1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
Nancy Drew
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Nancy Drew is a fictional American character in a mystery fiction series created by publisher Edward Stratemeyer. The character first appeared in 1930, the books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Over the decades, the character evolved in response to changes in US culture, the books were extensively revised and shortened, beginning in 1959, in part to lower printing costs with arguable success. In the revision process, the original character was changed to be less assertive. In the 1980s, an older and more professional Nancy emerged in a new series, The Nancy Drew Files, the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series started in 1930, and ended in 2004. Launched that same year, the Girl Detective series features Nancy driving an electric vehicle. In 2013, the Girl Detective series ended, and a new current series called Nancy Drew Diaries was launched, illustrations of the character evolved over time to reflect contemporary styles. The character proves continuously popular worldwide, at least 80 million copies of the books have sold. Nancy Drew is featured in five films, two shows, and a number of popular computer games, she also appears in a variety of merchandise sold around the world. Nancy Drew is an amateur sleuth. In the original versions of the series, she is a 16-year-old high school graduate, in the series, she lives in the fictional town of River Heights with her father, attorney Carson Drew, and their housekeeper, Hannah Gruen. As a child, she loses her mother and her loss is reflected in her early independence—running a household since the age of ten with a clear-cut servant in early series and deferring to the servant as a surrogate parent in later ones. As a teenager, she spends her time solving mysteries, some of which she stumbles upon, Nancy is often assisted in solving mysteries by her two closest friends, cousins Bess Marvin and George Fayne. Bess is delicate and feminine, while George is a tomboy, Nancy is also occasionally joined by her boyfriend Ned Nickerson, a student at Emerson College. Nancy is often described as a super girl, in the words of Bobbie Ann Mason, she is as immaculate and self-possessed as a Miss America on tour. She is as cool as Mata Hari and as sweet as Betty Crocker, Nancy is well-off, attractive, and amazingly talented, At sixteen she had studied psychology in school, and was familiar with the power of suggestion and association. Nancy was a painter, spoke French, and had frequently run motor boats. She was a driver who at sixteen flashed into the garage with a skill born of long practice
3.
Children's literature
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Childrens literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are enjoyed by children. Modern childrens literature is classified in two different ways, genre or the age of the reader. Childrens literature can be traced to stories and songs, part of an oral tradition. The development of childrens literature, before printing was invented, is difficult to trace. Even after printing became widespread, many childrens tales were originally created for adults. Since the 15th century, a quantity of literature, often with a moral or religious message, has been aimed specifically at children. The late nineteenth and early centuries became known as the Golden Age of Childrens Literature as this period included the publication of many books acknowledged today as classics. There is no single or widely used definition of childrens literature and it can be broadly defined as anything that children read or more specifically defined as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama intended for and used by children and young people. The International Companion Encyclopedia of Childrens Literature notes that the boundaries of genre. are not fixed but blurred, sometimes, no agreement can be reached about whether a given work is best categorized as literature for adults or children. Rowlings Harry Potter series was written and marketed for young adults, the series extreme popularity led The New York Times to create a separate best-seller list for childrens books. Despite the widespread association of childrens literature with picture books, spoken narratives existed before printing, seth Lerer, in the opening of Childrens Literature, A Readers History from Aesop to Harry Potter, says, This book presents a history of what children have heard and read. The history I write of is a history of reception, early childrens literature consisted of spoken stories, songs, and poems that were used to educate, instruct, and entertain children. It was only in the 18th century, with the development of the concept of childhood, that a genre of childrens literature began to emerge, with its own divisions, expectations. French historian Philippe Ariès argues in his 1962 book Centuries of Childhood that the concept of childhood only emerged in recent times. He explains that children were in the past not considered as different from adults and were not given significantly different treatment. Pre-modern childrens literature, therefore, tended to be of a didactic and moralistic nature, with the purpose of conveying conduct-related, educational, during the 17th century, the concept of childhood began to emerge in Europe. Adults saw children as separate beings, innocent and in need of protection, the English philosopher John Locke developed his theory of the tabula rasa in his 1690 An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. A corollary of this doctrine was that the mind of the child was born blank, and he also suggested that picture books be created for children
4.
Hardcover
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A hardcover or hardback book is one bound with rigid protective covers. It has a flexible, sewn spine which allows the book to lie flat on a surface when opened, following the ISBN sequence numbers, books of this type may be identified by the abbreviation Hbk. Hardcover books are printed on acid-free paper, and are much more durable than paperbacks. Hardcover books are more costly to manufacture. If brisk sales are anticipated, an edition of a book is typically released first. Some publishers publish paperback originals if slow hardback sales are anticipated, for very popular books these sales cycles may be extended, and followed by a mass market paperback edition typeset in a more compact size and printed on shallower, less hardy paper. In the past the release of an edition was one year after the hardback. It is very unusual for a book that was first published in paperback to be followed by a hardback, an example is the novel The Judgment of Paris by Gore Vidal, which had its revised edition of 1961 first published in paperback, and later in hardcover. Hardcover books are sold at higher prices than comparable paperbacks. Hardcovers typically consist of a block, two boards, and a cloth or heavy paper covering. The pages are sewn together and glued onto a flexible spine between the boards, and it too is covered by the cloth, a paper wrapper, or dust jacket, is usually put over the binding, folding over each horizontal end of the boards. On the folded part, or flap, over the front cover is generally a blurb, the back flap is where the biography of the author can be found. Reviews are often placed on the back of the jacket, bookbinding Paperback How to make a simple Hardcover book
5.
