Jack Snow celebrated

A little over six years ago, I finished writing about the Oz works of Jack Snow and mentioned that is grave is unmarked. I also quoted a criticism of the Snow family that suggested they were ashamed of him and left his grave unmarked. Two and a half years after that, the post was updated with new information that suggested perhaps the family was poor and couldn't help Jack at all.

And now, it seems, that is being rectified at last.

Michael Gessel of the International Wizard of Oz Club shared this news that Jack Snow will be honored with a headstone Tuesday, August 15, during a ceremony celebrating his life and work in radio, speculative fiction, and yes, Oz.

A representative of Snow's family, James C. Oda, is involved as well as Gessel, and both will be speaking at the ceremony.

While the past remains unchanged, going forward, it is good to know that people want to remember and celebrate Jack Snow, with a memorial honoring one of the Royal Historians at last.

L. Frank Baum biographies

With The Wonderful Wizard of Oz being a popular piece of Americana, of course people have wanted to know more about the life of the man who created it. Jack Snow, to my knowledge, was the first to attempt a Baum biography, though he was unable to complete it. In the back of Who's Who in Oz, he did include a biographical sketch of Baum and the other writers and illustrators of the (then) thirty-nine Oz books. The printed version has Baum's biography span four pages: the longest of the biographies. In its brevity, it shows a few inaccuracies, but that was due to the limited information available at the time.

The first book-length Baum biography was To Please A Child, published in 1961 by Reilly & Lee as part of their attempt to relaunch the Oz series. (This joined picture book versions of the first four Oz books, The Visitors from Oz picture books, and soon Merry-Go-Round in Oz and the White Edition Oz books.) The book was by Frank Joslyn Baum and Russell P. MacFall. However, Frank J. Baum had died during the writing process, leaving MacFall to try to tie what was left together. This led to many inaccuracies in the text and even a few cases of MacFall inventing situations out of whole cloth, including a brief mention of Baum leading a march in support of William Jennings Bryant. I have heard, though I'm unsure of the veracity of the claim, that Frank J. Baum actually didn't have a lot of research resources at hand.

Having heard about the inaccuracies, I had avoided getting To Please A Child for a long time, but when an Oz collector recently offered a nice copy for sale, I decided to go ahead and get it. The book contains many Baum family stories that may or may not be true (in the manner of Baum himself, sometimes the truth isn't such a great story), including the "Affair of the Bismarcks" and the famous origin of the word "Oz" from the filing cabinet. The book is also known for misportraying Maud Baum as a tyrannical mother and wife.

To me, one of the bigger issues was how MacFall offers a chronological life of Baum up until The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was released, then dedicates chapters to the success of the book and the series, breaking the chronological account of Baum's life. The remainder of Baum's life is retold rather simply in a few more chapters. It did, however, offer a few good bits of information: apparently not even ten years after Maud Baum's death, Ozcot was already torn down and an apartment building on its site.

Fortunately, by this time the International Wizard of Oz Club had been formed and was well underway with research of Baum's life and the creation of the Oz series, often finding where To Please A Child had dropped the ball. There have been many Baum biographies over the years, but I shall focus on the three that I've used for reference the most.

One cannot talk about Baum biographies without mentioning Michael Patrick Hearn. While he has yet to publish his critical biography of Baum (I have heard it is finished, they are simply awaiting a good time to release it, though Hearn probably is yet putting finishing touches on it), he did include a nice biography of Baum in his groundbreaking work The Annotated Wizard of Oz. While far from the first serious study of the Oz books, this book offered a reprint of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with annotations in which Hearn speculates on how the story is being told in the context of Baum's life and the larger work of the Oz series and the literary world. Thus, this put Oz in the eye of critically examined literature. The book was first published in 1973, but was heavily revised and expanded in 2000. (The shape of the book changed in 2000, so it was less like the original edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.) The lengthy introduction by Hearn offers a lot of good information about Baum's life as well as numerous photos. The appendix includes a bibliography of Baum's works.

Hearn's research was later used as the basis of the 1991 television film The Dreamer of Oz, though, in Baum tradition, that film took many opportunities to make the truth sound like a better story.

