The phantom of pine hill is a childrens story by carolyn keene pseudonym and the 42nd book in the nancy drew series. Benson, as carolyn keene, is said to have taken the plots and thumbnail sketches supplied by the syndicate and given nancy the adventurous nature and plucky spirit that has com. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Nancy drew is the protagonist of several series of childrens mystery novels, written under the house name of carolyn keene. Carolyn keene is a pen name used by a variety of authors for the classic nancy drew mystery series. The hardy boys, nancy drew, and the secret ghostwriters of. Wirt was the ghostwriter carolyn keene for 23 of the first 30 nancy drew books. Everything you need to know or want to know is here. Nancy has blond hair and drives a smart blue roadster.
The first edition of the novel was published in, and was written by carolyn keene. Read as nancy drew and her friends solve more mysteries in the nancy drew diaries detective books series. Mildred was born mildred augustine and married men named wirt and benson. Nancy drew author crossword clue answer crossword heaven.
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. Nancy drew book by micol ostow, carolyn keene official. Add mystery to your bookshelf with this exclusive nancy drew collection. 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. So imagine my surprise when i saw young girls at a middle school with stacks of nancy drew books. 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. In addition to nancy drew, she currently writes the bestselling riverdale novels and comics based on the original archie comics characters. Make offer dana girls mystery of the minstrels guitar no. Creator of the hardy boys and nancy drew who wrote that. Edna wrote plot outlines for several of the early books and harriet, who claimed to be the sole author, had actually outlined and edited nearly. The original author of the nancy drew mystery books, now at age 96, is still writing now a weekly column about everyday life and older folks for.
The adventurous writer who brought nancy drew to life arts. Readers may be surprised to know that, in a way, carolyn keene doesnt exist. Author 1 the secret of the old clock 1930 edward stratemeyer mildred wirt e. Carolyn keene books list of books by author carolyn keene. The nancy drew mystery series started in the 1930s and lasted all the way until 2004. Eighty million books later, nancy drew has survived the depression, world war ii. Over the course of more than 600 books, nancy drews adventures were. Carolyn keene and the mystery of the real nancy drew author. Nancy drew is that kind of series, each book ostensibly written by carolyn keene but really the work of a team of ghostwriters and editors churning out novel after novel about the exploits of a smart, brave and attractive adolescent girl named nancy drew who solves mysteries as an amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym carolyn keene. Nancy drew, seldom just nancy, inspired readers, many of them envious girls, to scoop up more than 80 million copies of the books in the series. In the years that followed, she wrote several books for the syndicate. Nancy drew complete series set, books 164 hardcover october 11, 2006.
Bobbie ann mason, may 1995, university of georgia press. Other writers who have adapted the carolyn keene moniker include leslie mcfarlane, james duncan lawrence, walter karig, and nancy axelrod. Its no longer a secret that carolyn keene, the hardworking, prolific, zippily named and incredibly longlived author of the nancy drew books. She lives in brooklyn with her husband, two daughters, piles and piles of books, and. If you read the books from the beginning till the later books the original one to sixtyfour ones, you could discern the level of. When nancy drew, together with her two close friends, arrive for the emerson university june week celebration and learn there has been a mixup in their motel reservations, t. Perfect gift to introduce new readers to series, as well as fans looking for a beautiful collectible of these beloved classics.
The following indepth books on nancy drew and similar series and their creators are. Stratemeyer had an author in mind for this new series. Heralded by many feminists as a strong female rolemodel, nancy drew has had an extremely positive influence on her young readers over the years. The adventures of nancy drew was a staple of childrens literature that spanned decades, from 1930 to 2003, only to be replaced by the girl detective series in 2004, which in turn was replaced by the current nancy drew diaries. Written under the penname of carolyn keene, the nancy drew series has become an industry unto itself thats enjoyed immense popularity throughout the course of the twentieth century. S ince her introduction in april of 1930, the nancy drew books have never been out of print. A recent article about the cw series referred to carolyn keene as the original nancy drew author and stated that harriet stratemeyer adams later rewrote some of the novels. After stratemeyers death in 1930 the year the nancy drew series was released, his daughters, harriet and edna took over the family business. Mildred wirt benson is probably the most well known nancy drew author.
