be different. Bob: I believe that underscores denote italics in ASCII type where italics are impossible. As far as I know, there are no hard and fast rules, at least in the digest. I do not know of any official rules in general. However, the point is to set the title apart from the main text, be it a book, film or whatever. I myself use underscores, but quotes are just as good. Ozma and her Gunboats: When Roquat originally balked, Ozma mentioned that "I am here with my friends and my army to conquer your kingdom and oblige you to obey my wishes". While Roquat did not seem threatened by this display of bravado, Ozma is indeed close to the line of Gunboat diplomacy, if not across it. Adieu: Even though Gili will not read this, I am sure that we will all miss her until her triumphant return. Jerry Mendel: At first, I though this was a mispelling of Jerry Maren, but it looks like they're two different people. David: Very well. The misconception is cleared up. The difference, I gather, was in how much effort Lurline put into her decision. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 15:45:45 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 11-13-96 Upon first reading of Ozma of Oz, I instantly disliked the changes the illustrator had wrought in both Ozma and Dorothy--changing Ozma's hair from blonde to dark, and then his Dorothy--she didn't look like Dorothy to me, but a rich relative who had been miscast in the part. And as it turned out, that's exactly what Neill had done. A Baum Bugle article said he used a couple of well-dressed girl relatives as models for Dorothy and Ozma. By rights, he should have kept Ozma a blonde, and made Dorothy the brunette. Ruth: What kind of materials did the Monarch of Mo have his artificial heads made out of? Alas, I no longer have a copy of "The Magical Monarch of Mo" in my possession. Hmmm. If some of Languidere's heads WERE artificial, wouldn't some of her subjects have noticed? As it was, they knew she *could* change her appearance, but didn't know why. Her heads, even if some are artificial, must look almost exactly like flesh and blood. Melody Grandy ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 5, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 18:47:17 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-04-97 Atticus: Grammar rules in E-mail are the same as grammar rules in any other form of English communication, because grammar is an attribute of spoken language independent of the method of transcription. How to denote things like book titles are a matter of style, not grammar. And, as someone (I think maybe Tyler) says later in the Digest, all that's really important is that it be clear to the reader that something is a title. I prefer all-caps for short titles and underscores before and after for longer ones, but that's a personal decision, much like your failure to capitalize. Jeremy: There's no more reason why Lulea and Lurline can't be the same person than that Pipt and Nikidik can't be the same person, and most people on the Digest seem to agree that the latter pair are the same. Two names don't necessarily imply two individuals. It's even possible that, say, "Lulea" is a diminutive of "Lurline" in fairy-speak, as "Alyosha" is a diminutive of "Alexei" in Russian, or "Peggy" of "Margaret" in English. I think you're not using AOL's offline mail reader properly; there are many faults with AOL, which is why I'm not using it for E-mail any more, but they're in getting and sending your mail. Responding to long posts is no problem at all. Do you still have the E-mail I sent you a few weeks back explaining how to do it smoothly? If not, would you like me to re-send it now that you're actually using AOL? (E-mail me privately if so, but I put this on the Digest in case anyone else on AOL shares your problem and would like a quick tutorial.) Joyce: I doubt Glinda has the power to shift Dorothy and her raft from the Pacific to the Nonestic. Transportation spells in general don't seem to be her forte. (She couldn't even transport Ozma and Dorothy out of the Skeezer dome.) Can anyone think of a case where she actually transported someone from one place to another by magic? She twisted the path from Oogaboo so that it crossed the Deadly Desert instead of going into the rest of Oz, but that's not quite the same thing. Giving Billina the power of speech (and maybe intelligence, if she didn't already have that), on the other hand, and waking Billina at the appropriate moment to overhear Roquat and his steward talking, both seem to be very possible applications of her power. Glinda is called a sorceress in most of the books, but in WIZARD she's identified as a witch. (I know, I lost some points on a Winkie Master's Quiz once because I didn't count her as a witch.) I'm sure the name Dulabone is French in origin, but probably not Bourbon... Earl: True, all caps is SHOUTING, but then that's more or less the function of italics and/or underlining in normal typography - emphasis, anyhow. So it's not incongruous to use all caps for things that would be in italics or underlined if either were available for ASCII text. IMHO. John K.: Thanks for your rundown on the evils of Microsoft. I've heard all these things but not being personally involved in the computer industry, I don't have direct knowledge of them. Me: Dang, my brain slipped its clutch at one point in what I was typing. It's 3d and 4th _conjugation_ verbs than can take "-ible". Declensions are things you get with nouns and adjectives. I have a bad feeling that several people are going to point this out to me, so I thought I'd at least mention that I know better. Melody: If Neill's illustrations of Dorothy and Ozma were based on a couple of Neill's relatives, I can understand why he made Ozma the brunette and Dorothy the blonde. Dorothy, after all, was supposed to be rather pretty, but not truly beautiful (according the Langwidere); Ozma, on the other hand, was supposed to be extraordinarily beautiful. And looking at his drawings, there's no doubt that his brunette relative was much more beautiful than his blonde one. (I don't know how difficult it would be for an artist to transpose the hair from one to the other, or just to change the hair color of a model, not being at all artistic myself [at least in the graphic-arts realm; I think I have some degree of artistry with words].) The King of Mo had heads of candy, dough, and wood before he regained his proper one. (There's something of a parallel with King Fumbo in GRAMPA, who had his head replaced with cabbage and dough, along with an offer of an iron one. Don't know if Thompson was familiar with MO or not.) David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 20:04:38 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-04-97 Earl: You'll have to ask Willard about the juvenile good witch. He's the one in charge of "The Oz Kids." ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 21:42:56 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Joyce: Glinda is definitely referred to as a witch in _Wizard_. By the time of _Land_, she is called a sorceress. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 22:20:39 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-04-97 Earl: To Melody on Scotch/Scottish/Scot: I'll drink to that! (And buy you one, too.)< Thanks Earl! But make it a mixed drink--to me the hard stuff is horrible! :-P :-) :-) John Kennedy: Nope, the cousins managed to lose their Celtic-style tempers regularly without the hard stuff. (One friend of mine, a native Scot who once lived in Scotland, said HER Scottish cousins used to fight so often and hard it was a wonder they didn't kill each other! Sounded like my cousins all right.) And it's okay to call oneself Scotch in the US or England, but one had better not call oneself Scotch in Scotland... :-) Though I might have enough English ancestors for the Scots to consider me a Sassinack. About the Giant with the Hammer: In Oz-Wonderland War, the iron giant is given enough intelligence to attempt the deliberate smashing of our heroes. The same was done in the much earlier _Oz Encounter_ featuring Doc Phoenix and his ability to enter people's mindscapes. The Oz of _Encounter_ was a little girl's mindscape, and also one of the earliest dark visions of Oz that I remember being written. Ruth: Though perhaps Baum meant for his description fo be metaphorical rather than literal, when our heroes return from the underground kingdom, they find Princess Languidere: "admiring one of her handsomest heads--one with rich chestnut hair, dreamy walnut eyes, and a shapely hickorynut nose." :-) :-) Back before the turn of the century, women of the noble and wealthy classes *were* expected to be ornamental and useless--proof of their or their husbands' great wealth. One such woman, complaining to her seller that her silk shoes had come apart at the first wearing, recieved the reply, "But Madame, you must have *walked* in them!" :-) :-) Footbinding was done to women in the Orient for similar reasons. Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 11:30:59 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest David: >The _fin de siecle_ >decadence of a century ago wasn't particularly new; it's just that it >was the last flicker of a traditional way of life that was to largely >disappear in the 20th century. (It never struck very deep roots in >America.) I hardly ever disagree with anything you say, but in this case I think you're wrong. Turn-of-the-century aestheticism (or "decadence," in the eyes of the middle class) wasn't just the last flicker of a centuries-old tradition of artistocratic self-indulgence, though that tradition received various nostalgic tributes in fin-de-siecle culture (Hofmannsthal's garden, in the poem, contains among other things a tapestry based on a Watteau painting, and the whole atmsophere is described as evoking "das Wien von Caneletto"; similar associations are present in _Der Rosenkavalier_). What is new here is a radicalized form of the Romantic dictum "truth is beauty; beauty, truth": art for the first time becomes the principal supplier of the meaning of life, supplanting religion and/or science. The artist assumes a priestly function, mediating the mysteries of existence to the less enlightened. This is one of the principal points that Kandinsky made in his 1912 treatise "On the Spiritual in Art," which set the stage for twentieth-century abstraction. In the new aestheticism, art declares its independence from everyday reality, and it particularly declares its independence from all notions of utility, pragmatical purpose, and moral improvement. ("All art is quite useless," is the way Oscar Wilde put it, proudly.) What was also radically new here was that the devotees of aesthetic culture were no longer primarily the traditionally idle aristocrats, but a whole generation of upper-middle-class young people who bought into the idea of cultivating the senses and making their lives into refined works of art, retreating into an exquisite self-enclosed pleasure garden, turning their backs on the courseness and philistinism of politics and the business world. Carl Schorske's _Fin-de-siecle Vienna_ gives a very good overview of the socio-economic factors that led these offspring of liberal bourgeois parents to embrace an "amoral cultivation of feelings." There's an enormous difference, in other words, between the conventional pampered artistocrats, who still considered beauty an ornament of power, and the likes of Sar Paladin and his circle who cultivated beauty for beauty's sake. I also think of the German poet Stefan George with his private park in Munich, in which he sat resplendent in flowing white priestly raiments while middle-class youths dressed in monastic black robes moved about at a stately pace reading from George's slim, delicate volumes of verse. There's something of this in the description of Glinda among her maidens in the opening chapter of _Glinda of Oz_, though Baum is careful to state that the maidens are still involved in something marginally useful such as embroidery; and Glinda's decorous group is certainly not inspired by the George circle but no doubt from parallel images such as the paintings of Puvis de Chavanne and his many imitators. As for the idea that all of this largely disappeared in the modern world: how nice it would be if the self-absorbed pursuit of sensory gratification had *not* become an increasingly prominent factor in twentieth-century life. (There will be a pop quiz on this material at the end of the hour. :-) ) Robin: Good point that Baum was poking fun at obsessive collectors. It's amusing to think of the Nome King appearing (like Jane!) on a super-collector segment of Personal FX, escorting a dazzled Ayo Haynes through his palatial underground chambers. Ayo: Tell us, Roquat. What piece got you started on your super-collection? Roquat: Well, Ayo, as a matter of fact it was this little ruby vase that I picked up at a royal auction and tag sale at the castle in Ev. Later I cut a very good deal with King Evoldo to get a particularly nice set of ornaments, but I'm afraid I won't be able to show you any of those. A gang of armed robbers made off with the entire set as well as a number of other pieces, and I'm sorry to say that none of these items was insured. Ayo: That was really a tough break, Roquat. I'm sure all of our viewers will commiserate with you. And now back to John and Clare in New York! * * * Peter Hanff & Dave: Thanks for making the cover to _Enchanted Island of Yew_ available to us all. I must say that's a fairly steamy image for the cover of a children's book! --Gordon Birrell ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 97 09:56:31 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things EARL: I think when Robin asked about "the first juvenile 'good witch'" she meant, "Who was the first 'good witch' in juvenile literature?", the unconfirmed answer being Locasta...( The answer to the question as you interpreted it is probably Tabitha Stevens. :) ) Thanks to those who have enquired about my mom...She is feeling a little better but still struggling...my dad and I are doing all we can for her. -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 6, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 12:09:57 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-02-97 David Hulan, _Confessions of an English Opium Eater_ was a semi-autobiographical work by Thomas De Quincey. It was later filmed by MGM (without "English" in the title, and we know how that goes with MGM). Among the cast was Yvonne Moray, one of the Lullaby Leaguers. Thomas De Quincey's _Suspiria de Profundis_ was the inspiration for Dario Argento's modern classic horror-fantasies about witches, _Suspiria_ (1977), and _Inferno_ (1980), which I highly reccommend to adult members of the digest who don't mind being truly shocked by a film. Dario Argento is quite an artist. Alec Wilder was one of four composers for _The Wonderful Land of Oz_, and according to firefly (www.firefly.com), most of the songs in that compilation were in that film, though some it says were exclusively by Loonis McGlohon. The other composers (who did the underscoring) were George Linsenmann and Ralph Falco. The price on my copy of the film has been upped to forty dollars, but I haven't paid any yet. Although this would technically be considered a bootleg, the print is going to be cleaned up and professionally processed. The total cost is going to be $55 dollars, byt since Scott Peters's Boston contact screwed it up the first time, wityh an extremely bad transfer that I did not see, some of the cost is coming out of his pocket, and I'm paying Scott what he paid his friend for it. Bob Spark, Titles of books, films, plays, albums, single works of art, and television series should be underlined or italicized. Titles of short stories, poems,television epidoes, segments in anthology films, songs, pices of compostition or parts of art collections (i.e. titled illustrations) belong in quotation marks. It is based primarily on figuartive size of the work, as I understand. Craig Noble, I can understand why Baum did not like Neill's art in _The Oz Toy Book_. It's bad...it's some of Neill's worst work ever... that and the unauthorized use of his characters ought to have been enough to start Baum searching for a new illustrator. I don't know how he could think Neill's art wasn't funny enough, however. His inclusion of weird, pre-Dada oddities in his relatively realistic art is pretty darn humorous. Dave Hardenbrook, _The Witches of Oz_ is about Australia. I just thought it was something interesting I found to make public among Oz fans. We all know Chris Lofven's _Oz_/_20th Century Oz_ is about both Ozs. tip is very irritated that another country has stolen the name of his homeland, well not very irritated, it just annoys him to hear "Oz" being used to refer to Ausralia. I don't know what the Oz obscenity fund is... Scott ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 13:02:03 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-05-97 > From: "David G. Hulan" > > Jeremy: > There's no more reason why Lulea and Lurline can't be the same person > than that Pipt and Nikidik can't be the same person, and most people on > the Digest seem to agree that the latter pair are the same. Two names > don't necessarily imply two individuals. It's even possible that, say, > "Lulea" is a diminutive of "Lurline" in fairy-speak, as "Alyosha" is a > diminutive of "Alexei" in Russian, or "Peggy" of "Margaret" in English. > SPOILER FOR A FAIRY QUEEN IN OZ--- March Laumer wrote a book A FAIRY QUEEN IN OZ in which he explains why Queen Lulea changed her name to Lurline. She and her band had been invited to the Swedish town of Lulea and while there had been grossly insulted so the Queen decided to have nothing more to do with the name. End SPOILER------ If anyone on the digest is going to th Ozmopolitan Convention and has something interesting to present at "Show and Tell" please contact me directly as I am in charge of that part of the convention. Thank you, Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 15:57:59 -0600 (CST) From: Ruth Berman Subject: ozzy digest Aaron Adelman: No particular reason RPT shouldn't be a neo- Platonist, is there? C.S. Lewis sort of was, and similarly had Bacchus and the like show up in Narnia, and yet most readers feel it works. Alligators for presents wasn't weird at the time. People were always buying ittle bittle ones in Florida and bringing them back as pets, and eventually flushing them down the toilet when they got less ittle bittle and more toothy. (Hence the popular urban myth of the alligators in the sewers beneath New York.) Eventually the alligators got to be Endangered, and the cute alligator trade was banned. Craig Noble: Warren Hollister's article on Baum's Villains came before the Martin/Greene "Oz Scrapbook," and their discussion of the Animals' Revolution in the "Scrapbook" was based (with citation) on his comments. Gordon Birrell and Robin Olderman: Interesting comments on Langwidere and Ruggedo and the ornamental life. Coo-ee-oh's contentment after she's been turned into a diamond swan ("Glinda"), and the Lonesome Duck's enjoyment of its solitary artistry ("Magic") might be considered as showing similar attitudes? Melody Grandy: I don't think Baum had any Irish background. As the name indicates, his family came from Germany. // The heads in "Monarch of Mo" were made out of candy, bread, and wood. None of these was very satisfactory, but they worked as heads. As you say, if any of Langwidere's heads are artificial, they'd have to be a lot more convincing in appearance. Still, perhaps Smith of Smith & Tinker had the artistry to come up with some fully human-looking heads-to-go, if he'd set himself to it? Joyce Odell: Glinda is identified as a sorceress some of the time (most of the time, in the later books), but also as a good witch (especially in "Wizard"). Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 21:04:10 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Today's Oz Growls Gulp - three days of Digests.... David - THE PURPLE DRAGON - again. On p. 201 is an Afterword by Greene and on p. 202 is a statement (colophon) that this is a "First Edition Anthology," of 1500 copies. There is no notice of edition behind the title page where it is normally found. The page of autographs are on the page before the title page. Melody - I don't care for Scotch (I prefer rum) and the only Scotchman I know is Sean Connery. :) Must have been someone else. You'll have to refresh me as to this "better than you" comment? Boy did I get short-changed. My YEW has a horse and rider on it. Not an Ozma centerfold. John - This borders on the silly. You expect the CEO of Microsoft to be writing code? He has obviously had better things to do. That is why he is now the richest man in the USA. It will probably cheer you to learn that his $50M house is almost finished near the other Emerald City. This seems to continue to be an issue. The fact that Glinda has not demonstrated some type of magic does not mean she can't. Of course it does not mean she can either. It remains to be demonstrated. I, however, secretly believe she can, because she told me so. :) Regards, Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 21:53:04 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: A Dog Yet to be Known as Prince in Oz? A few quick thoughts: On the previous Book of the Moment (I have sinned greviously in not remembering earlier ): ): In _Land_, the Sawhorse kicks a dog in the Emerald City. (Apparently not an isolated incident of violent behavior. He kicks Roquat and the Woozy too.) However, in _Wizard_, Toto is apparently the first dog in Oz. Perhaps this other dog is the other isolated dog on the Imaji continent, namely the dog Prince, who appears in _Mo_. Certainly with such a reception in Oz, he might decide to see what Mo was like, perhaps prompting the Wise Donkey and the Foolish Owl to visit Oz, only to be stranded when Glinda cut Oz off from the world completely. On Billina: After _Ozma_, she hatches out many children. I take it for granted that she needed a rooster to do this, even in Oz. While there is no reason Billina's mate need be a major character, not only does he never appear on stage, he is never even mentioned. The Emerald City chicken colony could not even be the result of a single romantic encounter, as Billina continues to have children after her first batch. Therefore Billina's mate must still be around! Nice problem, huh? Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 21:05:48 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-05-97 Gordon: To continue the silliness, can't you see Roquat on PBS's (I'm gonna probably get the name wrong here) _Antiques Road Show_? People bring in their collectibles for appraisal. Roquat, masquerading as an Iowa farmer, wearing bib overalls: "Well, sonny, I got this here green piggy with the whistle as part of a gambling debt this gal owed me. It's silver, under the paint, y'know." Appraiser:"Sir, I'm afraid the *tin* pig is of little value other than as a curiosity, but I *do* want to examine your gold card receiver..." ----------------- David: I think you're right that Glinda is weak on transportation spells. I can't think of a time when she used one of her own. --Robin ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 22:07:50 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Jeremy and David: The main reason that I believe Lurline and Lulea to be different individuals is that they seem to have different responsibilities, even though both of them rule over a fairy band and they both live in Burzee. Of course, mythic figures from all over have had multiple names and jobs, but in this case it seems to me that more than one person is involved here. Glinda: I cannot remember any incident where she transported something, except in the non-FF _Oz and the Three Witches_, where she summoned her Pearl of Truth to herself in the Emerald City. Since this is a magic item that belongs to her, it may be different than actually transporting a living being. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 19:52:29 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Ozzie Digest Yo! Much as I hate to admit ignorance, > _fin de siecle_ stumps me. Trying to apply "if it were in English it would be method" I come up with "the death of the motorcycle" but am sure that is off to some degree. My dictionary is of no help. Maybe someone could clue me in. Thanks, Bob Spark -- "If you talk to God, you are praying; If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia." Thomas Szasz ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 21:02:43 -0800 (PST) From: w_baldwin@juno.com (Warren H Baldwin) Subject: Oz and Evs Digest of 5/1: David, I really don't see the ubiquitous Ev as a problem. The map is not the territory. The explanation is simple: Ev is split geographically, though our Oz informants have not specifically said so. The United States has two geographically far-flung states, not to mention various "possessions"; why not Oz? I must admit that I sometimes weary of the ability of those educated at _good_ universities quickly to turn the discussion of any topic into verbal quicksand. One wonders whether they are able (assuming they are not also technically trained) ever to come to a definitive conclusion about anything, except possibly contract terms, tenure, or perks. :-) Bob, though I regret the reference to one of the most devisive topics of this or any age in the Digest, I had to laugh at your atheist quote. Humor is welcome in any form IMHO. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 08:22:21 -0400 (EDT) From: Saroz@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-05-97 Does anyone know where I can get a copy of "The Oz-Wonderland War"? It sounds interesting. Sarah Hadley ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 10:25:56 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-05-97 Gordon: I guess we were talking at cross-purposes - I was aware (though I obviously haven't studied it much) of the kind of aestheticism you had in mind, and agree that it (as satirized in PATIENCE) was something new. I am not, however, under the impression that it went very deep into the culture of the day, but believe it was more of a fringe movement - influential in artistic circles, but not elsewhere. (Like, say, twelve-tone music.) I may be wrong about that, though; I wasn't around at the time, and it's not a period that I've read a lot about. In any case, I don't think Langwidere reflects the "high aesthetic line" nearly as much as she does the very traditional upper-class avoidance of doing anything useful, and I thought that was what we were talking about. Loved your FX interview with Roquat! Dave: My very best wishes for your mother's rapid recovery. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 11:52:20 -0400 (EDT) From: JOdel@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-05-97 Regarding decadence; This seems to be a concept which is highly attractive to the human character. About every 30 years or so an outbreak takes place somewhere. And, as stated, it was generally localized and taken up only by the leisure class (or the as-yet-unemployed young of the nearest middle class). But as communications improved through the 19th century these outbreaks began to gain the capability of becomming more widespread. You're right, the influence of the Symbolists (which were the fin de seicle crop of decadents) spread much farther than the earlier movements had _in their own time_. Earlier movements (such as the Romantics, which made enough of a splash to have left a template for just about all the later itterations to adapt to fit) had had far-reaching effects and repercussions after the movement itself petered out All such movements seem to have in common a love for exaggerated dress, hedonistic behavior and the underlying theme of "we're all doomed, what does anything matter? Gesture is everything." The Beats and the punk rockers come immediately to mind. More than one of these movements seem to have been preceded by another, equally exagerated in appearance, but with an optimistic outlook, eventually determined by society as a whole as being "mostly harmless", which may be what sets off the darker phase. And you are quite right. Languidere is a figure right out of the Symbolist arsenal (possibly Matterlink. Anyone here ever read The Blue Bird?). ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 14:03:21 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-04-97 and 5-5-97 JOdel: Funny; it always seemed rather logical to me that Glinda manufactured the storm in OZMA--that perhaps the cyclone itself was a manufactured piece of meteorology. I know of no FF evidence; it just seems to me that the "coincidences" were more than they appear. Well, we all have a right to differing opinions. Re Ozma's/Dorothy's hair colors: Does it really matter? I rarely look at illustrations (or at least rarely remember them); this is not to say that I don't appreciate fine art or illos when I look at them, but I just read the text and pay little attention to the artist's rendering of the characters unless I have a specific reason to do so (my own characters, a much maligned-artist, etc.). Anyway, I think it matters little what hair color people/characters have, so long as their personality is not disagreeable. Re grammar in e-mail: (Note--I really shouldn't talk about this, since neither of my grammars even have a computer, but I wish to comment nontheless.) I think that e-mail can be eloquent and grammatical (and therefore all the more pleasant to read); it can also, however, take the form of jotted notes. In other words, I believe both sides are right in this dispute. Until Oxford University in England comes out with an Oxford Guide to E-mail Message Writing, people should feel free to write as they please. David: Good point (about how Lurlea might be a diminutive of Lurline, and so the two might be the same after all). I guess I ought to take a course in fairy-speak before I make such rash assumptions. Dave: With a grandmother who turned 101 last August now starting to feel her age (a few slight strokes, losing her clear speech and handwriting for awhile after each stroke), I know how you feel. Best wishes! --Jeremy Steadman (and don't forget KIEX) ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 97 11:25:59 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things I still am rooting for Lulea and Lurline being different because I see it as Zixi's only hope of her wish being granted and real, not just illusory, youth being at last hers... Baum was anti-Irish??? Ironic, considering the Enya-ness I imagine in Glinda, and Melody's Zim, who has Celtic roots... As far as alligators go, I can't comment...But FWIW Robert Mash's book _How to Keep Dinosaurs -- The Complete Guide to Bringing Up Your Beast_ (now very popular in Oz and Ix since Ozma's cousin Gyma, a "Lady of the Sauropods", brought forth her beasts in _Locasta_) explicitly warns against being tempted by cute, cuddly little baby T. rexes..."They mature quickly!" Mash points out. So you now have been warned. :) -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ======================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 7 - 8, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 15:24:49 -0400 (EDT) From: OzBucket@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-05-97 Yes, the name Dulabone is French in origin. But I do not speak a word of French, so please drop the racism. If I have any bourbon in me, it was probably to counteract the Everclear. Speaking of names, Tabitha Stephens doesn't spell hers that way. ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 14:43:02 -0500 (CDT) From: Tim Allison Subject: Annotated Wizard of Oz Can anyone tell me where I might be able to get a copy of this? Amazon says it will take several months, IF they can find it, and I haven't got several months. The Evanston Library lists it but says they haven't got it(???), and I'm not sure where to go from here. I knew of two bookstores in the LA area that I could have checked, but none here in Chicago. Carol PS This is the one edited by Mr Hearn ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 15:20:03 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-06-97 Bob, "fin de siecle" is French for "end of the century." Sarah, to find _The Oz-Wonderland War_, you have to go to a comic shop, and look in the back issues under _Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!_ JOdel, Decadence means decay. I haven't read _The Blue Bird_, but I saw the Walter Lang film with Shirley Temple and Gale Sondergaard. Scott ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 16:27:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Saroz@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-06-97 Someone was talking about the dog that the Sawhorse kicks in _Land_...could it have been the dog (can't remember his name...not at home so I don't have my books) in Queen Zixi of Ix, come to visit Oz? Sarah G Hadley ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 15:29:39 +0000 From: Roring Subject: Oz-Fest [Can someone help this non-Digest member, or at least tell me what event he's talking about? -- Dave] What towns is oz-fest coming to ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 16:10:46 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-06-97 > Much as I hate to admit ignorance, > _fin de siecle_ stumps me. > Trying to apply "if it were in English it would be method" I come up > with "the death of the motorcycle" but am sure that is off to some > degree. My dictionary is of no help. > Maybe someone could clue me in. > > Thanks, > Bob Spark > "Fin de siecle" means end of the century, particularly the end of the nineteenth century, the "mauve decade", the "gilded age", the "gay nineties." > > Does anyone know where I can get a copy of "The Oz-Wonderland War"? It sounds > interesting. > > Sarah Hadley > If no one else can help you, maybe I can. > From: JOdel@aol.com > > And you are quite right. Languidere is a figure right out of the Symbolist > arsenal (possibly Matterlink. Anyone here ever read The Blue Bird?). > I have. I felt I had to after I saw the Shirley Temple film. (I still haven't seen the Elizabeth Taylor version) Steve T. ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 16:18:05 -0600 (CST) From: Ruth Berman Subject: ozzy digest Melody Grandy: Hmm, yes, Langwidere does seem to have quite a nutty head there. Gordon Birrell: Enjoyed your use of the "Aunt Jane's Nieces" books to pull in a candidate for foolish interviewership. Aaron Adelman: The dog Prince got some kicking around in Mo, too, now that you mention it. The no-other-dogs statement is rather like the no-other-chickens and no-other-horses statements. All of them get contradicted in one Oz book or another (rooster in "Wizard," dogs in "Yellow Knight" and "Merry-go-Round," horses in "Giant Horse" and "Yellow Knight," and so on. The no-other comments should perhaps be considered as narrator's errors. Bob Spark: "Fin de siecle" means "end of the century." Siecle is cognate with "secular" (in the sense of relating-to-an-era), rather than with cycle. Dave Hardenbrook: On bringing up cute baby dinosaurs -- actually, I wrote a poem on that topic that was accepted for publication by "Asimov's SF." (I don't know just when it'll appear, though.) Ruth Berman ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 18:18:07 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-06-97 Glinda--magic-doer? It seems to me that someone who has knowledge of the Silver Slippers and the Golden Cap, someone who can break enchantments of all sorts, someone who teaches the Wizard (an outsider!) to do simple magic--such a person, whether she be witch, sorceress, or whatever, must have the ability to do magic! Speaking of Glinda: She supposedly cut off Oz from the world "completely", in Aaron's words. Considering the number of "outsiders" who end up in Oz, the Nome invasions, and so forth, she didn't seem to do a very good job. (A point against the theory that she indeed has magical talent? I prefer to interpret it as, those who "got through" were those she intended to get through.) Aaron: You say the fact that Billina continues to have children indicates that her mate must still be around and with her. How do we know she didn't have a number of mates? Heresy perhaps, but I wonder . . . Billina: Next thing I know you'll be accusing me of consorting with any Rooster, Brewster, or Canuster who comes along! Please!! Bob Spark: In French, the literally-translated title, _Fin de Siecle_, means End of the Millenium. Maybe that's not what you wanted to know, but as a French major, I thought I'd try to help where I could. Until next time, Jeremy Steadman (and KIEX!!) ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 15:40:51 +0100 From: "L. Beltz/M. Krueger" Subject: Ozzy Digest/Off Topic Please forgive the following non-Ozzy submission - it's just something I thought I'd share with you all. I belong to two lists/discussion groups on the internet. The only thing they have in common is that they both deal mainly with books. One, of course, is the Ozzy Digest. The other is for afficianados of Georgette Heyer whose main body of work deals with Regency England. As far as I know Oz and Regency England don't have a lot in common, except for the fact that they both have had some good (and some not so good) books written about them. What is interesting is that both groups have recently gotten off on similar tangents. A while back you all got into quite a discussion= on women's lib/feminism. It was being discussed by the Heyer list at the same time. Then just as a Heyer list discussion on drugs (especially laudanum) is winding down, opium pops up on the Ozzy Digest. There have been one or two other incidents of parallel discussions, which I can't remember as I write this. So is this an example of "great minds think alike" or what? Or do I just hang out with like thinking people? Lynn Beltz ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 18:34:27 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-06-97 Scott H.: The style manual for how printed or typed material should treat titles of various sorts is well-established. But since standard E-mail transfer protocols on the Internet don't allow the use of underlined or italicized text, it's not possible to follow the rules when they call for those. The question before the house - which hasn't been settled to everyone's satisfaction yet, and probably won't be any time soon - is how to represent what would be italics in a printed book, or underlined text in a typed MS, in ASCII text. Baum, like most authors, didn't have much if any say in who illustrated his books. As long as R&L liked Neill, Baum was stuck with him. (And personally, I'm glad, especially since Baum's taste seems to have run more toward Denslow's style - which, while OK for WIZARD, would have been much less so for most of the subsequent books. Now, Fanny Y. Cory or Frederick Richardson would have been quite acceptable for those later books.) Ruth: I remember some of my cousins bringing one of those "cute" ittle bittle alligators home from a Florida vacation back around 1950 or so. I don't think it got flushed; knowing those cousins, it was probably harassed to death before it got big enough to worry about. Bear: My copy of PURPLE DRAGON has the afterword and colophon as you state, but does not have any signatures. Does this make it more valuable, since all the other copies anyone seems to know about have Baum's "signature" at least? >The fact that Glinda has not demonstrated some type of magic does not >mean she can't. True enough - but when using that kind of magic would solve a significant problem that she has to solve in a much more roundabout way, or that someone else has to solve, it seems to me that it's reasonable to infer that she either can't do that kind of magic, or that doing it would require putting herself in a dangerous position, using a rare ingredient that needs to be saved for a greater emergency, or undergoing considerable discomfort of one kind or another. Glinda doesn't represent herself as all-powerful, and in fact Ozma specifically says in both TIN WOODMAN and GLINDA that there are things that Glinda can't do, though she doesn't say what they are - other than removing the green monkey from Oz. Aaron: I don't think it can be true that Toto was the first dog in Oz. He may have been the first dog that many Ozites saw, but there are certainly plenty of dogs in Oz in later books (there's a whole pack of hounds in MERRY-GO-ROUND, for instance, and the gypsies have dogs in OJO), and there wasn't much opportunity for them to get there after the time of WIZARD. As for chickens, there are certainly chickens in the Emerald City in WIZARD, so unless there was a sudden epizootic that killed them all off, there would be chickens there when Billina arrived as well. Billina just liked to put on airs. Tyler: You've read a lot more of the non-FF books than I have; I assume it must have been among them that you got the evidence that Lurline and Lulea seem to have different responsibilities? Because there's nothing in the FF (or Baum's other books) about what Lurline's responsibilities are when she's not passing enchantments on Oz. As far as I can see, the enchantment of Oz might fall into exactly the same category as the enchantment of the magic cloak - something the fairy queen did when she was bored with her usual duties. Bob: You're close to right in your stab at _fin de siecle_. It literally means "end of the cycle" in French, but rather than this meaning "death of the Harley" they use it for what we in English call "turn of the century". Warren: While I suppose it's theoretically possible for parts of Ev to lie on both sides of Oz, the problem is that it seems to be the same part of Ev - specifically, the part near the part of the Nome King's Dominions where the Metal Monarch's throne room is located. I suppose that it's conceivable that Roquat decided to leave his former headquarters east of Oz behind after they were contaminated by eggs in OZMA, and moved to new quarters west of Oz. Maybe Jinnicky is satrap of Ev West while Evardo rules Ev East (sort of like East and West Pakistan, before the former became Bangladesh). Although - we know in RINKITINK that Inga and Rinkitink cross the Wheeler Country to get to the Nome Kingdom, and that Dorothy and the Wizard cross the Winkie Country and the Deadly Desert to join them. This would imply that the Wheelers had been transplanted as well, or that there were Wheelers East and Wheelers West. And now we're beginning to run into Occam's Razor; either there's a really complicated political situation, or Baum and/or his informant got his directions mixed up in OZMA. >I must admit that I sometimes weary of the ability of those educated at >_good_ universities quickly to turn the discussion of any topic into >verbal quicksand. One wonders whether they are able (assuming they are >not also technically trained) ever to come to a definitive conclusion >about anything, except possibly contract terms, tenure, or perks. :-) I'm not quite sure what you're driving at there. Could you elucidate? Sarah: _The Oz-Wonderland War_ is a set of three comic books from the mid-'80s, featuring Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew, along with most of our familiar Oz and Wonderland characters (at least, such Oz characters as were PD at that point). They're heretical, but a lot of fun, and the Oz characters are generally in character and drawn close to Neill's style. If you have access to used-comic stores I understand they aren't terribly hard to find. (Chris Dulabone had a set he wanted to sell about a year ago - they were too heretical for him - but I imagine he's found a buyer by now.) They'll cost you somewhere in the $20-30 range, probably. Dave: I don't think there's strong enough evidence either way about whether Lurline and Lulea are the same to affect the HACCness of any given work. I don't think, though, that it's accurate to say that Zixi's youth was "illusory". That would be the case if she looked young and beautiful to others, but her body was creaking with age, she couldn't chew for lack of teeth, etc. To me, what's "illusory" is her image in the mirror that only she can see. And this illusion is perhaps the equivalent of Newton's Third Law in the field of magic - give yourself eternal youth through witchcraft, and it imposes an illusion on your own eyes so that when you look in a mirror, you see yourself as you would have been without the spell. I don't think Baum was exactly anti-Irish, but he accepted the common stereotype of the Irish, as he did of blacks and various other ethnic groups. (Arabs and French, for instance, in JOHN DOUGH. Of course, Arabs really _are_...)