Following this an industry was born and it hasnt stopped since, as young people worldwide have flocked around the franchise with its ever relatable central character. We celebrate 90 years of our favorite girl detective. Nancy drew and the hardy boys super mystery series 20072012 the nancy drew and the hardy boys super mystery books are a new series first published in june 2007 and are not to be confused with the nancy drew and hardy boys supermystery series that was published between 1988 and 1998. The whole world can read nancy drew books, just for a very exciting adventure, kind of scary, good, good book. Nancy drew books, in one form or another, have been popular for more than 70 years. The first books were published in the 1930s, however various editions of nancy drew have been published since then, and the time period progresses as the series did. Over the decades, the character evolved in response to changes in us culture and. When was the first nancy drew book published answers. A nice looking copy that is clean, tight, and unmarked. Nancy drew formats this page shows you what all nancy drew books published by grosset and dunlap look like from 1930 to the present. You can take any nancy drew book and quickly glance down through the page to get a good. The nancy drew mystery stories was the longrunning main nancy drew series, published between 1930 and 2003. This stunning, interactive book is narrated by nancy drew herself. Nancy drew made her debut in the novel the secret of the old clock, published in 1930.
Carolyn keene is the pseudonym of the authors of both the nancy drew mystery stories and a spinoff called river heights and the dana girls mystery stories, both produced by the stratemeyer syndicate. This stunning box set features the reissued editions of books 14, all with gorgeous covers that hark back to the era in which the series was first published. Oct 22, 2018 mildred wirt benson authored 23 of the first 30 books in the nancy drew series, beginning at age 24, and she wrote 5 books total during her illustrious career as an author and journalist. However, the nancy we know today is not the same nancy readers first fell in love with. The main characters of this mystery, young adult story are nancy drew. Written under the pseudonym carolyn keene, readers met the plucky young heroine nancy drew for the first time. Drew, a fictional character and the main protagonist of the nancy drew mystery stories, is a creation of publisher edward stratemeyer, who also created the hardy boys series. Today, 80 years later, nancy drew girl detective books are still being published.
I first began reading nancy drew books in 3rd or 4th grade. The first six books are packaged together in a collectible box set with an updated design. The first four nancy drew booksthe secret of the old clock, the hidden staircase, the bungalow mystery, and the mystery at lilac innwere all published in 1930. The nancy drew mystery stories refer to the 56 volumes published by grosset and dunlap from 1930 to 1979.
Nancy drew is a great mystery, and the best part is that everyone can read nancy drew. The whole world can read nancy drew books, just for a very exciting adventure, kind of. Nancy drew mystery stories books 14 by carolyn keene. Nancy drew is older than those two caped superheroes nancy first hit shelves in 1930, eight whole years before superman and nine before batman, older even than the massmarket paperback novel as.
Confessions of a nancy drew collector antique trader. Between world war i and world war ii, americans were hungry for detective fiction. Pdf the hidden staircase book nancy drew free download. Nancy began as a 16 yearold high school grad, but was later. The original version of the first nancy drew book was published in 1930. Inside youll learn all about nancys favorite mysteries, meet the creators of nancy drew, and see the art from the 77year history of the series.
Apr 28, 2018 on april 28, 1930, the first book in the nancy drew mystery stories, the secret of the old clock, was published. Applewood box set for sale the first six nancy drew books, in original editions just as you remember them, are available in a collectible slipcase. Mildred wirt benson authored 23 of the first 30 books in the nancy drew series, beginning at age 24, and she wrote 5 books total during her illustrious career as an author and journalist. David farahs guide is the accepted guide book for identifying the various editions. To date, more than 70 million copies of the nancy drew books have been sold. Nancy drew this is the main page to my nancy drew section. Bensons original nancy drew, depicted in books such as the hidden staircase, was a brash, daring sleuth.
Initially published in 1930, this was to be the follow up to the first in the ever popular longrunning series of nancy drew novels, as it carried on from where the last left off. Carolyn keene is the house name of authors who wrote childrens novels, including all of the various the nancy drew series as well as the dana girls and river heights series. Nancy drew is the protagonist of several series of childrens mystery novels, written under the house name of carolyn keene. Through the 1950s and 60s, avalon became an important science fiction imprint, though later the company shifted towards romances, mysteries, and westerns. The adventurous writer who brought nancy drew to life arts. Carolyn keene and the mystery of the real nancy drew author. The notsohidden racism of nancy drew electric literature. Nancy drew diaries books by carolyn keene from simon. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of and is available in hardcover format. It contains links to my various nancy drew information pages. Between 1926 and 1959, she wrote 5 books, including 23 of the first 30 nancy drew books. The nancy drew books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published under the pseudonym carolyn keene. Thirty years after nancy solved her first mystery, the original books were revised and shortened. Available for the first time in one complete collection only at.
