Herby (Oz)
Encyclopedia
Herby is a character featured in the Oz books of Ruth Plumly Thompson
. He was introduced in her 1928 novel, The Giant Horse of Oz
, as a medical doctor who had been transformed into a bottle of cough syrup by Mombi
. He was freed from his transformation by Prince Philidor of Ozure Isles early in the novel, but retained a three-shelf medicine chest in his chest and cough drop eyes, and by the end of the novel, was proclaimed the Court Physician in the Emerald City
palace, although, because Ozites are almost never sick and cannot die of natural causes
, he does not have much work to do, only treating occasional injuries.
Herby's name probably derives from the medicinal herb
s that would have been contained in his chest.
He appeared subsequently in Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz
, Ojo in Oz
, The Wishing Horse of Oz
, Handy Mandy in Oz
, and Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz
.
and cannot appear in Oz Apocrypha, although, because of his general usefulness, allowing characters to get injured on their adventures without being stuck, he has in several cases. Mark Ellery Haas (1952-2007), for example, built a story around him for a novel titled The Medicine Man of Oz. This book was actually published, but he sought to gain permission from The Baum Trust, which denied it to him, causing him to withdraw the published book subsequent to its publication. Although its author had no objection to the transfer of digital copies, published copies of this book are quite rare and command high prices on eBay
.
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...
. He was introduced in her 1928 novel, The Giant Horse of Oz
The Giant Horse of Oz
The Giant Horse of Oz is the twenty-second in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the eighth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R...
, as a medical doctor who had been transformed into a bottle of cough syrup by Mombi
Mombi
Mombi is a wicked old witch from L. Frank Baum Oz Books. She appears in the book The Marvelous Land of Oz and is alluded to in other works. Of all the wicked witches in L...
. He was freed from his transformation by Prince Philidor of Ozure Isles early in the novel, but retained a three-shelf medicine chest in his chest and cough drop eyes, and by the end of the novel, was proclaimed the Court Physician in the Emerald City
Emerald City
The Emerald City is the fictional capital city of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
palace, although, because Ozites are almost never sick and cannot die of natural causes
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
, he does not have much work to do, only treating occasional injuries.
Herby's name probably derives from the medicinal herb
Herbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
s that would have been contained in his chest.
He appeared subsequently in Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz
Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz
Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz is the twenty-third of the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and continued by other writers; it is the ninth Oz book written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R...
, Ojo in Oz
Ojo in Oz
thumb|200px|Cover of Ojo in Oz.Ojo in Oz is the twenty-seventh in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the thirteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R...
, The Wishing Horse of Oz
The Wishing Horse of Oz
thumb|200px|Cover of The Wishing Horse of Oz.The Wishing Horse of Oz is the twenty-ninth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fifteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R. Neill...
, Handy Mandy in Oz
Handy Mandy in Oz
Handy Mandy in Oz is the thirty-first of the Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the seventeenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill.-Synopsis:...
, and Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz
Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz
Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz is the thirty-third in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the nineteenth and last written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R...
.
Copyright controversy
Because of Herby's late introduction to the Oz series, the character remains under copyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
and cannot appear in Oz Apocrypha, although, because of his general usefulness, allowing characters to get injured on their adventures without being stuck, he has in several cases. Mark Ellery Haas (1952-2007), for example, built a story around him for a novel titled The Medicine Man of Oz. This book was actually published, but he sought to gain permission from The Baum Trust, which denied it to him, causing him to withdraw the published book subsequent to its publication. Although its author had no objection to the transfer of digital copies, published copies of this book are quite rare and command high prices on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.