Mother and daughter pair Jean Shirley and Angelica Shirley Carpenter (now a former Oz Club president and a friend) produced L. Frank Baum: Royal Historian of Oz in 1992. While aimed at young readers, this biography was actually very well-done and researched and featured numerous pictures, definitely benefiting from the research that had been published in The Baum Bugle.

Finally is Katherine M. Rogers' L. Frank Baum: The Creator of Oz, published in 2002. A more studious biography of Baum's life, it is able to put his life and works into a good historical perspective with quite a bit more research.

While not Baum biographies, I should make mention of two books edited by Nancy Tystad Koupal: Our Landlady and Baum's Road to Oz, both of which focus on Baum's years in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

The less studious might ask, "Why get multiple biographies of someone? Shouldn't one good one be enough?" Perhaps, if one just wishes to know about the person's life, but to my knowledge, there is not a biography of a person that has been declared "definitive," in that that one book contains all the information you'd need to know about a person's life. Although I do look forward to the day Michael Patrick Hearn releases his critical Baum biography, I doubt that book will be the be all and end all source of information about Baum. Multiple sources of information are always best on a topic.

The Later Oz Works of Jack Snow

While they were not publishing any new Oz stories by him, Reilly & Lee kept Jack Snow as a possible returning author for future Oz books. (They did publish an Oz book without him and Kramer, but we'll get to that soon.) But his next (and last) Oz venture with them wasn't an Oz story.

Published in 1954, Who's Who in Oz was an alphabetical listing of all the characters from the thirty-nine Oz books. Also, Snow provided biographical sketches of the authors and illustrators of the Oz books. (It must be noted that this was 1954, before the International Wizard of Oz Club was founded, so there had not been a lot of published research done in this area yet, so some of Snow's information is a little faulty.)

While Snow is informative and doesn't reveal too many plot details, there are a few points in his listing of Oz characters that stick out oddly. When he covers the Good Witch of the North, who he seems to treat as a different character from Tattypoo, who "thought she was the Good Witch of the North," he says, "Dorothy says that some pretty important things have transpired involving the Good Witch of the North, but the story is just too long to crowd into a small space. It would take a whole book, Dorothy tells us."

The Guardian of the Gates is not listed as Snow somehow made the mistake of combining him and the Soldier with the Green Whiskers, Omby Amby. Under Omby's listing, it says "See also WANTOWIN." Wantowin has a separate listing saying, "This is really Omby Amby, the soldier with the green whiskers. Perhaps the Oz historian who wrote this book wanted to see if you remembered Omby Amby and so invented a new name for him. Well, you did remember, and now Wantowin is again called Omby Amby." Snow, you cheeky man...

Who's Who in Oz is a worthwhile addition to an Oz collection, and it should only take a little bit of searching to find. It was reprinted in 1988 by Peter Bedrick Books, which is the edition I own. I would not be surprised if it had a largely new design, but it is a very attractive volume. Apparently, the International Wizard of Oz Club bought up a large stock of these and has had them available for sale. (However, they have recently announced that they are trying to clear their inventory.) Books of Wonder once listed it in their catalog. There has also been another reprint, but I have not seen this one.

The only other completed Oz work by Snow is a short story called "A Murder in Oz," which he submitted to Ellery Queen magazine, but it was rejected. Posthumously, the International Wizard of Oz Club serialized it in some of the earliest issues of The Baum Bugle. It has also been reprinted alongside some of Snow's supernatural horror fiction in Hungry Tiger Press' Spectral Snow: The Dark Fantasies of Jack Snow, which is where I read it.

It is a story that I have, for a long time, been against spoiling the ending of. Let it suffice to say that in the story, Ozma is found dead and the Wizard and Glinda must find the murderer.

Although many do not consider "Murder" to be part of Oz continuity, I personally accept it as so. I see no real discontinuity, except for that clunky bit where the characters say that Baum established that people in Oz cannot be killed. But my favorite part is near the beginning, in which the adult characters of Oz enjoy some things they wouldn't around the children. Cocktails are served, while Glinda is attended to by handsome mountain giants and the Shaggy Man smokes a cigar. I would recommend "Murder" to Oz fans.

