Captain Salt in Oz
Encyclopedia
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
and his successors, and the sixteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson
Ruth Plumly Thompson
Ruth Plumly Thompson was an American writer of children's stories.-Life and work:An avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began her writing career in 1914 when she took a job with the Philadelphia Public Ledger; she wrote...
. It was illustrated by John R. Neill
John R. Neill
John Rea Neill was a magazine and children's book illustrator primarily known for illustrating more than forty stories set in the Land of Oz, including L. Frank Baum's, Ruth Plumly Thompson's, and three of his own. His pen-and-ink drawings have become identified almost exclusively with the Oz series...
.
Captain Samuel Salt (from Pirates in Oz
Pirates in Oz
thumb|200px|Cover of Pirates in Oz.Pirates in Oz is the twenty-fifth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the eleventh written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R...
) sails the Nonestic Ocean and discovers Ozamaland, a legendary land of flying animals, as well as the famous White City of Om, and other places.
Captain Salt in Oz is a rare Oz book whose action takes place entirely outside the land of Oz and deals only indirectly with its inhabitants. (Compare Baum's Rinkitink in Oz
Rinkitink in Oz
Rinkitink in Oz: Wherein is Recorded the Perilous Quest of Prince Inga of Pingaree and King Rinkitink in the Magical Isles that Lie Beyond the Borderland of Oz. is the tenth book in the Land of Oz series written by L. Frank Baum. Published on June 20, 1916, with full-color and black-and-white...
, another volume in the series with a limited connection to Oz.) Salt goes from island to island, claiming them in Princess Ozma
Princess Ozma
Princess Ozma is a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by L. Frank Baum. She appears in every book of the series except the first, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz .She is the rightful ruler of Oz, and L...
's name.
In Chapter 19 of Pirates in Oz, Ozma declares, "I hereby decree that Samuel Salt shall give up piracy and become our Royal Discoverer and Explorer, take possession of new countries and set the flag of Oz on far islands and mountain tops." Salt cites Ozma regularly in his claiming (some would say conquering) of Nonestic islands, though some fans find this out of character for her, some even suggesting madness on the part of Salt, though that is clearly not in line with Thompson's intentions.
Captain Salt in Oz was the first Oz book to be published without color illustrations.