Neill, John R. [John Rea Neill] (1877–1943), definitive illustrator of Oz books. Trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Neill was 25 when he got his big break—little suspecting that he would spend the next 41 years as ‘Imperial Illustrator of Oz’. He was hired to succeed W. W. Denslow as L. Frank Baum's illustrator after a bitter copyright dispute over The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Insolvent, Baum hoped that a sequel would solve his financial woes. It did (temporarily). The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904), a profusely illustrated text with 16 colour plates, 24 full‐page line drawings and over 100 smaller pictures, was an immediate success, and Neill continued his collaboration. He had a beautifully detailed style similar to Arthur Rackham's and an economy of line, evidenced in his trademark designs of Oz (an encircled Z) and his name (‘Jno’). In addition to the hundreds of characters he brought to life in book illustrations, he also designed promotional materials ranging from posters to celluloid buttons. After The Emerald City of Oz (1910), which Baum wrote as his last Oz story, Neill illustrated his Sea Fairies (1911) and Sky Island (1912). But disappointing sales forced the author and artist to return to Oz for annual sequels. Marketing became aggressive when the publishers Reilly & Britton suggested that Neill produce a book of cardstock dolls (The Oz Toy Book, Cut‐outs for the Kiddies) to promote The Scarecrow of Oz (1915). Unfortunately, they neglected to secure Baum's permission. The ‘Royal Historian of Oz’ was furious that he might be embroiled in another copyright dispute, but accepted an apology none the less. The relationship became strained, however, and he tried to replace Neill because he did not feel the illustrations were whimsical enough for young readers. But Neill collaborated on the rest of Baum's novels plus all 19 titles by Ruth Plumly Thompson, the Second Royal Historian of Oz.
After drawing Oz for 38 years, Neill had his chance to describe it when he became the Third Royal Historian. The Wonder City of Oz (1940), The Scalawagons of Oz (1941), and Lucky Bucky in Oz (1942) differed radically from previous books. His somewhat unbridled imagination modernized Oz with elections, automobiles, and animate, warring houses. Allusions to World War II were further underscored by a dustjacket letter from Bucky of Oz: he tells boys and girls that ‘The Nazis and Japs are harder to beat than the Gnomes’ and urges them to buy Victory Bonds and Stamps. Slumping wartime sales and a paper shortage prompted the publishers to postpone a fourth Neill title, The Runaway in Oz. Published in 1995 by Books of Wonder, it is the 36th Oz book that Neill either illustrated or wrote.
Bibliography
- Greene, David L., and Martin, Dick, The Oz Scrapbook (1977).
- Snow, Jack, Who's Who in Oz (1954).
— Mary Louise Ennis