(I'm kidding, just in case there are any Arabs reading this.) You have HOW TO KEEP DINOSAURS? Isn't that a fun book? David Hulan ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 23:03:53 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Sarah: Sadly, _The Oz-Wonderland War_, a set of three comic books, is long out of print. You may be able to find one at an antique store. Also, if you go to a convention, you might be able to read someone's copies. --Tyler Jones ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 19:58:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Hanff Subject: Yew and Easton Hi Dave, In answer to a query from David Hulan, I think Cory is indeed the artist of the cover design for the first edition of _The Enchanted Island of Yew_. There are comparable text illustrations (printed in pale coral and over printed with the text in black) within the book. Following the flurry of discussion on the Easton Press printings of the first six Baum Oz titles, I decided to examine the set closely: The Easton Press printings of the first six Baum Oz books have recently attracted comment in the Ozzy Digest. Mike Denio has reported that the books are no longer in print, although he was able to locate at least one more set at Easton in 1996, and it may be that Easton still has a few volumes remaining. Readers of Ozzy Digest may be interested in a brief description of the books so that they can identify them more easily in their book hunting. The Easton Press volumes were published by arrangement with William Morrow and Co., using the plates prepared for the "Books of Wonder" series. Easton's books are printed on special, acid-neutral, archival quality paper bearing the seal of the Council of Library Resources and The American National Standards Institute. The contents of each volume are otherwise identical with the Morrow "Books of Wonder" printings, including the afterwords by Peter Glassman, but with special features developed for the Easton suite. Each volume has tan moi fabric endpapers, a bound-in fabric ribbon of the same color to serve as a book mark, and an embossed leather binding tooled in blind and stamped in gilt. Decorative endpapers originally issued by Morrow in Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, and The Emerald City of Oz are bound in as pairs of facing plates at the front and back of the Easton printings of those titles providing an interesting decorative touch. All edges are cut and gilt and the volumes are of uniform height (the Easton printing of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is somewhat larger than the Morrow version). The decorated leather bindings are striking and merit comment. The binding design for each title is derived from the design of the bindings of the original editions. Special stamping dies were prepared to produce a pronounced bas-relief effect on the front and back cover of each volume. Each title is bound in a different, deeply dyed leather, with rolled caps at top and bottom of spine and two-colored silk headbands selected to complement the color of the leather. The spines have two ornamental raised bands (hand-bound volumes of this size generally have five raised bands over the cords onto which the signatures were traditionally sewn). The Wonderful Wizard of Oz bound in very dark green leather: front cover: [lettered in gilt] The WONDER- | FUL WIZARD | of OZ [to the right of this line, in smaller type with the first two lines of lettering on the same line as "OZ":] BY | L. FRANK BAUM | [next two lines in the same smaller type and aligned flush left directly below "BY":] PICTURES BY | W. W. DENSLOW | [horizontal rule the width of the front cover, in blind, forming the upper edge of an embossed panel on which is the Cowardly Lion, also tooled in blind] | [horizontal rule, as above, forming the lower of the panel] spine: [all elements, save raised ornamental bands, in gilt] The | WONDER- | FUL | WIZARD | of OZ | [ornamental raised band in blind] | [sea-horse ornament] | BAUM | [rule] | [Toto ornament] | [ornamental raised band in blind] | [rule] | [Easton Press logo comprising a small script "E" | | small script "P"] back cover: [all tooled ornament in blind; horizontal rule the width of the back cover forming the upper edge of an embossed panel on which, in three lozenges arranged from lower left of panel and running diagonally upward toward the right are faces of the Scarecrow, Dorothy, and the Tin Woodman]| [horizontal rule, as above, forming the lower border of the panel] The Marvelous Land of Oz bound in dark blue leather: Front cover: [all lettering in gilt] The Marvelous | Land of Oz | By L. Frank Baum | [in blind and embossed are figures of the Scarecrow reaching out to grasp the hand of the Tin Woodman, both figures seated on large, cut jewels] Spine: [all elements, save raised ornamental bands, in gilt] The | Marvelous | Land of Oz | [raised band] | Baum | [ornament of General Jinjur standing on a cut jewel] | [raised band] | [Easton Press logo, as described above] Back cover: embossed in blind with seated figure of Jack Pumpkinhead Ozma of Oz bound in deep vermilion leather: Front cover: [all lettering in gilt] [the following line only in large and small capitals:] Ozma Of | [embossed decoration made up of a large "O" entwined with a large "Z" forming an ornamental frame in which are the figures of Ozma and Dorothy] | L. FRANK BAUM Spine: [all elements, save raised ornamental bands, in gilt] OZMA | OF | OZ | [raised band] | BAUM | [ornament of Ozma's head] | [raised band] | [Easton Press logo, as described above] Back cover: embossed entirely in blind with decoration made up of a large "O" entwined with a large "Z" forming an ornamental frame in which are the heads of the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger and on the top of which is perched Billina Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz bound in dark brown leather: Front cover: [all lettering in gilt, all other elements embossed in blind, all within an embossed ornamental frame divided into upper and lower panels] [in the upper panel, lettered in large and small capitals:] Dorothy AND THE | [large and small capitals:] Wizard IN [large and small capitals:] Oz | [within the lower panel are the figures of Dorothy, Eureka, the Wizard, and the Nine Tiny Piglets and below the figure of the wizard the lettering, in large and small capitals:] By L. Frank Baum Spine [all lettering elements, save raised ornamental bands, in gilt] DOROTHY | AND THE | [first letter only in black-letter] WIZARD | [large and small capitals] in OZ | [raised band] | [ornament of piglet on Wizard's hand] | [raised band] | [Easton Press logo, as above] Back cover all embossed in blind, within double-rule frame figure of Dorothy and Eureka at lower left (a repetition of the same element used on the front cover) The Road to Oz bound in olive green leather: Front cover: [lettered in gilt and blind, all other decorative elements embossed in blind; the design is contained within an ornamental double rule border and depicts the Emerald City across the top with a winding road leading to lower left; the next elements are within the lower two thirds of the roadway:] THE | ROAD TO | [in blind with the figure of The Shaggy Man with donkey's head crawling behind the next two letter elements with his head protruding through the "O":] OZ | [in large and small capitals] By L Frank Baum Spine: [all elements, save raised ornamental bands, in gilt] THE | ROAD | TO | OZ | [raised rule] | BAUM | [ornament of Toto's head] | [raised band] | [Easton Press logo, as above] Back cover: embossed in blind with figures of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion The Emerald City of Oz bound in Cordovan leather: Front cover: [lettered in gilt, all other decorative elements embossed in blind; the design is contained within an ornamental double rule border:] THE EMERALD CITY | OF OZ | [design of wagon with figures being drawn forward to lower left by the Saw Horse with the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman greeting the wagon from left and right of frame respectively] | [lettered in lower right corner within frame:} L. FRANK BAUM Spine: [all elements, save raised ornamental bands, in gilt] THE | EMERALD | CITY | OF OZ | [raised band] | BAUM | [ornament of standing rabbit with cap and musket] | [raised band] | [Easton Press logo, as above] Back cover: all in blind, the design contained within an ornamental double rule border, is the wagon and figures being drawn forward by the Saw Horse [a repetition of a detail from the design of the front cover] The descriptions above are from one set of the volumes. I should be grateful for additions or corrections. Peter E. Hanff ======================================================================== Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 07:36:59 -0400 (EDT) From: earlabbe@juno.com (Earl C. Abbe) Subject: Ozzy Digest Submission - How to Get Ahead In the 5/2 Digest, Ruth Berman hypothesizes that Princess Langwidere . In the 5/5 Digest, Melody notes an instance of Langwidere <"admiring one of her handsomest heads--one with rich chestnut hair, dreamy walnut eyes, and a shapely hickorynut nose."> One would have to be crazy to accept the deal suggested, but clearly one of Langwidere's heads was indeed nuts. Earl Abbe ======================================================================== Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 08:11:01 -0700 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz All: I forgot if I mentioned this already, but my web URL has changed. It is now http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/tnj/ Unfortunately, I may not be able to post a pointer on my old URL. I will call CSI and see. Anyway, there has been a change to the review section. Now, on the checklist and on the review pages, you will see the reviewers name highlighted. This is a link to a page giving a rundown on each reviewer's rating history. In other words, you can quickyl see which books we have reviewed and how well we liked them. Also, be sure to check out my two new reviews of _The Deadly Desert Around Oz_ and _Lunarr and Maureen in Oz_. These are "oldies but goodies". They have been around a long time, are very good, and still available. I am suprised that they have not yet sold out, but perhaps they soon will be. --Tyler Jones http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/tnj/ ======================================================================== Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 20:09:08 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-05-97 David: >(I don't know how difficult it would be for an artist to transpose the hair from one to the other, or just to change the hair color of a model, not being at all artistic myself [at least in the graphic-arts realm; I think I have some degree of artistry with words].)< In "Ozma," Ozma's hair looks like a coloring-book job done in black ink. That would be simple even for a manually dexterous non-artistt--as long as a good artist had drawn Ozma herself to begin with. I do admire Neill as an artist--which makes me cringe when he goofs up on his illustrations. And he does it again and again! Baum says Head 17 has black hair--and Neill made it blonde. I liked his style in _Land of Oz_. His later highly-detailed pictures look more technically impressive, but I think kids would be more put off by them. (At least I would be.) Melody Grandy ======================================================================== Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 19:36:57 -0500 (CDT) From: glassman@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 04-24-97 First, my apologies for the following response to postings from April 24th and 26th by Chris Dulabone. A personal crisis and tragedy have prevented me from reading the Digest since April 23rd. I sat down to catch up on the Digests that had accumulated in my e-mail box since April 24th with hopes of escaping the harsher side of reality, only to be confronted by Chris' attack. So for anyone who is tired of all of this, please skip the following: Chris has, as Stephen Teller and Ruth Berman so accurately pointed out, turned around everything I have posted. I cannot see how correcting typographical errors (something the original publisher was too cheap to do - not something Baum intended or wanted) is any kind of violation. Obviously, we have been using the word "facsimile" in the colloquial sense, not the literal, since we have changed the title pages and ads in all our books. As to the use of the word facsimile on the dust jacket of "Patchwork Girl" - as I have posted repeatedly, this was the result of a copy writer's erroneous assumption based on previous jacket flaps and was simply not caught by the managing editor, who had only recently joined Morrow and was not aware that I had to approve flap copy before it went to press. As the books are currently being rejacketed, this whole point will soon be moot (and no, we're not rejacketing because of this, but because we're putting new matching spine designs on all the Oz books and have corrected any errors on the flap copy at the same time). Additionally, I find Chris' statement that I knew for what purpose he was buying our books to be a ludicrous one. We have thousands of customers and although I try to listen politely as they tell me about their personal collections and reasons for buying Oz books, I quite frankly can't begin to hope to remember all their individual stories. I don't want to bore everyone by responding to the rest of Chris' outburst. I will just finish by saying that I was especially gratified by all those who leaped to my defense and by the dozens of private e-mails I received telling me to ignore Chris' comments and just keep doing what we're doing. These kind postings and letters of support were especially appreciated as I have just recently had a great personal tragedy in my life. For those of you who knew him personally or by seeing his name in our catalogs, James Carey was my business partner since Books of Wonder first opened and my life-partner for the past 18 1/2 years. Sadly, James passed away last Saturday at the age of 36. He was a kind, good and gentle soul - someone Ozma would certainly have welcomed to Oz and invited to stay - and I loved him with all my heart. For those of you who appreciate our publications, catalogs and other Oz efforts, please never forget that they were as much a result of James' efforts as they were mine. James just prefered to be the one in the background making sure everything went smoothly. Now that he has truly gone over the rainbow, I know he is where no ill thoughts or unkind words can bother him - but all your good thoughts and warm rememberances will surely reach him. As James had dedicated his life to bringing books to children, it is being requested that anyone who may wish to do so, may make a donation in his memory to Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) - the nation's leading charity devoted to children's literacy. Donations may be sent to: Reading Is Fundamental, 600 Maryland Avenue SW, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20024. - Peter Glassman Books of Wonder ======================================================================== Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 21:43:18 -0400 (EDT) From: HermBieber@aol.com Subject: For Ozzy Digest Sarah Hadley, I have copies of Oz Wonderland Wars for sale if you are interested. There were three (comic) books in the series. I interested, please e-mail me privately. On Bill Gates: I feel I must defend Gates from some of the anti-Microsoft diatribe that has been bandied about in the Ozzy Digest of late (although these remarks, like the comments that spurred them, are certainly not Oz related). I have heard many of Gates' talks, seen how he fields tough questions from a (sometimes hostile) audience, talked to executives who have negotiated with him one on one, and have met him personally. I consider him one of the top corporate leaders in the world today, not because he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but because he IS a great leader with a fabulous grasp of the information revolution. Sure he now has the clout to steer that revolution in ways that will benefit Microsoft even more. But that wasn't the case when Microsoft was small, and even today, one must be able to read the tea leaves. He is extremely sharp, and knows how to ask the critical questions. The corporate culture at Microsoft calls for hard work and total commitment, and those that do well in this climate are well rewarded. Those that feel they have to leave are often bitter. In our capitalist system, profit is the reward for providing a product or service which is better or cheaper than the competition, and this means that the competition may get trampled. There are many distortions of this ideal model, for example when wealth is created through mere financial manipulation, and with no public benefit, but Microsoft is a classical success story. Until he was married, Gates lived rather modestly, and he has used his vast wealth to endow many worthwhile educational, cultural, and charitable endeavors. His new mansion is a showcase for his art collection, which he intends to leave in a public trust (museum) when he goes to his reward. I have worked on many corporate levels, and when I was a bench R&D engineer, it was easy to snipe at top management and their "obvious" technical shortcomings. Later I learned that they had to be concerned with matters that I had scarcely dreamed of, and that technology was only a small part of the puzzle. Gates does know how to write programming language, but he has more important things to do nowadays. Programming is for bright young new hires. Herm Bieber ======================================================================== Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 23:50:37 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-06-97 Sarah: >Does anyone know where I can get a copy of "The Oz-Wonderland War"? It sounds interesting.< It may not be "canonical" Oz (it stars "Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew," but it's a lot funnier and Ozzier than "Oz" or "Oz Squad." It was a comic book trilogy. Try a comic book store that carries old issues. That's where I got a full set for Megan! Marvel Comics, back in the '70's, was going to bring out a comic book version of "Ozma of Oz." I'm still waiting. (Sniff.) I understand the art WAS done for it--then the project was shelved. So somewhere in the Marvel vaults is yellowing "Ozma of Oz" artwork with dialogue balloons peeling off..:( DC & Marvel did a great job adapting MGM's "Wizard" to comics, then Marvel did a great job of adapting "Land of Oz." Interestingly, they used MGM"s Scarecrow and Tin Woodman in "Land." Aaron: >On Billina: After _Ozma_, she hatches out many children. I take it for granted that she needed a rooster to do this, even in Oz. While there is no reason Billina's mate need be a major character, not only does he never appear on stage, he is never even mentioned. The Emerald City chicken colony could not even be the result of a single romantic encounter, as Billina continues to have children after her first batch. Therefore Billina's mate must still be around! Nice problem, huh?< Baum apparently forgot that Dorothy was awakened by the crow of a green rooster and the cackling of a green hen that had just laid an egg in "Wizard." She was staying at the Palace at the time. Bear: < You'll have to refresh me as to this "better than you" comment?< It referred to Ozma's remark: "Shall Ozma of Oz humble herself to a creature who lives in an underground kingdom?" Which implies surface dwellers are better than underground dwellers. And if you know anything that has caused more fights throughout history than the royal "I am better than you" attitude , let me know. :-) :-) Jeremy: True, some people may not care about the accuracy of a book's illustrations--and as we grow up we become so accustomed to disappointments and imperfections of life we may not give such matters a second thought. But children can be picky about the illos in their books. And aren't we adult fans of books delighted when a movie comes out which does justice to the book it is based on--where the producers have been faithful to the author's vision instead of messing with it? :-) :-) However you are right that it is important to give a story's heroes good dispositions. In "Ozma of Oz," Ozma, Dorothy and friends show courage in risking themselves to save the royal family of Ev. Ruth: Baum's father was probably German. Was his mother also German, or could she have been at least part Irish? Dave: Ruth Berman claims Baum wasn't Irish at all, but I've never heard that Baum was anti-Irish. If he were, why would he give his most powerful Sorceress red hair--a distinctly (though perhaps not exclusively) Irish-Scottish trait? (My Scots-English grandmother used to boast that she had auburn hair before it turned white. Alas, auburn hair has not yet turned up in her children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren.) Melody Grandy ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 06:12:19 -0400 (EDT) From: HJohn10844@aol.com Subject: Re: Oz Fest "97" [Another inquiry about "Oz Fest" -- I hope someone knows about this! -- Dave] Hey Dave....We happened to stumble upon your Oz Page and we were looking for info on Oz Fest "97". I would assume that the parade times would run about the same,at least I hope, as last year. This is the first year that I don't have to work on the day of the parade and I would love to see it. My 81 year old Momma is really looking forward to seeing it as well. Please if you could, either E-mail me back or call 315-964-2338 and give me some details. As you can tell from the phone no. we are a long ways away, but would appreciate any info you could give us. Signed, "Off to see the wizard" hopefully, Leona ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 05:04:16 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: wizard of oz original sound track album (fwd) If anyone can be of any more help to Fran than me, we'd both appreciate it. I've already told her, however, that I can't tell much at all without being able to physically examine it. Any responses, please send directly to Fran. --Eric Gjovaag ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 7 May 1997 21:39:34 -0400 From: fran mckay Subject: wizard of oz original sound track album I have come across an album of the Wizard of Oz. It was manufactured and distributed in Canada by Quality Records Limited, Toronto, Ontario. I would like to know the year of release and any value that it might have. Fran ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 10:07:27 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest Dave: I downloaded that sizzling cover of _Enchanted Island_ from your web page with the idea of installing the image on my desk top. It turned out, however, that none of my graphics software on either platform could open the image; Graphic Converter on the Mac brought up the message "unknown jpeg format". Do you have any idea what the problem is here? It's interesting that some of us on the Digest think of Dorothy as the principal heroine of _Ozma_ and others opt for Billina. I got to thinking about this when I was reading Brian Attebery's essay, "Oz", in Michael Hearn's edition of _WWoO_ (Schocken Books, 1983). Attebery sees the Dorothy of the first book as representing not only a generic little girl but also a specifically American type, namely the lively, resourceful, level-headed frontier woman. It occurs to me that in some ways Baum split the original character of Dorothy into two separate figures in _Ozma_: the new Dorothy is much more a little girl who keeps getting into scrapes and needs to be rescued (including that archetypal damsel-in-distress motif of being locked in a tower) while Billina takes over much of the original Dorothy's no-nonsense farm-woman pluckiness. --Gordon Birrell ======================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 9, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 17:00:29 -0400 From: Michael Turniansky Subject: Ozzy catchup!!! Wow! Finally got through the backlog of e-mail. One thing I was surprised that Jeremy didn't mention was that on Oz-car night, Nick was rooting for "Shine"... Comments from MARCH 27 (!) digest: Melody: > Thompson should have been longsighted enough to realize she herself would > one day join the ranks of the elderly if she lived long enough--and she > did... Now, would SHE have wanted a little girl to dash her with a bucket > of water--or assume she was bad--simply because she had grown old? :-) Apparently so, that's why she fudged her birthdate. BTW, just now got that "Smith & Tinker" are very descriptive names. On March 30, Gordon Birrel asks: > Who's Alice? In the illustration of Professor Nowitall's classroom > (p. 147), if you look very closely at the front desk you will see the > name Alice B. carved into the wood, with what looks like the initial D. > beneath it and an arrow-pierced heart below that. Does anyone know if > Neill had a real Alice in mind in this detail? Could Alice B. be a Baum > relative? Why, it's "Alice B. Toklas", of course. Gertrude Stein sat at that desk. She was in Jinjur's army, no doubt. Jeremy asks in the 4/1 digest if in "counting by twos" there is an "unpsoken 0" in front. In general the phrase "counting by 'n''s ", without qualifier means giving the multiples of n in ascending order, starting with n. Aaron seemed surpised at Scott's idea of a generic chapel. Why not? Hospital and army bases have 'em. More later (I hope), --Mike "Shaggy Man" Turniansky ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 17:26:47 -0400 (EDT) Date-warning: Date header was inserted by delphi.com From: dsparker@mail.utexas.edu (Douglass S. Parker) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-08-97 [a] I'm swamped by term-end, and haven't been only spottily keeping up with OD since mid-April; [b] given the present climate of opinion, I'm chary of bringing this up at all... BUT, since we won't be considering OZMA forever: Has anyone ever pointed out parallels between Langwidere and the menstrual cycle? A man's idea, I'd say, including PMS: Thirty heads, one for each day; one of the thirty [was it #17?] especially fiery, quick to fly off the handle; admittance [not the word, but I'm packing] by a key carved "from a single blood-red ruby." Maybe someone has, and I'm off the hook. But, otherwise... Exit, stage left, in considerable hurry. Without a word about Billina and eggses... Doug Parker ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 17:06:29 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-08-97 Steve, I think it's ironic that Paul Maslansky produced the 1976 version of _The Blue Bird_. It's not out on tape, and is one of Gary Medved's worst films of all time in his book. He also put _The Bible_ there... It has never been released on video. David Hulan--The Oz-Wonderland War does not seem especially heretical; only in minor details such as the non-parallel time and such, but nothing major. I guess it could be considered heretical because it seems to be set contemporary to when it was written. Then, of course, it would be heretical. Margaret Berg suggested that Ozma may hav gotten lost in the desert and traveled all the way around the North border in her research packet that I received yesterday. Of course, she also repeatedly used the term deus ex machina, but wrote it "deus de machine," and she also claimed that RPT finished _Glinda_ without credit. It was my understanding that Baum kep this in a safe deposit box so his publisher would have something after his death, and that he sat up in bed revising it in the last year of his life. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 18:29:41 -0400 (EDT) From: "James R. Whitcomb" Subject: Re: what is Oz Fest Dave: Re: Oz Fest, it is actually called OzzFest and it's an annual Summer tour of hard rock bands. They are coming to Columbus (No, I'm not going!). I copied/pasted the info from the WWW for the concert that is going to be in Columbus so you can see what I'm referring to. It got its name originally because it was started by Ozzy Osbourne. He is touring with OzzFest 97 this year. The entire tour schedule is available on the WWW if you search www.ticketmaster.com. Also, if you do a netsearch on the WWW for Ozfest you get a homepage for the 1995 concert line-up even though it's outdated now. Please pass this along to the folks who originally emailed you if you'd like. Jim Whitcomb. BEST BUY PRESENTS OZZFEST '97 RAIN OR SHINE/12PM DOORS POLARIS AMPHITHEATER * * * TUE JUN 17 1997 1:00 PM ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 19:54:11 -0400 (EDT) From: Mark Anthony Donajkowski Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-08-97 selena and another yet again oz bookmark okay those who want the bookmark bmp write me at anthon1408@aol.com lets hope this stays up longer then the other one did hugs anthony van pyre ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 19:19:59 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-08-97 Sarah: The dog in ZIXI is named Ruffles, and although it's possible that he's the one the Sawhorse kicked in LAND, my opinion is that there have always been plenty of dogs in Oz. Ruth: I stand corrected; I knew what "fin de siecle" meant in context, but I never actually looked up "siecle", and figured it was French for "cycle". Jeremy: Did anyone suggest that Glinda couldn't do magic? There's only been speculation that she wasn't very good at, or maybe couldn't even do, certain kinds of magic - and in fact, as I said last Digest, Ozma specifically says that Glinda can't do some of the things she (Ozma) can, though she doesn't specify what they are. Lynn: Interesting that the same topics would crop up concurrently in two relatively unrelated discussion groups (though ISTR that there are quite a few Heyer fans on the Ozzy Digest, including yhos; I don't know to what extent the opposite is the case). Sort of like several people inventing the steamboat, or the internal combustion engine, independently - or Darwin and Wallace coming up with evolution by natural selection, or Lobachevski and Bolyai with non-Euclidean geometry, independently and approximately concurrently. Peter H.: I have an edition of YEW with the illustrations in coral and overprinted with the text. I just don't think the style of those illustrations looks much like the one on the cover. But I'm not an artist, in the first place, and a drawing designed to be stamped onto cloth will necessarily be done differently from one designed to be printed on paper, so that may explain the difference. Melody: All I can say is that when I was a kid I loved Neill's illustrations, and still do. Even though they're not very consistent with the text. Peter G.: I know nothing that anyone can say can help much, but you have my deepest sympathy over James's death. My only contact with him was a couple of phone conversations during the pre-publication process on GLASS CAT, but he was certainly a pleasure to deal with. I'm sure he'll be missed among all Oz fans in ways we can't know at the moment. Melody: As I think I said before, Baum wasn't actively anti-Irish, but there's a poem about an Irish immigrant boy in FATHER GOOSE that's pretty scurrilous, and ISTR there's an Irish washerwoman in THE WOGGLE-BUG BOOK who's a decidedly unattractive character. Although red-headedness is associated in the popular imagination with Ireland, Scotland is the country with the highest percentage of red-heads, and England and the Scandinavian countries are about equal to Ireland. (And the fact that he describes her as tall suggests he might have had Scandinavian rather than Celtic in mind - certainly the Dakotas in the late 1800s, where he'd been living during the time he probably thought up most of the Oz story, had a strong Scandinavian element in their population. Still do, for that matter.) "Oz Fest" queries: There's an "Oz Fest" in Chicago every year, and there's the one in Chesterton, Indiana. There may well be others that call themselves that - like the Oz celebrations in Aberdeen, SD and in Chittenango, NY. It's hard to tell what your questioners have in mind. Gordon: Interesting theory on the Dorothy/Billina relationship. I don't really think that Dorothy is that much less resourceful in OZMA than in WIZARD, though. In the latter, aside from her burst of temper when she wiped out the WWW, she mostly just follows the advice of her companions. In OZMA she's considerably feistier than in WIZARD, I think. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 20:12:25 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: TODAY'S OZ GROWLS We are hexed again. Tim - Try Erics web page - it has a link to the Future Fantasy Book Store, (or http://futfan.com/ ) they may have one. Lynn - Synchronicity or just great minds working! Maybe we have a cross-fertilizer! :) David - >Now, Fanny Y. Cory or Frederick Richardson would have been quite acceptable for those later books. I don't recognize these artists. What did they illustrate? Oh, and regarding your Purple Dragon, I think I would write to the publisher, if they still exist and ask for the missing autograph page. They probably still have some. :) Good luck! Stranger things have happened. >Ozma specifically says in both TIN WOODMAN and GLINDA that there are things that Glinda can't do, though she doesn't say what they are.... David, she didn't want this to get out but, since we are among friends, she just can't make a decent omlette!! :) In a more serious vein, the use of magic exacts a toll on the practitioner. As a result, I think Glinda is very judicious in its application. If you doubt this, just take a look at your average "black" witch! Thank you for reminding me of the word "epizootic." Did you learn that word from your parents? My father, who started life on a South Dakota farm loved that word. Thank you Melody. Point taken. Hmmmm, what lives underground..... Worms, snakes, bugs, gnomes, ........ :) _fin de email_ Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 20:27:40 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: The Chickens of Oz 1) Ruth et al., hmm, OK, so the Emerald City chicken colony wasn't started by Billina. Dogs and horses, however, seem to be limited to small areas, some of which may be purely nonhistorical. View Halloo and the Dogwood, for example, seem a little too one-track-minded to have come into existence historically. (Corabia, Corumbia, and the Hidden Valley do seem more likely to be historical, though.) High Boy the Giant Horse is almost certainly nonhistorical, and if not, is certainly of magical origin. 2) Jeremy (and Kiex!), I don't know enough about chicken behavior to say whether Billina might be polyandrous, but it seems unlikely considering that Oz is supposed to be an American fairyland and that polyandry is neither a norm nor an ideal in America. On the other hand, I have trouble imagining all Ozite animals adopting human social norms, so I can't rule out the possibility. Someone who knows more about chickens, please tell us more on how a sentient chicken is likely to act. 3) On _How to Keep Dinosaurs_: cool book. Where can I get a _Longisquama_? Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 22:12:41 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Sarah: It's doubtful that the two dogs are the same, since it is unlikely that there would be much traffic between Oz and Ix before Ozma ascended the throne. Ruth and Aaron: I also take the "no such animals" statements as simple narrators errors: They simply did not know enough about Oz at the time, and made blanket assumptions based on what little stuff they did know. Jeremy: Yes, Glinda is an accomplished magic-worker. It has been discussed before on the digest that power is not always all-encompassing. In other words, while Glinda can do many things well, it does not necessarily follow that she does ALL things well. Lynn: I'd tend to go with the "great minds think alike" bit. From the discussions on this digest, it is clear that we on the digest are not always on the same wavelength. Dave: The only books non-FF books I have come across that would indicate differences between Lurline and Lulea are _Queen Zixi of Ix_ and _Lurline and the White Ravens of Oz_. Granted, Lurline does not seem to have responsibilities in the sense that Lulea does, at least in the administration of her fairy band. The truth is that we see very little of them (or her). I suppose I can't really give you any definitive reasons as to why I feel that they are three different people (including Zurline). It just seems to me that there are many different bands of fairies out there doing different things, and that each group would have their own ruler, although the groups do communicate, and perhaps Lurline is granted the status of leader amongst a group of equals. At this point, HACC theory leans in the direction of all of them being different individuals, but the margin is narrow. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 22:42:27 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-08-97 Speaking of Neill's illustrations not matching the text... did anyone notice that Baum says the magic carpet that carried Ozma and her army across the Deadly Desert was green, but the color plate shows it as blue? I seem to remember reading somewhere (perhaps on the Ozzy Digest?) that Neill often drew b&w illustrations that were colored by others. If so, that could explain the discrepancy. (Pardon me if this has already been discussed. I was on vacation for a week and am only now catching up on my reading.) -- Craig Noble ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 02:36:22 -0400 (EDT) From: HermBieber@aol.com Subject: For Ozzy Digest Peter, Thank you for your careful and thorough description of the Easton Press Oz Books. Herm Bieber ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 07:41:30 -0400 (EDT) From: Saroz@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-08-97 I've heard about this Synergy game, Yellow Brick Road or YBR, which I'd like to get. Can anyone tell me more about the game (i.e. what it's like, if it follows the books, etc), and where I might be able to find it? Thanks in advance. Sarah G Hadley ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 11:31:52 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest Ruth Berman: >Gordon Birrell: Enjoyed your use of the "Aunt Jane's Nieces" books to >pull in a candidate for foolish interviewership. I appreciate the compliment, but in all honesty I must admit that the Jane I was thinking of was Jane Albright, whose first-rate Oz collection was the subject of a Personal FX super-collector segment back in February. Could you explain the connection to the Aunt Jane series? Peter Hanff: Thanks for the meticulous descriptions of the Easton editions. Does the fact that you have compiled all this information mean that a new edition of the Bibliographia Oziana is in the works? Serious collectors on the Digest may be interested in the FAQ for the Usenet newsgroup rec.collecting.books, which has many useful tips on conserving and caring for rare books. It is on the Web at http://www.massmedia.com/~mikeb/rcb/ More on _Ozma_: Did anyone else notice the echo of the Wizard's famous self-characterization ("I'm really a very good man, but I'm a very bad Wizard") in the Hungry Tiger's description of his divided nature: "I am a good beast, perhaps, but a disgracefully bad tiger"? What I find intriguing here is that the two quotations are symmetrical. The Wizard, anticipating R. D. Laing, proclaims the priority of the essential self (the "good man") over the social role (the "bad Wizard"). The Tiger, on the other hand, views the essential self (his natural existence as a tiger) as all but obliterated by societal constraints (the injunction not to eat fat babies). I'm reminded of Freud's _Civilization and Its Discontents_ and Nietzsche's designation of man as "the sick animal": the socialization process, which relies on the installation of an active and vigilant conscience, always demands a supression of natural drives and appetites. The good (i.e., fully socialized) beast exists at the expense of the natural beast (the tiger self) and the result is neurosis, a perpetual and relentless state of deferred gratification. The Hungry Tiger's later comments on the size of his appetite are an incredibly vivid description of the way desire may be experienced as a force so large that it engulfs the body, so that we inhabit our desire rather than the other way around: "You can hardly imagine the size of my appetite. It seems to fill my whole body, from the end of my throat to the tip of my tail. I am very sure the appetite doesn't fit me,and is too large for the size of my body." (Lacan would have *loved* that description!) --Gordon Birrell ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 13:43:00 -0400 (EDT) From: ZMaund@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-08-97 Good news. Bruce Conklin has agreed to coordinate this year's Munchkin Auction, so the auction crisis is over, thank gawd. Again, if anyone has any material they intend to donate or consign to the auctions at the Ozmapolitan, Winkie, or Munchkin auctions taking place this summer, please inform me as soon as possible. Thanks in advance. Patrick Maund ZMaund@AOL.com ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 04:54:42 -0400 From: Michael Turniansky Subject: Ozzy mention in "The Straight Doper" (I'm still catching up on replies. Only up to April 8th's Digest, but since this was of time-value, I am breaking up the order) Did anybody else note that Cecil Adam's (who is getting a cc: of this) "Straight Dope" column of this week was all about the "hanging man" legend? Cece's column, for those who don't know, is found in all the finest "alternative" papers, such as the Baltimore CityPaper, the Boston Phoenix, and the Chicago Reader. He corrects the original author's placement of the scene (the writer says it happens at the apple-tree scene, but has the Tin Woodman in that scene, which Cecil correctly points out is _before_ the Tin Woodman is even introduced, and thoroughly debunks it. Cecil, you wouldn't believe how often members of this, the Ozzy Digest get asked this question. (Actually, you would, you deal with Teeming Millions on a daily basis). There's even at least one FAQ about it, http://www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/8b.html --Mike "Shaggy Man" Turniansky ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 97 13:49:51 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things DINOSAURS: Aaron wrote: >3) On _How to Keep Dinosaurs_: cool book. Where can I get a >_Longisquama_? Try "Archosaurs R Us" in the Emerald City, on the corner of Scarecrow St. and Wogglebug Way. :) OZ FEST: Thanks for everyone who replied to this...But remember that the people who asked are not on the Digest, so you'll have to drop them an "E-mail" line privately in order for them to "hear" you... OZ-WONDERLAND WAR: I s'pose ( as Dorothy would say :) ) that _Oz-Wonderland War_ is no more "heretical" than _Sherlock Holmes in Oz_ any other "crossover" story...( I keep wondering how _Red Dwarf in Oz_ is going to go down with you guys... :) :) ) -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 10, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 18:26:44 -0400 (EDT) From: Mark Anthony Donajkowski Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-09-97 > > OZ-WONDERLAND WAR: > I s'pose ( as Dorothy would say :) ) that _Oz-Wonderland War_ is no > more "heretical" than _Sherlock Holmes in Oz_ any other "crossover" > story...