Micol ostow has written over fifty works for readers of all ages, including projects based on properties like buffy the vampire slayer, charmed, and mean girls. If you remember your gradeschool reading log, the nancy drew mysteries are by carolyn keene. The first author to use the pseudonym was mildred wirt benson, who wrote 23 of the original 30 books. See more ideas about mystery books, nancy drew books and books. The main characters of this mystery, classics story are. Mildred wirt benson 19052002 was herself an independent, resourceful woman and she endowed nancy and many of her other heroines with these same qualities. Delight young and older readers alike with this box set of hardcover nancy drew mystery stories. What are some of the best books of nancy drew files of. The origins of nancy drew and the nancy drew books author, carolyn keene. The nancy drew files book series by multiple authors includes books secrets can kill, deadly intent, murder on ice, and several more.
The early nancy drew is smart, adventurous, flippant, and daring. Producing films in the late 1930s and recently as well in 2007, its eponymous character has an enduring appeal, which is also reflected in its videogame titles as well. Ladora native mildred wirt benson, who wrote as carolyn keene, penned 22 of first 25 nancy drew volumes. Nancy drew starter set by carolyn keene, hardcover. Nancy drew mystery stories nancy drew mystery stories. In the 88 years of nancy drews existence, the series has spawned over 300 books, five films, two television shows, a number of computer.
This box set includes the first four nancy drew books, and will make a great gift for both readers who grew up with the classic girl detective and a new generation of bookworms being introduced to nancy drew for the first time. She would go on to write 23 of the first 30 nancy drew books volumes 17, 1125 and 30. Buy nancy drew diaries paperback books her interactive. The nancy drew mystery stories was the longrunning main nancy drew series, published between 1930 and 2003.
Iowan mildred wirt benson authored original nancy drew. The hardy boys were also created by edward stratemeyer, a few years before nancy drew. Having been produced by a number of writers, all lending their own take on the story. See the complete nancy drew files series book list in order, box sets or omnibus editions, and companion titles. The adventurous writer who brought nancy drew to life. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of and is available in hardcover format. This is close to the truth, but not the whole story by a long shot. Nancy drew books, in one form or another, have been popular for more than 70 years. The secret syndicate behind nancy drew jstor daily.
Adams 1 2 the hidden staircase 1930 1959 2 3 the bungalow mystery 1930 1960 patricia doll 3 4 the mystery at lilac inn 1930 harriet adams 1961 4 5. Think about it how could carolyn keene start writing the nancy drew books in 1930 and start writing a new series within the last few years. Nancy drew clue book mystery mayhem collection books 14. During that time, an older nancy was put to page in the 1980s for a new series, the nancy drew files. That series as well as its hardy boys equivalent had been cancelled in late 1997, and planned titles in that series were sometimes rewritten for the continuing original series. The syndicate, not the author or even the publisher, retained the rights to all the novels. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
The novels bear the same pseudonyms as the originals. I am aware that the author, carolyn keene, is just a pseudonym for a number of writers who wrote book in the nancy drew series. Nancy drew publishers stratemeyer syndicate created and owned the nancy drew brand, but they were not a publishing house. 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 may of 2002 at the age of 96. Nancy drew fans will enjoy the nancy drew sleuth unofficial website, which is devoted to the sleuth, her books, and her timeless quality that endures throughout the ages. Harriet and edna stratemeyer also contributed to the nancy drew series. To her readers, she was carolyn keene, one of at least two and perhaps as many as six writers who used that pseudonym for the original 56. Bensons original nancy drew, depicted in books such as the hidden staircase, the secret at shadow ranch, and the clue in the crumbling wall, was a brash and daring sleuth.
952 895 893 1041 1592 641 315 1527 55 1248 1368 947 840 1529 513 243 218 997 499 468 130 484 1396 400 747 253 1020 886 1238 1353 450 302 935 872 203 688 1186 1262 1132 44 1012 1307 773 1208