The International Wizard of Oz Club
Encyclopedia
The International Wizard of Oz Club, Inc., was founded during 1957 by Justin G. Schiller, a then thirteen-year-old boy.
The sixteen charter members, some of whom continue to make valuable contributions to the club, were garnered from the mailing list found among the papers of the recently deceased Jack Snow
, with whom Schiller and the others had discussed the work of L. Frank Baum
.
The organization today has hundreds of members from all over the world, including children, adults who were alive when the books were still being published annually, ardent Baumists, Oz collectors, and those interested primarily in the classic MGM movie
.
The society's major publication, The Baum Bugle
, began with Schiller duplicating issues on his parents' mimeograph machine. It is now published three times a year and has been recognized as a scholarly journal
by the Modern Language Association
since 1983. It has reached 159 issues as of Winter 2010, and its issues have more than doubled in size over the years, typically running to forty pages plus full-color covers.
Oz Club members originally organized three major conventions
a year in the United States (Munchkin (east)
, Winkie (west)
, and Ozmopolitan (central). The self-supporting events attracted members in that region of the country. Arriving with car loads of decorations, props, costumes, auction contributions and show-and-tell materials, attendees immersed themselves in a weekend of Ozzy camaraderie. The Convention names usually reflected geographical locations or citizens identified in the Oz books. There are also smaller gatherings, most frequently South Winkie, Quadling, and Gillikin or Ozcanabans. The last group met in the banquet hall of a restaurant in Escanaba, Michigan
, home of Fred M. Meyer, a founding member who served for decades as the club's secretary. Meyer also mailed out an annual Christmas card to all members each year, often with ideas for new Oz books, until his health put him at emeritus
status that lasted to the end of his life. As large public Oz festivals grew in popularity, IWOC conventions in the Midwest and East Coast lost much of their support base; fans found the guest speakers attractive and the flexible accommodations more affordable. The Ozmopolitan and Munchkin conventions could not be sustained, although the Winkie convention in Pacific Grove, California, remains a robust, vibrant fan event for West Coast members.
Beginning in 2008, the Oz Club began to hold conventions with programs designed to appeal more broadly to the general public. They are frequently tied to geographic sites of special interest to Oz fans giving members a chance to visit these locations as a group. These national conventions will next be hosted in Banner Elk, North Carolina, Aug. 5–7, 2011 on the site of the Land of Oz theme park, and in the Macatawa/Holland, Michigan area in June, 2012. Information about all the conventions can be found at ozclub.org.
Notable members of the Club past and present have included Ray Bradbury
, Willard Carroll
, Martha Coolidge
, Rachel Cosgrove Payes
, Martin Gardner
, Margaret Hamilton
, Michael Patrick Hearn
, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Bronson Pinchot
(who organized conventions in the 1970s), Edward Wagenknecht
, Eric Shanower
, John Fricke
, and Meinhardt Raabe
. Frank Joslyn Baum
was appointed the club's first president. Robert Allison Baum, Jr., a great-grandson of the author, currently serves on the board of directors.
The club has published many of Baum's rarer books, including Animal Fairy Tales, Aunt Jane's Nieces, and Twinkle and Chubbins. It published two Oz books by Ruth Plumly Thompson
and one each by Rachel Cosgrove and the team of Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren Lynn McGraw. In 2000, it put out its first new Oz book not linked to the original series: Gina Wickwar's The Hidden Prince of Oz, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool. A Wickwar/Cool sequel followed in 2007, Toto of Oz. That same year it published The Collected Short Stories of L. Frank Baum. In addition, the Club has published a set of color-printed maps of The Marvelous Land of Oz and Countries Surrounding the Land of Oz, as well as new editions of short stories by L. Frank Baum and Ruth Plumly Thompson. Its best-selling publication is Bibliographia Oziana by Douglas G. Greene and Peter E. Hanff, which provides bibliographical descriptions of the original Oz series.
The Club owns a small but fine collection of original artwork and archival materials.
The sixteen charter members, some of whom continue to make valuable contributions to the club, were garnered from the mailing list found among the papers of the recently deceased Jack Snow
Jack Snow (writer)
John Frederick "Jack" Snow was an American radio writer and scholar, primarily of the works of L. Frank Baum. When Baum died in 1919, the twelve-year-old Snow offered to be the next Royal Historian of Oz, but was politely turned down by a staffer at Baum's publisher, Reilly & Lee...
, with whom Schiller and the others had discussed the work of L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
.
The organization today has hundreds of members from all over the world, including children, adults who were alive when the books were still being published annually, ardent Baumists, Oz collectors, and those interested primarily in the classic MGM movie
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
.
The society's major publication, The Baum Bugle
The Baum Bugle
The Baum Bugle: A Journal of Oz is the official journal of The International Wizard of Oz Club. The journal was founded in 1957, with its first issue released in June of that year . It publishes three times per year, with issues dated Spring, Autumn, and Winter; Issue No. 1 of Volume 50 appeared in...
, began with Schiller duplicating issues on his parents' mimeograph machine. It is now published three times a year and has been recognized as a scholarly journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
by the Modern Language Association
Modern Language Association
The Modern Language Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature...
since 1983. It has reached 159 issues as of Winter 2010, and its issues have more than doubled in size over the years, typically running to forty pages plus full-color covers.
Oz Club members originally organized three major conventions
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
a year in the United States (Munchkin (east)
Munchkin Country
Munchkin Country is the Eastern region in the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In Wizard it was originally called "the land of Munchkins", and "Munchkin Country" in all subsequent Oz books...
