From the diary: “March 7, 1981
“GOOD NIGHT!!
PS.!! I’m still reading Glinda of Oz!! Okay?!! Yes!!!!”
Glinda of Oz was the last of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books, the last of his books period. Glinda was published after Baum’s death. In some ways it’s an early science fiction story. A domed city sinks beneath the surface of a lake to protect it from outsiders. Although the mechanism is activated by magic syllables the setting is more sci-fi than fairy.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Monday, March 14, 2005
The Magic of Oz
From the diary: “March 1, 1981
“I read The Magic of Oz today and I’m starting Glinda of Oz.”
The Magic of Oz sends all the "celebrities" of the Emerald City off through the land of Oz to find birthday presents for Ozma. Not a compelling premise. To shake things up a bit the Nome King (who has been banished from his kingdom partly through the goody-good deeds of the goody-good Oz folks) builds a new army to take out his nemeses.
The creepy fate that stuck in my mind in Magic: Trot & Cap'n Bill get trapped on a river island, rooted to the earth. The longer they stay the deeper their own bodies grow roots and their above ground selves shrink away.
At this time I was also writing a story of my own to take to the summer Oz convention.
“I read The Magic of Oz today and I’m starting Glinda of Oz.”
The Magic of Oz sends all the "celebrities" of the Emerald City off through the land of Oz to find birthday presents for Ozma. Not a compelling premise. To shake things up a bit the Nome King (who has been banished from his kingdom partly through the goody-good deeds of the goody-good Oz folks) builds a new army to take out his nemeses.
The creepy fate that stuck in my mind in Magic: Trot & Cap'n Bill get trapped on a river island, rooted to the earth. The longer they stay the deeper their own bodies grow roots and their above ground selves shrink away.
At this time I was also writing a story of my own to take to the summer Oz convention.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
blog catalog & ping my blog
Yup, I found another blog directory to submit to: blog catalog
I also did this:
... what that is I'm not sure, actually. Can anybody tell me?
I also did this:
... what that is I'm not sure, actually. Can anybody tell me?
The Tin Woodman of Oz
From the diary: “February 28, 1981
“Friday I stayed home because my cold was a lot worse than Wednesday or Thursday. I read The Tin Woodman of Oz and I started The Magic of Oz today.”
In The Tin Woodman of Oz our friend meets another tin man, this one a soldier, who endured the same fate as the woodman. Because he fell in love with a girl in the charge of a wicked witch the witch enchanted his sword to chop away at his body. The soldier went to the same tinsmith as the woodman. The tinsmith diligently replaced each missing flesh part with tin until the soldier was tin entirely. There are some odd scenes in the book. The Tin Woodman finds his old head in a cupboard in the tinsmith’s workshop. The head sneers at his tin version. Later the woodman and soldier meet the man who was built from their cast off parts. He’s an unpleasant fellow, too. And he’s married to the girl both tin men had loved!
“Friday I stayed home because my cold was a lot worse than Wednesday or Thursday. I read The Tin Woodman of Oz and I started The Magic of Oz today.”
In The Tin Woodman of Oz our friend meets another tin man, this one a soldier, who endured the same fate as the woodman. Because he fell in love with a girl in the charge of a wicked witch the witch enchanted his sword to chop away at his body. The soldier went to the same tinsmith as the woodman. The tinsmith diligently replaced each missing flesh part with tin until the soldier was tin entirely. There are some odd scenes in the book. The Tin Woodman finds his old head in a cupboard in the tinsmith’s workshop. The head sneers at his tin version. Later the woodman and soldier meet the man who was built from their cast off parts. He’s an unpleasant fellow, too. And he’s married to the girl both tin men had loved!
Saturday, March 12, 2005
The Lost Princess of Oz
From the diary: “February 23, 1981
“I finished Rinkitink in Oz (finally) over the weekend and I am starting The Lost Princess of Oz.”
Other things going on: I tried out for but did not get a part in the school play. I bred fruit flies as part of a biology class experiment. I took an IQ test in order to get into a gifted program. One of the questions, “You have a 9 pint can and a 5 pint can and you need exactly 13 pints, no more and no less. You go down to the stream to get your 13 pints. Hint: fill the 9 pint can first.” Apparently, “This stupid question stumped me during the test but this afternoon I figured it out and I am so mad at myself!” I was, it turned out, of sufficient IQ to get into the program.
