PCL MS 129 March Laumer Collection

File 1

Title	PCL MS 129 March Laumer Collection
Creator	Laumer, March
Introduction	The March Laumer Collection consists of approximately 16 linear feet of manuscript materials. The collection was donated to the Browne Popular Culture Library by March Laumer beginning in 1969 until his death in 2000. This collection is unprocessed, but may be accessed by contacting the BPCL reference email. The collection has no restrictions placed on its use for scholarly purposes. Researchers are responsible for securing copyright permission when using all unpublished manuscripts and published works found in this collection.
Biographical Sketch	March (Marsh) Laumer (1923-2000) was an American author of numerous books based in Frank Baum's Oz. He was a world traveler who taught in Hong Kong for a time. He created two publishers headquartered in Hong Kong to publish his books, Vanitas Books and Opium Books. He was a linguist and philatelist as well. Laumer's brothers Frank and Keith have written numerous books as well. Keith Laumer died in 1993, after which March Laumer donated his papers to the Browne Popular Culture Library. March Laumer was particularly known for his books set in Oz. His books often presented a more adult take on Baum's world, making him a source of controversy. He edited and completed an unfinished Baum excerpt titled The Green Dolphin of Oz, and translated Alexander Volkov's Russian Oz books.
Scope and Content	The March Laumer Collection consists of a wide range of materials relating to Mr. Laumer's life and work. It includes many personal diaries, correspondence files, handwritten and typed drafts of published works, and materials relating to the operation of his Vanitas Press and Opium Press publishing companies. The scope of these materials span the entirety of March Laumer's life, and will be of great interest to anyone who is interested in studying the author and/or the continuation of Frank Baum's Oz after the original 40 books ceased publication.
Inventory	An inventory for this collection has not yet been completed. A draft inventory is attached to this finding aid as a searchable PDF file. It is believed to be accurate but incomplete.
Transfers	The initial accession contained a number of books which have been separated and cataloged with the regular Browne Popular Culture Library materials.