, Winkie (west)
Winkie Country
The Winkie Country is a division of the fictional Land of Oz. It is distinguished by the color yellow; this color is worn by most of the local inhabitants and predominates in the surroundings....
, and Ozmopolitan (central). The self-supporting events attracted members in that region of the country. Arriving with car loads of decorations, props, costumes, auction contributions and show-and-tell materials, attendees immersed themselves in a weekend of Ozzy camaraderie. The Convention names usually reflected geographical locations or citizens identified in the Oz books. There are also smaller gatherings, most frequently South Winkie, Quadling, and Gillikin or Ozcanabans. The last group met in the banquet hall of a restaurant in Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the banana belt on the state's Upper Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,140, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie...
, home of Fred M. Meyer, a founding member who served for decades as the club's secretary. Meyer also mailed out an annual Christmas card to all members each year, often with ideas for new Oz books, until his health put him at emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
status that lasted to the end of his life. As large public Oz festivals grew in popularity, IWOC conventions in the Midwest and East Coast lost much of their support base; fans found the guest speakers attractive and the flexible accommodations more affordable. The Ozmopolitan and Munchkin conventions could not be sustained, although the Winkie convention in Pacific Grove, California, remains a robust, vibrant fan event for West Coast members.
Beginning in 2008, the Oz Club began to hold conventions with programs designed to appeal more broadly to the general public. They are frequently tied to geographic sites of special interest to Oz fans giving members a chance to visit these locations as a group. These national conventions will next be hosted in Banner Elk, North Carolina, Aug. 5–7, 2011 on the site of the Land of Oz theme park, and in the Macatawa/Holland, Michigan area in June, 2012. Information about all the conventions can be found at ozclub.org.
Notable members of the Club past and present have included Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
, Willard Carroll
Willard Carroll
Willard Carroll is an American film producer, writer, and director. He was executive producer of The Brave Little Toaster series, writing the screenplays for The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars...
, Martha Coolidge
Martha Coolidge
Martha Coolidge is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. -Career:Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Ms. Coolidge first made her reputation by directing many award winning documentaries in New York before moving out to Hollywood in 1976. She spent several...
, Rachel Cosgrove Payes
Rachel Cosgrove Payes
Rachel R. Cosgrove Payes, also known as E.L. Arch and Joanne Kaye was an American genre novelist, and author of books on the Land of Oz...
, Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion...
, Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton was an American film actress known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz...
, Michael Patrick Hearn
Michael Patrick Hearn
Michael Patrick Hearn is an American literary scholar and one of America's leading men of letters specializing in children's literature and its illustration. His works include The Annotated Wizard of Oz , The Annotated Christmas Carol , and The Annotated Huckleberry Finn...
, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Bronson Pinchot
Bronson Pinchot
Bronson Alcott Pinchot is an American actor. He has appeared in several feature films, including Risky Business, Beverly Hills Cop , The First Wives Club, True Romance, Courage Under Fire and It's My Party...
(who organized conventions in the 1970s), Edward Wagenknecht
Edward Wagenknecht
Edward Wagenknecht was an American literary critic and teacher, who specialized in 19th century American literature. He wrote and edited many books on literature and movies, and taught for many years at various universities, including the University of Chicago and Boston University...
, Eric Shanower
Eric Shanower
Eric James Shanower is an American comics artist and writer, best known for his Oz novels and comics and the on-going retelling of the Trojan War as Age of Bronze.-Biography:...
, John Fricke
John Fricke
John Fricke is a historian/author on The Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland. He has been a major figure in the Oz community for many years. He recently served as consultant for every aspect of the new 2005 deluxe DVD set of M-G-M's The Wizard of Oz, released by Warner Home Video. This includes his...
, and Meinhardt Raabe
Meinhardt Raabe
Meinhardt Frank Raabe was an American actor. He was one of the last surviving Munchkin-actors in The Wizard of Oz, and was also the last surviving cast member with any dialogue in the film...
. Frank Joslyn Baum
Frank Joslyn Baum
Frank Joslyn Baum was a lawyer, soldier, writer, and film producer, though his attempts to continue the legacy of his father brought him lawsuit and estrangement from his family. Nonetheless, he became the first president of The International Wizard of Oz Club.He is best known as the author of To...
was appointed the club's first president. Robert Allison Baum, Jr., a great-grandson of the author, currently serves on the board of directors.
The club has published many of Baum's rarer books, including Animal Fairy Tales, Aunt Jane's Nieces, and Twinkle and Chubbins. It published two Oz books by Ruth Plumly Thompson
Ruth Plumly Thompson
Ruth Plumly Thompson was an American writer of children's stories.-Life and work:An avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began her writing career in 1914 when she took a job with the Philadelphia Public Ledger; she wrote...
and one each by Rachel Cosgrove and the team of Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren Lynn McGraw. In 2000, it put out its first new Oz book not linked to the original series: Gina Wickwar's The Hidden Prince of Oz, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool. A Wickwar/Cool sequel followed in 2007, Toto of Oz. That same year it published The Collected Short Stories of L. Frank Baum. In addition, the Club has published a set of color-printed maps of The Marvelous Land of Oz and Countries Surrounding the Land of Oz, as well as new editions of short stories by L. Frank Baum and Ruth Plumly Thompson. Its best-selling publication is Bibliographia Oziana by Douglas G. Greene and Peter E. Hanff, which provides bibliographical descriptions of the original Oz series.
The Club owns a small but fine collection of original artwork and archival materials.