“I finished Rinkitink in Oz (finally) over the weekend and I am starting The Lost Princess of Oz.”
Other things going on: I tried out for but did not get a part in the school play. I bred fruit flies as part of a biology class experiment. I took an IQ test in order to get into a gifted program. One of the questions, “You have a 9 pint can and a 5 pint can and you need exactly 13 pints, no more and no less. You go down to the stream to get your 13 pints. Hint: fill the 9 pint can first.” Apparently, “This stupid question stumped me during the test but this afternoon I figured it out and I am so mad at myself!” I was, it turned out, of sufficient IQ to get into the program.
Friday, March 11, 2005
getblogs
I've found another blog directory: Getblogs: The Blog Directory
And, yes, I've submitted the Dare I Read? url.
It seems kind of silly to be posting these blog directories, doesn't it? But then I think, people who visit this blog probably have a blog of their own and maybe they don't know about these blog directories and want to add their blogs to these blog directories, so they get lots of traffic!
Whee! Traffic!
Low spark of high-heeled boys!
And, yes, I've submitted the Dare I Read? url.
It seems kind of silly to be posting these blog directories, doesn't it? But then I think, people who visit this blog probably have a blog of their own and maybe they don't know about these blog directories and want to add their blogs to these blog directories, so they get lots of traffic!
Whee! Traffic!
Low spark of high-heeled boys!
Received
Have you ever looked in a literary magazine and seen the list of books "received"? It's always many more than they have space (or staff) to review. Nobody is sending me review copies but I buy books (or pick 'em up free when the library discards) so here's what I bought today:
Only the Lonely, a mini-comic anthology containing work by Josh Frankel, Tom Neely, Joe Sayers, and others, none of whom I know.
Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man by John Porcellino; I think Porcellino is great and have many copies of his King-Cat Comics.
Only the Lonely, a mini-comic anthology containing work by Josh Frankel, Tom Neely, Joe Sayers, and others, none of whom I know.
Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man by John Porcellino; I think Porcellino is great and have many copies of his King-Cat Comics.
Rinkitink in Oz
From the diary: “February 13, 1981
“I am certainly glad I am keeping [this diary]. Just think; I’ll be reading these words sometime years from now and pondering my thoughts just as I am now pondering the thoughts of that future self of mine way off in the future.”
“February 15, 1981
“Finally got back to reading Rinkitink in Oz.”
“I am certainly glad I am keeping [this diary]. Just think; I’ll be reading these words sometime years from now and pondering my thoughts just as I am now pondering the thoughts of that future self of mine way off in the future.”
“February 15, 1981
“Finally got back to reading Rinkitink in Oz.”
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Blogsearchengine
It looks cheesy. And there's this really annoying pop-up that gets in your way when you try to click through to any of the listed sites, but I added Dare I Read? to blogsearchengine.
The Scarecrow of Oz
From the diary: “January 21, 1981
“I’m still reading The Scarecrow of Oz.”
I see I was reading Baum’s books in order.
In the diary I also describe writing to rare book dealers I found through the Oz Club and getting prices lists for Oz and Baum books that were out of print. I received a copy of the club-published The Forbidden Fountain of Oz, an Oz book by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and her daughter Lauren.
“I’m still reading The Scarecrow of Oz.”
I see I was reading Baum’s books in order.
In the diary I also describe writing to rare book dealers I found through the Oz Club and getting prices lists for Oz and Baum books that were out of print. I received a copy of the club-published The Forbidden Fountain of Oz, an Oz book by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and her daughter Lauren.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
The Publish-it-Yourself Handbook
From the diary: “January 12, 1981
“The Publish-it-Yourself Handbook is very interesting and I am thinking of self-publishing The Collected Analy Tourguide.”
The Analy Tourguide was a column I wrote for the school newspaper. I’m sure I hadn’t written enough for a book by the time I wrote the above. But I had grand ideas. Then & now!
Here’s an addendum to the above entry: “Late night 11:15pm note: One more depressing addition is that Diana Hennessy checked a Ouija board over the weekend and Amy Johnson is going to die when she’s 18. Also a nuclear explosion will wipe out half the earth’s population within five years and the survivors will take refuge beneath the earth.
“In Oz maybe?”