There has been word of Snow working on a third Oz book manuscript entitled Over the Rainbow to Oz. There has been talk that it would cover the early history of Oz, but according to Lin Carter, Polychrome would meet a boy in America named Billy and take him over the rainbow to Oz. And seemingly, the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West would also play a factor. I would not be surprised if that odd bit about the Good Witch of the North in Who's Who was also a clue about this book.

If Over the Rainbow to Oz ever existed, it has been tragically lost to us, and perhaps not because of time. I have heard a rumor that the manuscript was possibly destroyed. Marcus Mebes informs me that to his knowledge, a Virginia Glendening, claiming her mother was in negotiations to illustrate, said she had the manuscript in a safe deposit box and would trade it for a copy of Ruth Plumly Thompson's The Wonder Book. When Fred Meyer of the International Wizard of Oz Club offered to follow through on this, she claimed she was having trouble retrieving the manuscript, but she'd work on it. She died sometime afterward without having done so, and her heirs have not responded to any questions about it. (Marcus asks that if this information is inaccurate, he'd welcome a correction.)

Jack Snow's final, but perhaps greatest, contribution to Oz came shortly after his death. He noted that Sherlock Holmes fans had begun a group called "The Baker Street Irregulars." Why couldn't such a society exist for Oz fans? Snow had been corresponding with many Oz fans, and had commented, "How nice it would be if they could write to one another and leave me alone."

An announcement of "The Oz Irregulars" appeared in the April, 1955 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, but nothing came of it. However, after Snow's death, his address book was used by a young fan named Justin Schiller to create the charter members of a little group called "The International Wizard of Oz Club."

Snow died in 1956. In his afterword to Spectral Snow, David Maxine writes: "The cause of his death is said to have been internal hemorrhaging probably related to cirrhosis of the liver." But Snow's life was not a happy one, even aside from his lack of success with Oz.

Jack Snow was gay in a time when homosexuality was extremely frowned upon. Thus, not only was he treated as a social pariah, he also had trouble accepting it himself. This personal stress is believed by some to have helped the deterioration of his health, leading to his death at age 48. In a posting on the International Wizard of Oz Club's message board, Maxine criticized Snow's family. "They cut him off, have blocked research into his life, and have left him in an unmarked grave for fifty-plus years. Their bigotry is what they should be ashamed of — not Snow's sexual orientation"

(David Maxine has since visited Jack Snow's grave and discovered that Jack Snow is buried next to his father whose grave is marked by a simple military headstone, issued by the government. Perhaps financial straits are a reason why Snow's grave has gone unmarked.)

Maxine's mention of "cut him off" refers to financial troubles Snow experienced in his later years. One sad item of note to Oz fans is that Snow had one of the largest collections of Baum materials at the time, but in his dire financial straits, he was forced to sell it off.

Unlike Baum and the others who had worked on the Oz series, Snow's life did not have a happy note before death. He had no idea of how much his Oz work would be appreciated, or of the result of his hope of an Oz society that did come to pass and still runs today.

Appreciation of Snow's work is what we can do to remind us of a man who wanted to bring Oz back to how Baum had it. Everyone, as long as they could get along with others, is welcome in the Oz Snow wrote about, no matter what their eccentricity might be.

The Shaggy Man of Oz

Snow didn't waste time getting to work on his next Oz book. This time, he'd send the classic Oz characters on a proper adventure, led by the Shaggy Man! There would be Father Goose, an inventor, and Crystal People!

Well, until the Reilly & Lee editor told him that it was too reminiscent of Tik-Tok of Oz.

Well, back to basics...

Kramer was back on board too, and this time, he was set to make his illustrations much better than last time.

However, The Shaggy Man of Oz was delayed until 1949. The initial delay was because Reilly & Lee hoped that Magical Mimics would pick up in sales. There doesn't seem to be a formal explanation as to why there was a three year gap in between Snow's books, but we can definitely tell that it didn't help Reilly & Lee's efforts to relaunch the Oz series.

Shaggy Man opens with two twins called Tom and Twink who live in Buffalo, New York. It's a rainy day, and they're bored as they go to watch a Buffalo Bill serial on their projection television screen. But shortly after the show begins, the scene shifts to an island with a castle and a tiny clown who looks like their toy clown Twoffle. The clown tells them to step into the picture to meet Conjo the Wizard who wants to see them, and as it turns out, the picture serves as a portal to Conjo's Island. The tiny clown introduces himself as Twiffle, the cousin of Twoffle.