( I keep wondering how _Red Dwarf in Oz_ is going to go down > with you guys... :) :) ) > > -- Dave > and when is red dwarf in oz coming out?? since red dwarf rules ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 19:01:39 -0500 From: "David G. Hulan" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-09-97 Scott: True, _Oz-Wonderland War_ isn't particularly heretical, in that it doesn't (as far as I recall) directly contradict the FF. The heresy is more in the same nature as that of "Sir Harold and the Gnome King", which also doesn't directly contradict the FF. It's a good deal more violent than any FF book, for instance , though the violence is of the comic-book variety - i.e., not realistic. Bear: Fanny Y. Cory was the original illustrator of THE ENCHANTED ISLAND OF YEW. Frederick Richardson was the original illustrator of QUEEN ZIXI OF IX. That's why I suggested them as alternatives to Neill, if an alternative had been needed after Baum disliked Neill's illustrations. Cory and Richardson were both very good, and imho much more suitable for the later Oz books than Denslow or Frank Ver Beck (who illustrated MAGICAL MONARCH OF MO) would have been. Yes, I originally learned the word "epizootic" from my parents, though not what it really meant. (They'd always ask my brother and me if we had "the epizootics" if we'd cough or sneeze. It was only much later that I learned that it meant any strongly contagious disease of animals, being analogous to "epidemic" for humans.) Aaron: The gypsies' dogs and horses in OJO are almost surely historical, although I suppose it could be argued that those gypsies didn't get to Oz until after the time of WIZARD. However, that would leave open the question of how they got there. (Presumably the deadly deserts around Oz were open to some extent in the historical past - probably within the past couple of hundred years. Either that or there are dimensional gates within Oz that allow passage from our world without crossing the desert, though they may only open on fairly rare occasions.) Regular chickens in the barnyard are entirely promiscuous, though if the flock isn't too large one rooster usually dominates and does most of the fertilizing. I've no idea how a sentient chicken would behave sexually, but I know of no reason to believe that sentience would make much difference. Many birds pair up for the breeding season, and some (swans, for one) pair up for life, but chickens don't. The male chicken has no role in bringing up the offspring. (Birds overall are more egalitarian than mammals, though. In some species - phalaropes, for one - once the female lays the eggs she disappears and the male incubates the eggs and does all the rearing of the young.) Craig: I was the one who mentioned that I'd read that Neill was not responsible for the color for any of his illustrations except the color plates in DOTWIZ and EMERALD CITY. The others were colored by the printer. This makes considerable sense when you think about it; in those days - especially for the Baum books - it must have been quite difficult to make good color separations so that a printer could match a color painting. Panchromatic film wasn't even invented until the 1920s, as I recall, and before that there was no photographic way of distinguishing red from black. I wish I knew more about the techniques of color printing in its early days. (I know, there's probably a book in the library I could read. So little time, so many things I'd like to know...) David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 21:26:14 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Today's Oz Growls Dave - Sorry, I accidentally sent you my blank Digest message. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaking of generic chapels, someday if you are in an airport and just need a quiet, smoke-free place to hang out, ask for the location of the "chapel." In some airports it is just a room full of chairs but it is unlikely you will find anyone else there. I think that is because few people know they exist. Doug - I think you are now toast! :) Dave >I keep wondering how _Red Dwarf in Oz_ is going to go down with you guys... :) :) ) Just guess! :( :( Weekend regards, Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 23:16:06 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-09-97 Catchup again ... 5-8 Digest: Re _Fin de Siecle_: Boy, did I ever goof! Here I was, a self-proclaimed French major, saying "siecle" meant "millenium"! Hope nobody paid attention to my statement and instead looked at others'... Beltz/Krueger: So you've all been appealing to a Heyer authority the whole time, I see... Seriously, I imagine some Digesters must be in both organizations. David: You say there was not much opportunity for dogs to get to Oz after the time of _Wizard_. Even considering the protection spell placed around Oz shortly after that time, just because we haven't heard about any such dogs doesn't mean none existed. Re Wheelers West and East: You've all heard, I am sure, of Wheeler, West Virginia... Re Ozma's supposed "better-than-you" comment: I take the statement for just what it says. The Nome king living in an underground cavern, it's like addressing a letter. "Should Ozma of Oz humble herself to a creature who lives in an underground cavern"--if the Nome king lived in the desert, she would say, "Should Ozma of Oz humble herself to a creature who lives in the Deadly Desert" or something like that. Naive of me perhaps, but that's how I accepted it when I first read it and it still seems logical now. 5-9 Digest: Michael T.: I will ignore your comment about what I should have said about Oz-car night, not wanting to be a grouch. You say that < Jeremy asks in the 4/1 digest if in "counting by twos" there is an "unpsoken 0" in front. In general the phrase "counting by 'n''s ", without qualifier means giving the multiples of n in ascending order, starting with n.> If this is so, one can't start counting with zero, that being a dead end, so to speak. ("Once zero, two times zero, three times zero", etc is actually "zero, zero, zero".) Aaron: Has Kiex been snooping in my e-mail again, signing her name on my messages and such? What will I do with her?! So long for now, Jeremy Steadman (and KIEX) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 23:22:19 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-08-97 Tim: >Annotated Wizard of Oz< You might try a rare bookstore that does searches. Or the Oz Trading Post for the International Wizard of Oz Club. "Annotated Wizard" is relatively recent compared to first eds of the Famous Forty, so it should not be too hard to find. Or maybe Robin or Hem here on the Digest will be able to help you! Herm sure helped me with my Oz collection! :-) Bear: Ruggedo: What?! Are you calling me a *worm"? :-) :-) Doug: > Has anyone ever pointed out parallels between Langwidere and the >menstrual cycle? A man's idea, I'd say, including PMS: Thirty heads, one >for each day; one of the thirty [was it #17?] especially fiery, quick to >fly off the handle; admittance [not the word, but I'm packing] by a key >carved "from a single blood-red ruby." You've got an interesting theory, there. That "blood-red" description gave me pause, too--though executions by beheading, not periods, came to my mind. By the way, I was so furious when I read in a zoology book that only humans and certain species of great apes go through that every month. Other mammals go through estrus--which supposedly involves no monthly mess. How did we human women get so "lucky?" In "Seven Blue Mountains of Oz," when Tip is made an honorary girl by Truro and her tomboys, they sing, "A woman's a girl turned into a baby, a woman's a girl whose doom has come--" The verse refers to one reason they reject womanhood. Before my grandmother presented me with the Kotex books, I had happily and naively assumed I was out of diapers forever. Wrong! And PMS is no more fun for gals than it is for guys. I do not enjoy the bad mood it sometimes brings on. And, yes, Doug, you have struck on exactly how to handle a woman with PMS. Leave her alone! Exit, stage right! You cannot talk or argue a person out of excess fluid on the brain, which physical problem is supposed to be the reason why some women get irritable that time of the month. Fortunately, PMS does not happen to all of us. PMS affects me much more when I am stressed-out, whereas during times of my life when I am happy and stress-free, it hardly affects me at all. :-) :-) Jeremy: Perhaps Glinda tried to isolate Oz with a spell that failed to work "as advertised." :-) Glinda: Yes, and I plan to request a full refund. Glinda's powers seem to include: conjuring tents and food (one of the things the Wizard learned from her), micromorphosis (she gave the Scarecrow a powder to shrink Blinkie), taking away a magic-worker's magical powers (Blinkie and Mombi), causing wicked magic workers to forget their knowledge of magic (Mombi) or EVERYTHING (the Fountain of Oblivion), granting spiders temporary ability to spin incredibly stong webs, lowering the water level of a lake (with help), diverting the course of small armies (Ann-Soforth's army), spinning emeralds into cloth (her present to Ozma in "Magic"), conjuring visions (to find Button-Bright in "Glinda of Oz"), long-distance paralyzing spells (what she did to a couple of beasts about to pounce Button-Bright in same book), and some untransformations (goat into prince, stone into flesh), and making carpets that can enable travel over the Deadly Desert and bridge chasms, and getting information magically (which is how she learned more about the Skeezers and Flatheads). Her personal code of ethics, rather than lack of ability, seems to prevent her from learning the art of transformation ("no honest sorceress makes things appear to be what they are not.") Zim: I learned the art of transformation before we magic-workers decided that it was unethical. However, knowing how to perform them can be helpful in figuring out how to undo them... Tip: Er, Zim, is that you? You better not be a REAL tyrannosaurus rex... Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 02:30:57 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Glinda: In _Tin Woodman_ Ozma says that Glinda's powers of transformation were not all that great, although some years previous, she had broken then transformation of then-Bilbil back to Bobo. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 06:31:22 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Ozzie Digest Hello there, In conversation with an acquaintance of mine the subject of the _Ozzie Digest_ came up, so I forwarded a copy of Thursday's Digest to him. He just sent the following note to me: > Bob: - > I found The Annotated Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, with an > introduction, notes and bibliography by Michael Patrick Hearn, > published by Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., New York, 1973. The Mill > Valley Library call number -- and probably Sacto's -- is 813. It is > one of a whole series of mostly good Annotated publications, > such as that of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea [a new translation > which vindicates the novel as really worthwhile and miles above > the traditional version], Gulliver's Travels [done by Isaac Asimov], > Sherlock Holmes, The Ancient Mariner, Alice, and Mother Goose. I don't know if this is common knowledge or not, but I found it interesting and am passing it on. Bob Spark -- "I love criticism just so long as it's unqualified praise" Noel Coward ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 12:14:28 -0400 (EDT) From: OzBucket@aol.com Subject: Oz I have a young Oz-fan buddy online named Laura, who has started up a cute E-Mail newsletter with kids' recipes. It comes out every Friday, and each issue includes a free wav (some kind of sound-making thingy). If you want your kids (or yourselves) to sign up for her newsletter, please contact her at TaruaL@aol.com. Oh, she also has a newsletter about professional wrestling that I didn't subscribe to. Dave, can you sign Laura up for the Digest? She can't access your page though aol for some reason. (I have no difficulties these days). ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 10 May 97 13:44:57 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things Anthony wrote: >and when is red dwarf in oz coming out?? since red dwarf rules As soon as I finish it. :) And when I do, I will post it on my web page... Thanks Melody for your list of Glinda's known abilities... :) (Scene: The "Macy's Magic, Ltd." Complaints Department) Annoying Little Gnome Behind the Counter: I'm sorry Madam -- We can't give you a refund because these invasions of Oz you mention all happened past the limited 90-day warranty... Glinda: From now on, I'm buying my magical equipment from Gimbel's! :) -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 11 - 12, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 18:53:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-10-97 Hmm. Not a lot to say today, for some reason. (My tongue being in knots or whatever.) Re Red Dwarf in Oz: Who's the star? Okay, so maybe you could have seen that coming. Well, it did. Until next time, Jeremy Steadman (and don't forget KIEX) ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 23:42:16 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-10-97 Jeremy: Here are some more Glinda abilities which came to mind: Creating lassos with the power to break simple transformations and render the person lassoed completely harmless (Mombi). (Rather similar to Wonder Woman's magic lasso with its power to compel the lassoee to obey her.) She can undo the simple version of the Switcheroo Spell with a gesture (Jellia and Mombi). She completely sealed a tent with a magic gesture (Land). In "Road," she grew a tree which supplied tamorna fruit to the audience. She supplied the living paper for Miss Cuttenclip to make her live paper people and animals. And so far that's just a list of the powers Baum gave her. All in all, Glinda seems to be a versatile lady. Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 10:18:43 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest Melody: To your useful list of Glinda's demonstrated skills I would add tele-transporting, at least within the borders of Oz. At the end of _Cowardly Lion_ she uses magic to send everyone back from Mudge to the Emerald City, without the aid of the Magic Belt. I also am intrigued by Doug's ingenious detection of parallels between Langwidere and the menstrual cycle. This would explain the appeal of Dorothy's pre-pubescent head, particularly when Langwidere is in the throes of Head #17. On the other hand, it needs to be pointed out that Langwidere doesn't observe anything like a fixed cycle. I.e., she doesn't go through the heads in numerical order but chooses whatever one suits her fancy on any given day; she leaps from #9 to #17, for instance. David: The technique of color separation in process printing had been worked out as early as 1880, long before the invention of panchromatic film. The preparation of the printing plates could be done with b & w processes shooting through color filters that could measure the exact amount of each of the primary colors (magenta, cyan, yellow--or more familiarly red, blue, yellow) in the original work. The operative principle here is that a filter composed of any two primaries will absorb the light of those two colors but will let through the light of the third. An orange filter (red and yellow) will cause only blue light to reach the photographic plate; a violet filter (red and blue) will allow through only yellow light; and a green filter (blue and yellow) will let through only red. Shooting three different negatives of the original work through the filters gives an exact distribution of the three primaries over the surface of the work, and these negatives become the basis for the printing plates, which are inked with the primary colors. (In the three-color process, black was achieved, more or less, by overprinting all three primaries. As I understand it, the use of a fourth printing plate for black in _WWoO_ was a particularly fine touch.) Half-tones--variations in intensity of color--are achieved by adding to the filters cross-line screens that produce the familiar tiny dots in the finished color print. For me, the unknown factor in all of this is the final preparation of the metal printing plates. I assume that the color prints in the Oz books were made with relief blocks, but I don't have any idea what kind of stopping-out process was used to etch away the portions of the plate that weren't to carry color. Would any of the experts on the Digest care to comment on this? Peter Hanff? Herm? Also David: I did notice your slip-up on conjugation vs. declension but saw no need to comment since you clearly know the difference. Same thing with Jeremy's "millenium" for siecle. I consider it a sign of the rebirth of civility on the Digest that we're not jumping all over each other for inadvertent mistakes like this. Tim: Several rare-book dealers on the Web have recently advertised _The Annotated Wizard of Oz_, but at what I think are outrageously inflated prices ($100 to $150). Your best bet is to contact Digest members Herm Bieber and Robin Olderman, who consistently have the most reasonable prices around. IIRC Herm mentioned a few months ago that he had a couple of copies of _Annotated Wizard_. --Gordon Birrell ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 20:57:00 -0400 (EDT) From: JoelHarris@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-10-97 Tim: More on the Annotated Wizard of Oz. You have probably figured out by now that it is out of print. Used book stores, Herm or Robin are your best bets. Because it is "Oz" most bookstores charge too much. I checked Bibliofind and Advanced Book Exchange (among the best online search services). The prices ranged from $50 to $100. At $50 you can buy it from Paper Moon Books in Portland, Oregon (503) 239-1984. I have bought from the owner Andrea before and she is quite reliable. Sarah: Now look what you've done - started a discussion of Oz comics! Herm is the best for the Oz-Wonderland War. The Marvel/DC comics Oz adaptations referred to are called "Treasury Editions". They are simply oversized comic books, measuring about 10 inches by 14 inches. Two were printed in 1975: "The Marvelous Wizard of Oz" and "The Marvelous Land of Oz". No typo there. Other folks have correctly pointed out that an Ozma, probably to be titled "The Marvelous Ozma of Oz", was nearly completed but never published. This was a pet project of one of the publishers but was canned. By the way, Land is much harder to find than Wizard. You can email me privately for more info (and I do have an extra copy of each). Speaking of comics, of course none can compare to Eric Shanower's graphic novels, which were more than "marvelous". Any comments? Anyone: Has anyone ever had dealings with an outfit called "Extensive Search Service". I have bought and traded Oz books with them and have been disappointed. Joel Harris (not Uncle Remus) ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 01:17:26 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Gates: (not Bill) In the non-FF _A Barnstormer in Oz_, Farmer speculated that interdimensional gates were more common in ancient times, and would move around, actually scooping up people, plants and animals. Dave and Melody: Of course, if Glina had saved her receipt, all would have been well :-) --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 11 May 97 23:08:28 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things Melody wrote: >Here are some more Glinda abilities which came to mind: Creating >lassos with the power to break simple transformations and render the person >lassoed completely harmless (Mombi). (Rather similar to Wonder Woman's >magic lasso with its power to compel the lassoee to obey her.) You don't suppose there's a connection? (If Ozma's poppies led to Leia's hairdo, I'm now prepared to believe *anything*!) The Adepts just dropped in to apologize for forgetting to tell me that yesterday (May 11) was Locasta's birthday! They said they would have told me sooner, but they got caught in another gump stampede... They promised that from here on in they're going to keep me posted on Ozzy birthdays -- As it happens, *today* (May 12) is the birthday of Langwidere's Head #17, so our _Ozma_ discussions are timely...And the next birthday after that is Glinda's b-day on May 17! Thanks to those who expressed support for my writing _Red Dwarf in Oz_... I'm also working on another Dwarf story that is not Ozzy but has one big Ozzy reference -- After a very long search, Rimmer finally finds his long lost love Nirvanah IMPRISONED IN A PEACH PIT!!! :) :) And speaking of _Ozma_ and _Red Dwarf_, here is an alternate explanation for the big storm: Jellia: Oh, Ace! Thank you SO much for causing that storm which brought Dorothy and Billina to Ev and allowed us to defeat Ruggedo! Ace: It was nothing, oh lovely, ravishing Jellia! I merely twisted space-time with my bare hands and caused a quantum fluctuation that triggered lightning and 70 knot winds that blew Dorothy into that wormhole I opened up in the South Pacific into Nonestica! Any bloke could have done it! Jellia: Well, you were wonderful Ace! Ace: Thank you my sweet! I must be off now to trigger a major Earthquake to bring Dorothy *and* the Wizard back to Oz! Smoke me a kipper Jellia -- I'll be back for breakfast! (Exits.) Jellia: What a guy! :) :) :) -- Dave --------------------------------------------------------------------- P.S. -- Jellia: Thank you Dave for letting me have my fun! :) :) :) ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 13, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 08:03:28 -0400 (EDT) From: Saroz@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-12-97 Joel: I'm not entirely sure why you mentioned the Treasury Editions in your reply to me, but I'm glad you did as I have the first ("Wizard") and enjoy it very much. BTW, I agree on starting a conversation on Shanower graphic novels....they're so good, aren't they? I have all of them....my favorite probably being the Ice King of Oz. Actually, I have extras of two or three of them, if anyone is interested please email me privately. Tyler: Sounds to me like Farmer's idea of ancient interdimensional gates is similar to the Timescoop in "The Five Doctors" episode of the British scifi show Doctor Who. And does anybody dare to contemplate what would happen if the Doctor landed in Oz? Sarah ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 08:17:39 +0600 From: rri0189@ibm.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-06-97 "Scott" wrote: >David Hulan, _Confessions of an English Opium Eater_ was a >semi-autobiographical work by Thomas De Quincey. It was later filmed by >MGM (without "English" in the title, and we know how that goes with MGM). It seems to me that I have often seen the title of the book cited without the "English". Perhaps it is a case like "Wizard" and "Land" -- or any number of older titles that are conventionally simplified? (But De Quincey is quite out of the ken of my amateur scholarship, so I can only suggest this as a possibiility.) >Craig Noble, I can understand why Baum did not like Neill's art in _The Oz >Toy Book_. It's bad...it's some of Neill's worst work ever... that and >the unauthorized use of his characters ought to have been enough to start >Baum searching for a new illustrator. The worst characteristic of the art in "Toy" seems to me to be the extremely (and uncharacteristically) heavy line. Perhaps Neill had a different scale in mind? (The general lifelessness of the characters strikes me as appropriate to the intended function; particularity in a toy is limiting.) >I don't know how he could think >Neill's art wasn't funny enough, however. His inclusion of weird, >pre-Dada oddities in his relatively realistic art is pretty darn humorous. I think Baum's problem was that Neill's illustrations were not, in gross, and taken out of context, "funny". He wanted pictures that a three-year-old would point and giggle at while knowing nothing of the story being illustrated. Neill, on the contrary, drew realistically for the most part, and (despite lapses in detail) drew to serve the story, saving his humor for details, often for details that only an older reader would be likely to notice, the _locus_ _classicus_ being the ring of Scoodlers. We should be glad that he did not change artists. I am quite certain that illustrations more to his taste would have dated quickly, and I half fear that, expecting such a style of illustration, he would have been guilty of far more Tottenhots and the like (c.f. _The_ _Wogglebug_ _Book_). Richard Bauman wrote: >John - This borders on the silly. You expect the CEO of Microsoft to be >writing code? He has obviously had better things to do. I don't know what I "expect"; I don't know but that it wouldn't be a far "better" thing for executives in general to be required to do honest work. But my actual point is that the cult of personality built around Bill Gates is grounded in the unstated assumption that he actually has something to do with Microsoft's product line. David G. Hulan wrote: >I guess we were talking at cross-purposes - I was aware (though I >obviously haven't studied it much) of the kind of aestheticism you had >in mind, and agree that it (as satirized in PATIENCE) was something new. >I am not, however, under the impression that it went very deep into the >culture of the day, but believe it was more of a fringe movement - >influential in artistic circles, but not elsewhere. As Sherlock Holmes would say, "You see, but you do not perceive." The very fact that Gilbert satirized it theatrically is proof enough that it had set down roots in his society. (Because D'Oyly Carte wasn't certain about the Americans, though, he arranged for Wilde to give a lecture tour in the States, to make sure that the Yankees would get the joke.) Dave Hardenbrook wrote: >Baum was anti-Irish??? Ironic, considering the Enya-ness I imagine in >Glinda, and Melody's Zim, who has Celtic roots... He was from upstate New York and not Roman Catholic; of course he was (in some degree) anti-Irish. Of course as a pre-WWI/WWII non-upper-class American, he was also sentimentally anti-English, and therefore pro-Irish, as well. // John W Kennedy -- Hypatia Software -- "The OS/2 Hobbit" ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 10:12:17 -0400 (EDT) From: HermBieber@aol.com Subject: For Ozzy Digest Joel, I have found the books offered by Extensive Search Service to be a) somewhat to considerably overpriced, and b) over graded. When I have ordered a book that seemed to be in a buying range and described as "very good", I found it to be good- to fair and had to return it. Herm ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 22:42:46 -0400 From: Michael Turniansky Subject: Oz -- Dick Randolph's Granddad and Language I think it's very possible that Dick Randolph's grandfather was named Iseus after a mis-transcription (by his parents) of Iesus (i.e., Jesus). After all, Oprah Winfrey was similarly mis-named after the Biblical Orpah (from the book of Ruth), according to her. But, returning to this subject from last month one more time, I always wonderd, John and Ruth, (being a linguaphile myself), why Latinizers of Greek substituted S for H (well, as it came down to us, anyway, Greek doesn't actually have an aspirant, does it?). This is evident not only in the Vulgate (Iesus from (ultimately) Yehshua, Judas from Yehuda, Isaias from Yishayahu, but also in affixes like hyper- => super-, hypo- => sub-, and helios => solos. The two sounds are not similar. Why did one become the other? What was the original Indo-european sound for this H/S? --Mike "Shaggy Man" Turniansky, up to 4/10 Digest ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 10:01:47 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-10 & 12-97 I bought a new computer on Friday and spent most of the weekend struggling with getting it to do E-mail properly, hence the lateness of this. 5/10: Jeremy: Certainly dogs could have entered Oz after WIZARD, but it would have required magical assistance of some sort. (At least until Yankee made it via satellite.) Or at least, I think Glinda's spell, however ineffective against magical tranportation, would have prevented arrival via airplane or balloon. (Though birds - even iron weathercocks - don't seem to have a problem crossing either desert or magic barrier.) I think Ozma calling the Nome King a "creature" is insulting, whether the reference to his dwelling-place is or not. Melody: Other Glinda powers that haven't been mentioned yet include building a city from scratch by magic and providing its inhabitants with a minifying spell and its antidote (Bunnybury, in EMERALD CITY). 5/12: Gordon: My reference to panchromatic film was based on the fact that in the early days of photography, film wasn't in general sensitive to red light (much like most b/w photographic paper even today - you can use a rather bright red, or even yellow, safelight around photographic paper while you're printing, unless it's the panchromatic type paper used for making b/w prints from color negatives). So shooting through a color filter that let through only red light would yield unexposed film. However, it may be that for the specific purpose of doing color separations, they'd come up with an emulsion that had at least some sensitivity to red light, but that wasn't suitable for mixing into the other type of emulsion to provide a true panchromatic film. As I said, I don't know a lot about the history of printing, but I do know optics. Dave: It wouldn't be surprising if the originator of "Wonder Woman" had read LAND in his/her childhood and remembered Glinda's lasso, if only subconsciously. (I don't know who originated WW - any of the comic experts want to tell us? We haven't heard from Rich Morrissey in a long time...) What is this "Red Dwarf" that everyone else seems to know about? A TV program? A rock band? A comic book? All three? I've never heard of it, except as it's been mentioned on the Digest. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 14:52:58 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-12-97 Thanks for the kind word about our prices. I only wish I had a copy of Hearn's ANNOTATED WIZARD to sell. It's getting much harder nowadays for us to find good stock to resell at a reasonable price; as a result, we have less Oz available than usual. Too busy to respond to DIGEST lately. Reading my way through a pile of manuscripts. Sometimes it's fun, but it's always time-consuming. Not complaining...just explaining my unusual "silence." --Robin Olderman ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 15:07:38 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-09-97 Mike, Who's ALice B. Toklas, other than a character in a Peter Sellers film? Scott ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 17:05:53 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-12-97 Melody: I knew Glinda would come out ahead in our discussions! Re interdimensional gates: I knew I didn't lose my math homework last week! Re Glinda's birthday (May 17): If as you say, Dave, our _Ozma_ discussions have been timely since the birthday of Langwidere's 17th head is the 12th, does this mean we have to hurry up and get to _Glinda_ since her birthday is Saturday? Hope not . . . Until next time, Jeremy Steadman and KIEX (just so you all know who's boss here . . .) ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 20:54:42 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Mother's Day Oz Growls David >They'd always ask my brother and me if we had "the epizootics" if we'd cough or sneeze. Exactly - The expression must have had a vogue in our "early era." Light Digests means we are all out in the sunshine doing it. Briefly, Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 19:49:20 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Ozzie Digest (Questionable joke) Yo! I want to apologize for this. It neither reflects my politics nor my taste, but as I came across it, and as it is in reference to OZ, I felt it necessary to forward it. > Quayle, Nancy Reagan, and Clinton were traveling in a car together in > the Midwest. A tornado came along and whirled them up into the air > and tossed them thousands of yards away. When they come to and > extracted themselves from the vehicle, they realize they're in > the Land of Oz. They decided to go see the Wizard of Oz. Quayle said, > "I'm going to ask the Wizard for a brain." Nancy said, "I'm going to ask > the Wizard for a heart." Clinton asked, "Where's Dorothy??" Bob Spark -- "I love criticism just so long as it's unqualified praise" Noel Coward ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 07:37:33 -0400 (EDT) From: earlabbe@juno.com (Earl C. Abbe) Subject: Ozzy Digest Submission - Dorothy's Speech It has been pointed out that Dorothy's manner of talking deteriorated between _Wizard_ and _Ozma_. Her speech in _Wizard_ is clear and straightforward, but in the later books she speaks with many jarring contractions, such as "orn'ments," "comfor'ble," "poss'bly," "ign'rant" and "b'lieve." Poss'bly the change is due to the influence of Dorothy's guardians. I b'lieve that however well intentioned, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry were ign'rant and not good speech pattern role models for a young child. In _Wizard_ Dorothy is still speaking as she learned to speak from her natural parents. Some years later, in _Ozma_, she had adopt speech of her foster parents. Later, after Dorothy becomes comfor'ble and an orn'ment in the royal court of Oz, these annoying contractions subside somewhat, under the influence of the cosmopolitan Emerald City manner of speech. Earl Abbe ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 15:52:36 -0600 (CST) From: Ruth Berman Subject: ozzy digest Melody Grandy: I looked in "To Please a Child," and I note that Baum's mother Cynthia Stanton was indeed Scotch-Irish. That doesn't really bear on the question about Baum's ideas about the Irish, because the two groups were (in spite of Celtic background and geographic proximity) so different. I re-read Francis Randall's article on "Ethnic Stereotypes in Baum's Fiction for Children" ("Bugle" Spring 1984), and I notice that he gives a carefully balanced view of Baum's use of stereotypes: Baum was less prejudiced than most Americans at the time, and rarely used stereotypes to present minorities as hateful, but he was prejudiced enough to think that it was funny to make jokes about the vanity and laziness of the Irish, the stupidity and cowardice of Blacks, etc. Barbara Koelle, who was then the editor of the "Bugle" added a footnote to comment that Baum used two Irish-American characters as leads in his Edith Van Dyne books, Patsy Doyle (the lead Niece of the Aunt Jane's Nieces trio) and Josie O'Gorman (in the later Mary Louise books). So Baum's degree of anti- Irishness was very mild, indeed -- but he did make some weak jokes about the Irish in "Father Goose" and "The Wogglebug Book." I suspect even Irish readers don't notice them nowadays, because the anti-Irish prejudice has died out pretty much completely. (Any Irish among us care to comment?) Gordon Birrell: And speaking of Aunt Jane -- is Ayo Hayne a real person, then? My memory tricked me -- I thought I recognized it as the name of the guy who helps the Nieces run their newspaper in "Aunt Jane's Nieces on Vacation." But it's a long time since I read it, and it turns out it wasn't. He's called Thursday Smith (an alias -- he's suffering from that fictionally popular ailment, amnesia). I'm about halfway through re-reading it now, and enjoying it a good deal. The AJN books (and the teenage books generally) are most rather weak, but this one draws from his own newspaper experience, to the point of including the "duel" over the typo that calls a woman's smile roughish instead of roguish, and the newspaper and printing stuff is all quite interesting. Bear: About not recognizing Fanny Cory and Frederick Richardson -- you might enjoy getting the Dover reprints of "Electric Key" and "Zixi," which includes their illustrations (in b&w, but the originals were in muted colors, and they don't lose too much in the process). I'm not sure if these are in print, but if out of print they're probably fairly easy to find secondhand, being recent. Some of their non-Baum full-color work is in print, and delightful, if you have a chance to look it up -- Cory's "Fairy Alphabet" and Richardson's edition for Volland of Great Children's Stories (available only from Barnes & Noble; I forget the publisher on the Cory). Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 22:01:00 +0000 From: Scott Olsen Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-12-97 X-Sender: ScottO1440@postoffice.worldnet.att.net (Unverified) To: "Dave L. Hardenbrook" If anyone has access to The San Diego Union-Tribune, it had an article yesterday (Monday) saying that L. Frank Baum's B-day is this Thursday, along with a photograph. Now that's something you don't see everyday. It appears the total take on the Tobias auction was $138,836. This includes the 15% buyers premium. Sincerely, Scott Olsen ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 May 97 14:27:56 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things Jeremy wrote: >If as you say, Dave, our _Ozma_ discussions have been timely since the >birthday of Langwidere's 17th head is the 12th, does this mean we have to >hurry up and get to _Glinda_ since her birthday is Saturday? Hope not . . . No, I was just commenting on the coincidence of _Ozma_ discussion coinciding with the birthday of Head #17 (A day of mourning in Oz...May 17 promises to be much more festive.) :) :) David wrote: >What is this "Red Dwarf" that everyone else seems to know about? A TV >program? A rock band? A comic book? All three? I've never heard of it... It's a British TV show, half Sci-Fi, half comedy. The premiss is that _Red Dwarf_, a planetary mining spaceship, has suffered a radiation leak that kills off the entire crew except one man, Dave Lister, who is in suspended animation at the time of the accident, and his pregnant cat, who is safely sealed in the hold. Holly, _Red Dwarf_'s onboard computer with an IQ of 6000, drives the spaceship out into deep galactic space and waits it out for the radiation to fall to safe levels so that Lister can be released from suspended animation and the _Red Dwarf_ can return to Earth...As it turns out, when Holly finally releases Lister, it is *three million years* later(!) and Lister's only companions in the distant depths of space so far in the future are a humanoid that evolved in the three million years from Lister's Cat, Arnie Rimmer, a hologram of Lister's deceased roomate (a "hologram" is in this context is a sort of computer-generated ghost), and Kryten, a C-3PO-like android. A lot of people find the whole idea of this show just too bizarre, but it is IMHO funny and entertaining and -- I think anyway -- strewn with a lot more Oz paralells then there are to be found in _Star Wars_... Lister is the "Dorothy" character, lost in a strange universe, pining to return home. Kryten has some Nick Chopper-like qualities, though I think he's most like Tik-Tok, not only in his mechanicalness but also in his devotion to Lister (= Dorothy). Rimmer is sort of a cross between the Wogglebug and the Cowardly Lion -- Pompous, always talking big and trying to appear smarter and wiser than he really is...and when _Red Dwarf is under attack from rogue androids, or passing through a raging meteor storm is when Rimmer goes into "Cowardly Lion" mode. The Cat (Lister's feline's remote descendant) is extremely vain and self-serving, more in common with Eureka or Bungle than mere pedigree. And Holly, the computer with an IQ of 6000, is often like the Wizard, his computational "magic" not always working out as well as he'd like, making him come off sometimes looking like a "humbug"... (And Holly even manifests himself to the crew as a disembodied head!) There's even echoes of Oz in the supporting/occasional-apperance cast -- The Skutters, _Red Dwarf_'s maintenence robots, are often Munchkin-like. Krissy Kochanski, Lister's girlfriend, is a strong-minded, no-nonsense woman like, say, Ann Soforth. Nirvanah Crane, Rimmer's girl, is very gentle and unselfish and otherwise Ozma-like. And "Hilly"-- Holly's alternate female manifestation, orginally from another dimension -- is often the one who bails everyone out of a particularly tight spot, and acts as a protector for all of _Red Dwarf_, and so is like Glinda. End Dave's big speal on _Red Dwarf_ and its perceived Ozzy connections. :) -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 14, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 21:42:50 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Glinda and her powers: Baum constantly referred to Glinda as one of, if not the, most powerful workers of magic in the world. Therefore, she probably has some powers that we have never seen. After the Baum 14, though, Glinda tended to fade into the background, as most magic was done by either the Wizard or the Magic Belt. Joel: I'll toss in a comment. The Shanower graphic novels (in other words, big comics) are excellent. The plot and graphics are very well done. Rumor has it that Shanower wanted to have Trot star in one of them, but the publishers felt that she was too much of an unknown, and this is the reason that Dorothy figures prominently in all five of them. Bob: That was a cute piece you found. Oz has entered the political arena before, especially last year, since one of the presidential candidates was from Kansas. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 21:25:11 +0600 From: rri0189@ibm.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-13-97 Michael Turniansky wrote: > But, returning to this subject from last month one more time, I always wonderd, John and Ruth, (being a linguaphile myself), why Latinizers of Greek substituted S for H (well, as it came down to us, anyway, Greek doesn't actually have an aspirant, does it?). This is evident not only in the Vulgate (Iesus from (ultimately) Yehshua, Judas from Yehuda, Isaias from Yishayahu, but also in affixes like hyper- => super-, hypo- => sub-, and helios => solos. The two sounds are not similar. Why did one become the other? What was the original Indo-european sound for this H/S? It's not the Greek->Latin stage, but the Hebrew->Greek, and it's to make the name sound masculine, rather than feminine. Greek for "Jesus", for example, is pronounced almost exactly like the Latin. As to the Greek aspirate, yes it has one, but it is indicated by a diacritic, rather than a letter. One, the "rough breathing" mark, corresponds to English H and resembles a single open quote. The "smooth breathing" mark means no H, and resembles a single close quote. All Greek words that begin with a vowel have one or the other placed over the first letter (or second, if a dipthong). I don't have any reference that seems to address the relationship between Greek initial rough breathing and Latin initial S, though I agree that one seems likely, but I am certain that an initial sound would be subject to entirely different influences anyway. // John W Kennedy -- Hypatia Software -- "The OS/2 Hobbit" ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 21:36:06 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-13-97 Sarah: Shanower's graphic novels are excellent, though rather on the gloomy side for Oz, in my opinion. I think "Blue Witch" is my favorite of the five, but it's close with "Ice King" and "Enchanted Apples". (I'll admit that the other two were a bit too far down for me.) Interdimensional gates are common in SF stories going way back - into the 1930s at least. Dr. Who in Oz is an interesting idea (although the couple of Dr. W shows I've seen didn't hook me on that series), but since Dr. Who is still under copyright, and will be for many years to come, it's for private consumption at best. John K.: Do you think maybe the uncharacteristically heavy lines in "The Oz Toy Book" might have been due to the originals having been blown up from a lighter original? Or, conversely, that the finer lines in Neill's other work was due to their being reduced? Shaggy: It's of course possible that Dick Randolph's father was named for Jesus, with an error in transcription turning "Iesus" into "Iseus". But I think it very unlikely. In the first place, "Jesus", while common in Spanish, is a forename that's rare to unheard-of in English. In the second, everyone who's a native English-speaker, Christian or not, knows how to pronounce "Jesus" by age six or so just by osmosis; any child who was named that would certainly not have his name's pronunciation changed by someone's misspelling on his birth certificate. "Orpah" to "Oprah" is a whole different matter; only serious Biblical students know that Orpah was the name of Naomi's other daughter-in-law. I like your questions about why the change from "h" to "s" in Latinizers. I hope someone who knows will answer; if no one does, I may dig into my reference texts (of which I have a few) and see if I can find an answer. But that sounds like a lot of work when Ruth or John or someone may know and tell us without any effort... Robin: Oh, reading the manuscripts is only "sometimes" fun? Then I have more hope... Scott: Alice B. Toklas was Gertrude Stein's life companion. I don't know much more about her, other than that she was the author of a classic recipe for hash brownies. Jeremy: You should read a book by my friend Bruce Coville: ALIENS ATE MY HOMEWORK. Bear: >Light Digests means we are all out in the sunshine doing it. Umm, no, I prefer...well, not out in the sunshine, anyhow, at least not in Naperville. :-) Earl: You may have a point about the deterioration of Dorothy's speech. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em certainly didn't have good diction in EMERALD CITY, which is the only place where they spoke much. But Dorothy's poor diction doesn't seem to resemble theirs at all, which makes it hard to understand why Dot acquired the accent she did. (Or why she criticized Billina several times in OZMA for using slang, which "isn't at all dign'fied".) Ruth: That Baum's mother was Scotch-Irish would hardly prejudice Baum in favor of the Irish (though maybe in favor of redheads). That's like saying that have a mother who was an Ulster Protestant would prejudice one in favor of a Galway Catholic. The Scotch-Irish and the Irish Irish are much more inimical to each other than are the English to the Irish or vice versa. Dave: Thanks for the rundown on "Red Dwarf". I will occasionally watch a one-shot show on TV, but I don't watch TV series at all - there's too little time and too many books to read. So I'll acknowledge that there may be something Ozzy about "Red Dwarf", but I'll leave it to others to work it out. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 21:42:31 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-13-97 Like Robin, I have not been communicating much lately because I have been busy with MSS, and final examinations, but I thought I should put in an appearance > > Mike, Who's ALice B. Toklas, other than a character in a Peter Sellers > film? > > Scott > Alice B. Toklas was the close friend and secretary of Gertrude Stein, the "mother" of the lost generation. Gert wrote THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALICE B. TOKLAS because Alice had not got around to writing it herself. There is also an ALICE B. TOKLAS COOKBOOK which contains a recipe (so I've been told) for brownies laced with marijuana--hence the title of the Peter Sellers film. > > Bear: About not recognizing Fanny Cory and Frederick Richardson -- you > might enjoy getting the Dover reprints of "Electric Key" and "Zixi," which > includes their illustrations (in b&w, but the originals were in muted colors, > and they don't lose too much in the process). Dover has not done an edition of THE MASTER KEY, but it has done THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS. > > Ruth Berman > > > It appears the total take on the Tobias auction was $138,836. This includes > the 15% buyers premium. > > Sincerely, > > Scott Olsen > That should make Jerry Tobias happy. Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 23:00:35 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Doctor Who in Oz? Sarah, somehow I have trouble imagining the Doctor actually materializing the TARDIS in Oz; I'm not aware of the Doctor Who universe accomodating fictional worlds. The nearest approach I know of was the Land of Fiction (which was visited late in the period of the Second Doctor), in which stories potentially could become real. Still... Dalek: Surrender! Nothing can oppose the awesome power of the Daleks! Ruggedo: Why don't you try conquering that nice, peaceful country across the Deadly Desert? Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 10:20:32 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-13-97 Ruth, I was doing a web search on Baum and found a page with two editorials Baum wrote himself in _The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer_, in which Baum advocated the genocide of all American Indians for the safety of the settlers. Melody, Do you know what estrus is? It literally means "frenzy," if that's any clue, so far as your "`blessed`" the menstrual cycle. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 10:22:12 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-13-97 David, how many people are expected to be at the Ozmopolitan Conference? My receipt was only number 16, I expected there would be more than that. I was expecting around 50-100, judging from what I have seen of previous conventions, without actually attending one. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 10:39:34 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-10-97 David, are you sure _The Oz-Wonderland War_ is more violent than _Wizard_ or _dotWiz_, I don't think so. Scott (I found I still had this message postponed, so I'm sending it now.) ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 11:53:46 -0400 (EDT) From: ZMaund@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-13-97 Re: Trivia regarding Baum's illustrators The front cover of the sheet music for Baum's stage play "The Wogglebug" combines images drawn by Neill, Walt McDougal, and Ike Morgan. It's the only example I know of such a thing. Proper response: "so what?" ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 12:30:09 -0400 (EDT) From: HermBieber@aol.com Subject: For Ozzy Digest Book Repair V - Stains and Dirt (This is Part V of the series on book care and repair that I started in the Digest some months ago.) Generic Soil. Most of the dirt and stain problems will likely be on the cover of the book. The first thing to try is to lightly rub the book with a fairly damp cloth saturated with a solution of mild detergent. After cleaning, follow with a soft dry cloth to remover any free liquid before it has a chance to soak into the cover and cause damp stains (see below). This method is especially good for the pictorial labels on Oz books. They are generally resistant to wetting. Next try rubbing the stained areas with a SOFT gum eraser. Finally, there is an organic cleansing gel called Bookleen made by the Highsmith Co., Highway 106 East, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-0800 that is marvelous for dissolving inks and stains. This is brushed on, and, while still moist, wiped off with a clean cloth. A small area should be checked first, as the gel may lift off the printing too, on some books. A related product, Bookote, can then be sprayed on to brighten the cover and prevent resoiling. Cover appearance is a major determinant of book value, and effort spent here will be well rewarded. (There are also liquids for cleaning and conserving leather bindings, but these are not relevant for the Oz collector unless you are among the fortunate few to have some of Baum's personal books which were rebound in blue leather.) If the problem is mainly on the end papers, consider replacing them with pages from a breaker rather that removing ink, crayon, etc.. The back free end paper can be glued over the front fixed end paper, and vice versa. For blank end papers, remember that many Oz books contain extra blank pages and these breakers are a good source of Reilly and Lee paper. Never discard a book without saving this paper. Paint. This is a real problem. First try putting the book in the freezer (encased in a baggie). Cold paint blobs are very brittle and can often be flaked off with a knife or razor blade (caution: blood stains are very hard to remove!). If that is ineffective, carefully scrape most of the paint off with a razor blade until the cloth just shows. Then try Bookleen and erasers, in that order, for the remainder of the paint. Pencil and crayon scribbles. This was covered in an earlier segment of this series. Ball point pen. If in the margin, carefully erase with a medium hard eraser. Alternatively it can be sanded off with a very fine grot (400) sandpaper. Both of these methods will remove some of the paper. Be careful to avoid creating thin spots that will be translucent! If over print or on B&W image, there are rotary tools (like dental drills) that can be fitted with fine point erasers or abrasive tips, so that you can remove the ink lines BETWEEN the printed matter. This requires wearing a jeweler's loupe and having a very fine touch. One slip and you make a hole. This labor intensive method is justified only if the book is pristine with only one or two offending marks. If there is ball point ink on a color plate, just live with it. Wet ink, India ink, and rust. Wet ink is nearly impossible to remove efficiently as it has soaked well into the paper thickness. One or two marginal areas can sometimes be bleached with Chlorox (but not India ink, which contains carbon black). Protect adjacent pages with wax paper. However, bleach will degrade paper fibers, and is therefore bad from an archival standpoint. Similarly, rust, most often derived from old paper clip markers left in the book, can be "bleached" with oxalic acid solution. Fungi or molds. These are manifest by a whitish, brown or black dusty coating and a musty smell, and the problem is usually largely confined to the covers, including the endpaper area, and the color plates. A lot of this can be wiped off with a damp cloth. Then spray the affected surfaces lightly with Lysol and rub in with a dry soft cloth. This will kill the spores and also make the book smell better. Dampstain. This is caused by free liquids or condensate on the edges of the pages. The moisture diffuses into the book and dissolves components from the pages at the leading edge (a kind of chromatography for you chemists out there). There will be a permanent fringe of darker material, usually rusty or yellowish, where the diffusion ends, and the extracted portion of the pages will be lighter in color and/or have a different surface sheen than originally. Unfortunately there is no cure for this calamity and you will have to live with it. Urine. Preferably do not buy books that smell like they have been peed on. You can use the Lysol treatment on these, but the odor will return eventually. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Watch for Part VI: Cockroaches, Silverfish, and other pets in the book room. Herm Bieber ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 11:41:36 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest Ruth Berman: Yes, Ayo Haynes is a real person. She is one of two members of the Personal FX cast who interview super-collectors at their homes. I appreciated your reference to, and endorsement of, the Francis Randall article on ethnic stereotypes in Baum's juvenile fiction--a topic that has been under considerable discussion on the Digest. To judge from the listings on the IWOC web site, this issue of the Baum Bugle is still available for purchase. David Hulan: I can't claim any particular expertise in the history of printing either, but I do know that the cross-lined color filters were widely used for color separation. Evidently the photo-sensitive materials used to map out the red areas differed from those used on conventional photographic plates. Typically the plates were coated with photo-sensitive gelatine which hardened in the locations where it was exposed to light; the softer gelatine could then be washed away leaving a raised imprint that was transferred to the metal printing plate through double electrolyting. Scott: You'll probably get a lot of responses on this one. Alice B. Toklas was the life companion of Gertrude Stein, an expatriot American author who lived in France in the first half of this century and who became celebrated as a result of her highly repetitive, semi-incantatory verse, the most famous of which is A rose is a rose is a rose. I am Rose my eyes are blue I am Rose and who are you? I am Rose and when I sing I am Rose like anything. Stein also wrote _The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas_, which, unsurprisingly, is primarily about Gertrude Stein. Toklas hailed from Oakland, California, about which Gertrude Stein made one of her most famous comments: "There's no there there." For members of my generation, Alice B. Toklas is associated first and foremost with _The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book_, a compilation of recipes that Toklas collected during her decades in Europe along with many personal reminiscences that are considerably more enjoyable to read than the _Autobiography_. The one recipe that caught everyone's attention and ensured wide sales of the book was Haschich Fudge, which Toklas described as something "anyone could whip up on a rainy day": "This is the food of Paradise--of Baudelaire's Artificial Paradises: it might provide an entertaining refreshment for a Ladies' Bridge Club or a chapter meeting of the DAR. In Morocco it is thought to be good for warding off the common cold in damp winter weather and is, indeed, more effective if taken with large quantities of hot mint tea. Euphoria and brilliant storms of laughter; ecstatic reveries and extensions of one's personality on several simultaneous planes are to be complacently expected. Almost anything Saint Theresa did, you can do better if you can bear to be ravished by 'un evanouissement reveille.'" --Gordon Birrell ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 97 10:56:53 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things MY 2 CENTS ON SHANOWER: The artwork is superb in Shanower's graphic novels; only IMHO it lacks the Ozzy whimsicalness of Neill, Denslow, and Melody Grandy. And the stories themselves are rather dark and Tolken-esque. My favorite of his works are his illustrations for other people's books, like _Wicked Witch of Oz_ and _Runaway in Oz_. My own depictions of many of the characters, especially good ol' Jellia, is infulenced by his fine work... But I can't stand those "Michael Dukakis" eyebrows he gives Ozma! :) :) -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 15, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 14:53:56 -0400 (EDT) From: Saroz@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-14-97 Aaron: Well, it all depends if Oz is considered non-fictional in the Doctor's universe....like Sherlock Holmes (see "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" and the New Adventure "All-Consuming Fire") is. It's entirely possible that the Master could ally himself with the Nome King, and try to invade Oz. Particurally if the North Witch turned out to be a renegade Time Lord, and the Powder of Life came from the Sisterhood of Karn, and...oh, should I stop now? ;-) Make some great fanfic. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 14:28:37 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-14-97 Steve: Correction: Dover _has_ published an edition of THE MASTER KEY; I have a copy. Acto the copyright page their edition was first published in 1976. It may well be out of print now, but they did publish it at one point. Scott: I haven't done a count in a few days, but I believe there are about 75 people registered for the Ozmopolitan Conference (including a few who still haven't sent me money, but have told me or Peter Hanff that they're coming). Your receipt being number 16 doesn't mean much, since I didn't send out any receipts until recently (because I was waiting for some information that needed to go into them), and when I did send them they were numbered more or less by alphabetical order of surnames of people who'd sent in their money by then. Also, many receipts went to couples or families, so that the number of receipts isn't equivalent to the number of attendees. You could be right about _Oz-Wonderland War_ being less violent than some of the FF. I only read it once, 3-4 years ago; I remembered it as being fairly violent (in the comic strip mode, not realistically), but I'd have to refresh my memory to be sure. Herm: Your advice on book repair is always interesting, although it's not something I'm ever likely to do myself. Dave: Shanower seems to like eyebrows; Dorothy's are also very thick, although since they're blonde they don't look as much like Dukakis as Ozma's. Dorothy's eyebrows are actually rather odd-looking, though; most blondes have eyebrows that are considerably darker than their hair. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 14:55:06 -0600 (CST) From: Ruth Berman Subject: ozzy digest Michael Turniansky: The s/h pairing in such Latin/Greek cognates as super/hyper originally represented initial s in both. I don't remember offhand which initial s-sounds got dropped in what era, but Greek dropped a lot of initial esses, and then stressed the starts of those words with the emphatic breath that makes up the h-sound. Steve Teller: I thought I remembered the look of the "Master Key" illos in b&w in a Dover edition, but apparently that's another trick of memory deceiving me. I guess there really aren't any of Fanny Cory's Baum illustrations currently available, are there? One of the Greene brothers (David, I think) wrote a nice article about her in the "Bugle" several years back. Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 13:46:11 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-14-97 Aaron, > Sarah, somehow I have trouble imagining the Doctor actually materializing > the TARDIS in Oz; I'm not aware of the Doctor Who universe accomodating > fictional worlds. Fictional?? Bob Spark ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 21:22:15 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: The Darker Side of Oz 1) Stephen, er, uh, I believe that Dover HAS done a reprint of _The Master Key_. Barry and I own a copy. 2) My own two cents on Shanower: Without question he is one of the best Oz illustrators of all time. I don't mind the darkness at all; I rather enjoy it, in fact. (Baum himself got rather dark at times.) The real problem with his graphic novels is that they compact a lot of action into very little time, and that certain background information is revealed in rather awkward dialog. These problems are fortunately corrected in his nongraphic novel _The Giant Garden of Oz_. Also: I don't have a problem with the Shanowerian Ozma's eyebrows. It's her hair color--a light brown--is in contradiction to statements in the FF that she has ruddy gold (_Land_) or black (_Handy Mandy_) hair. Maybe that mystrious force that makes Eureka change colors has been affecting Ozma's hair as well... Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 22:06:19 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: TODAY'S OZ GROWLS Content-disposition: inline John - >I don't know but that it wouldn't be a far "better" thing for executives in general to be required to do honest work. I am also a Holmes fan and think your quote for David also applies in this case. >As Sherlock Holmes would say, "You see, but you do not perceive." If you think there is no "honest work" involved in running a corporation you must be blinded by your bias. David - Since you asked about Wonder Woman - She was created by writer William Moulton Marston (under the pen name Charles Moulton) and was first illustrated by H. G. Peter for National Comics' All-Star No. 8 (Dec 41). The next month she began appearing in Sensation No. 1, where she adopted her civilian identity of Diana Prince and began in Wonder Woman comics in Summer, 1942. Marston was not a comic book writer; he was a well-known psychologist and inventor of the polygraph and he created Wonder Woman to express his theories about male-female relationships. The origin of WW is certainly interesting but a little lengthy for our Digest. She became a heroine for young girls and eventually a feminist icon. I haven't checked Overstreet but she may still be going. She had a similar triangular relationship to Superman-Lois Lane-Clark Kent, with Wonder Woman-Steve Trevor-Diana Prince. The golden lasso was given to her by Queen Hippolyte. It carried the power of Aphrodite. We may be able to trace it to mythology rather than Oz. Now where is my Bullfinch....... I'll leave that and Alice B. to you. :) Ruth - Thanks for the tip - I have a copy of the Dover Zixi. I wish I could see the Richardson art in color. It is really fine. I have to confess I have never read it, but now have an incentive. Regards, Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 22:22:46 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-13-97 Content-disposition: inline Ruth Berman: >I looked in "To Please a Child," and I note that Baum's mother Cynthia Stanton was indeed Scotch-Irish.< Thanks Ruth! I looked up Scotch-Irish, and supposedly the term applies to Scottish folks who were settled in Northern Ireland and then later decided to come over here to America. I knew there was a reason Glinda had red hair.... It also explains what I remember about Baum's admiration of "The Emerald Isle." Hmm. Does "To Please a Child" say anything about Baum's mother's hair color? Glinda: Zim, care for a minifying spell? Zim: You shall have to catch me first... Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 22:24:05 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-13-97 and 5-14-97 the 13th: Earl Abbe: Your suggestion as to the reason for the clarity (and lack therof) of Dorothy's speech makes sense. To me, at least. Dave: You say, "Jeremy wrote: >If as you say, Dave, our _Ozma_ discussions have been timely since the >birthday of Langwidere's 17th head is the 12th, does this mean we have to >hurry up and get to _Glinda_ since her birthday is Saturday? Hope not . . . No, I was just commenting on the coincidence of _Ozma_ discussion coinciding with the birthday of Head #17 (A day of mourning in Oz...May 17 promises to be much more festive.) :) :)" I didn't say this in my post, but the 17th is my sister's birthday to boot. (So I'm perhaps predjudiced against the date itself . . . :-) on to the 14th: Re Glinda: Tyler, you say that "Baum constantly referred to Glinda as one of, if not the, most powerful workers of magic in the world. Therefore, she probably has some powers that we have never seen. After the Baum 14, though, Glinda tended to fade into the background, as most magic was done by either the Wizard or the Magic Belt." Too bad--I think she is an asset to Oz and to the series. Re Doctor Who in Oz: The acidic-smelling curvy-shaped creatures that inhabit the Gilikin Country are Tart Esses. We can really get somewhere with them. Re Light Digests: The process of caloric intake by fluorescent bulbs. Herm: Did you mean "pets" or "pests" in the book room? (Not that fish are generally pesty--but cockroaches sure are!) Well, anyway, I'll eagerly await Digesting tomorrow's edition. --Jeremy Steadman (and KIEX) ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 22:26:07 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Todays Second Oz Growls Content-disposition: inline Scott - You can bet Melody knows what estrus is but I think it is rude of you to ask her. :) Herm - Thanks for the next installment. Really appreciated. Regards, Bear ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 21:50:28 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-14-97 David: Yes, reading the contest MSS is only "sometimes" fun. A few of them...a very few...are pretty bad. Mostly, they're well-written. Very well-written, actually. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 23:50:15 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-14-97 Content-disposition: inline Scott: >Melody, Do you know what estrus is? It literally means "frenzy," if that's any clue, so far as your "`blessed`" the menstrual cycle.< I have wondered if estrus for humans would provoke baying at the moon or worse behavior than PMS. However, humans are pretty much without the instincts that animals live by, so maybe we would not behave like the beasties. I could be mistaken, but the zoology book seemed to indicate the main difference between estrus and menstrual cycles is the mess--a crimp on the freedom I (and maybe a lot of other women) would love to live without. Truro and her tomboys: "And us too! Womanhood! Bleeeccccccch! We're going to stay little girls forever and have fun!" Peter Pan: That line sounds familiar.... :-) But the term "frenzy" truly applies to what it does to Siamese cats! (Siamese Cat: RRRRRROWWWWL! SCREEEEAM! RRRRROUWWWWWW! ROWWOWWWOWWWOWWOWWWL!!!! SCREEEEEECH!!!) I honestly feared she'd blow her larynx. My non-Siamese domestic cats were much more discreet. Er--by the way, I did not understand what you were getting at in the last part of your above. Did something get cut in Internet transit? I could rant on about biological unfairness to human women, but in the words of King Sizzeroo: "I could not say enough words against it if I tried." So I'm stopping here before I hurl any more "coniferous curses" and hurt myself. :-) :-) Bear: I finally caved in and purchased Pagemaker 6.5 for Windows 95. So far, it seems a lot better than Pagemaker 4, which sometimes only showed half-letters on the screen. And if one decides to change the format of a publication, Pagemaker can do at least some of the reformatting of text and graphics for you. Chris: A preliminary layout of SBM2 amounted to 260 pages. Perhaps we can cut down that page count a bit and improve the story at the same time...:-) (Yes, I'm simultaneously working on your stuff, too.) Oh, yes, the new Pagemaker also does word counts. And character counts. And paragraph counts. It's about time. :-) Robin and Steve: And the present and final(?) manuscript count? :-) Herm: >Watch for Part VI: Cockroaches, Silverfish, and other pets in the book room. Roaches and bookworms and silverfish--oh my! Sounds exciting. Thanks for your kind help when I was building my Famous Forty collection. Dave: >My own depictions of many of the characters, especially good ol' Jellia, is infulenced by his fine work... But I can't stand those "Michael Dukakis" eyebrows he gives Ozma! In "Blue Witch," though, he finally managed overcome a weakness of many comic book artists--he made Ozma and Dorothy facially different. (Clap, clap, clap, clap. Applause, applause.) In his previous graphic novels, Ozma was differentiated from Dorothy mainly by hairstyles and clothing. Hmm. We seem to have strayed from the "Ozma of Oz" gabfest. Time for "Dorothy and the Wizard?" Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 02:05:52 -0400 (EDT) From: JoelHarris@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-14-97 For anyone who does not have the Shanower graphic novels, IWOC sells them for about $5.00, well below the $8-$9 cover price. If you don't mind the wait for delivery, that's the way to go. Originally they were sold at comic book stores, but most don't carry them any more. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 05:31:24 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Oz: Question for Digesters Does ANYBODY out there know if what this man is saying true??? And if so, was it Peter or James? (Please e-mail me privately, else I won't see the reply.) --Eric "I know them both, so if this is true it has me shook up" Gjovaag ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 02:16:14 -0400 From: "John H. Harriman" Subject: Alternative publisher of OZ books Eric, You have created a wonderful resource for OZ lovers. Thank you. I have been attempting to purchase reissues of the first 14 OZ books (those by Baum himself) from Books of Wonder of New York. I got as far as The Scarecrow of OZ, but just last week, one of the two owners of Books of Wonder has died and further publishing is in question. Do you know of other reissuers? Thanks for any information you can provide. An OZ lover, John Harriman ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 10:13:43 -0600 (CST) From: Ruth Berman Subject: ozzy digest ps postscript to Steve Teller: Checking, I see that I was very nearly right about the Dover edition of "Master Key" with Cory illos in b&w. It's just that it wasn't Dover -- it was Hyperion (45 Riverside, Westport CT 06880). Probably not in print, as it came out in 1974, but secondhand copies of that edition might be easier to find and would be a lot cheaper than the original. I also looked at publisher of Cory's "Fairy Alphabet": American & World Geographic, PO Box 5630, Helena MT 59604. Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 11:11:27 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Hanff Subject: URGENT! Ozmopolitan Convention URGENT! Cc: David Hulan Hi Dave, Thought it would be a good idea to alert the Ozzy Digest readers to the following. We have just about sold out our room block at Ozmopolitan. If there are any Ozzy Digest readers still planning to attend, they should let David Hulan know right away (davidhulan@ntsource.com). Lake Lawn Lodge has indicated that it will probably be able to sell us a few extra rooms if we need them. The dates, again, are June 6-8. Peter Hanff ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 16, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 16:32:28 -0400 (EDT) From: BARRY ESHKOL ADELMAN Subject: Estrus and other things not mentioned in Oz If I remember my biology correctly, the reason for the, uh, mess in humans is that they're big animals, too big to easily reabsorb the uterine lining. As for why humans don't go through estrus, that's been a matter of considerable debate. I don't think it has much to do with "instincts" (a rather abused word to the point of being meaningless); as someone who's done a lot of both experimental and applied psychology, I can tell you that humans are not that different behaviorally from other animals; the form is more sophisticated and there are some wierd add-ons but the reasons and mechanisms are basically the same. (/rant) (Out of curiousity, since I was paying more attention to my work than the digest when this topic must have first been brought up, how did this thread start?) And what's wrong with bushy eyebrows? ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 10:31:06 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-15-97 To: "Dave L. Hardenbrook" > > Steve: > Correction: Dover _has_ published an edition of THE MASTER KEY; I have a > copy. Acto the copyright page their edition was first published in 1976. > It may well be out of print now, but they did publish it at one point. > > > David Hulan > > Steve Teller: I thought I remembered the look of the "Master Key" illos in > b&w in a Dover edition, but apparently that's another trick of memory > deceiving me. I guess there really aren't any of Fanny Cory's Baum > illustrations currently available, are there? One of the Greene brothers > (David, I think) wrote a nice article about her in the "Bugle" several years > back. > > Ruth Berman > From: "Aaron S. Adelman" > 1) Stephen, er, uh, I believe that Dover HAS done a reprint of _The Master > Key_. Barry and I own a copy. > Ruth: Clearly you were right and I was wrong. Thank you, David and Aaron, for setting me right. Even Jove nods, and I am far more fallible. > Shanower's Ozma's hair color--a light brown--is in contradiction to statements in the FF > that she has ruddy gold (_Land_) or black (_Handy Mandy_) hair. Maybe > that mystrious force that makes Eureka change colors has been affecting > Ozma's hair as well... > > Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman The same forces act to reverse the direction to Glinda's castle and the Winkie and Munchkin countries. Some mysteries are just mysteries. > > Ruth - Thanks for the tip - I have a copy of the Dover Zixi. I wish I > could see the Richardson art in color. It is really fine. I have to > confess I have never read it, but now have an incentive. > > Regards, Bear (:<) > Actually the color in ZIXI is quite muted--noothing like the full color of the Neill's Oz books. But the story is excellent. > From: Robin Olderman > > David: Yes, reading the contest MSS is only "sometimes" fun. A few of > them...a very few...are pretty bad. Mostly, they're well-written. Very > well-written, actually. > I will concur with that. It does not make judging easier. > > Robin and Steve: > > And the present and final(?) manuscript count? :-) > Final count 36 1/2 + one play. > Herm: > > >Watch for Part VI: Cockroaches, Silverfish, and other pets in the book > room. > It is sometimes difficult to keep the cats out of the book room, but, on the other hand, they cut down on the roaches and other vermin. Ruth Berman > > postscript to Steve Teller: Checking, I see that I was very nearly right > about the Dover edition of "Master Key" with Cory illos in b&w. It's just > that it wasn't Dover -- it was Hyperion (45 Riverside, Westport CT 06880). > Probably not in print, as it came out in 1974, but secondhand copies of > that edition might be easier to find and would be a lot cheaper than the > original. Maybe I wasn't wrong after all. I knew the Hyperion edition. It has an introduction by one of the Green brothers, doesn't it? But David and Aaron said there *was* a Dover edition? Where lies the truth? Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 19:15:31 -0400 (EDT) From: Mark Anthony Donajkowski Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-15-97 > ====================================================================== > Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 02:05:52 -0400 (EDT) > From: JoelHarris@aol.com > Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-14-97 > > For anyone who does not have the Shanower graphic novels, IWOC sells them for > about $5.00, well below the $8-$9 cover price. If you don't mind the wait for > delivery, that's the way to go. Originally they were sold at comic book > stores, but most don't carry them any more. > id be intrerested write me off the lsit please with the info ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 19:19:38 -0400 (EDT) From: Mark Anthony Donajkowski Subject: not our oz ive been reading how most of you do not like oz by caliber and oz squad saying "its not our oz" "its to dark" baum was dark with is oz to think of the tin man and his axe cutting off the heads of his enemies (this was removed in later editions) or how about the love intrests aspect thats portrayed in oz baum did this with his silent movies while it may not be all niceities and buttens and bows it does resemble the oz we know maybe a little more adult a little more avadant garde but still our oz the basic themes are there least thats my 2 cents on the matter ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 20:37:24 -0400 (EDT) From: VALEYARD1@aol.com Subject: The Doctor in Oz >>And does anybody dare to contemplate what would happen if the Doctor landed in Oz?<< Sarah, I believe that in true Doctor Who fashion, the TARDIS would land somewhere far from the Emerald City, perhaps in the middle of a plot by the Nome King. He would become seperated from his companion, who would end up meeting everyone in the Emerald City. The Doctor would escape the Nome King and meet up with said companion and Oz Crew and save the day. Oh, and the Daleks would have to be involved. That's a must! Andrew ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 20:13:05 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-15-97 Bear, You really should read Zixi, I wrote an essay on that book for my children's literature class. It is one of Baum's finest, and certainly better than _Road_ or _Sea Fairies_. Melody, Robin and Steve may not have all the manucripts yet, because John Fricke delayed several of them, including mine. Many of you know that I have been doing extensive research in the way of Oz films. Now someone has offered to make me a copy of a late 1970s pornographic version of The Wizard of Oz, with bad costumes and inept dialogue along the lines of "what's up?" etc. I am really being a completist in my research. Should I accept this if it's really cheap? Bill (whose friend has a copy) suggested I wait until my parents are out of town for the weekend to watch it, but they never go out of town for the weekend. I'll be going out of town for the weekend, but I'm sure if I were to watch it I would be temporarily warped, which would be particularly undesirable during the convention. Reading _Oz Squad_ certainly affected my novel. I wonder if this would do anything. _Dorothy in the Land of Oz_ didn't. I have been able to determine (simply through using Videolog and references at Barnes and Noble, that there was a 1985 adult film called _The Wizard of Ahhh's_, but no mention is made of this. Should I ignore this, or should I include it in my research? I think the latter, but I am not very inclined to do so. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 21:05:53 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-15-97 Bear: Thanks for the information on Wonder Woman. I'm not sure that there was any color art in the original version of ZIXI. Certainly none of the illustrations in my Dover edition have the look of color-to-b/w art that some of the ones in MASTER KEY (or for that matter, my "white" DOTWIZ) have. Some of you who have the old editions - were there ever color plates in ZIXI? Melody: The Scotch-Irish who stayed in Ireland are the ancestors of the Ulster Protestants of today. Those who came to the US are the ancestors of the rednecks of today. (And include about half of my own ancestors.) Jeremy: "Silverfish" are insects - in fact, the most primitive order of insects. Also the most destructive to books. Melody: It's not an area that I've read deeply in, but I definitely remember reading more than once that most female animals do have the bleeding associated with the human menstrual cycle if they're not impregnated during estrus. But most female animals manage to contrive to get themselves impregnated during estrus. Also, animals are rather less fussy about mess than humans. You don't see animals using toilet tissue, either, do you? I second your request to Robin and Steve for a final MS count for the contest. Helps to calculate the odds... Moving on to DOTWIZ sounds good to me at this point. And Steve wanted to start there. Ruth: Hyperion apparently was first, but Dover did put out an edition of MASTER KEY. Everyone: I second Peter Hanff's message - if you're planning to attend Ozmopolitan, and haven't sent your membership to me yet, E-mail me _at once_. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 23:04:18 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Anomalies in Dorothy's Hair (Ozzy's Digest) 1) David, re Dorothy having yellow eyebrows in Shanower's illustrations: one of my informants tells me that Locasta's kiss has other physical effects than leaving a shining circle on the forehead. This informant claims that all hair on thusly enchanted people becomes significantly lighter, and thus Dorothy's hair changed from brown to blonde--even the hair of her eyebrows. Locasta has reportedly corrected this side effect, though Dorothy's hair has not returned to normal yet. All this information is of doubtful validity, though, as the informant who told me all this was intoxicated on pickled peaches and claimed to be the son of Maetta and the Purple Dragon, so I'll have to wait until the Woozy decides to use the Wizard's wireless telegraph next before I can confirm it. ***WARNING: SPOILER FOR _THE YELLOW KNIGHT OF OZ_*** 2) Yesterday I came to a startling realization--Speedy, at least, is not from our world (or its fictional duplicate)! How do I know this? Speedy's Uncle Bill (I think he was a Bill, but I'm not sure, since I don't own a copy of _Yellow Knight_ yet, and my memory is imperfect) built his own spaceship, an interplanetary craft, not something merely to get him into low Earth orbit--and he did it by himself, without aid, and without evidence of funding from NASA. This is a feat which is without parallel on our own Earth, even by the wealthiest of individuals. Moreover, Uncle Bill's spaceship actually worked, so he could not have been a deluded lunatic, and he built it before Sputnik! So how did he do it and keep it secret? It's a little difficult to keep secret the sound of a spaceship's engines firing on the ground and then displacing significant amounts of soil. The only other solution besides the parallel-Earth hypothesis that I can think of at the moment is that Uncle Bill was a magician. Any better solutions to the mystery of Uncle Bill? Wizard w/ a china dog: Simple. He discovered negative-mass matter stuck to the bottom of his crock pot after making some bean soup, and this enabled him to invent warp drive... china dog: Arf! ***END WARNING*** Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 01:16:23 -0400 (EDT) From: HermBieber@aol.com Subject: For Ozzy Digest Jeremy, I was trying to be facetious in saying "pets" rather than "pests." And if you don't knoww what silverfish are, consider yourself lucky. They are not fish, but an insect that loves to chew on the starch in book bindings. Herm Bieber ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 01:34:39 -0400 (EDT) From: JOdel@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-15-97 One of the survivors of my mother and her sibs was a copy of Zixi. It wasn't a first, but it was early enough to have had color plates. IIRC, it was a rather interesting 3-color arangement of the black linework, and two spot colors, a rosy pink and a pale green. Very dainty, there were, so far as i can recall, no heavy solid black areas and the line weight was on the light to medium end of the range. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 08:04:21 -0500 (CDT) From: glassman@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-15-97 I am truly distressed by the e-mail which Eric Gjovaag posted to the digest saying that the future of our Oz reissues is in doubt due to the untimely death of my partner, James Carey. Why must people always assume the worst and extrapolate imaginary facts that have absolutely nothing to do with the statements posted on the digest? James' death is painful enough without people creating and spreading false and misleading statements about the work to which he dedicated his life. James was far to intelligent, thoughtful and wonderful a person not to have made sure that his work would continue even without him. Of course Books of Wonder's Oz reissues will continue to come out. Where on earth did John Harriman get the idea that they would not? Nothing I or anyone else has posted to the digest has remotely suggested such a possibility. To allow this project to end prematurely would be an insult to James' memory - something which I and the folks at Morrow (who are every bit as much involved in this project as we are) would never allow. It would be nice if people would ask me or my staff about the future of our projects rather than simply making up mis- leading and potentially damaging "facts" based on nothing more than conjecture. - Peter Glassman ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 08:43:39 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest I just received a message from a friend who forwarded a recent article from the New York Daily News about Pink Floyd's _Dark Side of the Moon_ album, which purportedly can be played as a sound track to the MGM _Wizard of Oz_ with all kinds of amazing link-ups between the album and the action of the movie. The article is long enough that I'm reluctant to post it on the Digest, but I'd be happy to e-mail it to anyone who is interested. There are supposedly also a couple of web sites devoted to this subject, but I was unable to locate them. While I was running a search on Alta Vista, however, I ran into another pop-cultural item that may be of interest to Digesters: Mattel has just put out a new line of Barbie collectibles with Barbie as Dorothy and apparently also as Glinda, and Ken as the Tin Man. For more information, check out http://www.barbie.com/pshow_h/h_14902c.html. In his latest guise as the Tin Man, Ken looks rather alarmingly like Rosalind Russell. Herm: Thanks for the latest installment of your very useful guide to the care and restoration of books. I've been storing the installments as a Word file, and it's now up to eleven single-space pages--quite a substantial document. I agree with Melody that we seem to have run out of steam on the _Ozma_ discussion. Can we set a date for beginning _Dorothy and the Wizard_? --Gordon Birrell ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 08:15:25 -0700 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Oz panned: In USA TODAY, Friday May 16 on page 3D, the stage version of "Wizard" starring Roseanne was given a less-than-stellar review. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 17, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 10:31:06 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-15-97 > > Steve: > Correction: Dover _has_ published an edition of THE MASTER KEY; I have a > copy. Acto the copyright page their edition was first published in 1976. > It may well be out of print now, but they did publish it at one point. > > > David Hulan > > Steve Teller: I thought I remembered the look of the "Master Key" illos in > b&w in a Dover edition, but apparently that's another trick of memory > deceiving me. I guess there really aren't any of Fanny Cory's Baum > illustrations currently available, are there? One of the Greene brothers > (David, I think) wrote a nice article about her in the "Bugle" several years > back. > > Ruth Berman > From: "Aaron S. Adelman" > 1) Stephen, er, uh, I believe that Dover HAS done a reprint of _The Master > Key_. Barry and I own a copy. > Ruth: Clearly you were right and I was wrong. Thank you, David and Aaron, for setting me right. Even Jove nods, and I am far more fallible. > Shanower's Ozma's hair color--a light brown--is in contradiction to > statements in the FF > that she has ruddy gold (_Land_) or black (_Handy Mandy_) hair. Maybe > that mystrious force that makes Eureka change colors has been affecting > Ozma's hair as well... > > Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman The same forces act to reverse the direction to Glinda's castle and the Winkie and Munchkin countries. Some mysteries are just mysteries. > > Ruth - Thanks for the tip - I have a copy of the Dover Zixi. I wish I > could see the Richardson art in color. It is really fine. I have to > confess I have never read it, but now have an incentive. > > Regards, Bear (:<) > Actually the color in ZIXI is quite muted--noothing like the full color of the Neill's Oz books. But the story is excellent. > From: Robin Olderman > > David: Yes, reading the contest MSS is only "sometimes" fun. A few of > them...a very few...are pretty bad. Mostly, they're well-written. Very > well-written, actually. > I will concur with that. It does not make judging easier. > > Robin and Steve: > > And the present and final(?) manuscript count? :-) > Final count 36 1/2 + one play. > Herm: > > >Watch for Part VI: Cockroaches, Silverfish, and other pets in the book > room. > It is sometimes difficult to keep the cats out of the book room, but, on the other hand, they cut down on the roaches and other vermin. Ruth Berman > > postscript to Steve Teller: Checking, I see that I was very nearly right > about the Dover edition of "Master Key" with Cory illos in b&w. It's just > that it wasn't Dover -- it was Hyperion (45 Riverside, Westport CT 06880). > Probably not in print, as it came out in 1974, but secondhand copies of > that edition might be easier to find and would be a lot cheaper than the > original. Maybe I wasn't wrong after all. I knew the Hyperion edition. It has an introduction by one of the Green brothers, doesn't it? But David and Aaron said there *was* a Dover edition? Where lies the truth? Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 12:24:21 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Ozzy Digest I thought you folks might be interested in the following review from the Associated Press: Date: Fri, May 16, 1997 2:04 AM EDT Subj: Roseanne Stars in The Wizard of Oz By MICHAEL KUCHWARA AP Drama Critic NEW YORK (AP) - Whoever thought the Wicked Witch of the West was the driving force behind ``The Wizard of Oz''? At Madison Square Garden, she is - in the person of Roseanne, the television sitcom superstar turned theater performer. This unnecessary stage redo of the classic MGM movie musical showcases Roseanne in what can best be described as a high-decibel, one-note performance done in the key of loud. It certainly throws everything else out of kilter. The production itself is the fast-forward version, a 90-minute, rapid-fire adaptation that pares down the original without sacrificing anyone's favorite moments from the film. That's what this type of presentation is about anyway. Call it theater of comfortable recognition. The show, on view at the Garden through June 1, allows audience members to nudge each other as the familiar songs and scenes speed by. They are all there, from Dorothy's rendition of ``Over the Rainbow'' to the girl's meetings with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion to the Emerald City of Oz and its con man of a wizard. Yet they don't come close to touching the original. Director and adapter Robert Johanson is operating at a decided disadvantage in attempting to get people to see the stage show on its own terms. So is the rest of his cast, particularly Jessica Grove, a stolid, solid Dorothy whose glumness may be a result of inevitably being compared to the role's legendary originator, Judy Garland. That's one of the evening's biggest problems. The movie's casting was inspired; now it is competent, which, in this case, is not enough. A cheerful Ken Page is the rotund Cowardly Lion, a role he played in another variation of the same story, ``The Wiz.'' Lara Teeter and Michael Gruber struggle manfully with the roles of the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. Gerry Vichi is a borscht-belt Wizard. Roseanne, complete with green makeup and a conelike hairdo, doesn't even reach that level, but she gets the biggest response from theatergoers. Familiarity breeds applause. Actually, Roseanne gets a run in the applause department from Plenty, a cairn terrier who plays the immortal Toto. Plenty pretty much steals every scene he (she?) is in. The dog was trained by William Berloni, the man who gave Sandy to Broadway in the original ``Annie.'' Plenty stays completely in character no matter what bit of business is happening on stage. A real pro. The Garden's theater was not built for intimate drama. The theater has the feel of an airplane hangar with seats. Even the wonderful Harold Arlen-E.Y. Harburg score seems to rattle around it. Yet the physical production, which originated at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J., does fill the wide stage. It is lavish without being theatrically interesting. That could be a description of the entire production, too, which will drive you right to the video store in search of the movie, no matter how many times you've seen it. AP-NY-05-15-97 1853EDT -- Craig Noble ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 11:55:30 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 Aaron: I think Bill Harmstead was a genius who built his own rocket...probably with a silencer. I assume he's Speedy's blood kin and that Speedy's brainpower and ingenuity come from the same part of the gene pool. Scott: Steve and I have all the MSS now. John has mailed the last of them. David: Far too many variables and, uh, fractals, to be able to figure the odds of winning the contest by a simple calculation. Take into account which are 1)in the spirit of Baum's Oz, not someone's VERY personal (personal to the point of exclusivity) view of the fairyland, 2)well-written, 3)follow all of the other contest rules, etc., etc. And before anyone corrects me on my misuse of the word "fractals," let me just say that I used it deliberately...for some reason... Gordon: The business about Pink Floyd has been noted by many Ozzies. Good to see it mentioned again for any who may have missed it. The Barbie line of Oz is over a year old now. They're quite nice, but very pricey. Available at Toys R Us, etc. Um, Rosalind Russell? I'll have to check my Ken T.W. when I get home! --Robin O. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 14:16:24 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Oz Pornography 1) Scott, I'd recommend you not accept any Oz pornography for two major reasons: a) Your mind will feel a lot cleaner without the contents of said film rattling around in your brain. Trust me, the only thing I got out of reading _Was_ and _The Number of the Beast_ was a sense of indignation at the authors for their heresy (in more than one sense of the term). You'll be happier and less vengeful without such stuff in mind. Such material goes so far away from Baum's vision and basic decency that it should be not consumed except by a bonfire or (better:) a paper recycling plant. b) Your parents may kill you if they find out. 2) David, er, uh, I believe that chimpanzees, at least, use leaves in lieu of toilet paper. They, bonobos, and gorillas are also careful about cleanliness; they certainly spend a lot of time grooming each other. Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 13:40:13 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 Barry: The estrus thread started when someone - I think Doug Parker - speculated about Langwidere's heads tracking the human menstrual cycle, with head #17 being the one with PMS. It developed from there. Steve: I pulled my Dover edition of MASTER KEY off my shelves and looked at it. It is indeed Dover. No question about it. Unless someone took a Hyperion edition and cleverly rebound it in a fake cover, with an inserted fake copyright page as well, crediting it to Dover. Unlikely, I think. Aaron: ***WARNING: SPOILER FOR _THE YELLOW KNIGHT OF OZ_*** Another indication of the fact that Speedy isn't from our world is the way the rocket ship behaved. You can't turn a real rocket ship around by turning a steering wheel, and if it hits the ground hard it doesn't burrow down to the center of the earth; it turns into a pancake. Almost nothing that happens even before he gets to Oz in that book is scientifically possible in this world. *********END SPOILER************************************* Joyce: Thanks for the info on the color illustrations in ZIXI. Peter G.: In fairness to Eric Gjovaag, he hasn't been a subscriber to the Digest for a long time now, and neither is John Harriman. Why he posted his question here rather than E-mailing you or calling BoW I don't know, but he hadn't had the opportunity of reading what you'd posted here. I E-mailed him personally on the subject, and I imagine several other people on the Digest did. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 13:55:04 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 > From: Mark Anthony Donajkowski > > ive been reading how most of you do not like oz by caliber and oz squad > saying "its not our oz" "its to dark" baum was dark with is oz to think > of the tin man and his axe cutting off the heads of his enemies (this was > removed in later editions) or how about the love intrests aspect thats > portrayed in oz baum did this with his silent movies while it may not be > all niceities and buttens and bows it does resemble the oz we know maybe a > little more adult a little more avadant garde but still our oz the basic > themes are there least thats my 2 cents on the matter > From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu > > Melody, Robin and Steve may not have all the manucripts yet, because John > Fricke delayed several of them, including mine. > We do haveall of them, including yours. The last batch of three came with the note: C'est finis, Folks!) > Many of you know that I have been doing extensive research in the way of > Oz films. Now someone has offered to make me a copy of a late > 1970s pornographic version of The Wizard of Oz, with bad costumes and > inept dialogue along the lines of "what's up?" etc. I am really being a > completist in my research. Should I accept this if it's really cheap? Yes, and bring it to Lake Lawn. > I have been able to determine (simply > through using Videolog and references at Barnes and Noble, that there was > a 1985 adult film called _The Wizard of Ahhh's_, but no mention is made of > this. Should I ignore this, or should I include it in my research? I > think the latter, but I am not very inclined to do so. > > Scott > For the sake of completeness you should examine everything. If the film has nothing to do with Oz you could footnote that fact to save future researchers. You should always try to help the next person who comes along. > I'm not sure that there was any color art in the original version of > ZIXI. Certainly none of the illustrations in my Dover edition have the > look of color-to-b/w art that some of the ones in MASTER KEY (or for > that matter, my "white" DOTWIZ) have. Some of you who have the old > editions - were there ever color plates in ZIXI? > There were, but they were more two-color than full color. > > I second your request to Robin and Steve for a final MS count for the > contest. Helps to calculate the odds... > > > Any better solutions to the mystery of Uncle Bill? > Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman > He used cut-rate materials and didn't worry about quality control?? Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 15:42:36 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-15-97 Digest of the 15th-- Re Graphic Novels / Comic Strips in general: I thought they all tended to condense a great deal of action, plot, etc. into a tiny word box--think Prince Valiant. Melody: You say that Eric Shanower fell into the trap of many comic book artists (in terms of not making female characters different except by their clothes). Would this be, _male_ comic book artists? What I mean (before Dave decides I'm getting back into the feminism bebate) is that, do female artists make more of a distinction? Re Silverfish: Thanks for the clarification, David (and Herm)--I almost didn't add the part preventing me from calling silverfish pests (pets instead) in my last message, but wanted to cover all bases. Obviously, some were not even in the same ballpark, so to speak. As usual, if I sound like I'm starting to make sense, pinch yourselves, splash cold water on yourselves, and read my post again. --KIEX (and Jeremy Steadman) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 13:04:41 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 Two things, First, about the recent discussion about _The Annotated Wizard Of Oz_. I seem to recall some discussion that indicated that some of you who deal in books have one or more copies available. After glancing through a copy procured for me from the Mill Valley (Ca.) library by a friend, I think that I would like to have a copy for myself (how was that for a convoluted sentence?). If my memory is correct would you let me know, please? I don't want to spend vast amounts of money, but around $100 would be within my range. If my memory is not correct, pleas forgive me. You know the line about aging and memory. Second, > I agree with Melody that we seem to have run out of steam on the Ozma_ > discussion. Can we set a date for beginning _Dorothy and the Wizard_? > --Gordon Birrell Can I second the motion? Bob Spark ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 21:03:37 +0600 From: rri0189@ibm.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-14-97 David Hulan wrote: >Do you think maybe the uncharacteristically heavy lines in "The Oz Toy >Book" might have been due to the originals having been blown up from a >lighter original? Or, conversely, that the finer lines in Neill's other >work was due to their being reduced? I both _suspect_ the first and _know_ the second. Dave Hardenbrook wrote: >The artwork is superb in Shanower's graphic novels; only IMHO it lacks >the Ozzy whimsicalness of Neill, Denslow, and Melody Grandy. And the >stories themselves are rather dark and Tolken-esque. Nature of the beast. Illustrating a piece of standard narrative fiction is non-essential decoration. (This is not to denigrate it; I'm simply pointing out what it _is_.) That means that it can be played with, so as to make it more entertaining on its own, independent of the prose. But narrative-through-illustration is a very different medium, in which the illustration, which carries much of the burden of the story (from time to time comicbooks have printed utterly wordless issues, just to prove it can be done), must adhere to the general tone of the story. A comicbook adaptation of -- oh -- the Rutabaga stories could deal with that sort of whimsey, but one of the salient characteristics of the Oz stories is their entirely matter-of-fact manner. As to "Tolkien-esque", that seems a bit much. It is true that Eric tends to write more seriously -- "Giant Garden" shows that it is not limited to his GN's -- but children's fiction is generally more serious nowadays. But there is more to Tolkien than earnestness; I see nothing titanic in Eric's version of Oz. What I especially admire is his genius for showing character in action. He manages to combine Eisner's trick of showing someones soul in a gesture with a completely realistic illustrative style. I suspect he could be a truly formidable caricaturist if he chose. // John W Kennedy -- Hypatia Software -- "The OS/2 Hobbit" ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 21:29:21 +0600 From: rri0189@ibm.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-15-97 Richard Bauman wrote: >If you think there is no "honest work" involved in running a corporation >you must be blinded by your bias. "Bias"? I'll be celebrating (as it were) my 30th anniversary in the business world in a few weeks. During that time I have observed a dumbing down of American enterprise to the point that I now regard most of management as clinically insane. For example, I just spent two weeks -- and my salary is pretty high -- unable to do any actual productive work because I was completely occupied in dealing with the entirely predictable consequences of an executive "money-saving" fiat that A) involved a purely paper expense that the department was charging to itself and B) couldn't have amounted to more than $100/yr. When archeologists a thousand years from now want to know why America fell apart, they'll find it all in "Dilbert". >I haven't checked Overstreet >but [Wonder Woman] may still be going. Wonder Woman is the Comic that Cannot Die -- literally. The terms of the deal with the Marston estate specify that the rights revert to the family if DC ever fails to keep up a monthly schedule. That's why she was the only headliner, apart from Superman and Batman, to survive the great anti-comics scare of the 50's. Even when the comic is losing money, it keeps on being published, since just one deal for a movie (or even Underoos) is enough to cover the loss. However, she was restarted from square one after the Crisis on Infinite Earths in '85-'86, because her backstory had gotten hopelessly convoluted, and some of it was downright embarrassing. (Superman was also restarted, but not as drastically.) // John W Kennedy -- Hypatia Software -- "The OS/2 Hobbit" ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 21:51:18 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Jeremy: Yes, Glinda is a great asset to Oz and the Oz books. It is a shame that she has been thrust into the background in recent decades, although some books do her justice. One last thing about _Ozma_: At the end of the book, Billina was able to disenchant the Tin Woodman with the "Ev" spell outside of the Nome King's dominions. This suggests that the disenchanting magic comes from the objects rather than directly from Roquat. As a child, I tried to disenchant objects around the house, but I have met no Oz characters yet. Mark Anthony: If I didn't know better, I'd say you were plugging the March Laumer books :-) Actually, March was not dark, just "adult". Scott: I'll second that comment. _Queen Zixi of Ix_ is definitely one the best books Baum ever wrote, and the illos are su-poib. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 22:02:05 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 Steve & Robin: Hope all those manuscripts don't burn you out on Oz. :-) Barry & David: >If I remember my biology correctly, the reason for the, uh, mess in humans is that they're big animals, too big to easily reabsorb the uterine lining.< The zoology book I perused *could* be wrong, but it did say only humans & great apes. :-) Apparently horses, elephants, & other animals bigger than us only go through estrus. But thanks for at least trying to explain--nobody *else* *ever* has, not in books, articles, verbally, nothing. Apparently us human women don't deserve an explanation for the inconvenience. (Grrrr.) Perhaps it also has something to do with the fact that apes & humans walk upright. That was one reason given for suffering during birth--having to get the offspring past barriers designed to keep it inside a two-legged erect-walking Mom. Dave: How's *your* Mom. You've been pretty quiet these past couple of Digests. Hope she's doing okay. On Languidere's heads: Momentarily, I thought changing heads might throw off Languidere's biological rhythms, because they are controlled by the pituitary in the brain, until I remembered that groups of women living together become synchronized. So Languidere's heads in their little "dorm" are probably synchronized as well. I've also read that when a guy gets married, *his* rhythms synchronize with his wife's. In Languidere, Baum may have been satirizing something else besides useless vanity. Not only do styles of clothes go in and out of fashion--certain 'looks' in women themselves go in and out of style as well--as if trendsetters thought we could go to the store and buy 'the latest' in faces and bodies. So Baum has given us a lady who can really keep up with facial fashion! The effect is macabre, not glamorous. Don't know if anybody has mentioned it in the Digest yet, but in his depiction of Languidere, Neill was satirizing the Gibson Girl. Charles Gibson was an illustrator whose depictions of fashionable ladies were very popular around the turn of the century. Looks like Neill was poking fun at one of his artistic peers and his feminine creations as well. "Rendering in Pen and Ink" has good things to say about Neill, plus a very fine example of his work. Better paraphrase because this book is still under copyright. It says the Neill drawing "can be found interesting everywhere," and that in this one drawing one can find "samples of every sort of line or tone a pen is capable of making," and it says that the spotting of pure black is exceptionally well handled, and that the entire drawing is marvelously well composed for so complex a subject. The Pic in question is not an Oz one--it is called "The Cobbler" and depicts a leprechaun pausing in his work to shoo away another elf, who has brought in two old shoes with soles coming off. It *is* an excellent drawing. When I first began collecting the Oz books, I enjoyed hunting for Neill's miniature drawings-inside-of-drawings. Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 22:03:56 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Today's Oz Groans Scott - Only a few seconds glancing at a list of X-rated films will tell you that you can't always judge by the titles. Don't dilute your effort pursuing such leads. Unless you are forced to by an excess of testosterone. :) Peter - I am sorry you were disturbed by Eric's post. Somehow we keep being a source of irritation for you when I want us to be a source of encouragement and appreciation for your fine efforts. If Eric wasn't still sulking he would know the facts and would not be sending silly rumors to our Digest. There is an expression, "Suffer fools gladly..." I keep trying to remember why? :( Gordon - The majority of the Digest went through the Pink Floyd discussion about six months ago. And to finish off a less than perfect day..."Wizard" starring Roseanne. Thanks a lot Tyler.... Sigh. Bluely, Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 22:05:11 -0500 (CDT) From: glassman@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 OOPS!!! Somehow, in my haste and upset at the posting on yesterday's digest, I accidentally messed up my own posting. What I wanted to say was I was upset by the posting Eric Gjovaag FORWARDED to the digest - not by what Eric himself posted. Eric has been a longtime friend and I wouldn't want anyone to think I was angry or bothered by his obviously very concerned questions about the e-mail he had received and forward to the digest. Also, I was not in the best of moods when I read yesterday's digest. Sorry for any confusion or misunderstandings. - Peter Glassman ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 01:13:35 -0400 (EDT) From: JoelHarris@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 Peter: The offensive statements were made by an individual who does not participate or read the digest. If you wish Mr. Gjovaag to read your reply, you will have to email him privately. Joel Harris ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 23:35:34 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: OZ Thank you, everyone, who sent me the information on James Carey's untimely death. It is sad news for Oz and children's literature fans everywhere. I will be making a large donation to RIF in James' name soon. And yes, I do intend to reply to Mr. Harriman's speculation. And I have a favor, related to all of this, that I'd like to ask all of you. I may no longer be subscribed to the "Digest," but that doesn't mean that I am offline, nor no longer interested in Oz. In fact, I am in the process of upgrading my web site and adding new features, and one of the new features is a news column, of ANY breaking Oz news. Naturally enough, James' death will be added soon (I hope this weekend -- and Peter Glassman, I hope I have your permission to use your eloquent "Digest" post). But for this news column to work, I need news. So, I am asking all Digesters, if they would, to keep me in mind when there is Oz news of general interest (local news may be better suited to my Oz Events page -- which I will also gladly update if there is anything to say there). Any Ozzy news anywhere, I would like to know so that I can inform the world. There are a lot of Oz fans who don't get the "Digest," so I'd like to try to keep them as informed as possible. Thank you. --Eric Gjovaag ### Visit my "Wizard of Oz" web site! http://www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/ ### ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 97 01:32:24 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things Thanks Craig for the _Wizard of Oz_ review...I guess when it says the best acting was from Toto, that's pretty conclusive...FWIW, I can't see Rosanne as *any* Ozzy character, not even a villian... I have to agree with Bear that "The Wizard of Ahhs" probably has not an iota of Oz in it...I *hate* pornography! Dirty, vile, and sick! (Can you tell I'm in a bad mood?) So some of you are ready to move on to DOTWIZ (as everyone seems to like to abbreviate it)? How about the first of June as a starting point (that gives everyone two weeks to read it)? Happy Birthday Glinda! -- Dave ====================================================================== -- Dave ************************************************************ Dave Hardenbrook, E-Mail: DaveH47@delphi.com URL: http://people.delphi.com/DaveH47/ Computer Programmer, Honorary Citizen of the Land of Oz, and Editor of "The Ozzy Digest" (The _Wizard of Oz_ online fan club) "When we are young we read and believe The most Fantastic Things... When we grow older and wiser We learn, with perhaps a little regret, That these things can never be... WE ARE QUITE, QUITE *** WRONG ***!!!" -- Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" ************************************************************ ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 18-19, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ===================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 01:13:35 -0400 (EDT) From: JoelHarris@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 Peter: The offensive statements were made by an individual who does not participate or read the digest. If you wish Mr. Gjovaag to read your reply, you will have to email him privately. Joel Harris ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 23:35:34 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: OZ Thank you, everyone, who sent me the information on James Carey's untimely death. It is sad news for Oz and children's literature fans everywhere. I will be making a large donation to RIF in James' name soon. And yes, I do intend to reply to Mr. Harriman's speculation. And I have a favor, related to all of this, that I'd like to ask all of you. I may no longer be subscribed to the "Digest," but that doesn't mean that I am offline, nor no longer interested in Oz. In fact, I am in the process of upgrading my web site and adding new features, and one of the new features is a news column, of ANY breaking Oz news. Naturally enough, James' death will be added soon (I hope this weekend -- and Peter Glassman, I hope I have your permission to use your eloquent "Digest" post). But for this news column to work, I need news. So, I am asking all Digesters, if they would, to keep me in mind when there is Oz news of general interest (local news may be better suited to my Oz Events page -- which I will also gladly update if there is anything to say there). Any Ozzy news anywhere, I would like to know so that I can inform the world. There are a lot of Oz fans who don't get the "Digest," so I'd like to try to keep them as informed as possible. Thank you. --Eric Gjovaag ### Visit my "Wizard of Oz" web site! http://www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/ ### ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 09:16:07 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-17-97 Melody: As a married man who thought he knew about these things, now you've got me curious: "I've also read that when a guy gets married, *his* rhythms synchronize with his wife's." I didn't think that men had monthly rhythms. What do you mean? -- Craig Noble ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 11:19:15 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest Bear: >There is an expression, "Suffer fools gladly..." I keep >trying to remember why? :( The expression is from 2 Corinthians, XI, 19: "For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise." In other words, those who are truly wise will exercise forbearance when others speak foolishly. Words to live by, Digesters! Melody: Very good point about Neill's satire of the Gibson-Girl look in his depiction of Langwidere. More on the color illustrations in _Zixi_: The color plates are inked in three colors (muted green, blue, and red) and the lines as well as the borders are inked in either blue or green rather than black. Richardson used the same three colors, singly, in the text illustrations as well. In my copy (which I, like Melody, got from Herm!) the registration is extraordinarily precise. Everything about these illustrations, in fact, bespeaks an unusual--and no doubt expensive--attention to detail. My apologies for bringing up old news about the Pink Floyd connection. It was kind of you, Robin, to suggest that it might at least be of interest to new members of the Digest. Which brings up a question to Dave: what is the current size of the Digest? Have we grown since the survey was taken back in January? --Gordon Birrell ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 12:08:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Oz: HELP! Greeeeeeat... I tried to forward Peter's note about how James' death will affect the Books of Wonder/Morrow reprints, and I find out that I got Mr. Harriman's e-mail address wrong -- AFTER I delete his note. So, I'm asking, does anybody have the "Digest" I forwarded the original note to, so I can get the proper address? Thanks. --Eric Gjovaag ### Visit my "Wizard of Oz" web site! http://www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/ ### ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 12:48:12 -0700 From: Ken Cope Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-17-97 I suspect that Scott will be able to ascertain for himself and others the extent to which the films he should review meet Ozian community standards without being driven to actions forcing anybody to lock up their daughters. He seems a rather moderate fellow, a too-frequently unique perspective on this digest. I recommend an arbitrary criterion be met by which the films might be judged worthy of further discussion. Are either of them as well produced, and more entertaining to those familiar with the matrix text, as is the film Flesh Gordon? Here is a little parable for Aaron, who even yet yearns for a Heinlein bonfire of Biblical proportions. Once upon a time, two Zen Buddhist monks were returning home after a long pilgrimage. There was one river to cross before their journey of purification would be complete. Alas, recent floods had washed out the bridge, and the high fast water made the stones barely standing above the rapids treacherously slick. Beckoning to them was a distraught woman of easy virtue, who was too frail to ford the stream without help. The first monk shunned the woman and rushed across to the other side. The other bade her ride on his back until both were safely across. She kissed him in gratitude and departed. After many hours of walking in silence had passed, the first monk could no longer hold his outrage in check. "How dare you violate the rules of our order, and sully the very purpose of our sacred journey by not only touching a woman, but carrying the harlot on your back? You even let her kiss you!" The other looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled. "Ah, the woman I set down upon the bank some hours ago. I see you are carrying her still." Heathens that they were, their souls are eternally burning in hell, illuminating the deeds of the Religious Right. The comfort I take in your disdain for The Number of the Beast, Aaron, is that I will not have to be on guard for any Heinlein pastiches from you. I always bear in mind that the shallow efforts of others cannot dim the light of the work left us by Baum and Neill. I'm sure Eric misses you all too. Ken Cope ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 14:22:53 -0700 From: Lobdell@ConnRiver.net Subject: Oz, finding meaning in life Hello, this is the MYLES! Munchkin country, a sweet eastern territory ruled by? 1. "Ozma of Oz" Ozma and her friends stay with the Munckin Country Monarch. "Emerald City of Oz" That same Monarch is in Ozma's celebration and parade. 2. Thompson's chronicles state Munchkin Country is ruled by "King" Cheeriobed. was the monarch overthrown, what is the answer who exactly is the Monarch and why does he not still rule? Also Munchkin means Children/Relation to the Munch. Somebody please explain! does it refer to Mt. Munch? ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 16:30:18 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-17-97 References: <3.0.1.32.19970517015451.006b6120@199.93.4.67> > > David: Far too many variables and, uh, fractals, to be able to figure the > odds of winning the contest by a simple calculation. Take into account > which are 1)in the spirit of Baum's Oz, not someone's VERY personal > (personal to the point of exclusivity) view of the fairyland, > 2)well-written, 3)follow all of the other contest rules, etc., etc. > --Robin O. > > Steve & Robin: > > Hope all those manuscripts don't burn you out on Oz. :-) > > > Melody Grandy > Fear not Melody, Robin and I will never get burned out on Oz. Speaking for myself I deeply enjoy reading all of the MSS, even those which have "someone's VERY personal view" of Oz. My semester ended this week (except for one set of papers I must get graded by Monday morning). That means I will be able to spend the next two weeks blissfully reading Oz books. In most cases I do not know the authors (and that's the way it must be), but, when it is all over and I no longer can influence the contest, I would like to know who I have to thank for each piece of pleasure. This is better than being the kid in the candy store: Few headaches and no stomach aches. A week from to day I am going to the Yellow Brick Days in Sedan, Kansas. In three weeks I will be at Ozmapolitan Convention in Wisconsin. After Summer school I will be at Asilomar--Winkie Convention, and in August I will go to L. Frank Baum Days in Aberdeen, South Dakota. How could anyone get "burned out"? Oz is like Shakespeare's Cleopatra: "She makes hungry where most she satisfies. They are going to do strange things to the building where I work this Summer. I do not know how this will addect my e-mail. I know I will not be able to get in my office in July, but perhaps I can find somewhere else to get my mail. Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 18:48:37 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-17-97 Melody: Not much *could* burn me out on Oz, I suspect. Certainly not reading mostly well-written Oz stories! If there were only more hours in the day...or less "real life" work to do. Pets/Pests Story: Gotta share this with y'all. A woman came into our shop a coupla years ago with a bunch of cockroach-gnawed books she wanted to sell to us. We pointed out the damage, whereupon she made one of those "I'm just a helpless little female" coy moues and told us (with a giggle, no less) that the damage most certainly wasn't from anything as nasty as bugs but that she was the victim of a too-successful effort to have a chinchilla farm. She said that they'd gotten out of her control and nibbled on her books. Ever since then, we've referred to cockroaches as "chinchillas." I guess some folks really *don't* know the difference between pests and pets! --Robin Olderman ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 20:52:36 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Today's Oz Growls John - How can I not respond. One wonders why you would put up with such "work?" Clearly you are on the East Coast where such nonsense as you describe is commonplace in those moss-covered relics of a bygone era. Come out on the Left Coast where "it is happening" and get a job with a real company. Like HP, Cisco, TRW, Applied Materials, Nike, Oracle, Intel, Ascend or maybe Microsoft! :) Besides our weather is better. (Although today it hit 100F in my back yard, in the shade! Global warming must be here! :) Well, I have a fix for that. Next week at this time we will be on our way to Alaska. By ship. Hmmm. That will mean two weeks of Digests to catch up on. Sigh.) Dave - Thanks for setting the agenda. Now that didn't really hurt did it? :) Warmly, Bear ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 02:29:25 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: How Speedy Came to Oz 1) Robin, Bill Harmstead may have been a genius, but even a genius has to work with the technology available. Can you make liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in quantities sufficient for a trip to Mars with the technology available in 1934, or suggest another plausible fuel? No one (reportedly) had gotten into low-Earth orbit yet, much less traveled to another world. Presumably, not wanting to kill himself accidentally with an untested design, would have put several other objects into space and made a quick trip to the Moon before his failed trip to Mars, indicating the necessary use of even more primitive in his private space program. Does it sound plausible for someone to be travelling into space while humanity is still in the early days of aviation? I don't think so. Slightly modifying what I said last time, I propose two solutions to this problem: a) Bill Harmstead belonged to a secret society which kept hidden the fact that they were at least 80 years ahead of everybody else. If they still exist today, they're probably in the outer Solar system already. (People doubting that he needed modern or postmodern technology to travel to Mars are invited to show me wrong by building their own functional spaceships in their backyards.) b) Bill Harmstead was a magician working along scientific lines, probably with a similar methodology to that of William Bayard and Harold Shea of the Enchanter stories, except that he worked within his own world. The spaceship he built was propelled by purely magical means. Both of these have their problems: a) Bill as member of a secret society: Why were Bill and company keeping their advances secret? That flies straight in the normal policy of scientists of making their discoveries public. And considering that it's not unusual for discoveries to be made in parallel by more than one person at the same time, how come people outside the Society--who would not be bound to keep their discoveries secret--didn't discover them as well? b) Bill as a magician: How come Speedy, who was living with Uncle Bill, was completely unfamiliar with magic? Surely he must have picked up one of Uncle Bill's spell books at least once or twice. For comparison, please note that Tip in _Land_, when he spies on Mombi as she brings Jack Pumpkinhead to life, knows enough about magic that he knows what to remember and reproduce when he duplicates the feat on the Sawhorse. Speedy, in contrast, doesn't even recognize that Uncle Bill is a magician. This leads me to suggest a third solution: the fabrication hypothesis. Under this conjecture, there was no spaceship. While playing with his friends near a manhole one day in 1934, Speedy accidentally fell in, and instead of hitting bottom, he entered an unseen, random gateway into an enchanted land, as the Wizard, Dorothy, Toto, Billina, Betsy, Trot, Cap'n Bill, and others had done before, the only difference being that this was the first time anyone had entered such a gateway through a sewer. Thompson, when contacted by Speedy, however, didn't like this method of travel, being places that one never associates with magical--or very palatable--events, and having no scruples about fudging the truth when it didn't fit her ideas of how things should be (see past discussions on this digest which noted that she forcibly correlated goodness with youth and beauty and badness with age and ugliness), she fabricated the more exciting method of a runaway spaceship. 2) Tyler, I'd call cannibalism, which appears in Laumer's _The Frogman of Oz_ more 'dark' than 'adult'. Then again, the term 'adult' seems rather abused these days, being applied to material which adults are supposed to be mature enough to not consume of their own volition. In any case, the Compleat Cook's dietary preferences don't quite strike me as anything to be taken lightly. 3) Just a thought on Langwidere: Considering that she has 30 times the amount of brain tissue of a normal human, how come she displays subnormal intelligence? Let's be realistic about this: how come she hasn't become inordinately bored from doing almost nothing but admiring her own faces for a few years at least? The only thing possibly creative she does is play the mandolin, but as she seems pathologically fixated on her own beauty, it seems doubtful she's paying enough attention to her music to for it to come out any better than in the following plagiarized scene: Nome ambassador: Excuse me. Sorry. As such, what could Langwidere be possibly doing with all that gray matter? Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 13:10:22 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 Steve, I was at a prof's house for an Oscar party, and his vast library had Dover editions of both _The Master Key_ and _John Dough and the Cherub_, neither of which I knew to exist. The university library here has the Hyperion edition of MK, which looks quite different. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 13:26:41 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-17-97 Aaron I am 21, and my dad had kept a lot worse things in the garage. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 13:29:53 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-17-97 Steve: I don't know if _The Wizard of Ahhh's_ (1985) has anything to do with Oz, but Bill Dempster, who offered the late '70s film to me, said that it does basically follow the story, and that the costumes are atrocious. Remember where it says Dorothy brings the lion food and sleeps on his mane... he said that scene is in it. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 23:41:20 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-17-97 Jeremy: >Melody: You say that Eric Shanower fell into the trap of many comic book artists (in terms of not making female characters different except by their clothes). Would this be, _male_ comic book artists? What I mean (before Dave decides I'm getting back into the feminism bebate) is that, do female artists make more of a distinction?< Wanna' see me blast artists of both sexes? Well, male artists do seem more guilty of creating 'cookie-cutter' women than female artists--but female artists have been just as guilty, or guiltier, of promoting the "Beauty is Good, Ugly is Bad" prejudice. (When it came to that prejudice, writer RPT was guilter than Baum.) When she began her "Elfquest" series, Wendy Pini was the most gifted artist I had seen thus far when it came to differentiating her male and female characters in the face. And depicting facial expression. Unfortunately, her elves are also about the most stereotypically gorgeous creatures in comics. Several of my art instruction books exhort artists to make all their women gorgeous. (Yecccch.) Yes, they were authored by men. Among them--"Drawing Comics the Marvel Way," Jack Hamm's "Drawing the Human Figure," and one by Andrew Loomis. As you can tell, that exhortation makes me sick every time I see it. However, one man, Norman Rockwell, had the decency to call the above rule "the curse of American illustration" in *his* art instruction book. Stereotypical beauty consists of big eyes, little nose, oval face--not much to work with in terms of achieving variety in young women characters. Another artist (I do not have his book at hand, but I think part of his name is "Red") wrote a book on caricature that I really love, because he seems to truly appreciate variety in looks of both sexes. And, unike a lot of other artists, is not the least bit afraid to draw it. :-) Caricature books are great for counteracting the "glamour exhortations" of "normal" commercial art books. As well as differentiating Ozma & Dorothy better, Shanower did (unlike a lot of other artists, male or female) give the nod to reality in "Blue Witch" when he made the post-pregnancy Abatha a little plumper in the face than the pre-pregnancy Abatha. (I have praised this little point in the Digest before.) David Hulan: The heavy lines in the "Toy Book" figures may be there because they were meant to be cut out--both to guide the wielder of the scissors, and so slight miscuts would not be too noticeable. It's difficult for a child to cut along a fine line perfectly. (My apologies if you were not the originator of this subject.) Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 23:41:44 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-17-97 Dave: >I have to agree with Bear that "The Wizard of Ahhs" probably has not an iota of Oz in it...I *hate* pornography! Dirty, vile, and sick!