Ruth Plumly Thompson

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Ruth Plumly Thompson (born July 27, 1891 in Philadelphia , † April 6, 1976 ) was an American writer who has written many children's books . She is best known for the continuation of the children's book series The Wizard of Oz after L. Frank Baum died in 1919.

Life

Thompson was born in her grandparents' home. Her parents were Charles Plumly († 1895) and Amanda Shuff Thompson. She had two sisters, Dorothy (Thompson Curtis, 1890–1977) and Janet, and a brother, Richard. When she was two, the family moved to Brooklyn for a new job from her father with the New York Times . Her father died suddenly in 1895; her mother then returned to Philadelphia with the four young children. In 1918, Plumly Thompson founded the Santa Claus Club in Philadelphia , which in the following years ensured that 15,000 children from poor families could get Christmas presents. The club was so well known that the local post office started delivering letters to Santa Claus Ruth Plumly Thompson. Thompson first worked for the Philadelphia Public Ledger , a full-time writer while writing the Oz books, and for King Comics from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s . In 1968 she moved to Malvern , Pennsylvania .

Writing career

Thompson began her writing career in 1914 when she started sending stories to newspapers and magazines. For example, she had a weekly children's page on the Philadelphia Public Ledger , which she filled with short stories, fables, poems, and tips for children by April 25, 1921. Her first book The Perhappsy Chaps (1918) was a collection of her contributions to this children's site. In 1920, after L. Frank Baum died, William F. Lee († 1924) of Reilly & Lee Publishing, Chicago, traveled to Philadelphia to ask Thompson if she would like to continue the Oz series. Between 1921 and 1939 she wrote one episode of The Wizard of Oz story in the form of a novel each year . All of her Oz novels were written by John. R. Neill (1877–1943), who also illustrated the Oz novels 2 to 14 by L. Frank Baum.

Publications

Oz books

Publishing year Follow number title
1921 15th The Royal Book of Oz
1922 16 Kabumpo in Oz
1923 17th The Cowardly Lion of Oz
1924 18th Grampa in Oz
1925 19th The Lost King of Oz
1926 20th The Hungry Tiger of Oz
1927 21st The Gnome King of Oz
1928 22nd The Giant Horse of Oz
1929 23 Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz
1930 24 The Yellow Knight of Oz
1931 25th Pirates in Oz
1932 26th The Purple Prince of Oz
1933 27 Ojo in Oz
1934 28 Speedy in Oz
1935 29 The Wishing Horse of Oz
1936 30th Captain Salt in Oz
1937 31 Handy Mandy in Oz
1938 32 The Silver Princess in Oz
1939 33 Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz
1972 without Yankee in Oz
1976 without The Enchanted Island of Oz

More children's books

  • The Perhappsy Chaps. (First edition) PF Volland Company, Chicago 1918.
  • The Princess of Cozytown. (First edition) PF Volland Company, Chicago 1922
  • The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa. (First edition) Reilly & Lee, Chicago 1926.
  • The Wonder Book. (First edition) PF Volland Company, Chicago 1929.
  • Peculiar penguins. (First edition) David McKay Co., Philadelphia 1934.
  • King Kojo. (First edition) David McKay Co., Philadelphia 1938.
  • The Wizard of Way-Up and Other Wonders. The Wizard of Oz Club, Kinderhook, Illinois 1985.
  • Sissajig and Other Wonders. The Wizard of Oz Club, Kinderhook, Illinois 2002.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Thompson, Ruth Plumly
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American children's author
DATE OF BIRTH July 27, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia
DATE OF DEATH April 6, 1976