Amy Johnson, by the way, was at Diana’s 40th birthday party last month.
And before we go, there’s this from January 14, 1981: “The book on self-publishing I got at the library has pretty much fallen out of its binding.”
“The Publish-it-Yourself Handbook is very interesting and I am thinking of self-publishing The Collected Analy Tourguide.”
The Analy Tourguide was a column I wrote for the school newspaper. I’m sure I hadn’t written enough for a book by the time I wrote the above. But I had grand ideas. Then & now!
Here’s an addendum to the above entry: “Late night 11:15pm note: One more depressing addition is that Diana Hennessy checked a Ouija board over the weekend and Amy Johnson is going to die when she’s 18. Also a nuclear explosion will wipe out half the earth’s population within five years and the survivors will take refuge beneath the earth.
“In Oz maybe?”
Amy Johnson, by the way, was at Diana’s 40th birthday party last month.
And before we go, there’s this from January 14, 1981: “The book on self-publishing I got at the library has pretty much fallen out of its binding.”
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
A Writer’s Guide to Publishing
From the diary: “January 11, 1981
“I am reading two books now and they are both quite interesting. One is A Writer’s Guide to Publishing, the other is The Publish-it-Yourself Handbook.”
Glenn the careerist. Note that even in high school I was doubtful about getting my work published by established publishers. I still like the idea of having a press of my own. The business of it is what gets most in the way, distributing, billing, publicizing.
“I am reading two books now and they are both quite interesting. One is A Writer’s Guide to Publishing, the other is The Publish-it-Yourself Handbook.”
Glenn the careerist. Note that even in high school I was doubtful about getting my work published by established publishers. I still like the idea of having a press of my own. The business of it is what gets most in the way, distributing, billing, publicizing.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Flowers for Algernon
A few days ago I recalled a passage in Flowers for Algernon where “a male resident of the state hospital held another youth on his lap, unself-consciously diddling him.” As I found no mention on the web for this sort of incident in a novel often assigned in high school I began to doubt my memory. Being as I work at the public library it was easy enough to find a copy of Flowers. But how to find the passage? Fortunately amazon has that “search inside” feature now. I wasn’t able to search the specific edition I got from the library and the pagination seems to be very different from the one searchable online but by searching words I thought would appear in the text rarely (“ivory” for instance, as when a doctor fumes about the “ivory tower” of pure research) I was able to home in on the appropriate “lap”. The scene is rather more innocently drawn than my memory had it. The narrator steps into “a recreation room filled with some seventy-five boys sitting around waiting for the lunch bell to be sounded. What caught my eye immediately was one of the bigger boys on a chair in the corner, cradling one of the other boys – fourteen or fifteen years old – cuddling him in his arms. … [T]he dinner bell sounded, and the boys filed into the dining room. I noticed that the big boy who had held the smaller one in his lap was now leading him to the table by the hand.
“‘Quite a thing,’ I said, nodding in that direction.
“Winslow nodded too. ‘Jerry’s the big one, and that’s Dusty. We see that sort of thing often here. When there’s no one else who has time for them, sometimes they know enough to seek human contact and affection from each other.’”
There it is. Fraught, isn’t it?
The younger of the two would be, at 14 or 15, pubertal. The elder? Most definitely. In my small experience with developmentally disabled adults (and stories I’d heard even then) they can be unself-conscious about sex, may even masturbate in public. Sexually mature they become aroused just like those of normal intelligence. Youths in single sex institutions don’t abstain from sex because the other sex isn’t available. Would it be different if the youths were retarded? I don’t think so. Dr Winslow says, “’[T]hey know enough to seek human contact and affection from each other.’” I read between the lines, I suppose.
“‘Quite a thing,’ I said, nodding in that direction.
“Winslow nodded too. ‘Jerry’s the big one, and that’s Dusty. We see that sort of thing often here. When there’s no one else who has time for them, sometimes they know enough to seek human contact and affection from each other.’”
There it is. Fraught, isn’t it?
The younger of the two would be, at 14 or 15, pubertal. The elder? Most definitely. In my small experience with developmentally disabled adults (and stories I’d heard even then) they can be unself-conscious about sex, may even masturbate in public. Sexually mature they become aroused just like those of normal intelligence. Youths in single sex institutions don’t abstain from sex because the other sex isn’t available. Would it be different if the youths were retarded? I don’t think so. Dr Winslow says, “’[T]hey know enough to seek human contact and affection from each other.’” I read between the lines, I suppose.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Tik-Tok of Oz
From the diary: “January 9, 1981
“I’m still reading Tik-Tok of Oz. I’m about halfway through.”
