John R. Neill
|
|
John Rea Neill (November 12, 1877 - September 13, 1943) was a 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.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was first commissioned to illustrate The Marvelous Land of Oz, the second Oz book L. Frank Baum wrote; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz had been illustrated by W. W. Denslow, with whom Baum lost contact afterwards.
The Oz books he wrote for the firm of Reilly & Lee are considered part of the Famous Forty, and appeared one a year from 1940 to 1942.
These were The Wonder City of Oz, The Scalawagons of Oz, and Lucky Bucky in Oz. He had completed a draft Runaway in Oz at his death but this was not accepted, and was not published until the 1980s with illustrations by Eric Shanower (born 1963).
| The world of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Wicked (The books | The musical)
|