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Oz-Mania

just came from an interesting house call this morning. It was most white plates and no color plates guarantees that none of them were first
interesting not because of the number of books I bought, which was editions of the early titles, which is what I wanted to know as I didn’t
Ionly 32 books, or for the number of those books that were first want to have to study the volumes as to the other points that would
editions, because none of them were first editions. But the interesting have identified the first printings if I did not have to. This might have
thing for me was that they were all Wizard of Oz books, by far the most taken some time as many of the titles can be complicated.
that I’ve ever bought in one fell swoop. The reference I brought along in case I needed it was Bibliographia
Probably just about everyone knows the first Wizard of Oz book was Oziana by Hanff, Greene, Martin, Greene, and Haff published by the
originally printed in 1900, but maybe you didn’t know that the book International Wizard of Oz Club,
was so popular that the author L. Frank Baum contented their series revised and enlarged edition, 1988.
with 13 more titles and at least two With reference books, it’s best to get
other authors who continued the the latest edition rather than the first
series after Baum’s death. edition and later editions might have
And they were all in good to very more info in them.
good condition and nine of them Other quick tricks to use on
even had most or all of their dust Wizard of Oz titles are that up to #12
jackets, although a few were raggedy Tin Woodsman of Oz, all the Oz
and missing chunks. Now normally books were first published by Reilly
when dust jackets are damaged or & Britton. In 1919 a new publisher,
missing from collectible books that is Reilly & Lee, took over the Oz
the kiss o’ death as far as collectibility books so any of the first 13 titles
and value are concerned. But in book published by Reilly & Lee are
collecting there are often exceptions. guaranteed to be reprints, so that is
Yes, of course, they would have been another easy check. Now after
worth more if they all had perfect dust 1919, Reilly & Lee did the first
jackets, but on the other hand, I have to editions of the later reprints.
take what I can get and I thought I was
very lucky to get these. So, if I see someone with a copy of
The good part was the condition the first title The Wizard of Oz that
of the books was above average and they claim is a first edition and it has
they did not have torn pages and the Reilly & Lee imprint, it is not. But
weren’t scribbled in which is often I should add that seeing a copy of
the case with older children’s books. The Wizard of Oz with the Reilly
Until I checked my reference, I & Britton imprint does not make it
had maybe thought that this was all a first edition either because the
of them – or at least all of the original title of the book when it was
core titles, but alas they were only first printed in 1900 was The
complete up through number XXX, Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Captain Salt in Oz, plus two more When I got them all back to the
later titles. Depending on how you shop, the first thing I did was to
count them, including the original 14 carefully repair the fragile dust
main titles by L. Frank Baum, the 19 jackets with acid-free archival
titles by Ruth Plumly Thompson who mending tape and cover them with
continued the series to 1939, plus the mylar dust jacket protectors to
three titles by John R. Neil up to 1942, keep them nice!
there are 36 main titles to that point. And that was my interesting and fun morning!
There are several more after that, but I
can’t get into those right now.
Although the nice lady I bought these from told me that none of James Dawson has owned and operated the Unicorn Bookshop
them were first editions, I double-checked just to make sure, but she in Trappe, MD since 1975, when he decided that it would be
was correct. The quick way I checked was to fan the pages of each to more fun to buy and sell old books and maps than to get a
see if any of them had color plates as the first editions of all but two of “real” job. For a born collector like Jim, having a shop just
might be another excuse to buy more books. He has about
these titles were originally issued with color plates, that is full page color 30,000 second hand and rare books on the shelves, and just
illustrations placed throughout the text. Now up to about 1935, the about all subjects are represented. He can be contacted at P.O.
reprints would have had color plates, too, so while color plates did not Box 154; Trappe, MD 21673; 410-476-3838;
guarantee that the book is a first edition, but them having all black and unicornbookshopMD@gmail.com; ww.unicornbookshop.com

50 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles