The Wonder City of Oz: A Regent’s Whimsy and a Revolutionary Plot

Neill - Wonder City Of Oz 1940 First Printing — *The Wonder City of Oz 1940 first printing*

The Wonder City of Oz (1940) is the thirty-fouth book in the Oz series and the first written and illustrated solely by John R. Neill, who had served as the series’ iconic illustrator for decades. Stepping into the author’s role, Neill crafts a story brimming with his signature inventiveness and bustling energy, offering a Oz that is simultaneously modernized and deeply chaotic.

The novel is characterized by its frenetic pace and a plethora of new ideas, from pet clouds and musical corn to factories producing weather. While some critics find the plot overstuffed, it is a testament to Neill’s boundless imagination. The story ultimately celebrates a classic Oz theme: the value of one’s true, original self. Jenny Jump must choose between staying a magically-aged fairy in Oz or returning to her genuine life, while the kingdom must reject the glamorous but hollow imitation of their true queen. The Wonder City of Oz stands as a unique, idiosyncratic entry, reflecting the mind of its illustrator-author and offering a glimpse of Oz undergoing fantastical and tumultuous growing pains.

The plot is set in motion when Princess Ozma is unexpectedly called to a foreign fairyland, leaving the Scarecrow to rule as the “Supreme Wogglebug” as her regent. The Scarecrow, inspired by a book on modern business and progress, decides to revolutionize the Emerald City. His well-intentioned but absurd reforms include mandating that every citizen must change their profession daily and commissioning the construction of a second, floating Emerald City above the original. This whirlwind of forced innovation throws the capital into delightful confusion.

Amid this civic upheaval, a new and compelling protagonist arrives: Jenny Jump, a pragmatic fourteen-year-old from New Jersey. Brought to Oz by a wayward fairy, Jenny is granted limited magic and the age of twenty by the Lord High Lemma. With her modern sensibilities and can-do attitude, she quickly becomes a central figure, attempting to navigate and manage the Scarecrow’s chaotic policies. However, a more sinister plot unfolds in the shadows. The evil magician, the Wicked Witch of Illusion, creates a monstrous, giant-sized duplicate of Ozma named Tampu. This false Ozma is sent to seize the throne, plunging the real Ozma’s kingdom into crisis upon her return.

The Wonder City of Oz | First Edition Identification Points

Please refer to the gallery for detailed images of binding(s) and dust jackets.

John R. Neill - The Wonder City of Oz 1940 First Edition Identification Guide
Year	Title	Publisher	First edition/printing identification points
1940	The Wonder City of Oz	Reilly & Lee, [1940]	First edition. Illustrated by John R. Neill, 318 pages. *Textual points:* 16-page gatherings. Pictorial self-endpapers in black and white. The running-titles on pages 306-318 have the chapter-number on the versos (left-hand pages) and the book-title on the rectos (right-hand pages). The double-page picture on pages [292]-[293] is printed correctly. *Binding:* various colors of cloth: blue (textured and untextured), emerald-green (textured), light-green, red, very light beige, and orange (textured and untextured) have been reported. No priority is known. Pictorial paper label in colors. Spine imprint is in semi-script, “fancy” letters. *Size of leaf:* 8 7/8 by 6 5/8 inches. Thickness of volume: 1 3/8 inches. Later Printings Later printings are made up of 32-page gatherings. The running-titles on pages 306-318 have the chapter-number on the rectos and the book-title on the versos. In re-imposing the book, the printer erroneously placed what had been the right section of the double-page picture onto page [292] and the left section onto page [293].