Meanwhile, in the Emerald City, the Love Magnet has fallen from the gates and broken. Ozma tasks the Shaggy Man to have it repaired, having discovered Conjo created the Love Magnet. They look in at Conjo's island and see Tom and Twink. Ozma immediately has her doubts of Conjo being a good man, and gives the Shaggy Man a magic compass that will bring him home to Oz. If he uses it while holding hands with the children, they will be brought along as well.

Shaggy arrives on the island, and joins Twiffle, Twink, and Tom. Conjo definitely has something up his sleeve, but acts amiably, and agrees to repair the Love Magnet in return for the Compass. Conjo has an airship that works by repelling gravity, which he tells Shaggy he may use to go back to Oz. Shaggy marvels at this, but he doesn't outrightly agree to the trade, particularly as the Compass is Ozma's. However, that night, Shaggy wakes up and finds a repaired Love Magnet (I suddenly had a thought of "What if Conjo had a spare and just used that?" But if that's the case, how is it of any importance? Shaggy will be going back with a complete Magnet, which was what he set out to do.), but the Compass is gone. He goes back to sleep, wondering why Conjo couldn't do a proper exchange, if the airship will work, and even more troubling, why did Conjo want Twink and Tom?

Shaggy soon finds the answer when Twiffle awakens him. He has discovered why Twink and Tom were brought: to have their memories wiped and to be servants of Conjo. Ashamed of his own involvement, he helps Shaggy get the children and then helps them escape in the airship.

The ship alights outside a city in the air (not clouds, not an airborne island, AIR), where the people are only too happy to invite the four newcomers to live with them. The ship flies away without them, as Twiffle forgot to put it in a proper "parked" mode. But a bird tells them they may "swim" down to earth. This brings them to the Valley of Romance, which is somewhere in the Land of Ev. (Oh, Ev... And Ozma of Oz made you look so barren...)

In this Valley is a lovely castle where people who act confused perform a play very badly. The Shaggy Man is enchanted into joining the play, and the next night, Twink herself is taken. Twiffle tells Tom about this and exclaims that these people do not understand love, giving Tom the idea to use the Love Magnet to introduce the Palace inhabitants to love and remind them about true romance, which works. (A bit weak, but there you go.) The Valley of Romance becomes the Valley of Love.

Wait... Do we vaguely recall some other place called the something of Romance? ... Nah, must be because this is my second read...

As the four set out again, they meet the King of the Fairy Beavers from ... John Dough and the Cherub! Ah, right, that book had the Palace of Romance, and the King of the Fairy Beavers was on Mifket Island! ... What's he doing in Ev, then?

Anyway, the King of the Fairy Beavers would like to visit Oz, and with Shaggy as an escort, says he has a plan to do so: use the Nome King's tunnel from The Emerald City of Oz! (Wait... wasn't that refilled with earth? *Checks.* Yep. ... Snow...) The tunnel poses only two difficulties: Flame Folk who live on the desert do not want the travelers in the tunnel, which they use to help them enjoy the burning sands of the desert better, and Glinda's Barrier of Invisibility. (Remember that? Well, after Baum, Thompson, and Neill ignored it so many times, it's a wonder Snow even brings it up.) The Flame Folk are forced to go back to the surface by the Beaver King's water magic, and he uses Visibility Cloaks so they can see each other in the barrier.

Finally, everyone emerges in the Emerald City garden, where they discover Conjo arrived a short while ago and stole the Wizard's black bag, then locked himself in the tower where the Wizard's workshop is. Conjo wants the Wizard's job, and plans to make Ozma comply with his wishes. However, the King of the Fairy Beavers saves the day again by squirting water from the Fountain of Oblivion into Conjo's mouth, wiping his memory, which mirrors what he planned to do to Twink and Tom.

Ozma returns and sends Conjo and Twiffle home, Twiffle being in charge of re-educating Conjo. The King of the Fairy Beavers is allowed to visit and have some of the Water of Oblivion. The Wizard's black bag is found, hidden behind a tree in the Magic Picture's default image. Twink and Tom, although they enjoyed their visit to Oz and meeting so many of the people they had read of in the Oz books, ask to go home, which Ozma promises to do as they sleep. (Ala The Road to Oz.)

