2015
Paul Bienvenue
Paul Bienvenue, a longtime Winkie Convention attendee, served all Oz Club conventions as auctioneer for many years. He collaborated with Robert E. Schmidt on a definitive Oz/Baum bibliographic opus, The Book Collector’s Guide to L. Frank Baum and Oz (March Hare Books, 2009). It is a comprehensive reference guide to the works of Baum and his six “official” successors, plus other important related volumes (more than 150 in all), and includes informative essays by Paul on the works of Baum and later authors. The book was awarded first prize in the reference category by the Independent Book Publishers Association.
Paul has mounted local exhibitions of Oz material from his own collection and served as a consultant with Robert Baum on the Bradford Exchange set of reprints of the first editions of Baum’s 14 Oz books and Little Wizard Stories of Oz; each volume contains a note signed by either Paul or Robert Baum describing the book.
As a rare book dealer, Paul has been an invaluable resource to book collectors, finding scarce volumes for many fine collections. Past Oz Club secretary Fred Meyer chose Paul as the second recipient of his personal “Wizard Award,” presented in 2005.