In 1981 all of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books were in print. Several of his non-Oz fantasies were not. The second Trot and Cap’n Bill adventure, Sky Island, was out of print. I’ve only recently read Sky Island. It was, I’ve heard, Baum’s favorite of his books. Tik-Tok of Oz, the book published the year after The Patchwork Girl, has a curious pedigree. After the success of the Broadway extravaganza, The Wizard of Oz, Baum tried to get other books translated to the stage. The third Oz book, Ozma of Oz, made it to the stage as The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. The Tik-Tok Man failed to ignite. Baum readapted the play into an Oz book, Tik-Tok of Oz. The echoes of Ozma of Oz are many and obvious -- from the little girl and her companion animal lost at sea (Dorothy in Ozma but here called Bettsy Bobbin; the hen in Ozma becomes Hank the mule in Tik-Tok, an animal more easily impersonated by an actor) to the journey to the underworld of the Nomes (even the king of the nomes has endured a name change, no longer Roquat he is now called Ruggedo, though he seems to be the same individual). There is also a prominent romance in Tik-Tok, that between the Rose Princess Ozga (she’s somehow a cousin of the Princess Ozma) and Private Files (the only fighting man of the army of Oogaboo). Up to Tik-Tok Baum had not included such an adult element in the Oz series.
“I’m still reading Tik-Tok of Oz. I’m about halfway through.”
In 1981 all of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books were in print. Several of his non-Oz fantasies were not. The second Trot and Cap’n Bill adventure, Sky Island, was out of print. I’ve only recently read Sky Island. It was, I’ve heard, Baum’s favorite of his books. Tik-Tok of Oz, the book published the year after The Patchwork Girl, has a curious pedigree. After the success of the Broadway extravaganza, The Wizard of Oz, Baum tried to get other books translated to the stage. The third Oz book, Ozma of Oz, made it to the stage as The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. The Tik-Tok Man failed to ignite. Baum readapted the play into an Oz book, Tik-Tok of Oz. The echoes of Ozma of Oz are many and obvious -- from the little girl and her companion animal lost at sea (Dorothy in Ozma but here called Bettsy Bobbin; the hen in Ozma becomes Hank the mule in Tik-Tok, an animal more easily impersonated by an actor) to the journey to the underworld of the Nomes (even the king of the nomes has endured a name change, no longer Roquat he is now called Ruggedo, though he seems to be the same individual). There is also a prominent romance in Tik-Tok, that between the Rose Princess Ozga (she’s somehow a cousin of the Princess Ozma) and Private Files (the only fighting man of the army of Oogaboo). Up to Tik-Tok Baum had not included such an adult element in the Oz series.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
The Patchwork Girl of Oz
From the diary: "January 4, 1981
"I have been reading The Patchwork Girl of Oz and I'm anxious to get back to it plus I have to go to bed soon so I'm making this short -- okay?"
I'd guess I was trying to read L. Frank Baum's books in order. When the two Trot & Cap'n Bill adventures didn't sell Baum returned to writing Oz books. The Patchwork Girl of Oz was the first of those. He continued the Oz series with one book a year until his death.
"I have been reading The Patchwork Girl of Oz and I'm anxious to get back to it plus I have to go to bed soon so I'm making this short -- okay?"
I'd guess I was trying to read L. Frank Baum's books in order. When the two Trot & Cap'n Bill adventures didn't sell Baum returned to writing Oz books. The Patchwork Girl of Oz was the first of those. He continued the Oz series with one book a year until his death.
Friday, March 04, 2005
The Sea Fairies
From the diary: “January 3, 1981
[Yes, this is continuing yesterday’s entry. Still visiting Jean & Lee.] “I listened to records most of the day and read The Sea Fairies.”
The Sea Fairies is a book by L. Frank Baum, author of the Oz books. Baum had tired of writing Oz books and closed off contact with the land of Oz with The Emerald City of Oz. He wrote two fairy books starring the little girl Trot and her old friend Cap’n Bill. The Sea Fairies was the first of these. The book had been out of print for many years. I’d recently discovered the International Wizard of Oz Club and went to the convention at the Wawona Hotel in Yosemite. At the convention they hold an auction of Oz memorabilia and I’d bought my copy of The Sea Fairies there, not a first edition but a later reprint without much value to collectors but good for reading!
In the book Trot and Cap’n Bill visit the world under the sea, accompanied by mermaids, whom Baum terms “sea fairies.” As I recall the book was too often slow going, with our heroes getting the tour, all those wonders that were oh so fascinating – look here, oh, look over there! But not much incident. There was a climactic battle between a bad merman and the king of the sea, or something.
I see The Sea Fairies on the web, minus the illustrations. If you want to read it!
[Yes, this is continuing yesterday’s entry. Still visiting Jean & Lee.] “I listened to records most of the day and read The Sea Fairies.”
The Sea Fairies is a book by L. Frank Baum, author of the Oz books. Baum had tired of writing Oz books and closed off contact with the land of Oz with The Emerald City of Oz. He wrote two fairy books starring the little girl Trot and her old friend Cap’n Bill. The Sea Fairies was the first of these. The book had been out of print for many years. I’d recently discovered the International Wizard of Oz Club and went to the convention at the Wawona Hotel in Yosemite. At the convention they hold an auction of Oz memorabilia and I’d bought my copy of The Sea Fairies there, not a first edition but a later reprint without much value to collectors but good for reading!
In the book Trot and Cap’n Bill visit the world under the sea, accompanied by mermaids, whom Baum terms “sea fairies.” As I recall the book was too often slow going, with our heroes getting the tour, all those wonders that were oh so fascinating – look here, oh, look over there! But not much incident. There was a climactic battle between a bad merman and the king of the sea, or something.
I see The Sea Fairies on the web, minus the illustrations. If you want to read it!
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Mouth Sounds
From my diary: “January 3, 1981
“Jean and Lee [old friends of my mother] gave us the new Queen album The Game and a book called Mouth Sounds which is a kind of a weird book.”
As I recall my brother David got custody of the Queen album (I think I only liked “Another One Bites the Dust”). Mouth Sounds was filled with instructions on how to produce goofy sounds with your mouth. I was embarrassed by the gift. It implied that I (we?) made funny sounds with our mouths already, didn’t it? A flexi-vinyl record came bound in the book. Once I got over myself I did try out a few of the instructions. I can still do the cork pop (palm facing out insert finger between pursed lips, cheek taut, flick finger forward, this makes the pop) and the pouring champagne (keeping cheeks taut, whap cheek on the outside with finger, the closer it gets to mouth the higher the sound will rise in pitch, thus mimicking the sound of pouring liquid).
“Jean and Lee [old friends of my mother] gave us the new Queen album The Game and a book called Mouth Sounds which is a kind of a weird book.”
As I recall my brother David got custody of the Queen album (I think I only liked “Another One Bites the Dust”). Mouth Sounds was filled with instructions on how to produce goofy sounds with your mouth. I was embarrassed by the gift. It implied that I (we?) made funny sounds with our mouths already, didn’t it? A flexi-vinyl record came bound in the book. Once I got over myself I did try out a few of the instructions. I can still do the cork pop (palm facing out insert finger between pursed lips, cheek taut, flick finger forward, this makes the pop) and the pouring champagne (keeping cheeks taut, whap cheek on the outside with finger, the closer it gets to mouth the higher the sound will rise in pitch, thus mimicking the sound of pouring liquid).
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Apologies
Yes, I introduced this blog by saying it was my booklog. It isn’t, is it? When I start with my sixth grade diary I gotta admit, it ain’t my booklog. I didn’t start a booklog until 1989. As of 2005 that was 16 years ago. But as of 1981, the diary I was pilfering for my last post, the booklog was 8 years off.
I like to be thorough.
Plus I’m curious myself about what I was reading when I was first trying to document the Glenn life. Or anyway, I’m finding my old diaries readable. Until recently whenever I delved into them I’d cringe. Well. What the heck. I’m warming to the kid.
I like to be thorough.
Plus I’m curious myself about what I was reading when I was first trying to document the Glenn life. Or anyway, I’m finding my old diaries readable. Until recently whenever I delved into them I’d cringe. Well. What the heck. I’m warming to the kid.
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