< What illicit sex and violence have in common is the "life is cheap" attitude behind both. Yes, that is dirty, vile and sick. After all, what if the life that is cheapened is your own? If it were possible, who among *us* would choose to be born to a single mother instead of a loving, married Mom and Dad? Right on, Dave! :-) Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Monday 19-May-97 01:00:32 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things Well folks I suffered a total collapse of my Windows 95 system Saturday night which I spent all Sunday trying to fix, so that's why here was no Digest for Sunday. After calling Compaq several times the sad reality seems to be that I need a new hard drive, but I will be taking my computer down to have it looked it. In the meantime, I will have to send out the Digest from my Amiga, so the loooooong headers will be back for awhile. The worst part about my system's mega-crash is that there is gap in my history of subscribes/unsubscribes on the Digest between April 27 and May 3, so if you unsubscribed from the Digest and got this one, I apologize, and please E-mail me and ask me *politely* to remove you again. As for the people who may have subscribed during the period I lost, we can only hope that when they see they're not getting the Digest they'll ask to subscribe again. The moral of this story is: Back things up *every day*. 'cause you never know when Ruggedo's going to strike! -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 20, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ===================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 13:12:07 +0200 From: Bill Wright Subject: RE: Ozzy Digest, 05-16-97 Gordon B. You can get to the Dark Side of the Moon--Oz connection website from the weblinks page at my Oz Encyclopedia website http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/ Scott: My suggestion is that there is a point beyond which being a completist isn't worth. Porno works have no place in Oz, at least the Oz I love and care about. Nor anything else that degrades or cheapens the value of our lives. Peter: Thank you for letting us know that BOW will continue with its reissue plans. You can be assured that my BOW library set will grow. Also, I get many email requests for Oz books, and if I know they are in print I send them on to your 800 number. If you would give me a list of all the Oz books available thru BOW I will post them on a web page at my website. This would make it easier for the many people I get inquiries from. Bill in Ozlo ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 10:36:33 -0400 From: Scott Piehler Subject: Caliber OZ Comics-chronology Greetings! The *other* Scott here. I've mostly been lurking, but wanted to share this. Caliber comics has been releasing more prequels & special OZ issues, so for those interested, here is a chronology of the Caliber OZ books. This is how they should be read if you like to follow stories in order. This is NOT how they were released. OZ SPECIAL-OZ ZERO OZ SPECIAL-SCARECROW #1 OZ SPECIAL-LION #1 OZ SPECIAL-TIN MAN #1 OZ SPECIAL-FREEDOM FIGHTERS #1 OZ: ROMANCE IN RAGS miniseries #1-3 OZ: STRAW & SORCERY miniseries #1-3 (#1 has just been published as of May 15, 1997) OZ #1-5 *or* OZ: MAYHEM IN MUNCHKINLAND (collected edition) OZ #6-10 *or* OZ:A GATHERING OF HEROES (collected edition) OZ #11-18 OZ: DAEMONSTORM OZ #19-20 (#20 just published as of May 15, 1997) While these books are not for traditionalists, they do (IMHO) retain the spirit of OZ, albeit with far more action. Scott Scott Piehler Atlanta, GA USA http://www.mindspring.com/~rosco29/home.htm ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 10:28:12 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-17-97 > > Many of you know that I have been doing extensive research in the way of > > Oz films. Now someone has offered to make me a copy of a late > > 1970s pornographic version of The Wizard of Oz, with bad costumes and > > inept dialogue along the lines of "what's up?" etc. I am really being a > > completist in my research. Should I accept this if it's really cheap? > > Yes, and bring it to Lake Lawn. > You're not serious, are you? Scott ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 12:47:46 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Ozzy Digest 5-17 Re Languidere's 17th head: If we're dropping this subject as we did certain others I won't name (ones that led to unnecessary contoversy as to propriety), then forget this, but one question: Why is it that L's 17th head seemed to be incorporated into the rest of her? (That is, why it had the most influence on her and is most reflected in the actions of her torso etc.) Tyler: Perhaps no Oz characters happened to be enchanted around your house... Pity. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 12:26:34 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-19-97 Aaron: >>1) Robin, Bill Harmstead may have been a genius, but even a genius has to work with the technology available. Can you make liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in quantities sufficient for a trip to Mars with the technology available in 1934, or suggest another plausible fuel? No one (reportedly) Hey! I said *he* was the genius, not me. I don't know what kind of fuel he used, but I assume it was NOT liquid oxygen and hydrogen. I don't have an answer to the problem. I don't have the time to try to think of one, but I do know I totally reject your third solution. Probably because I don't believe RPT would do such a thing, but mostly because it's so uncharitably unOzzy. >>Just a thought on Langwidere: Considering that she has 30 times the amount of brain tissue of a normal human, how come she displays subnormal intelligence? Who said she had 30 times the amount of brain tissue from a "normal" human? Maybe they were all cretins, too stupid to refuse the swap. BTW, this section of Baum contradicts the "beauty=good" hypothesis, doesn't it? Ken: Interesting parable. FWIW, I'm very fond of Heinlein's work, including _The Number of the Beast_ which ties up lotsa loose ends and is meant only for the hardcore Heinlein fan, which I am. I *liked* the use of Oz. Heinlein's work is loaded with Ozzy references. Jim Haff loved _Podkayne of Mars_ because of a particularly clever use of Oz...or at least of Baum's name. No one, gee, let's make that NO ONE, yeh...NO ONE has the right to make a bonfire of anyone's writings. Smacks of _Fahrenheit 451_. If you don't like the person's writing, don't buy it. Don't read it. Don't promote it. Speak against it, if you wish. But *burn* it? Sheesh. --Robin Olderman ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 13:03:49 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-19-97 Ken, my brother has read every one of Heinlein's novels, and highly reccomends I read my thich trade illustrated edition of _The Number of the Beast_. Tomorrow I have no school or work, and am going to attempt reading at least half of _The Lost World_. I've read an Oz book in a single day, and other comparably sized books like Kobe Abe's R-rated _The Face of Another_, and _The Lost World_ is about twice that (Crichton, not Doyle). Melody, as I said, I don't particularly want to seen the pornOZ. I'm just saying it seems as essential to my research as eventually watching Chris Lofven's R-rated pornOz, _Oz_, whcih I'm having more difficulty finding. As I said, I have seen hard-core pornography, and I don't like it. My dad hid it in the garage. Magazines like _Nugget_ ans stuff with fetish in the title. It was disgusting. Seeing the kind of stuff that's in there is like the disgust when a child learns about human reproduction for the first time, only about a thousandfold. I seriously doubt if the film Bill is offering me is that bad, but I'm sure the 1985 one is close. He quit working at the store where I work, but he comes in every so often. He said is friend had a whole basement filled with videos, and that he had this one. I asked him to ask his friend about when it was made, major players, director, and the like, and he said he didn't want to bother, but would make a cpy for me. I have not been warped by pornography or anything. So, I don't think you guys need to worry about me. And I think this is an inappropriate topic for the digest and would like to end discussion now. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 15:04:30 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-19-97 "Gormish?" From Daivd Strotton's _The Last Wave_, the review of _Oz_ (the film by Chris Lofven): "Dorothy catches the eye of Wally, and the two girls accept a lift in the band's Kombi van, after a brief altercation with the bouncer. The gormless bass player, who is driving the van, is distracted by the love-making of Jane and the drummer, and they smash into a tree, knocking Dorothy unconscious." ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 19:12:37 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-17 & 19-97 I was out of town all weekend visiting my mother, and then when I was supposed to be on my way home last night, a storm system including some tornadoes passed through the Chicago area and closed O'Hare until the airline put us up in a motel in Nashville overnight. So after five hours sleep we finally arrived at O'Hare at nearly noon today. Needless to say, I'm a bit backed up on answering the Digest. 5/17: Craig: Thanks for the review of the Roseanne WIZARD. Doesn't sound like something I'll regret having to miss... Robin: Oh, I know that there's no simple way of calculating the odds of winning a contest just by knowing the number of contestants. But if one knew, say, that half those 36-plus entries were a struggle to get through, then the odds of a well-written, true-to-Baum MS (which I am confident mine is) winning would obviously be better than if all of them were a pleasure to read. Clearly there are a great many factors that are going to go into choosing the winner, and nobody (including the judges) can set up odds based on any kind of objective criteria. Still, I think that one can, in a loose sense, say that there are two processes going on here - first, elimination of those that are either badly written, not true to Baum, or otherwise outside the guidelines (and I'm not meaning a few thousand words over or under the 50-60,000 word guideline); then, selection from among the remaining MSS of the finalists and ultimate winner. The first process can proceed from a set of reasonably objective criteria. The second can, I suspect, be pretty well approximated by a random process - if there are ten MSS that pass the first, then each one of those has about one chance in ten of winning. Because at that point the selection of the three finalists is going to depend on the personal tastes of the three preliminary judges, and the selection of the winner on the personal tastes of the final judge(s), and personal tastes are reasonably approximated by a random process. Or so I believe. YMMV. Incidentally, going back to Aaron's original comment on Uncle Bill's rocket - home inventors of spacefaring rocket ships were very popular in the literature of the Thirties. Offhand Napier Carson of Burroughs' Venus books and Weston of Lewis's "Silent Planet" trilogy come to mind as two who did it with no government support, and successfully reached their goal. (Well, strictly speaking Carson was headed for Mars and ended up on Venus, but at least he reached another planet.) I agree that none of these seem plausible to us today, who know what it takes to get into space; however, writers of the day greatly underestimated the difficulties involved. Aaron: It seems unlikely that Scott's parents would kill him for viewing a pornographic Oz film. Yell at him, maybe; ground him, possibly. Murder seems a rather severe punishment for doing something that's perfectly legal, if not very tasteful. (And yes, I know you were using hyperbole.) I don't approve of burning books, even those whose contents are repugnant to me. I'm content to avoid reading them, or in extreme cases pointing out to as many people as I can reach that they contain falsehoods. (Actually, although I thought it was pretty inferior Heinlein, I found _Number of the Beast_ readable enough and mildly enjoyable. Heinlein's Oz, of course, is thoroughly heretical, but I don't mind heretical Oz as long as it doesn't supersede the real Oz in people's minds, and Heinlein's version has no chance of doing that with any significant number of people. _Was_ simply didn't sound like anything I'd want to read, so I didn't.) Many animals are reasonably good about cleaning themselves on a fairly frequent basis - better than a lot of humans, as far as that goes. But since they don't wear clothing, they don't have to worry much about cleaning the anal area after defecation, or the bleeding associated with getting rid of the preparation for a pregnancy that didn't happen. Most can't; of those that can, most don't concern themselves with it. If chimpanzees do, that's interesting but not very conclusive, since chimps are more closely related to humans than either is to any other living species. Tyler: It has always been my impression that the Nome King used his magic belt to let the combination of touching and pronouncing the word "Ev" disenchant the ornaments that had been members of the Evian royal family and their would-be rescuers from Oz. After that, touching those objects and saying the word would turn them into their original form. (It wasn't a case of his using the belt in each individual case to disenchant the victim; if he'd known each time someone touched an enchantee and said the word, he wouldn't have needed the bell. Aside from the Tin Woodman's disenchantment later.) But this spell was exclusive to that particular group of enchanted beings, and no others. And since all of them were disenchanted in OZMA, it wouldn't work to touch other objects and try to disenchant them. OTOH, I know what you mean; I tried very, very hard to find the right pronunciation of "pyrzqxgl" when I was a kid. Bear: Although the original expression of the phrase "suffer fools gladly," as Gordon points out in the 5/19 Digest, was in the positive sense, I can't remember the last time I saw it other than in the negative, usually with reference to an admired person who "did not suffer fools gladly." It's like "politically correct," which might at some point have been used in a positive sense, but now means "something I think is dumb that's to my own political left." Dave: I'm sorry you were in a bad mood (and this was apparently _before_ your Compaq crashed; hope it wasn't because of bad news regarding your mother). But I think you're rather overreacting regarding pornography. Certainly a good deal of it is "dirty, vile, sick", but not all by any means (unless your definition of those terms is way to the prudish side of mine, or your definition of pornography is way on the gross side of mine). I'm not a pornographile, but I've encountered a moderate amount of it over the course of 60+ years, and a significant amount of it doesn't have anything viler or sicker than explicit sex treated in a casual manner. This is certainly not appropriate for children (and would bore most of them out of their tree anyhow), but it isn't particularly awful, either, imho. 5/19: Ken C.: "...bonfire of Biblical proportions"? What Biblical bonfire did you have in mind? Myles: The subject you bring up of the king of the Munchkins before Cheeriobed, who is mentioned in both OZMA and ROAD (though not in EMERALD CITY; I think you mixed the latter two books) is one that we've chewed around on the Digest on several occasions, without any real conclusions. As far as Cheeriobed himself is concerned, you need to read THE GIANT HORSE OF OZ, in which Thompson explains how he becomes the ruler of the Munchkins. But who, if anyone, ruled the Munchkins before that is open to a lot of argument. In PATCHWORK GIRL Baum says that Unc Nunkie might have been ruler of the Munchkins if Ozma hadn't come to the throne. Then there are the rulers mentioned in OZMA and ROAD. And there are other mentions of it in a couple of other books. (Then Neill makes the Scarecrow Emperor of the Munchkins, even though he lives most of the time in the Winkie Country. If this title means anything it's presumably a figurehead-title Ozma bestowed on the Scarecrow so he and his buddy the Tin Woodman would be equal in status.) Steve: I hope you don't have any problems getting your E-mail through the summer. We need your input here on the Digest. Look forward to seeing you at Ozmopolitan and Winkies, anyhow. Robin: Speaking of strangely-chewed books, I have a couple (_Tom's Magic Garden_ is one, I know; I forget the other) that have been seriously chewed by a parrakeet. My daughter owned one at one time when she was living with us, and it used to love to flutter up to the back of my chair and scuttle back and forth scolding me for spending my time reading instead of paying attention to her. Occasionally she'd hop over to the bookshelf beside the chair. It was only after considerable damage was done to a couple of books (fortunately cheap PBs, so nothing for collectors to freak out over, and no impingement on the text or illustrations, so nothing to bother me) that I noticed what she was doing. The Polterbudgie was quickly banished from the living room. Bear: There may be companies in your area that aren't like John K.'s, but there are plenty on the West Coast that are. My wife has worked for several of them. (OK, maybe she's lousy at picking companies to work for. But it's proof that they're out there.) And remember that Scott Adams, who draws "Dilbert", is a Bay Area person and got his inspiration from the company where he worked there. It might even have been your old employer; I know it was one of the big phone companies, though I'm not sure if it was GTE or Pacific Bell. (I don't think it was your _division_ of GTE, if that's the one he worked for, but my recollection is that it was GTE. Just not sure it wasn't Pac Bell.) I spent most of my working life in a small division of a big company that was pretty well run (our division, as long as the big company left us alone), but my experience from talking with others is that I was lucky, and that our management was far better than most. Have fun in Alaska. Marcia and I have thought about that cruise several times; let me know (privately would probably be better) whether it was as much fun as it sounds like. Aaron: Bill Harmstead's rocket was clearly solid-fuel; otherwise he wouldn't have had to get out of the ship and light it with a match (apparently), which is what sent Speedy off by himself. Anyhow, see my comments to Robin above. Stories of rockets to Mars were in the wind at the time of YELLOW KNIGHT. (Actually, Thompson was ahead of most of them.) I rather like your idea of Speedy falling into a sewer, though. But to be fair to RPT, I think it much more likely that Speedy glamorized his trip when he told her about it than that she invented the whole rocket ship thing. Assuming that her depiction of Speedy's character is reasonably accurate, it seems like exactly the kind of thing he'd do. (I'm sure that Speedy was a fan of AMAZING STORIES.) Langwidere doesn't have 30 times the amount of brain tissue of a normal human available to her at any one time. Based on what we see in OZMA, any given head only had about 80% of the brain tissue of a normal human being, but even if each head is fully normal she only has the use of one of them at a time. And if you haven't recognized the truth of the saying that the IQ of a group of humans is roughly the root-mean-square of their individual IQs, you need to. (That's how one comes up with a camel being a horse designed by a committee.) So if you get the cumulative effect of all those heads, she's clearly going to be dumber than any head by itself. :-) Melody: >What illicit sex and violence have in common is the "life is cheap" >attitude behind both. Yes, that is dirty, vile and sick. After all, what if >the life that is cheapened is your own? If it were possible, who among *us* >would choose to be born to a single mother instead of a loving, married >Mom and Dad? Right on, Dave! :-) So you're not only against pornography, you're against mysteries? I don't really see the connection between pornography (in general, as opposed to particular instances of it) and single parenthood, for instance. Or "life is cheap" (as opposed to "sex isn't very serious"). And I would have to point out that quite a few of my favorite mystery writers have heroes or heroines (usually, though not always, the latter) who are single parents. Dave: Sorry to hear about your computer crash, but it's kind of interesting (for a little while) to see that long list of subscribers again! David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 17:19:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gjovaag Subject: Ozzy Digest: ATTN Joel Harris! Joel Harris: I am asking you to cease and desist from spreading any sort of rumors that it was *I* who wrote the incredibly crass and insensitive comments about how James Carey's death would affect Books of Wonder and their reprint line. All I did was forward a note sent to me through my web page, asking for more details. As I was half-afraid would happen, someone mistook Mr. Harriman's comments for my own. THEY ARE NOT! (This constant mis-attribution of who said what -- and/or what they said -- is one of the many reasons I left the "Digest" in the first place!) Belive me, as soon as I got word of the whole situation, I e-mailed Mr. Harriman and told him how wrong he was. (And when someone here was kind enough to e-mail Peter Glassman's comments about his idle speculation, I forwarded that to him as well, with the comment, "You're not very popular in Oz circles right now.") For the record, I have absolutely NO connection with Mr. Harriman or his crass comments, other than the fact that he e-mailed me first and I was trying to find the answer to some questions. --Eric Gjovaag ### Visit my "Wizard of Oz" web site! http://www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/ ### ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 23:02:38 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: The Broad Side of a Barn in Oz 1) Ken, I advocate judgement on the part of consumers, not censorship on the part of the government. Censoring Heinlein would be too good a fate for him; the last thing we need is to turn him and every other author of questionable taste into a Solomon Rushdie. I would much rather see such writers become unemployed because no one cares to read their works. A burning pile of Heinlein's books, while pretty, would be but small pleasure. Interestingly enough, this is the first time I have been accused of belonging to the Religious Right. In fact, I am a Modern Orthodox Jew, I voted for Clinton, and I do not believe in any punishment in the afterlife longer than twelve months for anyone except for people on the most purely evil, such as Hitler and Stalin. Barry and I have also discussed eventually writing a parody of all 'heretical' Oz books, including _The Number of the Beast_, after we finish Lurline's Machine; the heros(?) will probably be Sharts and Blogo from the infinitely superior _A Barnstormer in Oz_. Deety: Gay, you're a good girl. Gay Deciever: If that's so, how come _I_ don't get to be the hero in _The Broad Side of a Barn in Oz_? ***WARNING: MINOR SPOILER FOR _THE WOOZY OF OZ_ theorized that there used to be several kingdoms in the Munchkin Country which each claimed dominance. In _The Woozy of Oz_ shall appear King Stan of Munchkinezia, the capital of Greater Munchkinland under the rule of the Wicked Witch of the East. Stan's father supported Gingemma, and while Stan retained the title of 'King of the Munchkins' and did what was socially expected of him, he wasn't popular with the Emerald City, and so it's no wonder that Ozma moved the Munchkin capital to the Sapphire City when she had an alternative to Munchkinezia. ***END WARNING*** 3) Scott, OK, perhaps your parents won't kill you. ***BEGIN DROOLING*** 4) Today I was in Hoboken, New Jersey, and finding a used-book store, I entered and found a beautiful old hardcover copy of _John Dough and the Cherub_. There was no sign of page crumbling, and it had nice color illustrations. The asking price: $100. Could someone please tell me if this would be a good buy? ***END DROOLING*** Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 04:15:13 +0000 From: Scott Olsen Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-19-97 Re: Oz books with author's signatures I just noticed that my copy of _Glass Cat of Oz_ contains the author's signature. Does anyone on the digest know if this increases the value of the book? ;). Sincerely, Scott Olsen ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 12:29:38 -0400 (EDT) From: Mark K DeJohn <103330.323@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-19-97 From: Barbara DeJohn I have just finished "The Enchanter Reborn" which has the Oz story "Sir Harold and the Gnome King". I really enjoyed the book very much although some of the ideas in the OZ story were alittle far fetched... SPOILER I can't imagine the Wogglebug college having magic as a major when nobody is allowed to work magic but Glinda and the Wizard. So D. Drabbo would not have been able to eliminate the no-aging spell unless he did it on his own and then I imagine that Glinda would have read about his attempts in the Book of Records and put a stop to it. Dorothy as Mrs.Stidoth? Ozma bringing a couple to Oz while they were in bed was ...ah... amusing. End Spoiler I always thought that menstruation and child- birth pain was Eve's curse. Have an Ozzy Day!!! Barbara DeJohn 103330.323@compuserve.com ====================================================================== Date: Monday 19-May-97 19:51:28 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things PORNOGRAPHY: Well, David, I guess "pornography" has grown to be such an ambiguous term that I should clarify that I was refering to sex being treated so cheaply...I *don't* consider porn to include the tasteful depiction of nudity or a loving (as a opposed to a lustful) couple...I just thought I'd mention it so that no one would think I regarded love or sex itself as "dirty"... MY COMPUTER PLIGHT: Well, I took my PC in to the shop last night, and they said it will be four days before they'll even *look* at it, and perhaps as much as another week if it turns out that I need a new hard drive...So for now, it's back to my "old faithful" Amiga! -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 21, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ===================================================================== Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 22:13:46 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Bill and Scott: It has been suggested that those who portray Oz in a pornographic sense do so because they are jealous of the beauty and innocence that is Oz. This may be true in many cases, with people getting joy from "wrecking" Oz for all of us. However, I believe that our love of Oz is great enough to withstand these attacks and we give them all the attention they are due: none. Aaron: While the aggregate of Langwidere's brains may be 30 times the human average (assuming that each of her heads had roughly one average human brain at a time), she only uses one at a time. Of course, she seems to retain her identity and memories from head to head, but I do not believe that she can chain all these together and use them at the same time like a bunch of Pentium computers. Aaron and David: "They're gonna kill me!" seems to be a symbolic reaction by people when they guess their parents reaction to them doing something. As David says, it rarely comes to this. Dilbert: The inspiration was indeed Pacific Bell. I can see it now: Ruggedo finally conquers Oz and forces everybody to re-engineer their core processes around the mission-critical functions of their quality vector, implementing a customer-focused paradigm :-) David: I don't mean to harp on this subject, but your analysis of Langwidere as a committee-of-the-whole was remarkably Dilbert-like :-) Get a large enough group of people together, and eventually they will produce nothing. Aaron: If it is a first edition (1906, I believe), then it is a really good buy. If is has the "Is Chick a boy or a girl?" contest inside, then get that book and guard it with your life! :-) Even if not, the color plates indicate that this is a good deal. Dave: Be strong, and the PC shall return! :-) --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 20:30:12 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-20-97 A couple of thoughts: Whatever the minus factors are in Eric Gjovaag's retirement from the ranks of the Digest, I had felt that being spared his interminable diatribes was a definite plus. I guess that we have not been spared those after all..... When the word "gormish" arose (how did it arise, anyway?), I tried to locate it somewhere in _Through The Looking Glass_. I haven't found it so far, but if Lewis Carroll didn't write it, I bet he wishes that he had. It sure seems like it belongs there. -- = "Women are like elephants to me I like to look at 'em but I wouldn't want to own one." W.C. Fields ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 07:41:16 -0400 (EDT) From: earlabbe@juno.com (Earl C. Abbe) Subject: Ozzy Digest Submission I attempted to send Peter Glassman something in the mail at the address listed in the IWOC directory. The Post Office returned it to me after ten days with the notation, "Forward Time Exp." Sigh. Will try again, this time care of BOW. In the 5/20 Digest, Kiex asks, Perhaps Number 17 is her original head. If so, her body would certainly have a greater affinity for it. Also, it is mean spirited and one would have to be mean spirited in the first place (to say the least) to embark on forming a collection of other people's heads. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 12:02:24 -0400 (EDT) From: JOdel@aol.com Subject: Speedy to Oz The theory that Thompson "edited" Speedy's tale about how he got to Oz is one that plays well, but there are more reasons for editing the story than to avoid the *snicker* effect. You don't want to be encouraging tykes to go jumping into manholes, for one thing. Or any holes, for that matter. Rockets to Mars, otoh, are safely improbable. Actually, it occurs to me that if the geyser which sent Speedy to Oz the second time is to be taken seriously, it might tend to indicate that uncle Bill was, among other things, an (amature?) palentologist, and that the hole Speedy fell into was part of a dig. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 12:10:46 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-19-97 Craig: >I didn't think that men had monthly rhythms. What do you mean?< Unfortunately, the article did not explain how a man's cycles are affected by getting married. It would be interesting to know if it's hormone levels, moods, or what. I, too, wish more had been explained. :-( But a coworker confirms that she and her mother's cycles always coincided when they lived in the same dwelling. Also, one married pair told me that when the wife had morning sickness, so did her husband. (Again, I don't know if the problem was hormones or excessive empathy.) Another husband would get the most irritable and impossible around the 7th of every month. So it is possible Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 12:10:18 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-19-97 Further thought on Neill's Toy Book: It's easier to color neatly inside heavy lines, too. Jeremy: In conclusion: The better and more experienced an artist of either sex is, and the more they care about drawing the human face, the better they usually are at faces. (One book I have about facial expression states that it's no coincidence that the old masters of painting were masters of facial expression.) Before Pini and Elfquest, it was not uncommon to see a sketchy face atop a well-rendered action pose in a comic book. Oh, yes, and let me recommend David Wentzel's "The Hobbit" graphic novel. He is an excellent fantasy artist whose renderings of Tolkien's characters were 'right." To me, his Smaug IS Smaug, his Gandalf IS Gandalf, his Bilbo Baggins IS Bilbo Baggins, Elrond IS Elrond, etc.--an excellent example of an illustrator who brings out the author's vision instead of going off on his own tangent. Try checking back issues at comic book stores. Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 16:07:07 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-20-97 > ***BEGIN DROOLING*** > > 4) Today I was in Hoboken, New Jersey, and finding a used-book store, I > entered and found a beautiful old hardcover copy of _John Dough and the > Cherub_. There was no sign of page crumbling, and it had nice color > illustrations. The asking price: $100. Could someone please tell me if > this would be a good buy? > > ***END DROOLING*** > > Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman > adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire If it's a first state with contest blank intact, it would be a very good buy. Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 17:27:22 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-20-97 Jeremy: >Why is it that L's 17th head seemed to be incorporated into the >rest of her? (That is, why it had the most influence on her and is most >reflected in the actions of her torso etc.) There's no real evidence of that; Langwidere is wearing the No. 17 head virtually all the time she's on stage in the book, so naturally it would influence all her known actions. But aside from vanity and laziness, we have no information about her character when she's wearing other heads. Robin: >BTW, this section of Baum contradicts the "beauty=good" hypothesis, doesn't it? Beauty=good is a questionable hypothesis anyhow, imho. Especially in Baum. Quite a few of his "good" characters are far from beautiful (the GWN, Dyna, Aunt Em, Margalotte, Tollydiggle, and Cayke come to mind fairly quickly), and quite a few of his "bad" (or at least, highly flawed) characters are at least pretty (Jinjur, Langwidere, the Mangaboo Princess, the roses of the Rose Kingdom, Queen Cor, Mrs. Yoop). Even Thompson doesn't make the equation all that strongly, imho; Mrs. Sew-and-Sew and Queen Rosa Merry are examples of non-beautiful good characters, and Delva is a beautiful bad one. And these are just women; homely men are often good, and handsome men bad, though that's less of an issue on this board, at least. Aaron: Since Heinlein has been dead several years now, he's not in danger of martyrdom. And he can hardly become unemployed. However, he was one of the great SF writers of the '40s and '50s, and even after he turned to a rather weird blend of far-right politics with extreme sexual license, he remained a heck of a story teller. I'm not an expert on the value of Baumiana, but I paid $105 for what sounds like a comparable copy of JOHN DOUGH about 15 years ago and haven't regretted it. If you have the bucks, I'd grab it, unless Herm or Robin says they have something comparable on hand for less. Scott O.: All hardcover copies of GLASS CAT have the author's (and the artist's) signature. If you have a paperback with the author's signature, then somebody sold their copy (*snif*), since I know I didn't autograph one for you, and the only copy in existence that I autographed other than to an individual is in the possession of Steve Teller. As to whether it enhances the value, probably not. At least, not yet. If I ever become Famous it might... :-) Dave: Good luck getting your PC back ASAP. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 18:43:04 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-20-97 The following was forwarded to me by a friend who knows my interests. Sorry I don't know the original source: Call it Dark >Side of the Rainbow. Classic >rockers are buzzing about the amazingly weird >connections that leap off the screen when you play >Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" as the >soundtrack to "The Wizard of Oz." > >It sounds wacky, but there really is a bizarre >synchronization there. The upon dozens of startling >coincidences the kind that make you go "Oh wow, >man" even if you haven't been near a bong in 20 >years. > >Consider these examples: > >Floyd sings "the lunatic is on the grass" just as the >Scarecrow begins his floppy jig near a green lawn. >The line "got to keep the loonies on the path" >comes just before Dorothy and the Scarecrow start >traipsing down the Yellow Brick Road. > >When deejay George Taylor Morris at WZLX-FM in >Boston first mentioned the phenom on the air six >weeks ago, he touched off a frenzy. "The phones >just blew off the wall. It started on a Friday, and that >first weekend you couldn't get a copy of 'The >Wizard of Oz' anywhere in Boston," he said. >"People were staying home to check it out." It's fun, >he said, because everyone knows the movie, and >the album which spent a record-busting 591 >straight weeks on the Billboard charts can be found >in practically every record collection. > >Dave Herman at WNEW-FM in New York >mentioned the buzz a few weeks ago. The >response more than 2,000 letters was the biggest >ever in the deejay's 25-year on-air career. "It has >been just unbelievable," said WNEW program >director Mark Chernoff. "I've never seen anything >like this." > >The station plans to show the movie using the >album as soundtrack at a small private screening >tomorrow. > >Nobody from the publicity-shy band would >comment, but Morris asked keyboardist Richard >Wright about it on the air last month. He looked >flummoxed and said he'd never heard of any >intentional connections between the movie and the >album. > >But the fans aren't convinced it's just a cosmic >coincidence. "I'm a musician myself and I know how >hard it is just to write music, let alone music >choreographed to action," said drummer Alex >Harm, of Lowell, Mass.,who put up one of the two >Internet web pages devoted to the synchronicities. >"To make it match up so well, you'd have to plan it." > >Morris is convinced that ex-frontman Roger Waters >planned the whole thing without letting his fellow >band members in on the secret. *It's too close. It's >just too close. Look at the song titles. Look at the >cover. There's something going on there," Morris >said.Here's how it works. You start the album at the >exact moment when the MGM lion finishes its third >and last roar. It might take a few times to get >everything lined up just right. Then, just sit back >and watch. It'll blow your mind, man. > >During "Breathe," Dorothy teeters along a fence to >the lyric: "balanced on the biggest wave." The >Wicked Witch, in human form, first appears on her >bike at the same moment a burst of alarm bells >sounds on the album. > >During "Time," Dorothy breaks into a trot to the line: >"no one told you when to run." When Dorothy >leaves the fortuneteller to go back to her farm, the >album is playing: "home, home again." > >Glinda, the cloyingly saccharine Good Witch of the >North, appears in her bubble just as the band sings: >"Don't give me that do goody goody bull ---t." > >A few minutes later, the Good Witch confronts the >Wicked Witch as the band sings, "And who knows >which is which" (or is that "witch is witch"?). > >The song "Brain Damage" starts about the same >time as the Scarecrow launches into "If I Only Had a >Brain." > >But it's not just the weird lyrical coincidences. >Songs end when scenes switch, and even the >Munchkins' dancing is perfectly choreographed to >the song "Us and Them." > >The phenomenon is at its most startling during the >tornado scene when the wordless singing in "The >Great Gig in the Sky" swells and recedes in >strikingly perfect time with the movie. > >When Dorothy opens the door into Oz, the movie >switches to rich color and at that exact moment the >album starts in with the tinkling cash register sound >effects from "Money." > >Anyone who has ever nursed a hangover watching >MTV with the sound off and the radio on can tell you >how quick the brain is to turn music into a >soundtrack for pictures. But this is uncanny. > >The real fanatics will point out that side one of the >vinyl album is the exact length of the >black-and-white portion of the movie. > >And then there's that iconic album cover, with its >prism and rainbow echoing the movie's famous >black-and-white-into-color switch not to mention >Judy Garland's classic first song. > >The real clincher, though, the moment where even >the most skeptical of cynics has to utter a small >"whoa!," comes at the end of the album, which >tails off with the insistent sound of a beating heart. >What's happening on screen? Yep, you guessed it: >Dorothy's got her ear to the Tin Man's chest, >listening for a heartbeat. > >Maybe it's just a string of coincidences. Maybe the >mind is just playing some really cool tricks. Maybe >some people just have waaaay too much time on >their hands. Or maybe, as Pink Floyd sings to >close out the album, everything under the sun really >is in tune. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 18:44:20 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-20-97 Sorry, I forgot to sign that e-mail. The Dark Side of the Moon material was from me. -- Craig Noble ====================================================================== Date: Tuesday 20-May-97 16:03:31 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things DAVID AND ROBIN: FWIW, I think that the Beauty = Goodness fallacy is much more prevalent in Thompson than Baum ( e.g. her eradication of the "ugly" Good Witch of the North so that the beautiful Orin may live :( )... Thanks to everyone for their hopes that I get back my PC soon... :) -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 22 - 23, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ===================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 22:55:17 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Two Day's Oz Growls David - I heard the other day that it is no longer politically correct to use the expression "politically correct." ;) It was GTE - bless them. 33+ wonderful years. I still consult for them, occasionally. I did the same cruise in 1972 - I'll let you know privately how it was currently. Gee Eric - For someone NOT on the Digest we are sure hearing too much from you. Aaron >I voted for Clinton, and I do not believe in any punishment in the afterlife longer than twelve months for anyone. Is there a connection here? :) Regards, Bear ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 22:11:55 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-20-97 David: I don't really see the connection between pornography (in general, as opposed to particular instances of it) and single parenthood, for instance< It doesn't exactly discourage single parenthood, of course. Two loving parents are better than one, even a loving one. Emphasis on *loving parents," acknowledging that there are lousy parents out there. Evardo, son of Evardo: Yes, and MY dad was living proof! Yes, single-parent families can make it. It's also possible for a person to get around with one leg, but that doesn't mean a two-legged person ought to go get one lopped off. . Cap'n Bill: No, I don't want a new leg. Zim: But William, what if you lost the other one? Cap'n Bill: Er--- On Roquat's ornament room: With so many knicknacks, one would think he would have lots of purple ornaments, green, gold, etc. in addition to the ones he made of Evardo's and Ozma's group.... Billina: It's a good thing he didn't, or I'd be an ornament, too! Most of his knicknacks were a mixture of colors, making it easy to spot the one-colored ones. Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 23:51:56 -0400 (EDT) From: JoelHarris@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-21-97 Bob: I did another book search on the Annotated Wizard of Oz yesterday. It looks like a few copies have sold since I checked last week. If Robin, Herm or another digester cannot help you, here is what I found: 1. Trance Works (310) 436-8875 $100 2. Center Aisle Books, Etc. (616) 393-8090 $85 3. Paper Moon (503) 239-1984 $50 I am familiar with Andrea at Paper Moon - she is good to deal with. I hope this is helpful. Joel Harris ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 20:59:32 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-21-97 > Dilbert: > The inspiration was indeed Pacific Bell. > As a retired Pacific Bell employee I can testify to the fact that "Dilbert", in good measure, is an accurate portrayal of conditions there, at least in the staff area, and to a lesser degree in most of the management jobs. Probably the same would be true of any large traditional corporation. Bob Spark ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 00:19:14 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: The Music of Doom Sounds in Oz 1) David, as I remember, chimps are most closely related to bonobos ('pygmy chimps') and vice-versa. 