May 18, 2015 carolyn keene is the pseudonym of the authors of both the nancy drew mystery stories and a spinoff called river heights and the dana girls mystery stories, both produced by the stratemeyer syndicate. What year does the nancy drew books take place in answers. On april 28, 1930, the first book in the nancy drew mystery stories, the secret of the old clock, was published. Nancy drew is a fictional teenage detective and the title character of bestselling series of 175 books that were first published in 1930 and ghostwritten under the pseudonym carolyn keene. Nancy drew the key in the satin pocket by carolyn keene and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The nancy drew starter set is the perfect gift for aspiring detectives, or longtime fans of the series. Benson published some novels under her own name, including her favorite penny parker mystery stories and. Continuing with the same characters before, it sets up a new adventure for the eponymous teenagegirl detective, as she looks to using her investigative skills to. Summer 2005 volume xlviii, number 2, pp 248250 cover story septuagenarian nancy drew still solving mysteries photo of the hidden staircase since 1991, applewood books has been publishing exact replicas of the original nancy drew mystery series from the 1930stwenty to date.
Im twentyeight now and its just as great now as it was then. Nancy drew a guide to the grosset and dunlap editions. There have been multiple spinoff and relaunch series, including the nancy drew files, teamup series with the hardy boys, nancy drew. First published in 1930, the nancy drew mystery stories have sold over 70 million copies and become a. The secret of the old clock, the hidden staircase, the bungalow mystery, the mystery at the lilac inn, the secret at shadow ranch, and the secret of red gate farm. New nancy drew books were published after 1979, including. Sep 06, 2018 when the first books were released in 1930, nancy was an instant hit. Nancy drew, first edition abebooks passion for books. The adventurous writer who brought nancy drew to life. Nancy drew, ada topham, carson drew, josiah crowley, isabel topham.
Nancy drew is a fictional character, a sleuth in an american mystery series created by publisher edward stratemeyer as the female counterpart to his hardy boys series. The first edition of the novel was published in, and was written by carolyn keene. Mildred wirt benson, who wrote the text of 23 of the first 25 nancy drew books under the direction of edward stratemeyer, was still an active newspaper columnist when she died in. The house name was created by the stratemeyer syndicate the same group responsible for the hardy boys, tom swift, the rover boys, the bobbsey twins and more and is most associated with mildred a. A special treat for nancy drew fans, and any reader who is new to the series. Nancy has blond hair and drives a smart blue roadster. How to tell an original text ot from a revised text rt. With the revisions starting in the 1950s, nancy is not so outspoken and accepts more help from others making her seem less heroic. The pseudonym carolyn keene was also used for the dana girls mystery series and for the river heights spinoff series mildred wirt benson was the author of many early titles and brought nancy to life. The character of nancy drew, as well as the appearance of the books, has changed over the years in many ways. The character was created by edward stratemeyer, head of the stratemeyer syndicate, which produced not only nancy drew, but also the hardy boys, tom swift, the bobbsey twins, the rover boys and more series.
The books are attributed to carolyn keene, the collective pen name used by writers contributing to the series. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym carolyn keene. Published september 1st 1991 by applewood books first published 1930 more details. The first five files, namely, nancy drew mystery stories 116 and nancy drew mystery stories 3058 are in. The evolution of nancy drew nancy drew and friends. The main characters of this mystery, classics story are. Nancy drew mystery stories 156 the creative archive. Here are all 56 original nancy drew books, ranked worst to best. The early nancy drew is smart, adventurous, flippant, and daring. Nancy drew complete series set, books 164 keene, carolyn on. The 1930s and 1940s, when this first nancy drew debuted, were a time of depression. Sep 06, 2017 nancy drew this is the main page to my nancy drew section.
The first 34 nancy drew books in the original texts published from 1930 to 1956 contain 25 chapters and around 210 to 225 pages each. Information on publishers and first edition identification. Nancy drew and her friends bess and george tackle everything from sabotage to kidnapping, using their impressive powers of deduction and reasoning to creatively crack cases and outsmart their enemies in the clever, contemporary, and delightfully suspenseful nancy drew diaries. Jan 30, 2020 nancy drew books, in one form or another, have been popular for more than 70 years. Many of the nancy drew books were written by mildred wirt benson, who. Inside youll learn all about nancy s favorite mysteries, meet the creators of nancy drew, and see the art from the 77year history of the series. Applewood books published facsimile editions of the early, unrevised editions of the nancy drew volumes 1 through 21 from 1991 to 2005.
The original nancy drew mystery stories series lasted from then until 2003, concluding with werewolf in a winter wonderland. The first nancy drew book was published in 1930 on the 28th of april with the release of the secret of the old clock. The character of nancy drew ghostwritten and credited to the pseudonymous carolyn keene has appeared in a number of series over the years. The early classic nancy of the 1930s1940s is bold, independent, fearless, and capable. The first edition of the novel was published in 1930, and was written by carolyn keene. Nancy drew books taught me many new words, which i did not know before.
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