Altogether, while Shaggy Man is a fun Oz book and an enjoyable read, it's not as good as Magical Mimics, though it improves with less heavy-handed exposition. Still, Twink and Tom are rather two-dimensional characters, and while they react well to their experiences, they lack the wide-eyed wonder Dorothy had when she first came to Oz, or Button-Bright's almost jaded approach, where nothing bothers him.

Snow strangely blunders continuity-wise more than once here. Conjo's story of the creation of the Love Magnet matches the story Shaggy told Dorothy of how he obtained it in The Road to Oz, except that story was later admitted to being a lie, and Shaggy must always be truthful having bathed in the Truth Pond. I mentioned the new location of the Fairy Beavers' home, unless we assume that they have many homes, or moved away. I also mentioned the issue with the Nome King's tunnel. That Snow, someone who had studied Baum's work so thoroughly, made these errors is very strange indeed.

Kramer's artwork is somewhat better this time around, although he was definitely not a John R. Neill. Still, some errors pop up. Twink's hairstyle changes often. And this is not because "she's a girl and changes it." When she enters the picture to Conjo's island, she has two straight braids. When Ozma sees her in the Magic picture, she has a single thick braid at the back of her head. We can assume these two moments take place in no more than ten minutes from each other, and we can scarcely imagine that a girl would un-braid and re-braid her hair in that much time, particularly when she's just been transported to fairyland. Perhaps it is no wonder why a couple of my Oz friends wanted to re-illustrate Snow's books in new editions. (Those plans have since been abandoned, but I'm putting it back out there!)

Altogether, though, I enjoyed The Shaggy Man of Oz, faults and all, as it was Snow having a fun romp through the world of Oz, rather than the high stakes he created in Magical Mimics. I'd definitely recommend it as one of the better post-Baum Oz books.

Although... I do have to wonder if my reading of another piece of literature didn't prepare me for this book. I speak of "Abby," a short story by Eric Shanower, printed in Oz-Story Magazine #2. It follows up with Tom and Twink (their real names being Zebbediah and Abbadiah, respectively, Twink going by Abby now) after they have become adults, Abby reflecting on her incredible visit to fairyland. As for what else happens there, I won't spoil it. (Yet.)

At any rate, this was the last Jack Snow Oz novel. With sales for this book also tanking, it seemed clear that the Oz series was not destined for a revival quite yet.

But you probably now how it goes with Oz and the "Royal Historians" who were published by Reilly & Lee. Their final entry to the Famous Forty was never their last venture into Oz.

The Magical Mimics in Oz

About 1920, Reilly & Lee received a letter from an enthusiastic Oz fan. In light of L. Frank Baum's death, if they needed someone to write Oz stories for them, he was ready. He was turned down. They had already selected Ruth Plumly Thompson, and this fan was only twelve years old.

Despite his dismissal, this fan continued research into Baum's life and works, and later worked for several radio stations. He also began writing short stories and columns for magazines. So, in 1943, when he heard of the death of John R. Neill, he brought his offer to the table again. His name was Jack Snow.

Reilly & Lee had put the Oz series on a brief hiatus while looking for a new Royal Historian and illustrator. Mary Dickerson Donahey was offered the Oz series, but although she would have loved to, a series of already thirty-six books had too many characters and too much back story to keep a track of. In 1944, Snow was selected to continue the series.

In a perfect world, Snow would have immediately cranked out an Oz story, it would be illustrated and on store shelves in time for Christmas, 1944, and business would resume for Oz as usual, but that was not to be. While Snow turned out a manuscript quickly enough, the paper shortage and labor difficulties due to World War II prevented a 1944 publication.

Snow suggested Frank Kramer, an artist who had done illustrations for many of the same types of magazines that Snow had worked on, take over as illustrator. Frank O'Donnell agreed, and the illustrator was in.