2) Barbara, concerning "Sir Harold andthe Gnome King": a) Perhaps Ozma has eased up her restrictions on magic as her rule has gone on. There seems to be a tendency for post-Baum authors to have Ozma authorize the practice magic by people other than herself, Glinda, the Wizard, and the Good Witch of the North, or at least make no objection. For example, Gloma (_Wishing Horse_ by Thompson, no objections), Jenny Jump and Number Nine (_Wonder City_ by Neill, no objections), Abatha (_Blue Witch_ by Shanower, direct authorization), and Belinda (one of Chris Dulabone's books I haven't read yet, direct authorization as I understand it). b) Glinda definitely does not know of everything that happens everywhere. If she did, many Oz books, including _Emerald City_, _Patchwork Girl_, _Lost Princess_, _Kabumpo_, _Handy Mandy_, and _Ozoplaning_ would have ended up with severly different plots because Glinda would have interfered. Probably in some of these cases illicit magicians are lost in the Book of Records among an overwhelming number of other events, and in some cases the algorithms embodied in Glinda's spells do not deem some events worthy of reporting. There is also the possibility of one magically preventing others from obtaining information on them, and in certain cases Glinda might overlook illicit magic-working because she considers the case in point harmless and has other matters more important to attend to. c) If Dave can champion the idea of Ozma having a love-interest, why can't somebody else champion the idea of Dorothy getting married? She's human, and when humans grow up they do have a tendency to pair off. That she would marry a farmer doesn't seem impossible, given her background; it's certainly no worse than Laumer's suggestion that she married Tommy Kwikstep. d) The embarassing transportation incident was due to Ozma and Evardo both forgetting to look in the Magic Picture before bringing the people in question to Oz. Either that or Ozma's magic isn't powerful enough to allow her to see into the world of Irish mythology. 3) And now the moment that you all have been dreading, my review of Richard Roberts's _The Wind and the Wizard_ This book is the most seriously heretical Oz book I have ever read. The first thing I read in this book was the obligatory list of books by this author, three of which had the word 'tarot' in the title, which led me immediately to suspect that the author was a loony. Unfortunately I was right. The plot consists of a small boy named Bertrand (or 'Bertie' for short) and his stuffed monkey Bongo who travel from fictional world to fictional world, in each world spiritually perfecting themselves, trying to find out how to travel backwards in time so that they can save Bertie's parents from being killed by a bomb during World War II. This plot serves as a means for attempting to religiously indoctrinate the reader into pantheistic mysticism, far worse than the moral snobbery in Tedrow's _Dorothy--Return to Oz_ and the judging of the reader in Heinlein's _The Number of the Beast_. In order to accomplish this goal of gaining a convert, Roberts adopts the method of Immanuel Velikovsky (author of the completely bogus _Worlds in Collision_): he uses anything that fits and ignores or distorts the rest. He apparently does not care whether his information, whether of religion, of science, or of the worlds through which Bertie and Bongo travel. His alleged knowledge of Hebrew is patently wrong; his physics and biology are clearly misunderstood; he subverts the intentions of the authors whose works he borrows. While I was already offended by the time Bertie and Bongo were in the realm of _The Water Babies_ (Kingsley, who had his own indoctrination program, was pushing Christian rationalism, not pantheistic mysticism), it is when the travellers reach Oz that Roberts that Velikovskization changes from subtle to unbridled. While in the other subverted books the world, if not the exact plot, remains nearly intact (or so I think; I haven't read _The Wind in the Willows_ or _Robin Hood_ yet), it is not so in Oz. Roberts has read all of the Baums and at least some of the Thompsons, he fails to present Oz in the vision of the original authors (or even in the vision of the MGM movie!) but warps the plot and details of _The Marvelous Land of Oz_ into something entirely unozzy. Tip creating Jack is infused with a mystical compulsion. Later, when Tip has run away with Jack from Mombi and brought the (now incredibly stupid) Sawhorse to life, they meet Bertie, Bongo, and the Wogglebug floating down the Time River, a temporal anomaly. The whole group then proceeds to the Emerald City, which has been taken over by Jinjur and her army. Under her feet is a bundle of clothing that was once the Scarecrow, his straw, which (against Baum) contains his lifeforce having been scattered on the advice of Mombi in the deserts surrounding Oz. Tip is not taken into custody because Bertie claims that Tip is his sister (and concocting a story on why 'she' is wearing pants in 1903 Oz), and this is unozzily verified by one of Jinjur's soldiers. The Sawhorse then begs that Jinjur give him the clothes of the Scarecrow (also on a pretext), which she does. The travellers then leave, arriving at an invisible castle, where the Sawhorse has Bertie and Tip break him into pieces and throw him into a lit oven, and from his ashes emerge the Wizard, who is a genuine magician and has always been one. The Wizard then calls for the collection of the Scarecrow's straw, which must be sacrificed for the greater good. (Pardon me for being biased by my religious beliefs against the idea of sacrificing sentient beings.) And so Bertie, with the help of the Winged Monkeys, who he controls using the Golden Cap--even though it is dogmatic in this book that exercising control over other sentients is evil--and through arguing with the Frogman, who guards the location of where the Golden Cap has been hidden by Mombi, he collects the straw in a bag made from the skin of the Frogman's grandfather. (Pardon me for being severely offended by such needless desecration of the corpse of a sentient being.) The Scarecrow is then revived, and he and Jack Pumpkinhead calmly allow themselves to be incinerated. From their ashes rise a human who was once a scarecrow and Pastoria, after whose death the Wizard siezed the throne of in order to keep Mombi from occupying it. It is also revealed that Pastoria was married to Nairam the Good Witch of the North, and that their daughter, Ozma, was only raised as a boy by Mombi. The whole gang proceeds to the Emerald City, where Jinjur gives up the throne without so much as an objection, and from there we have a fairly standard party and Bertie and Bongo, having somehow grown from committing murder, go on to their home universe in order to save Bertie's parents and bring new theories of space and time to the world. And finally, thank you, my fellow Digesters, for allowing me to vent my indignation. Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 08:34:12 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-21-97 Melody: I will have to check out David Wentzel's _The Hobbit_ graphic novel. For several years (about 15 years ago) I had Lord of the Rings calendars illustrated by the Brothers Hildebrandt. I have strongly associated them with Tolkien ever since. How do you like their illustrations? And for that matter, what do people think of the Hildebrandt illustrated edition of the _The Wizard of Oz_? -- Craig Noble ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 16:01:43 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-21-97 Bob: "Gormish" is in KABUMPO IN OZ. Whether Thompson knew the Scottish-North English term "gormless" or whether she thought she was making up a word from scratch nobody seems to know for sure. Odd - nothing else I had any inclination to comment on in this Digest. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 20:14:31 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-21-97 Whoever said that basically any music will sound choreographed to the action obviously never saw Kazuki Omori's film _Godzilla vs. Biollante_. The score, by Koichi Sugiyama, with earlier recordings by Akira Ifukube (from the CD _Ostinato_) is a great listen on CD, but is extremly poorly incorporated into the film. It rarely fits anywhere it is placed, even though it is easy to imagine appropriate places for it while listening to the album. It sounds like when you go into a music store and see a video playing, while something unrelated comes over the speakers. The musci editor of that film must have been a moron. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Thursday 22-May-97 23:45:32 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things AARON'S LIST OF "AUTHORIZED" MAGIC WORKERS: Audah: You forget the three of *us*! Aujah: And Locasta's our grandmama, but Ozma is *not* her daughter! Aurah: And there's also Reera, but she doesn't grant interviews... :) AARON'S REVIEW OF _WIND IN THE WIZARD_: There have obviously been a lot of heretical Oz books, but I must say this one sounds like a superlative -- Writing an original story that distorts the Spirit of Oz is bad enough, but rewriting an existing story -- especially one by the Master Royal Historian himself -- is *REALLY* heresy! Ozma: It's not just heresy, it's libel! Jellia: Why don't they just say that Ozma has been abducted by space aliens and that if you play "Over the Rainbow" backwards it says that I'm dead??? SPOILER ALERT! ("THIS IS *NOT* A DAFFODIL!"): :) On an unammed other mail list I subscribe to, whenever they have a spoiler, they insert a whole screen of blanks to avoid accidental reading of the spoiler, e.g.: ********* WARNING! SPOILER AHEAD FOR _LOST PRINCESS OF OZ_!!! ********** Psst! Ozma was hidden in the peach pit! :) ********* END SPOILER ********** Is this a good idea, or is it just a space-waster? -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 24 - 26, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ===================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 06:53:23 -0400 (EDT) From: earlabbe@juno.com (Earl C. Abbe) Subject: Ozzy Digest Submission In the 5/22-23 Digest, Bear quotes Aaron as saying, and then Bear asks, Of course there is a connection. Too many people did the former and, as a consequence, we have already suffered enough in this life to atone for most of our sins. :-) blank lines. Earl Abbe ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 08:34:28 -0400 From: BARLOW NATE Subject: Dilbert in Oz >As a retired Pacific Bell employee I can testify to the fact that >"Dilbert", in good measure, is an accurate portrayal of conditions >there, at least in the staff area, and to a lesser degree in most of the >management jobs. Probably the same would be true of any large >traditional corporation. I agree. It definitely is the case at my company, which is a decent-sized traditional corporation (a technology company, too--even the little details hit home). It's amazing how perfectly real some Dilberts are. Nate ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 09:52:22 -0400 (EDT) From: Saroz@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-23-97 Aaron: Oh my, what a review of the "Wind and the Wizard"! I almost borrowed the book from the library. I'm not going to go into my religous beliefs, but it sounds like an absolutely terrible twisting of Oz. That's one I'm scratching off my list right away... Craig: I love the Hildebrandt illustrations of The Wizard....I have both the standard and miniature editions that he illustrated. They're very original, and extremely beautiful...One of my favorites is the one where the Tin Woodman recieves his heart. Sarah ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 07:17:48 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-23-97 (Aaron's Review) Aaron, I enjoyed your review immensely. Unfortunately, now I am tempted to read _The Wind And The Wizard_ just to see how offensive it really is. I really should resist these compulsions. Bob Spark ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 09:37:17 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-23-97 Bear: I knew that GTE was where you worked; I couldn't remember where Scott Adams had worked. Melody: No argument that two loving parents - or even just kind parents, if you want to make the Tin Woodman's distinction (get something about Oz into this discussion) - are better than one. I just don't think that pornography has much connection with single parenthood, unless you count prime-time network TV as pornography. (Not to put all or most of the blame on prime-time network TV; I'm using it as a benchmark of what's pornography, not as the primary source of the problem.) Pornography has always been around, and pretty much available to anyone who was interested; single parenthood, on the other hand, has become much more common in the last 30 years or so. The increased ease of access to pornography - when I was a teen, you had to know the right places to go to acquire it, whereas now you can find it in the Yellow Pages - I think is a symptom of the change in attitudes about sex and not a cause. It's rather puzzling why Roquat didn't already have purple, green, or gold ornaments in his ornament room, but when he and his steward (who may or may not have been Kaliko in OZMA; he doesn't seem much like Kaliko as we see him in EMERALD CITY or TIK-TOK) are discussing the subject in Billina's hearing they definitely state that he didn't. Aaron: I was thinking of the bonobo as a subspecies of Pan troglodytes, but that's probably not the case; even Walker, who's generally a "lumper", lists them as a separate species and just says that some regard them as a subspecies. So OK, let's just say that genus Pan and genus Homo are more closely related than either is to any other living genus. Based on the limited number of direct quotes we have from Glinda's Great Book of Records, it's about as useful as the Delphic Oracle or most prophecies in fiction - that is, once you know what's actually happened you can see how what the book said told about it, but at the time it's difficult if not impossible to understand. I don't think people object to the idea of a grown-up Dorothy getting married so much as to Dorothy growing up in the first place. Personally, I don't mind it in a book that doesn't purport to be a "real" Oz book; "Sir Harold and the Gnome King," for instance, is a Harold Shea story that uses Oz as background, not an attempt to add to the HACC. Regarding the embarrassing transportation incident in "Sir Harold," I wonder if it might not have been inspired by Sprague's feeling the same way I do about Ozma's transportation of Uncle Henry and Aunt Em into the throne room without bothering to check on what they were doing at the time. That kind of action seems ill-advised to me, questions of sex completely aside. There are many private actions that people are likely to be doing at any given time that they'd be embarrassed to find themselves doing in the middle of Ozma's throne room. And there's no good reason why these transportations couldn't be into an unoccupied room of the palace. Have you read WICKED? (Just to gauge what "the most seriously heretical Oz book" you've ever read is to be judged against.) WIND AND THE WIZARD doesn't sound any more heretical, though not much less, either. It certainly doesn't sound like something I'm going to look for. Dave: I don't think the whole page of blanks is any help on spoilers. It hinders, if anything, since it makes the spoiler stand out as you scroll past it so that it's harder to ignore. (Not that I ever fail to read spoilers anyhow, so for me it doesn't matter either way, other than making me have to hit the scroll bar an extra couple of times.) All: Please forgive me if I get testy over the next few days. My mother-in-law has been diagnosed with cancer and my wife's gone to California to be with her while she gets started on chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I'm concerned about Ellie, and not very happy about being alone in the house. I'll try not to let it affect my posts, but if it does, make a few allowances, please. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 10:24:52 -0500 From: Gordon Birrell Subject: Ozzy Digest Bob: If Joel's suggestions don't pan out, here is another bookstore that has the _Annotated Wizard of Oz_ for sale at $70: Jeryl Metz, Books at 697 West End Ave, #13A, New York, NY, U.S.A. 10025-6823 E-mail: Jmwbooks@aol.com; phone: 212-864-3055; fax 212-222-8048. Aaron: Another reason that Glinda is less than omniscient is that the Book of Records, at least in Thompson, tends to an Oracular obtuseness. All it tells her in _Cowardly Lion_, for instance, is that the Cowardly Lion will be destroyed by noon if nobody intervenes to save him; and in _Kabumpo_ she reads that Ruggedo has the Emerald City on his mind--a rather irresponsible pun on the part of the Book of Records, if you ask me. Incidentally: isn't it in _Kabumpo_ that Neill drew that very amusing illustration of Glinda reclining on a chaise longue reading from the Book of Records, with a bookshelf behind her full of the Baum Oz books? (All of them no doubt mint in jacket.) Since Dave's PC went down and we now have the full list of subscribers to the Digest to peruse, I can answer my own question: we number 141 members. David: You'll be happy to hear that all copies of _The Glass Cat_ have sold out at my local Borders. I've asked them to restock this popular title. Bear: According to a colleague of mine who has been active in national gay-rights politics for the last twenty years, the term "politically correct" actually originated among left-wing academics who used it teasingly to describe holier-than-thou behavior amongst those who shared their convictions. (The corresponding noun was "correcties," as in: the Duke English department has become a real haven for correcties.) It wasn't long, of course, before the phrase was appropriated and turned into a term of invective by the political right. So nobody who was politically correct in the old sense would be caught dead using the term in its new sense. It's intriguing that Langwidere is emerging from our discussions as the most interesting character in _Ozma_. I'm sorry that we're not discussing the non-Oz Baum, since there are some facinating parallels between Langwidere and Zixi, who also has a thing about mirrors and self-image. --Gordon Birrell ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 11:53:42 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Alien Abductions in Oz? Dave, sorry to leave the Three Adepts off my list, though it wasn't intended to be complete. (For example, I left off new authorized magicians that appear in Lurline's Machine.) Reera, on the other hand, I don't think is authorized, being a hermit so that she deliberately won't have to help every transformed person in Oz. She's probably not happy with Ervic and the Three Adepts for revealing her existence to the world, but considering that Glinda didn't put her out of business (at least before _Glinda_) indicates that either Glinda didn't know about her (which indicates flaws in the Book of Records or that Reera practices some form of information-blocking magic) or that Glinda thought she was harmless and not worth the trouble of rooting out. Funny that Jellia should mention abduction by aliens, for I've had a dream since Oz dreams were last discussed in which Dorothy had been abducted by aliens, and the aliens themselves (the standard big-headed, big-eyed, long-fingered humanoids) had come back to Earth. There was also something in there about a group of humans who were acting as intermediaries between Earth and the aliens, and they were trying to con both. Also, the extra lines during spoilers seem like a waste to me, but then again, I usually read the spoilers anyway. Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 12:19:55 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, this past week Thanks, Dave, for getting AOL the Digests I didn't receive since the 18th (AOL of them, in fact) to me so quickly when I e-mailed you about the problem. At the moment I'm typing this all ini with my right hand alone, following a slight accident with the slicer machine (I work at the Kroger deli) that skinned a finger or two and cut another. My four long fingers are bundled together in a cast, too large to hit keys alone, and my thumb is consequently useless for typing. Thank goodness I'm right-handed! 19th: Aaron: Concerning your second hypothesis--it's a sewer-fire method of getting to Oz, that one is! (Okay, everyone, I'm baack!) 21st: Earl Abbe: Your theory (that #17 is Languidere's original head) makes quite a bit of sense. I like it. JODel: Uncle Bill as amateur paleontologist since he messes around with hot springs? Not necessarily; he could be a playwright too. (You've heard of _Geyser Dolls_, I'm sure . . .) Sorry :-). RobinO: re book not-buying: Hear, hear! As you said, who says you have to buy a book that's porno? I never do , you don't, and so on! the 23rd: re Capn Bill--I always thought he was trying to get a leg up on the world! Glinda and "illicit magic": Yes, if it's harmless, or, I think, if it's in Oz's or the world's best interest, she'll let it go. Dave--the text you wrote was so light I couldn't even read it! :-) Oh, I just reread it and see what you meant. My worry is that it might lead to too-long Digests (ones you have to download and read in another program). I'd prefer you not, personally, although the idea seems harmless enough. Anyway, so long for today, everyone (and just maybe my left hand'll recover soon). --Jeremy Steadman (who'd almost consent to let KIEX do the typing if he weren't afraid of some of the things she might say . . .) :-) :-) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 12:36:25 -0400 (EDT) From: ZMaund@aol.com Subject: Recent Oz Digest Post Saw this from Aaron S. Adelman in today's Ozzy Digest: <> I am highly tempted to distribute (upon request) to Digest readers copies of the infamous study "Sexual Monstrosities in Baum's Book for Children" which was the companion piece to "Ethnic Stereotypes in Baum's Books for Children" (though written by a diferent author), an equally infamous article that appeared in the BUGLE many years ago. "Sexual Monstrosities in Baum's Books" combines heretical Oz views and implies that Baum was a vicious pornographer, and thus will offend nearly everyone. What do you think? Patrick (Aaron -- this not meant as a parody of anything you've written; your statement is just a springboard for me to write the above. The essay I mention actually does exist!) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 12:55:42 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: Re: Recent Oz Digest Post Dear Patrick, I have serious trouble seeing how the major claim in "Sexual Monstrosities in Baum's Books" is supposed to be anything but a bad joke. The only mention of sex I can recall in any of Baum's books is in _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ (of all places!) in reference to Gayelette, and that's pretty benign. If anything worse exists, it has either entirely slipped my mind or is in one his books which I haven't read, such as the Aunt Jane's Neices books. Furthermore, unlike Lewis Carroll, I am not aware of Baum having engaged in any practice which could be considered pornographic. Therefore, logic dictates that the essay in question, if not wholly fraudulent, is probably rooted in a pseudoscientific theory of psychology, such as those of Freud or Jung, and as such is not credible. Please correct me if any of my reasoning is wrong. Aaron. Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 20:38:00 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz All: I am off to North Carolina in a speed-drive tag team effort. I shall return Thursday, so I will have many digests to catch up on. Until then. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 20:49:54 -0400 From: Richard Bauman Subject: Twoday's Oz Growls Well, goodbye for 12 days friends. I'll struggle to rejoin you when I get back. Regards, Bear (:<) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 22:42:08 -0500 From: International Wizard of Oz Club Subject: FW: OZ in latin -----Original Message----- From: International Wizard of Oz Club [SMTP:oztp@neosoft.com] Sent: Friday, May 23, 1997 10:41 PM Subject: RE: OZ in latin Yes, Tuvia, There was a Latin edition of The Wizard of Oz, but I don't think it's = still in print. I'm forwarding your question to the Ozzy Digest = discussion group, as I'm sure that someone there knows the answer. Sincerely, Jim Vander Noot -----Original Message----- From: Tuvia Ben-Yair [SMTP:tuviaby@netvision.net.il] Sent: Friday, May 16, 1997 2:13 AM Subject: OZ in latin Hello! I have heard "a rumor" that Oz was translated to Latin. Is it true? If yes can I purchase the book? Where? Thanks in advance. Tuvia. mailto: tuviaby@netvision.net.il ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 17:09:14 +0600 From: rri0189@ibm.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-23-97 In re: spoiler protection: Hard to say. Now, in the "Babylon 5" arena, it is generally taken to be courtesy (and enforced, in rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated) to protect spoilers until an episode has aired in both the USA and the UK. But that's a television show, with a defined broadcast schedule, whereas one may read a book at any time. Also, "Babylon 5" is full of revelations that constitute major spoilers; the lastest episode, which _still_ hasn't aired in a few markets, has no fewer than three shockers every bit as big as "The Wizard is actually a humbug from America who bluffed his way into power," or "Tip is actually the lost Princess Ozma, the rightful ruler of Oz, under Mombi's enchantment," whereas Oz really doesn't have any surprises on that scale after from those two. So using spoiler protection for Oz has two drawbacks: it has to last forever, and there's really less to protect. // John W Kennedy -- Hypatia Software -- "The OS/2 Hobbit" ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 27 - 28, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ===================================================================== Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 20:58:51 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-26-97 Digesters (that salutation again?), Joel, Gordon, et.al., at Joel's suggestion I contacted Andrea Drinard at Paper Moon. She had a copy of _the Annotated Wiz..._ for $53, including shipping, so I grabbed it. Thanks. > I am highly tempted to distribute (upon request) to Digest readers copies of > the infamous study "Sexual Monstrosities in Baum's Book for Children" which > was the companion piece to "Ethnic Stereotypes in Baum's Books for Children" > (though written by a diferent author), an equally infamous article that > appeared in the BUGLE many years ago. I have very little interest in the aforementioned work, but could certainly have no objection to it's distribution upon request. It doesn't sound like something that would be appropriate for general publication in the "Digest", but maybe I am being overly sensitive to other's sensibilities. Probably that was not your intent to start with. Bob Spark --- "It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place." H. L. Mencken ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 22:40:45 -0700 From: Ken Cope Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-26-97 > pornographic. Therefore, logic dictates that the essay in question, if > not wholly fraudulent, is probably rooted in a pseudoscientific theory of > psychology, such as those of Freud or Jung, and as such is not credible. > Please correct me if any of my reasoning is wrong. > > Aaron. Spock, your logic comes from a place your head has been occupying lately. It colors your outlook. I now expect your writing to change the world as much as did Heinlein, Freud, Jung, and Baum put together. After this kind of drum roll from you, I expect nothing less. Your review of _WatW_ has convinced me that the notion of Public Domain should be repealed as it pertains to treasures like Baum's Oz. I'm considering signing up with one of the really powerful deities or denizens of the nonrational (but really nasty) religions just long enough to sell the soul I'm not using to convince you that you, especially, should treat Baum's work as copyrighted in perpetuity. Kali, especially in one of her wrathful modes, is very appealing to me at the moment. You know, the one to which they were going to sacrifice Ringo in the movie _Help_? She's so, I don't know, how shall I say this, so female. In a non-Patriarchal way. If you applied that inestimable self-regard of yours toward the act of creation, you'd feel less compelled to dis others, having done something all your own. Whether the business between Freud and his daughter colored his creation of the Oedipal theory, I know not. Jung is a hero forever for the one-liner, "Sometimes, Sigmund, a cigar is just a cigar." He happened to be quite the archivist of visual symbols, and is claimed by the reputable as well as the flakes. If you've got any theories about consciousness that obviate the need to deal with the irrationality of us silly humans, the world is waiting. Or perhaps, the world isn't ready yet. Whatever you do, be careful not to dream about Thoats. Ken Cope Ones & Zeroes SurReal Estate pinhead@ozcot.com ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 00:42:03 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" 1) Saroz, I was actually severely offended religiously by _The Wind and the Wizard_ as well as ozzily, but the Digest didn't seem the proper place to rant about the former aspect. 2) David, I have read _Wicked_, and its heresy is mostly of a different sort of _The Wind and the Wizard_. The main heresy of _Wicked_ seems to be rewriting the story in order to make it more rational (or what passes for rational), the religious aspects merely being a part of the rationalization. In _The Wind and the Wizard_, on the other hand, the religious aspects determine the rewriting of the shanghaied stories; therefore _The Marvelous Land of Oz_, which has even less theology than _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_, is the most mangled story in the collection. 3) Gordon, I hadn't thought of any parallels between Zixi and Langwidere before. On the other hand, Langwidere is extremely shallow and selfish; Zixi approaches the ideal of what a queen should be, just going a little crazy since she's deprived of doing something everyone else takes for granted. Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 09:55:55 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-26-97 Jeremy: I used to run a gourmet shop and sliced off the tip of a finger instead of cheese one day. Funny when your mommy's training can emerge: I refused to get into the ambulance until I'd wiped up the blood from the wooden floor. (My mom was a neatness freak.) You'll be amazed how fast the body heals. Take care and be well. David: You won't be testy. I have faith in you. You're too aware of the power of the written word. Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. Aaron: Patrick's "essay" is a spoof, not meant to be taken seriously. It's funny and just plain (forgive me, Patrick) stupid, if you're not a Mrs. Grundy, and I assume you're not. Gordon: Jeryl Metz runs a fairly efficient booksearch service. Good lady. Also a rather good opera singer. Some of us may remember her in one of Marc Lewis' productions (TIK-TOK MAN) some years back. I'm off to the living room to pack Oz books for auction. --Robin Olderman ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 10:31:14 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-26-97 Earl: OK, I'll bite. What have we suffered from Clinton's election, other than interminable allegations of campaign-finance irregularities that are no different from what the past few Republican presidents have done, assuming they're true? A booming economy? Unemployment the lowest in over two decades? A stock market hitting record highs on a regular basis? Steadily declining deficits? Oh, the pain! The pain! Gordon: Yes, it's in KABUMPO that Neill drew the illustration of Glinda reclining and reading a book, with Oz books (apparently in ultra-large-print editions) on the shelf behind her. Thanks for encouraging your local Borders to restock GLASS CAT. :-) (Mine still hasn't sold the second copy they've had for a year now...) There's no reason why we can't bring non-Oz Baum into discussions, even though it was generally agreed that only the Trot books would be BCFs. Do you have more to say about parallels between Zixi and Langwidere than you've already said? If so, say it! Jeremy: Ouch! I assume from what you said that no permanent damage was done, but it sounds painful at best, not to mention the problems it creates with typing! Hope it heals up fast. Patrick: If you have that essay in easily-transmissible electronic form, I'd like to get a copy of it. Just to see how warped this person's mind really is. Aaron: Since Baum had four children, he presumably did engage in activities that, if explicitly depicted, would qualify as pornographic. ;-) (Though perfectly licit.) Tyler: A speed-drive tag team effort? Sounds like a Demolition Derby. Hope you had fun and stayed in one piece. Jim/Tuvia: MAGUS MIRABILIS IN OZ was published in 1987 by Scolar Press, 2430 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, and Gower House, Croft Road, Aldershot, Hampshire GU113HD, England. Since that was ten years ago, it's probably out of print, but I imagine people like Herm and Robin have copies available now and again, at least. (I'll also E-mail Tuvia directly with this information, but just in case anyone on the Digest is interested, I thought I'd post it here as well.) It's also in very easy Latin; I had my last Latin class in 1954, but I had no difficulty in reading it. Of course, I know the story rather well. It is, however, much easier to read than WINNIE ILLE PU, which story I know equally well. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 14:24:24 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-26-97 Earl Abbe: Re politics, I will refrain from comment. Barlow Nate: But how is Dilbert an Ozian? For such a title to be accurate (Dilbert in Oz) he'd have to at least visit . . . Not terribly relevant: Two parents better than one? I did a paper on the subject in college last year, and most of my English Comp class agreed that two parents have a better chance of bringing up a better / happier child. I said then and still maintain that it isn't the number but the quality of the parents that matters. Now on to Ozzier topics (and yes, I do note that most Oz protagonists from the Outsude world do have one or no true parents) . . . Re the Nome King: Roquat, Ruggedo -- why did he change his name? I've always wondered, maybe someone can shed some light. So long for now, Jeremy and KIEX!!! ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 19:13:39 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-26-97 > Aaron: > > Oh my, what a review of the "Wind and the Wizard"! I almost borrowed the book > from the library. I'm not going to go into my religous beliefs, but it sounds > like an absolutely terrible twisting of Oz. That's one I'm scratching off my > list right away... > > Sarah > Although I do not carry a brief for THE WIND AND THE WIZARD, I do not believe you should refuse to read it because of Aaron's review. He is not always the most impartial judge. Actually that book got me to read THE WATER BABIES, a book I would never would have read otherwise. The author of that book is something of a mystic and has worked with Joseph Campbell. It has been reviewed in the BAUM BUGLE. > Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-23-97 (Aaron's Review) > > Aaron, > I enjoyed your review immensely. Unfortunately, now I am tempted > to read _The Wind And The Wizard_ just to see how offensive it really > is. > Bob Spark > You might find it is less offensive than you expect. > Based on the limited number of direct quotes we have from Glinda's Great > Book of Records, it's about as useful as the Delphic Oracle or most > prophecies in fiction - that is, once you know what's actually happened > you can see how what the book said told about it, but at the time it's > difficult if not impossible to understand. > Unlike oracles, the Book of Records reports things after they have occured rather than prophesies. > All: > Please forgive me if I get testy over the next few days. My > mother-in-law has been diagnosed with cancer and my wife's gone to > California to be with her while she gets started on chemotherapy and > radiation treatments. I'm concerned about Ellie, and not very happy > about being alone in the house. I'll try not to let it affect my posts, > but if it does, make a few allowances, please. > > David Hulan > You have my sympathy, and forgiveness for testiness. I hope all will be well before OZCON. > > It's intriguing that Langwidere is emerging from our discussions as the most > interesting character in _Ozma_. I'm sorry that we're not discussing the > non-Oz Baum, since there are some facinating parallels between Langwidere > and Zixi, who also has a thing about mirrors and self-image. > > --Gordon Birrell > > > At the moment I'm typing this all ini with my right hand alone, following a > slight accident with the slicer machine (I work at the Kroger deli) that > skinned a finger or two and cut another. My four long fingers are bundled > together in a cast, too large to hit keys alone, and my thumb is consequently > useless for typing. Thank goodness I'm right-handed! > Ouch!! > 19th: > Aaron: > Concerning your second hypothesis--it's a sewer-fire method of getting to Oz, > that one is! (Okay, everyone, I'm baack!) > Double ouch!!!! > > --Jeremy Steadman > > "Sexual Monstrosities in Baum's Books" combines heretical Oz views and > implies that Baum was a vicious pornographer, and thus will offend nearly > everyone. What do you think? > > Patrick > That one did NOT appear in the BUGLE Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 06:59:36 -0400 (EDT) From: earlabbe@juno.com (Earl C. Abbe) Subject: Ozzy Digest Submission (Trying a second time; most of the first try fell into the bit bucket -- or maybe a storm sewer): Dave, I do not think that the introduction of many blank lines into designated spoilers is desirable. Earl Abbe ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 12:05:39 -0400 From: Michael Turniansky Subject: It's a boy! My third son was born on Saturday, May 24th. Name to be announced at the bris, on May 31st (Anyone gonna be here?) --Michael and Rachel Turniansky ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 09:40:24 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Hanff Subject: Tuvia answered separately Dave, I responded separtely to Tuvia Ben-Yair, but thought others might want to see what I wrote. Peter Hanff Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 21:03:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Hanff Dave Hardenbrook , 47@delphi.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-26-97 Tuvia, The book was translated by C. J. Hinke (then resident of Victoria, B.C., Canada, and now primarily resident in Bangkok) and George Van Buren. The book is still listed in print. It was originally published by Scolar Press. One possible source is University Press Books in Berkeley, California. It may also be the case that C. J. Hinke can supply copies. Last I knew, his e-mail address was: Cj Hinke . Good luck! Peter Hanff ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 14:09:14 -0400 (EDT) From: VALEYARD1@aol.com Subject: Where are the books? Okay. I've been hearing about some Oz-based books but I can't seem to find them anywhere...... Could anyone help me find these books...... Wicked Dorothy-Return to Oz The Wind and the Wizard (I'm curious about this one!) I don't know how old any of these books are (I'm a new/old Oz fan) but any help would be greatly appreciated. Andrew ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 19:00:08 -0400 (EDT) From: "Estelle E. Klein" Subject: Aunt Jane's Nieces Recently obtained some copies of Aunt Janes Nieces and was wondering as to their value- how do you tell first editions, etc. Can anyone help. Also, we have an extra Nieces Out West if anyone is interested.Hope to see some of you at the Winkie Convention. Thanks estelle & rebecca ====================================================================== Date: Tuesday 27-May-97 23:58:36 From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things SPOILERS: Well, I take it that the verdict on large spoiler spaces is a resounding NO??? Wogglebug: (From under a large mound of letters of dissent) Mmmpfthmmmmft...You *might* say that! TO JEREMY: I hate to sound ignorant, and maybe I missed you explaining it in the past, but who exactly is Kiex? GLINDA HITS THE BOOKS: Glinda just informed me that in that picture of her reading she is in fact reading Jane Austen. :) Glinda: I couldn't *lift* the Book of Records (not without a good levitation spell), let alone read it from a reclining position! -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 29, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ===================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 07:37:41 -0400 (EDT) From: earlabbe@juno.com (Earl C. Abbe) Subject: Ozzy Digest Submission Re Ken Cope's missile to Aaron in the 5/28 Digest: Obviously, some things are beyond my ken and I can't cope with them. Did I get on the wrong bus? (I never did dig that psychoceramic stuff anyway, but do know what a thoat is.) Re David Hulan on politics & religion: I was, of course, responding to one outrageous statement with another. (Twelve months in Purgatory is all the punishment almost everyone deserves for their sins? I know that twelve months would not pay for my sins and I am not an evil man.) Economically, times are good. Times are good for reporters too. Every day brings another Clinton associated scandal article. Do you truly remember only the scandal de jour -- the campaign financing brouhaha? Kiex notes that This would seem to reflect the view that not having a full complement of natural parents is a bad thing and that, in moving to Oz, these children are leaving little behind. your new son. And if he runs off to Oz, may he take you both with him. Earl Abbe ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 22:14:43 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 This from the rec.arts.books.marketplace newsgroup: <> I don't know anything about the seller or the book. -- Craig Noble ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 22:25:32 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-26-97 Gjordon: >It's intriguing that Langwidere is emerging from our discussions as the most interesting character in _Ozma_.< _Ozma_ IS the only Oz book where she appears, so we're probably discussin= g *her* while we're on this Oz book! :-) = Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 22:26:11 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 Jeremy: >Roquat, Ruggedo -- why did he change his name? I've always wondered, maybe someone can shed some light.< Supposedly because he forgot his original name when he drank from the Fountain of Oblivion. Problem is, his army of Nomes, who had NOT drunk the water, could have told him what his original name was. Nome King: Who am I? Nome Soldier: Er, Roquat, of course. Why do you ask? Hope your hand gets better, soon. David: Try to enjoy your temporary bachelorhood! Despite the reason for it. Hope your mother-in-law's treatments work. Michael & Rachael: Congratulations! :-) Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 13:33:29 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 Re Sexual Monstrosities in Oz: I have very little to say on the matter, except a resounding NO. That is, I refuse to believe such are possible, and certainly don't think they're appropriate for Digestion purposes. Likewise pornographic Oz. Perhaps we can mention them both, but only for cataloging. Robin and others: Thanks for your sympathy (in some cases empathy); I need all I can get at a time like this. David: (Re American politics) Hear, hear! (And I too will shut up about that now) (Speaking of my typing) Luckily my thumb and pinky of my LH are okay, so I can shift and space without much difficulty. (Still takes longer, tho.) Dave: Who is Kiex? Sort of a long explanation, but I'll try to simplify-- Wicked witch in Emerald Ring (my Oz book), whom Chris Dulabone (as Dagmar, one of his characters) has addressed in letters to me; end result, Kiex has sneaked her way into my writing somehow (beats me just how she managed it). And that, my friends, is just another example of how a minor character can weasel his/her way to the top. Bye for now, and thanks again for all your good wishes, Jeremy Steadman (and KIEX!!) ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 10:58:53 -0500 (CDT) From: atty242@mail.utexas.edu (R. M. Atticus Gannaway) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 DAVID H.: >Earl: >OK, I'll bite. What have we suffered from Clinton's election, other than >interminable allegations of campaign-finance irregularities that are no >different from what the past few Republican presidents have done, >assuming they're true? A booming economy? Unemployment the lowest in >over two decades? A stock market hitting record highs on a regular >basis? Steadily declining deficits? Oh, the pain! The pain! i usually make a valiant effort to avoid politics on here (unless i'm particularly offended by something, but i just have two words for you: hear, hear! and all my best to your wife and mother-in-law. RE: OUCHES >> At the moment I'm typing this all ini with my right hand alone, following a >> slight accident with the slicer machine (I work at the Kroger deli) that >> skinned a finger or two and cut another. My four long fingers are bundled >> together in a cast, too large to hit keys alone, and my thumb is consequently >> useless for typing. Thank goodness I'm right-handed! >> >Ouch!! > >> 19th: >> Aaron: >> Concerning your second hypothesis--it's a sewer-fire method of getting to Oz, >> that one is! (Okay, everyone, I'm baack!) >> >Double ouch!!!! >My third son was born on Saturday, May 24th. Name to be announced at >the bris, on May 31st (Anyone gonna be here?) TRIPLE OUCH! (i suppose this applies both to circumcision and to giving birth, though not perhaps equally...) ANDREW: >Dorothy-Return to Oz >The Wind and the Wizard (I'm curious about this one!) > >I don't know how old any of these books are (I'm a new/old Oz fan) but any >help would be greatly appreciated. i have a copy of _Dorothy-Return to Oz_, unread, which i'd be willing to part with. but somebody stop me if it's worth my perusal... IDENTIFICATION: >TO JEREMY: >I hate to sound ignorant, and maybe I missed you explaining it in the past, >but who exactly is Kiex? kiex is a character in _the emerald ring of oz_. what, you don't have all the buckethead books? support chris dulabone! i've at last retrieved my entire collection of oz books from my parents' house! yea! those who requested a text file of _laughing dragon_ from me will be receiving it shortly. in other news, if anyone cares, i promised chris dulabone that i'd write one final oz book, my first in over four years. considering that i wrote all the other ones between the ages of 11 and 14, this should be my best yet (i've improved a thousandfold), and i firmly believe it will salvage my writing reputation in oz circles (since i know i haven't exactly received great literary acclaim--yet!). best regards, atticus * * * "Catherine thought, perhaps if we travel together, I shall get to know them at last, for so far I have been all wrong, and they have turned out different to what I thought. How is one to know what people are like? . . . Perhaps one can never know; perhaps people are uncapturable, and slip away like water from one's hand, changing all the time." ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 01:12:46 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Aaron: That book was _The GNome King of Oz_. ANd Ozma did not just allow Belinda to practice magic, she appointed her the new Good Witch of the North, to replace Tattypoo. There has been at least one instance outside of the FF of magic affecting the great book of records. Also, we on the digest have theorized that the algorithms in the books mechanism do not always result in full reports of things that we would consider important. Aaron again: _The Wind and the Wizard_ has been thoroughly demolished by your review. It is possible that the book is not as bad as you say it is, since I must say that you seem to dislike most things, but I'll probably avoid it anyway. Dave: The super-area for spoilers seems like a huge space-waster to me. IMHO, the current system works fine. Nate: If my information is correct, Scott Adams in fact draws many Dilbert cartoons from real-life stories e-mailed to him by readers of his strip. David: You are forgiven in advance for any testiness that appears on the digest, and I hope all becomes well soon. Glinda of Delphi: and no, that's not Dave's Internet connection :-) The comparison between Glinda's book and the Oracle of Delphi is interesting. It also sounds like Magician Humfery of the XANTH series. He could give an accurate answer to every question, but the answers were vague and people rarely understood them until the issue was resolved anyway. Gordon: If we're not discussing a potentially interesting thread between Langwidere and Zixi, then start it up! While there is only one BCF at any given time, that is just the officially suggested main topic. It is never the only topic. That's one of the great things about this digest: We create our own material. Jeremy: The punster is back! Hope your hand is doing okay. ********** POTENTIAL SPOILERS ********** John Kennedy: I agree with you that those two incidents are the only really major shockers in the Oz series. For example, saying that "Everybody gets through OK and the good guys win" will probably not suprise anybody. Also, other twists at the end are not as big, since they invovlve minor characters, such as Ojo being the Prince of Seebania, Sir Hokus really being Prince Corum or the Scarecrow really being Chang Wang Woe, although that one is debateable. ********** END OF POTENTIAL SPOILERS ********** Ken Cope: As Redd Foxx said to the cop trying to speak jive, "I almost understood you that time". Jeremy and/or Kiex: Baum's only official explanation for the name change was that after Roquat had drunk from the Forbidden Fountain and later recovered his memory, he decided to take a new name. He has not done this after later dunkings, however. Bob: This topic has been discussed before on the digest. The sum total of our discussions seems to be that there are no hard and fast "rules" on the Internet, although there ARE rules for standard written English. Underscores are a generally accepted way to represent italics in ASCII text, but as long as you get the point across, whatever method you use should be fine. I myself use the underscores, but that is because I am a computer programmer and I think underscores are really _cool_! :-) And now, the report on my 86 hour odyssey! Well, I am back from my trip to North Carolina, and have added 9 states to my list. Of all the south, only Kentucky stands alone as unvisited. Dad could not make it, staying in Tucson to tie up all loose ends in a preperation for the move to Phoenix. If this keeps up (all my friends moving to Phoenix), I may not have a reason to go back to Tucson. So, it was just me and their mom to drive, but we made it. The drive there was uneventful except for heavy rains in eastern Tennessee. Despite my feelings for a certain favorite son, I found Arkansas to be exceedingly beautiful. In fact, the whole south was a garden of lush and beautiful greeness, sort of what one would expect in the Emerald City gardens, or the whole green area outside of EC. Yes, I found Coke in glass bottles. The tradition lives! The two kids (5 year old girl and 7 year old boy) cried and fought the whole way there. However, it is a lot to ask of small children to sit still in a car for over 30 hours. We were grateful for the silence on the way back. We took a different way driving back, so I could visit more states. Again, all of the south was an absolute delight, with the sole exception of New Orleans. The less said on that score, the better, except that the satirical song on "The Simpsons" was correct. Overall, I enjoyed the experience, saw a new part of the country and am even considering Little Rock as a potential retirement site, if I ever do retire. We will all pause for one minute while Rush Limbaugh goes into shock. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 13:05:53 -0400 (EDT) From: ZMaund@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 Regarding Ozzy Digest 5/28 and the masterpiece "Sexual Monstrosities in Baum's Books for Children" .... Bob Spark writes: << I have very little interest in the aforementioned work, but could certainly have no objection to it's distribution upon request. It doesn't sound like something that would be appropriate for general publication in the "Digest" >> David Hulan writes: <> I figured, in my naivete, that the title of the essay alone would indicate the nature of the content; i.e., it would convey a sense of the absurd. There was never a suggestion of running the thing in the Digest. Gawd. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 12:10:25 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 Dave, I think large spaces just draw more attention to the spoiler. I don't think anyone could help reading the spoiler in your last post. Patrick, If you can e-mail that warped article to me, I'd appreciate it. I wonder if it is as deranged or more so than "The Oddness of Oz." I have a copy of _Winnie Ille Pu_, but unfortunately, not _Magus Mirablis in Oz_. I had three years of high school Latin, 1990-1993 school years, _Winnie Ille Pu_ is a real struggle I never got into, but the sample passage in the brochure so many years ago that accompanied the _Bugle_ is quite clear. Why are only the Trot books considered Borderland? I've always considered at least Mo, Ix, Santa Claus, and Quok to be Borderland of Oz books/stories. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 10:45:01 -0700 From: Ken Cope Subject: Sexual Monstrosities in Baum's Books for Children, Ozzy? How many Ozzy Digesters does it take to change a lightbulb? Electra is public domain by now and you can do anything with her you want, as long as it isn't non-canonical, isn't pornographic, does not offend religious sensibilities, doesn't smack of New Age heresies, does not imply that it was only a dream, does not assert that any other cultures' fairy tales are true/false, nor tend to impart any particular point of view. Please tell me where I can ILL the highly collectible _Electra Burns Out in Oz_ as the prices charged are ridiculous, the illustrations don't look like what Oz characters look like, and I understand the blackened bulb chapter was censored in a later edition, which I'll sell to the highest bidder. Ken Cope Ones & Zeroes SurReal Estate pinhead@ozcot.com ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 15:47:54 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 Shaggy and Rachel: Congratulations! Estelle: the bibliographies for Aunt J's Nieces has undergone some changes, so I'm not sure if my info is up-to-date or not. The one who really KNOWS is Patrick Maund. Dave: Glinda must be reading PRIDE AND PREJUDOZ, right? (Did Jeremy beat me to this one, I wonder.) --Robin Olderman ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 10:32:41 -0400 (EDT) From: JoelHarris@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 Andrew: Here's some help on the books you are looking for: 1. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire (HarperCollins 1995). $24.00 cover price. Here are the best deals: A. $15 from Mad Dog and the Pilgrim Booksellers 303-329-8011 B. $15 from Paterson-Ford Booksellers 502-458-2438 C. $15 for an uncorrected proof copy from Great Northwest Bookstore 503-223-8098 2. Dorothy Return to Oz, by Thomas L. Tedrow (Family Vision Press, 1993). Here are the best deals: A. $19 from Hammonds Antiques & Books 314-776-4737 B. $20 from Columbia Books 573-449-7417 C. $13 for an advance reading copy from My Book Heaven 510-893-7273 D. $18 for a signed advance reading copy from Read It Again, Sam 804-263-8323 3. Wind and The Wizard is available new in a 2 volume paperback set from Amazon.com at about $31 the pair. Good luck hunting them down. Joel Harris ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 16:02:05 -0500 (CDT) From: Robin Olderman Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 Oops! How'd that subject/verb nonagreement get into my last post? Sorry! ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 13:18:16 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 Robin: It might have been fortunate that most of the time I was feeling at my testiest coincided with a hiatus in the distribution of the Digest. I probably wouldn't have taken Earl to task about politics in the usual run of things, but that's the only thing I think I said that I might have suppressed. Ah, so Patrick's essay is a spoof. In that case, I _know_ I want to read it! (Sounds a bit like something from THE POOH PERPLEX, which I'm very fond of.) Jeremy: Apparently Roquat changed his name to Ruggedo after he drank from the Forbidden Fountain and lost his memory. Maybe his nomes thought "Ruggedo" suited him better and told him that was his name when he got back to his kingdom. (That's the Oz-as-history speculation. The Oz-as-literature reason is probably that Baum decided "Ruggedo" was a better name when he turned OZMA into _The Tik-tok Man of Oz_ for the stage, and then kept it when he turned the play into TIK-TOK OF OZ. Though I don't have personal knowledge that the Nome King in the play was called "Ruggedo".) Steve: True that the Great Book of Records records what has happened rather than prophesying, but there's a similar effect; the GBR's statements are primarily used to initiate actions, rather than to write history books, and if Glinda doesn't know what they mean she doesn't have much of a guide as to what action to take. McGraw uses the same idea for the Link oracle in MERRY-GO-ROUND. Michael and Rachel: *Congratulations!* Andrew: I'm pretty sure you should be able to find WICKED and THE WIND AND THE WIZARD in your local library, if it's at all decent. They're fairly recent and from major publishers. I think WICKED is also available in PB now; I know I saw it not overly long ago. Dave: Jeremy will undoubtedly tell you himself, but Kiex is the villain of his book, THE EMERALD RING OF OZ (and possibly/probably of its sequels, which haven't been published yet, or at least I haven't read them). Since the book Glinda is reading in that illustration has a big OZ logo on its back cover, isn't it more likely that it was Jane Ozten? :-) David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 11:59:58 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@cord.iupui.edu Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-28-97 Jane, Jim Vander Noot tells me you might know who played who in the animated Wizard of Oz series. I am certain that Tress MacNeille played WWW, Liz Georges played Dorothy, and Pat Fraley played Truckle. I am almost certain Alan Oppenheimer played the Tin Woodman, and less certain that Charlie Adler played the Scarecrow. I am sure I have heard the actor who played the Wizard in other animated programs, but I can't think of what. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Thursday 29-May-97 11:24:06 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things TO JEREMY: Thanks for the explaination about Kiex...I too have an Oz character always getting into my writing: Jellia! Jellia: Being just the palace maid can get tedious! I'm SO glad that Ozma is letting me accompany her on her visits around the country to her people and that Dave has taken me on as his chief Oz informant and is letting me contribute to the Digest! And BTW Jeremy, both Jellia and I wish your hand a speedy recovery! :) MATTERS REGARDING _LOCASTA_ AND THE BOOK OF RECORDS: Tyler wrote: >That book was _The GNome King of Oz_. ANd Ozma did not just allow Belinda to >practice magic, she appointed her the new Good Witch of the North, to >replace Tattypoo. I hope the idea that there must be more that one "Wicked Witch of the South" applies to "Good Witch of the North" too -- or else Locasta is in big trouble! Wogglebug: Sorry, Mrs. Locasta but that position is filled...However, we have an opening for a Good Witch of the South-by-Southeast -- How would that suit you? Adepts: Come on, Grandmama -- We'll take this matter to Ozma...We'll also get the word "ugly" omitted from your entry in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Baumgea"...! >There has been at least one instance outside of the FF of magic affecting >the great book of records... Two. :) The Book of Records gets enchanted in _Locasta_, so that no one will know that the Good Witch of the North is missing (or even still exists!)... >Also, we on the digest have theorized that the >algorithms in the books mechanism do not always result in full reports of >things that we would consider important. But the Great Book of Records scores over the older, more pedestrian Oracle at Delphi in two important respects: First, it is slightly more user-friendly; and secondly, it has the words "Na' Bi'odh Scaoll Ort" inscribed in large, friendly letters on the cover. :) :) :) THE OZZY DIGEST IS A TOTALLY OPEN FORUM!: Tyler wrote: >If we're not discussing a potentially interesting thread between Langwidere >and Zixi, then start it up! While there is only one BCF at any given time, >that is just the officially suggested main topic. It is never the only topic. >That's one of the great things about this digest: We create our own material. I'll just confirm that -- Anyone can talk about *anything* they want to here, as long as it can be related to Oz or something Ozzy. I direct these words especially to those who E-mail me and complain that the discussion on the Digest is too "scholarly" (and frequently unsubscribe for that reason)...The Digest is no more and no less than what people contribute to it, and those who want some "non-scholarly" discussion need to submit some "non-scholarly" posts. :) -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 30, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 16:40:08 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-29-97 Earl: It depends on how bad the punishment is in Purgatory (or whatever intermediate stage your personal religion sets between death and eternity in Heaven). If you're talking about something amusing with boiling oil in it, or maybe molten lead, then I'd say that I for one think about five milliseconds would pay for all my sins, and while I don't think I'm a very bad person I'm certainly no saint. On the other hand, if your idea of Purgatory is more or less a continuation of earthly existence, removed from the full presence of God, then twelve months certainly isn't much. My wife having returned, I revert to Bland, and will not make the comments that I'd make on your political points if this were the Political Digest. Craig: I have a copy of that WOZ cookbook. It's very much movie-based, though they do use some Denslow illustrations from the book. All the quotes, though, as far as I can see from a quick scan, are from the movie script and not the book. I certainly wouldn't pay $25 for it, but then I'm not that much of a movie fan, and it's a pretty slim volume in a cheap binding. $10 would seem reasonable to me. (However, I got it as a gift.) Melody: Sorry, but I don't enjoy "temporary bachelorhood". It might be an interesting break if I were still working, having several evenings alone to do whatever struck me. But I already have all day on weekdays to do whatever strikes me; when Marcia is gone it means that I don't have anyone to talk to for days at a time. I'm not a wildly sociable person, but that much solitude is a bit much even for me. Also, even though I do most of the cooking since I retired, I find it boring to cook for myself alone, and equally boring to go out every evening. Tyler: Those two big shockers John K. mentioned in the first two Oz books are still unlikely to need spoiler alerts - or at least, about as much as you'd need a ************spoiler for "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde"************* They're really the same person, only Jekyll drinks this potion that releases only his evil side. ***********end spoiler********************************** That is, the "shocker" in WIZARD is now part of popular culture, even for people who've never read an Oz book. And the one in LAND, if less well-known, is almost certainly known by anybody who's read more than one Oz book, even if they haven't read LAND. Ah, so you were doing an 86-hour driving marathon, not participating in a Demolition Derby. And with a 5- and 7-year-old in the car (at least for the first half)? I don't envy you. I see you "collect" states as well. I don't go out of my way to do so any more, but over the years I've managed to make it into every state except Alaska, the Dakotas, Vermont, and Maine (though I can count Minnesota only based on changing planes at the Minneapolis airport one time, Rhode Island by passing through on a train, and New Hampshire by driving up from Boston to say I'd been there). I expect to add the two missing New England states fairly soon, but I don't know if I'll ever get to the other three. South Dakota is most likely because of the Oz connection, and Alaska is possible if we take a cruise. North Dakota seems fairly unlikely under any circumstances, unless I specifically decide to do it to complete the set. I certainly can't think of any other reason to go there, or even pass through. Scott H.: I think the Trot books were the only ones that Reilly & Lee, in an effort to cash in on the popularity of Oz, called "Borderland of Oz" books. (Even though in fact, neither of them took place anywhere near Oz, unlike most of Baum's other fantasy books.) At the time the other books were written, there were only one or two Oz books in existence, and it was by no means obvious that they were the core of Baum's popularity. But the reason there was a consensus (IIRC) that we'd discuss the Trot books as BCFs but not Baum's other fantasy books was that the Trot books give valuable background information on people who are major characters in Oz books, whereas the other books' relationship to Oz is largely confined to the birthday party in ROAD. There's a brief visit to Mo in SCARECROW, but we don't meet any of the characters from MAGICAL MONARCH, and the Wise Donkey from Mo appears in one chapter of PATCHWORK GIRL. There are a few scattered mentions of Ix, and one that I can think of of Noland and Merryland, in other Oz books, but no characters from those books actually appear on stage. Dave: So what does "Na' Bi'odh Scaoll Ort" mean when it's home? Looks like some form of Gaelic, though for all I know it's the Black Speech... Hear! Hear! I've never been able to understand people who object to the Digest being "too scholarly" - or too anything else, other than too Oz-centered. All they have to do is start writing about things that _do_ interest them. Of course, if the objection is that it's too long, that wouldn't be a solution. But how can there be too much Oz discussion? Not for me! Though I'll admit that after being off-line for a week or so things can be intimidating to catch up on. I bet Bear will growl even more than usual when he returns from his cruise. :-) David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 18:20:48 -0400 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Error: The BEOO book in question is really _The Enchanted Gnome of Oz_. That's all, still tired from the NC drive. --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 20:49:22 -0400 (EDT) From: earlabbe@juno.com (Earl C. Abbe) Subject: Ozzy Digest Submission - Why Truncation of Congats? Why is it that, every time I try to issue congratulations to someone in the Digest on the addition of a child to their family, the message gets truncated? Anyway, trying again: To Michael and Rachel Turniansky: I wish you great joy in the life of your new son. And if he runs off to Oz, may he take you both with him. Earl Abbe ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:28:42 -0400 (EDT) From: "Aaron S. Adelman" Subject: _The Gnome King of Oz_ 1) Tyler, uh, I can't find any reference to anyone named Belinda in _The Gnome King of Oz_. 2) Ken, it takes a grand total of three Ozzy Digesters to change a light bulb: one to turn the light bulb, one to hold the ladder, and me to criticize the entire operation to death. (: 3) To the list of incomprehensible quasi-oracles may be added the Little Pink Bear from _The Lost Princess of Oz_, who manages to confuse most of the people in the story by telling the truth. 4) Dave, what does "Na' Bi'odh Scaoll Ort" mean? Prof. Dharnenblag of Wogglebug U.: Either "A Moose over Oz" or "Eat at Joe's"... Aaron Solomon (ben Saul Joseph) Adelman adelman@ymail.yu.edu North Antozian Systems and The Martian Empire ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 20:40:59 -0500 (CDT) From: atty242@mail.utexas.edu (R. M. Atticus Gannaway) Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-29-97 TYLER: i believe you meant to refer to _the enchanted gnome of oz_ (out-of-print, alas) rather than _gnome king_. thank you for allowing me to be a nitpicky jerk. re: ROQUAT personally, i think baum decided roquat is a crappy name and ditched the sissy name for the "rugged" one. also easier for kids to pronounce, though roquat rolls off the tongue far easier than pyrzqxgl. KEN COPE: i'm sure people who don't know you're being sardonic probably dislike you. regards, atticus * * * "Catherine thought, perhaps if we travel together, I shall get to know them at last, for so far I have been all wrong, and they have turned out different to what I thought. How is one to know what people are like? . . . Perhaps one can never know; perhaps people are uncapturable, and slip away like water from one's hand, changing all the time." ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:20:38 +0600 From: rri0189@ibm.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-29-97 Scott wrote: >Why are only the Trot books considered Borderland? I've always considered >at least Mo, Ix, Santa Claus, and Quok to be Borderland of Oz >books/stories. Because the Trot books were officially designated as such by Reilly & (whoever), and because they fill the annual-Oz-book slots between "Emerald City" and "Patchwork Girl". // John W Kennedy -- Hypatia Software -- "The OS/2 Hobbit" ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 22:45:48 -0400 From: "Melody G. Keller" Subject: Ozzy Digest, 05-29-97 Tyler: >There has been at least one instance outside of the FF of magic affecting the great book of records. Also, we on the digest have theorized that the algorithms in the books mechanism do not always result in full reports of things that we would consider important.< There is also evidence that magic or magic-working can interfere with magical information-gathering. (Just as stray electromagnetic fields can cause static in radio & TV reception.) In _Glinda of Oz_, when Glinda tries to glean more info than her Great Book can give her about the Skeezers & Flatheads, she tells Dorothy and Ozma that she could not get as much info as she wanted because the Skeezers and Flatheads use magic, too Sounds like a good reason Glinda may have a hard time rounding up magic-working scofflaws. Melody Grandy ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 09:16:31 -0600 (CST) From: Ruth Berman Subject: Re: ozzy digest A couple of oldish comments that I don't think got in before: Melody Grandy: "To Please a Child" doesn't say what color hair Baum's mother had. So presumably it could have been red like Glinda's. Craig Noble: It's a pity that the current Madison "Wizard" doesn't seem to be very good. Twin Cities this week has a production of "The Wiz" in town, but I've seen it on stage once before and don't really feel like going to see it again. (Don't like the music.) David Hulan: There were a lot of those backyard-invented spaceships, weren't there -- Heinlein did one, too, in his first novel. Something that hasn't been pointed out in discussing whether Uncle Bill's spaceship could have worked is that it Didn't Work. Not as far as known, that is. Speedy thought it would have worked if his uncle had been on board to run it. But if Robin is looking for a reason to explain why nothing more was heard of this space-going technology afterward, it could be assumed that it was forgotten because it didn't work (even with Uncle Bill on board) after all. But I think you're right that Speedy would probably have been an "Amazing Stories" fan. More recent comments: David Hulan: Sorry to hear that you and Marcia are having to worry about parental health. I'll be thinking of you (and of Dave H in similar context). Incidentally, thank you for the "Penny Ices," which I am enjoying reading -- will loc later. Gordon Birrell: If you put in some comments about Langwidere compared to Zixi as regards mirrors and self-image, maybe some of us would feel moved to re-read (or read) "Zixi"? Michael Turniansky: Congratulations to you and Rachel! Ozzishly speaking, you might feel tempted to name the boy Zebedaiah or Peter or (less obviously, but still Ozzishly) Isaac. Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 09:16:51 -0700 From: "Stephen J. Teller" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-29-97 > < > THE WIZARD OF OZ COOKBOOK, hardcover with Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Lion, and > the Scarecrow on cover, Abbeville Press, 1993, FIRST EDITION, mint condition, > $25 ppd. > > Please e-mail your interest to JimGore@aol.com>> > > I don't know anything about the seller or the book. > > -- Craig Noble > I know the book, and consider the price outrageous. > > _Ozma_ IS the only Oz book where she [Langwidaire] appears, so we're probably discussing > *her* while we're on this Oz book! :-) = > > > Melody Grandy > It is the only one of FF in which she appears--I have met with her again in the last couple of months. > i have a copy of _Dorothy-Return to Oz_, unread, which i'd be willing to > part with. but somebody stop me if it's worth my perusal... I regret to say it isn't. There are few books I would make that statement about. > > There has been at least one instance outside of the FF of magic affecting > the great book of records. Also, we on the digest have theorized that the > algorithms in the books mechanism do not always result in full reports of > things that we would consider important. > There have been quite a few instances outside the FF. I keep running into them. > But the Great Book of Records scores over the older, more pedestrian > Oracle at Delphi in two important respects: First, it is slightly more > user-friendly; and secondly, it has the words "Na' Bi'odh Scaoll Ort" > inscribed in large, friendly letters on the cover. :) :) :) > OK Dave, I give up. What do those words mean and where do they appear (in the FF)? One week from now will the OZCON! I can hardly wait. Steve T. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 09:28:10 -0700 From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Non-Ozzy Review: I finally saw "James and the Giant Peach" on the Disney channel. It was fairly well done and generally accurate to the story. Two gripes: 1. The whole "Rhino" thing was just a tad overdone. 2. I was disappointed that they did not do the cloud giant scene. Overall, I'd give it a slight thumbs-up, but nothing to write home about. Jellia: So, it't not good enough to write home, but it IS good enough to write to the Digest? Tyler: Uh, I see a rhino coming. I better get outta here. Kabumpo: No Rhino'll get you while I'm here! --Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 11:31:20 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Hanff Subject: Dark Side as soundtrack (fwd) H-m-m-m-m-m-m! Peter Hanff ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 10:02:08 -0700 From: Jason High To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Dark Side as soundtrack Judge for yourself...sounds intriguing if it's true... >Follow the Yellow Rock Road >A Floydian analysis of 'The Wizard of Oz' >By HELEN KENNEDY >Daily News Staff Writer >Call it Dark Side of the Rainbow. Classic rockers are buzzing about >the amazingly weird connections that leap off the screen when >you play >Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" as the soundtrack to "The >Wizard of Oz." >It sounds wacky, but there really is a bizarre synchronization >there. The lyrics and music join in cosmic synch with the action, >forming dozens upon dozens of startling coincidences the kind >that make you go "Oh wow, man" even if you haven't been near a >bong in 20 years. >Consider these examples: Floyd sings "the lunatic is on the grass" >just as the Scarecrow begins his floppy jig near a green lawn. The >line "got to keep the loonies on the path" comes just before >Dorothy and the Scarecrow start traipsing down the Yellow Brick >Road. >When deejay George Taylor Morris at WZLX-FM in Boston first >mentioned the phenom on the air six weeks ago, he touched off a >frenzy. >"The phones just blew off the wall. It started on a >Friday, and that first weekend you couldn't get a copy of 'The >Wizard of Oz' anywhere in Boston," he said. "People were staying >home to check it out." >It's fun, he said, because everyone knows the movie, and the >album which spent a record-busting 591 straight weeks on the >Billboard charts can be found in practically every record >collection. >Dave Herman at WNEW-FM in New York mentioned the buzz a >few weeks ago. The response > more than 2,000 letters was the biggest ever in the deejay's >25-year on-air career. >"It has been just unbelievable," said WNEW program director >Mark Chernoff. "I've never seen anything like this. " >The station plans to show the movie using the album as >soundtrack at a small private screening tomorrow. >Rock fans always have loved to speculate about hidden messages >in their favorite albums. But seeking connections between the >beloved 1939 classic kid flick and the legendary 1973 acid-rock >album pushes the envelope of the music conspiracy genre. >Nobody from the publicity-shy band would comment, but Morris >asked keyboardist Richard >Wright about it on the air last month. He looked flummoxed and >said he'd never heard of any intentional connections between the >movie and the album. >But the fans aren't convinced it's just a cosmic coincidence. >"I'm a musician myself and I know how hard it is just to write >music, let alone music choreographed to action," said drummer >Alex Harm, of Lowell, >Mass.,who put up one of the two Internet web pages devoted to >the synchroneities. "To make it match up so well, you'd have to >plan it." >Morris is convinced that ex-frontman Roger Waters planned the >whole thing without letting his fellow band members in on the >secret. >"It's too close. It's just too close. Look at the song titles. Look at >the cover. There's something going on there," Morris said. >Here's how it works. You start the album at the exact moment >when the MGM lion finishes its third and last roar. It might take a >few times to get everything lined up just right. >Then, just sit back and watch. It'll blow your mind, man. >During "Breathe," Dorothy teeters along a fence to the lyric: >"balanced on the biggest wave." >The Wicked Witch, in human form, first appears on her bike at the >same moment a burst of alarm bells sounds on the album. >During "Time," Dorothy breaks into a trot to the line: >"no one told you when to run." >When Dorothy leaves the fortuneteller to go back to her farm, the >album is playing: "home, home again." >Glinda, the cloyingly saccharine Good Witch of the >North, appears in her bubble just as the band sings: >"Don't give me that do goody goody bull---t." >A few minutes later, the Good Witch confronts the >Wicked Witch as the band sings, "And who knows which is >which" (or is that "witch is witch"?). >The song "Brain Damage" starts about the same time as the >Scarecrow launches into "If I Only Had a >Brain." >But it's not just the weird lyrical coincidences. Songs end when >scenes switch, and even the Munchkins' dancing is perfectly >choreographed to the song "Us and Them." >The phenomenon is at its most startling during the tornado scene, >when the wordless singing in "The >Great Gig in the Sky" swells and recedes in strikingly perfect time >with the movie. >When Dorothy opens the door into Oz, the movie switches to rich >color and and that exact moment > the album starts in with the tinkling cash register sound effects >from "Money." >Anyone who has ever nursed a hangover watching >MTV with the sound off and the radio on can tell you how quick >the brain is to turn music into a soundtrack for pictures. But this is >uncanny. >The real fanatics will point out that side one of the vinyl album is >the exact length of the black-and-white portion of the movie. And >then there's that iconic album cover, with its prism and rainbow >echoing the movie's famous black-and-white-into-color switch > not to mention Judy Garland's classic first song. >The real clincher, though, the moment where even the most >skeptical of cynics has to utter a small >"whoa!," comes at the end of the album, which tails off with the >insistent sound of a beating heart. >What's happening on screen? Yep, you guessed it: >Dorothy's got her ear to the Tin Man's chest, listening for a >heartbeat. >Maybe it's just a string of coincidences. Maybe the mind is just >playing some really cool tricks. Maybe some people just have >waaaay too much time on their hands. >Or maybe, as Pink Floyd sings to close out the album, everything >under the sun really is in tune. > Jason High Interlibrary Services 133 Doe, U.C. Berkeley 94720 ************************* jhigh@library.berkeley.edu Tel: (510) 642-7367 Fax: (510) 643-8476 ====================================================================== Date: Friday 30-May-97 12:59:09 (PDT) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things GLINDA'S (NON-CANONICAL) BOOK COVER: Na' Bi'odh Scaoll Ort is Gaelic for "Don't Panic" -- An inside joke combining my "Enya" associations I have with Glinda and my perceived parallel between Glinda's Book and the also often-important-detail-omiting "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"... GOOD WITCHES: Oh, good! Belinda is in the (non-FF) _Enchanted Nome_! Locasta: You mean I'm still legal? :) Audah: You were *always* "legal", Grandmama! It's just that now Dave can say you don't contradict RPT! HUMBLE APOLOGIES: Well, I have to apologize to Earl for his good wishes to the Turnianskis getting truncated...One of the side effects of having use the Amiga while my PC is repaired is that the evil "Drop every line that begins with 'To'" bug is back...I'll have to update and recompile the Amiga version of my Digest generator... -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, MAY 31, 1997 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ===================================================================== Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 16:23:14 -0400 (EDT) From: Kiex@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-29-97 Re Thoats: In the middle of a rainy spring day, I often get fog down mine. (As in, "I have a fog in my thoat." I just had to say that.) Re single- or no- parent families and Oz: I'm suggesting that, as Earl Abbe puts it, "This would seem to reflect the view that not having a full complement of natural parents is a bad thing and that, in moving to Oz, these children are leaving little behind" ??? I most certainly meant nothing of the sort! Just look at Dorothy, for example--she eventually requested that her surrogate parents--Aunt Em and Uncle Henry--be brought to Oz too. And I have long championed the success of single-parents and adoption-based families, as I believe them to have potential for just as much success as natural families. I hope my viewpoint becomes clear. (The fact that I'm a representative of a natural family being beside the point.) I'm curious about your hanging line--"your new son. And if he runs off to Oz, may he take you both with him."--but know many others will ask for the same clarification. Magic and the GBR: Just take a look at Emerald Ring (sorry, will stop advertising here). Re the puns and I (a younger version of The King and I) Oh, they never go away. And yes, thanks, I'm recovering well. Or at least getting faster at slower typing. Whatever. Ruggedo rules! (in names, at any rate): Perhaps Roquat had a Freudian complex that bestowed upon him an alter ego named Ruggedo since birth, which was resolved when the Ruggedo in him stayed with him even after dunking. (Then when he turned around, we saw Dunkin's Hinies.) Re Borderland of Oz: True, according to the "Official Map" Mo, etc., are in the "Ozzy Universe." So I think we can count them as such. Dave: I know how you feel; Kiex, too, is always getting me in a Jamb. So long for now; --KIEX (and Jeremy Steadman ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 14:35:17 -0700 From: Bob Spark Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-30-97 Dave H47 et.al., I also enjoy the scholarship to be found in the "Digest". The process of acquiring knowledge, I find, is one of the more pleasurable ones in life. Considering the lively discussions that we've had recently I don't understand how anyone could feel that the "Digest" is too scholarly, however the folks who took themselves off the roster for that reason probably did the right thing. In reference to Purgatory, those of us who are of the atheist persuasion don't consider any of those possibilities. If I die, then wake up I'll be the most surprised person that you've ever met. I'll also probably be the most regretful one, but what is a poor atheist boy to do? Bob Spark --- "An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?" Michael de Saint-Pierre ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 20:55:46 +0000 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-30-97 Earl: >Why is it that, every time I try to issue congratulations to someone in the >Digest on the addition of a child to their family, the message gets >truncated? Because you're a Republican? Aaron: While the Little Pink Bear may be somewhat oracular, I think the uncertainty about his pronouncements in LOST PRINCESS is more due to unwillingness to believe than vagueness in his statements. I know that I figured out what he meant as soon as I read it, and was beating the chair trying to get the rest of Dorothy's team to recognize it until they did. Ruth: >David Hulan: There were a lot of those backyard-invented spaceships, >weren't there -- Heinlein did one, too, in his first novel. I don't remember that, but you may well be right. Could you specify the Heinlien novel where he had a back-yard spaceship? (His first novel that I recall was either "Beyond This Horizon" or "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag", but I haven't looked at historical data.) Could you give the Ozzish connection to "Isaac" for Michael and Rachel's newborn? I've thought about it a bit and come up with no answer. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 08:38:36 -0400 (EDT) From: CrNoble@aol.com Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 05-30-97 David and Steve: I didn't post the ad for _The Wizard of Oz Cookbook_ because I wanted it myself; I don't. I'd never heard of it and thought others might be interested. I'm not surprised that the price apparently is outrageous. It's a sorry fact that a lot dealers throw common sense out the window when pricing anything to do with Oz. I know of one dealer in my area who I made an appointment to see because he has an extensive stock of Oz and Oz related books. He was annoyed that I didn't buy a thing and made disparaging remarks about "That's why I asked you on the phone what *level* you're at in your collection. Most of my books are out of your league." I think the cheapest book he had was _The Oz Scrapbook_ for $75. I later bought it for $30 at Moe's when I was on vacation in Berkeley, CA. This guy's books are easily 100-200% more expensive than what Herm charges. I occasionally see him at other bookstores, and he gives me the creeps. Then, of course, there was the dealer who tried to sell me _The Master Key_ for $600. Those are the most extreme examples, but it is really quite maddening. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: BEFORE YOU BUY ANY OZ BOOK, SEE IF HERM BIEBER HAS IT AND GET A QUOTE FROM HIM! (There's another dealer on the Digest (Robin?) who I hear is also quite fair.) Borderland of Oz books: Didn't R&L come up with that marketing ploy much later than their original publication? My copies of _Sky Island_ and _The Sea Fairies_ are from the 1950's or 60's, and I'm under the impression that they're the only ones published with that label. Dark Side of the Moon: This story is beginning to spread outside of Oz circles. A second friend has now asked me if I know about it. He wants to rent the movie and try it out! I still don't understand how you're supposed to it. Do you turn the movie's audio completely off? If so, you won't hear any dialogue, and I don't think I sit through the entire movie without it. -- Craig Noble ====================================================================== Date: Saturday 31-May-97 13:37:43 From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things Yes, I realize now that that's the irony of the "Borderland of Oz" books -- Neither of them occur in a country that borders Oz! Jellia: I guess they were just trying to give Oz "coattails" -- Wogglebug: *I* have coattails...And very nice ones, I might add! Jellia: (Ignoring him) --But of course the "little tyrants" would have NONE of it! :) -- Dave ======================================================================