The Cowardly Lion of Oz

1923, undated probably 1930s (see below) Reilly & Lee edition
Ruth Plumly Thompson
Illustrated by John R. Neill
The Cowardly Lion of Oz
Bought used for $15.00
Hardcover with worn corners, stains, and some coloring
C+


On the "This Book Belongs to" page is written, "Mary Louisa [illegible] from Theda, Dec. 25, 1933, May you be very Happy always."  That right there is the most interesting thing in the book.  Who was Theda?  A friend?  An aunt?  A psychologist?  How happy was little Mary Louisa in the midst of the Depression?  How did her life turn out later?  And what, a Christmas gift with no seasonal greetings?  And why did Mary Louisa just color in the first illustration, and not bother with the rest?  I could've got this then roughly 55-year-old edition for even less if she had.


As for the story itself, it's about an unfunny clown and an initially sad orphan boy who go to Oz and are immediately recruited into capturing the title character for a king who's vaguely an Arab stereotype (but much less than the Silvermen are Chinese-ish).  Meanwhile, our lion chum, on the very bad advice of Scraps, has decided to eat a brave man in order to gain real courage.  (Forget this humbug wizard brew that's served him for about 20 years.)  This book is the first where Thompson seriously begins the character assassination of my treasured Patchwork Girl.  Not only does she make Scraps advocate murder, but she shows not only newbie Sir Hokus but even the Scarecrow trying to repress the irrepressible girl's enthusiasm and doggerel.


My main enjoyment was looking for the best unintended double entendre.  It was tough to narrow down, with lines about knobs and rods (door and fishing respectively), and certainly the one about young Bob feeling uncomfortable when Notta (the annoyingly named clown, Notta Bit More) puts on one of his "queer costumes," deserves dishonorable mention.  But I'm going to go with Bob's question to the Cowardly Lion, "Are you a friend of Dorothy's?"  You go, Girl!


Neill's work is average this time.  He can't seem to draw bald people without full heads of hair.  There are times when I feel sorry for him, as when he has to present Notta (disguised as a fish) driving a Flyaboutabus and hitting a pedestrian who's encased in a glass jar.  I'm sure Thompson was abstemious, but I wouldn't blame Neill for wondering sometimes what she was smoking.  It would explain not only the oddness of her books but the beyond-Baum rambling nature.


The book ends with Notta and Bob settling in Oz, and Notta going off to pointlessly consult Prof. Wogglebug about Bob's "future."  Besides the fact that people don't really age in Oz, Bob doesn't even show up in later books, unless I've completely blanked him and Notta out.