Sadly, The Magical Mimics in Oz, Snow's first Oz book, did not see print until 1946. Although a brave promotion strategy was enacted, the book failed to sell as well as other Oz books. Note that there had been a four year gap since the last Oz book, so there was plenty of time for enthusiasm to die down. A 14 year old child who had received Lucky Bucky in Oz for Christmas would have been 18, and the just-concluded war had brought about new and exciting developments in the real world that, in the minds of the American public, put fairy tales to shame.

But how was Magical Mimics? Well, Snow did not have the same fears that Mary Dickerson Donahey had experienced. Instead of trying to remember every detail of all the previous Oz books, Snow went back to the Oz Baum had left the end of Glinda of Oz. (Reportedly, Thompson approved of this.) This has since become the standard way most subsequent Oz tales begin. Snow's Oz would be a refreshing step back instead of trying to work with the messy world Thompson and Neill had developed Oz into.

Ozma calls Dorothy to her study to inform her that she and Glinda will be attending a Grand Council with Queen Lurline in the Forest of Burzee. In her absence, Dorothy will govern the Emerald City.

That's the first two chapters. Much of the first chapter was an expanded tale of how Lurline made Oz into a fairyland. The third chapter tells us what she did next: place a spell on the Mimics of Mount Illuso, the twin mountain of Mount Fantistico of the Phanfasms, so they could not harm a citizen of Oz. Already Snow is delving into the world Baum had created and expanding on it in his own way.

But now Snow does his biggest deviation from Baum as the villains come in. He had just established the Mimics, who can take any form they choose, but their most fearsome power is taking someone's form by casting themselves on their shadow, the victim becoming completely immobile. The leaders of the Mimics are Queen Ra and King Umb, and when they discover Ozma and Glinda have left Oz, they turn into giant birds and fly to Oz, where they steal the forms of Dorothy and the Wizard, and then have them carried back to their mountain.

In the cavern that Dorothy and the Wizard are dropped into, a light shines after the Mimics have left and frees Dorothy and the Wizard from their enchantment. A little wooden man named Hi-Lo arrives and takes them in an elevator to his home on the mountain, where they meet his wife in the village of Pineville, where Princess Ozana lives. She made the citizens out of a pine forest, for she is a fairy who has been tasked to keep an eye on the Mimics. When Dorothy and the Wizard tell Ozana of their plight, she is unaware of Umb and Ra's departure. (Sneaky devils!) She begins to make preparations to go to Oz, and allows Dorothy and the Wizard to enjoy one of Snow's most whimsical creations: Story Blossom Garden.

In this garden, plants tell stories when picked, based on what they are. Roses tell love stories, tiger-lilies tell jungle tales, and weeds tell action hero stories. Subtle humor on Snow's part, quite worthy of a Baum successor. At the chapter's close, Dorothy is told a bedtime story by a poppy, which harkens back to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, though this poppy is definitely not of a malignant nature.

Meanwhile, the other people in the Emerald City are struck by the sudden change in Dorothy and the Wizard, how they have forgotten things they knew and secretive and dismissive of others. Ra is looking through Ozma's magic books for a spell to counteract Lurline's enchantment on Mount Illuso, but fails to find it before dinner, which they attend to avoid looking too suspicious. Toto, a late dinner arrival, immediately sees that Ra and Umb are not Dorothy and the Wizard. We are left to assume this is how well he knows Dorothy. At any rate, he blows the Mimics' cover and they flee to the magic room and lock themselves in, finding the enchantment, stealing the Magic Belt, and turning into hideous batlike creatures and flying away just before the other palace residents break down the door. Uncle Henry is sent to Glinda's to gather a report on what happened from the Book of Records, while the Magic Picture assures everyone that the real Wizard and Dorothy are safe.

On Mount Illuso, while Umb and Ra are shocked to discover Dorothy and the Wizard gone, they waste no time in dispelling the enchantment, so all the Mimics soon swarm to the Emerald City and quickly conquer it, immobilizing regular people as they duplicate them, sedating the animals by magic, and tying up the Scarecrow and Scraps. Ozma and Glinda return and defy them as they might, they cannot overcome the Mimics.

