The Purple Prince of Oz (1932) is the 26th in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the 12th written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill.
Summary
While visiting the neighboring kingdom of Pumperdink (incognito), Prince Randy of Regalia criticizes the king’s grapes, claiming they are sour. Randy is sentenced to be “dipped” in a purple well, but Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant makes him his attendant instead. Later, the royal family of Pumperdink gets enchanted by an evil fairy, and Randy and Kabumpo must escape and save the day, with the help of the Red Jinn. At the same time, Randy must earn his crown as Prince of Regalia, by accomplishing the seven challenging tasks required by the law of Regalia.
This is the first of Thompson’s Oz books to carry the entire story (except for a bit at the very end) on characters of her own creation. The unpredictable, hot-tempered Jinnicky the Red Jinn from Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz returns as a much more pleasant companion to Randy, and soon becomes a popular character.
The Silver Princess in Oz is a direct sequel to this book, reuniting readers with Randy, Kabumpo, and Jinnicky.
The Purple Prince of Oz First Edition Book Identification Points
Please refer to the gallery for detailed images of binding(s) and dust jackets.
| Year | Title | Publisher | First edition/printing identification points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | The Purple Prince of Oz | Reilly & Lee Co., [1932] | First edition. Illustrated by John R. Neill, 281 pages. Textual points: Pictorial self-endpapers in black and white. Color plates: 12 full-color inserts, tipped in facing the title page and pages 24, 72, 96, 128, 136, 168, 192, 200, 224, 248, 256. Plate stock coated only on the printed side. Binding: dark-purple (shades vary slightly) or light-purple cloth, with pictorial paper label in colors. No priority is known. Spine imprint in boldface: “Reilly | & Lee”. The dust jacket, however, has the spine imprint in the semi-script “fancy” letters. SECONDARY BINDING: Light-purple cloth, with the spine imprint in the semi-script, “fancy” letters (ca. 1934). Size of leaf: 9 by 6 5/8 inches. Thickness of volume: 1 3/8 inches.
All copies printed after 1935 have no color plates. |
The Purple Prince of Oz First Edition Dust Jacket Identification Points
First edition binding(s) and various dust jacket printings identification.
References:
- Wikipedia
- Bibliographia Oziana – Haff, Greeme, Martin. 2002
