Aunt Jane's Nieces Out West

Well gang I missed yesterday things just got very busy and before I knew it the day had passed.  Yesterday I drove out to Kent State University Main Campus--a 30 mile drive from where we live to find where I have to go for my February 1st meeting.  I am one fo those people who like to know exactly where I am going and how do I get there before I have to do it.  Since school starts Tuesday and I am in classes 5 days a week, I felt this was my only time to make that trip.

I found easily where I have to go for that meeting and it doesn't seem possible that in all reality it is only 17 days away. As you can tell I am very excited about this and will try to keep you posted as to what is going on.  I also went in to Cleveland to have my blood drawn for an upcoming doctors visit the end of the month.  This is my every three month check up and I will let you know those results as soon as I do.

Well book nine in this series is "Aunt Jane's Nieces Out West"  which I though was frankly an odd title for this charming story about the girls making friends who are in the "movie making business" as the book calls it.  Beth, Louise and Patsy, the ever loving nieces of Aunt Jane are back in California with Uncle John and meet new characters Mrs. Jane Montrose, Maude Stanton and Flo Stanton.  This Maude of course I think was named for Baum's greatest love his life, his wife Maude. There are some flattery descriptions of the chacter of Maude in the book  that I hope are in direct reference to  his wife.

Stanton if I remember right is somehow a family name that shows up in the Baum Family history, but I will have to do some homework and figure that one out again, than let all of you know.  This Mrs. Montorse happens to be Maude and Flo's very own Aunt Jane, which I found a bit confusing.  Baum at this point in my opinion should have chosen another name for the Aunt, but that is niether here nor there.

Maude and Flo are actresses for the Continental Film company and this pair of nieces get our girls Beth , Patsy and Louise into some rather curious and charming spots.  There is a near drowning and rescue of another new character  A. Jones loving nicknamed Ajo in most of th rest of the book.  There Ajo's rather odd illness, a mystery surrounding Ajo, a potential movie chain with movies geared to children only and most startling a potential pearl robbery that has Ajo as its primary suspect.

Slews of intrigue, tons of mystery, some rather amusing confrontations and a possible budding love interest make this book a charming read.  Aunt AJne's Nieces Out West was written in 1914 at a time when Baum was president of his very own film making business "The Oz Manufactoring Company".  This venture unfortunately in real life for Baum ended and his company nearly destroyed him financially.  The accusations of robbery are not fully settled till the second to last page and will keep you on your seat.

Published once again by Reilly & Britton Company of Chicago Aunt Jane's Nieces OUt West was illustrated by James McCracken, measures 7 3/4 x 5 1/2 and is 316 pages in length.  The origianl price was only sixty cents.  My copy of this book is a First edition, first printing.

Until the next time I hope you have enjoyed this brief reviews about this set of books and I hope you take the effort to find them for yourselves and read these delightful Baum books which for many have been lost to time.

Filmed Radio Show for our troops during World War II, rarely seen footage of Judy....