Ozana has summoned giant swans to carry them back to Oz, but realizes they are too late to prevent the invasion. Upon arriving, Ozana proves that magic against her is useless and restores Lurline's enchantment to protect the people of Oz. The Magic Belt is returned, and Ra and Umb are rendered powerless. All the Mimics' victims are free again, and the Mimics are enchanted into mirrors, which are shattered, returning them to Mount Illuso. (The mirrors are magically repaired, so Jellia doesn't have to worry about cleaning up all that glass!)

Ozma invites Ozana to stay in Oz, where she can still keep an eye on the Mimics. Her village of Pineville and Story Blossom Garden are transported to the Quadling Country, where the Mimics cannot get to them. A grand celebration is held in honor of Ozma's return, the defeat of the Mimics, the wit of Toto, and the new Princess of Oz, Ozana.

While the style change from Thompson, Neill, and even, in some ways, Baum may have thrown off some readers, The Magical Mimics in Oz is a refreshing story after going through the past several Oz books. Snow's story is humorous, exciting, and bold. And even though there are some nasty villains, by the story's end, they are disposed of and rendered powerless, in classic Baum tradition.

But still, Mimics was not a commercial success for Reilly & Lee. As I cited above, after four years with no new Oz books, the audience could easily have lost interest, especially with the lastest developments in the real world. Children were less interested in fairy tales at the time, and more entranced by what could be achieved through science and technology. The magic of Oz was just a story, while the new craze in science fiction, which both Snow and Kramer had worked in, showed what might actually happen. Unlike Thompson and Neill, who had introduced magic automobiles and airships to Oz, Snow abstained from bringing new technologies to Baum's fairyland.

Kramer, sadly, received some of the blame for the book's financial disappointment. He had not been a children's book illustrator before, and while his work is fine, when compared with the art of the legendary John R. Neill, something feels lacking. Kramer's art was also inconsistent at times. He draws Toto looking as like a different breed of dog each time.

Anyway, despite the commercial disappointment, Reilly & Lee didn't write Snow and Kramer off as a failure, realizing that it might take time to bring their audiences back to Oz. This new author and illustrator team would return to Oz very soon.

Snow's Magic Sled

Just the year before he died, Jack Snow published a Christmas story in a magazine called "Inside AHS." Snow is mainly remembered for his two Oz novels The Magical Mimics in Oz and The Shaggy Man of Oz, as well as Who's Who In Oz. It is rumored that he had a third Oz story in the works. However, he wrote a wide variety of tales, some rather horrific and disturbing, and some very whimsical.

Such a tale is The Magic Sled, originally published in Inside AHS, it was most recently made available in Oz-Story #5 in 1999 with illustrations by Eric Shanower.

In the story, a little boy named Bobby gets a sled for his birthday, which happens to fall on Christmas Eve. That night, he is visited by Santa Claus, who tells him that the sled is magical, being made with wood from a tree in the Forest of Burzee. Santa Claus must take the sled back, but he gives Bobby a ride on it. Tying it to the back of the sleigh, Bobby flies through the sky with Santa Claus. Finally, he must return home, so Santa Claus cuts the cord, promising that Bobby will find a replacement sled just like the magic one. Bobby lands and awakens in his bed on a snowy Christmas morning.

The story has to be one of the most beautifully done stories I've ever read, and even better, it seems to tie in with Baum's Santa Claus mythos. Or does it? While Santa Claus mentions the Forest of Burzee, he has eight reindeer, while in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, he has ten. In addition, Snow names six of the eight reindeer: Dancer, Prancer, Donner, Blitzen, Comet, and Vixen, names from The Night Before Christmas. Perhaps the other two are Flossie and Glossie, or Dasher and Cupid. We could guess that Santa has had to change out deer since he started making his annual Christmas deliveries, but that doesn't explain why he decided he needed two less reindeer.

Another idea is that it is very possible that Bobby's journey is just a dream he had. He goes to sleep, then awakes when he sees Santa Claus, and when he leaves the sleigh, he ends up in his bed. This makes me think it is a dream, and thus may explain why some of the details about the Santa Claus mythos (either from Moore or Baum) are a little mixed. Story-wise, that is. I believe I read that Snow had to sell off a lot of his Oz and Baum collection, so I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't read Baum's Santa Claus tale in awhile.

All the same, I think this story has been largely overlooked and should be a true Christmas classic, just like it deserves to be.