Paperback
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A paperback is a type of book characterized by a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover or hardback books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, inexpensive books bound in paper have existed since at least the 19th century in such forms as pamphlets, yellowbacks, dime novels, and airport novels. Modern paperbacks can be differentiated by size, in the US there are mass-market paperbacks and larger, more durable trade paperbacks. In the UK, there are A-format, B-format, and the largest C-format sizes, Paperback editions of books are issued when a publisher decides to release a book in a low-cost format. Cheaper, lower quality paper, glued bindings, and the lack of a cover may contribute to the lower cost of paperbacks. Paperbacks can be the medium when a book is not expected to be a major seller or where the publisher wishes to release a book without putting forth a large investment. Examples include many novels, and newer editions or reprintings of older books, first editions of many modern books, especially genre fiction, are issued in paperback. Best-selling books, on the hand, may maintain sales in hardcover for an extended period in order to reap the greater profits that the hardcovers provide. These paper bound volumes were offered for sale at a fraction of the historic cost of a book, the Routledges Railway Library series of paperbacks remained in print until 1898, and offered the traveling public 1,277 unique titles. The German-language market also supported examples of cheap books, Bernhard Tauchnitz started the Collection of British. These inexpensive, paperbound editions, a precursor to mass-market paperbacks. Reclam published Shakespeare in this format from October 1857 and went on to pioneer the mass-market paper-bound Universal-Bibliothek series from 10 November 1867, the German publisher Albatross Books revised the 20th-century mass-market paperback format in 1931, but the approach of World War II cut the experiment short. The first released book on Penguins 1935 list was André Maurois Ariel, Lane intended to produce inexpensive books. He purchased paperback rights from publishers, ordered large print runs to keep prices low. Booksellers were initially reluctant to buy his books, but when Woolworths placed a large order, after that initial success, booksellers showed more willingness to stock paperbacks, and the name Penguin became closely associated with the word paperback. In 1939, Robert de Graaf issued a similar line in the United States, the term pocket book became synonymous with paperback in English-speaking North America. In French, the term livre de poche was used and is still in use today, de Graaf, like Lane, negotiated paperback rights from other publishers, and produced many runs. His practices contrasted with those of Lane by his adoption of illustrated covers aimed at the North American market, in order to reach an even broader market than Lane, he used distribution networks of newspapers and magazines, which had a lengthy history of being aimed at mass audiences
6.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
7.
OCLC
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The Online Computer Library Center is a US-based nonprofit cooperative organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the worlds information and reducing information costs. It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries have to pay for its services, the group first met on July 5,1967 on the campus of the Ohio State University to sign the articles of incorporation for the nonprofit organization. The group hired Frederick G. Kilgour, a former Yale University medical school librarian, Kilgour wished to merge the latest information storage and retrieval system of the time, the computer, with the oldest, the library. The goal of network and database was to bring libraries together to cooperatively keep track of the worlds information in order to best serve researchers and scholars. The first library to do online cataloging through OCLC was the Alden Library at Ohio University on August 26,1971 and this was the first occurrence of online cataloging by any library worldwide. Membership in OCLC is based on use of services and contribution of data, between 1967 and 1977, OCLC membership was limited to institutions in Ohio, but in 1978, a new governance structure was established that allowed institutions from other states to join. In 2002, the structure was again modified to accommodate participation from outside the United States. As OCLC expanded services in the United States outside of Ohio, it relied on establishing strategic partnerships with networks, organizations that provided training, support, by 2008, there were 15 independent United States regional service providers. OCLC networks played a key role in OCLC governance, with networks electing delegates to serve on OCLC Members Council, in early 2009, OCLC negotiated new contracts with the former networks and opened a centralized support center. OCLC provides bibliographic, abstract and full-text information to anyone, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat—the OCLC Online Union Catalog, the largest online public access catalog in the world. WorldCat has holding records from public and private libraries worldwide. org, in October 2005, the OCLC technical staff began a wiki project, WikiD, allowing readers to add commentary and structured-field information associated with any WorldCat record. The Online Computer Library Center acquired the trademark and copyrights associated with the Dewey Decimal Classification System when it bought Forest Press in 1988, a browser for books with their Dewey Decimal Classifications was available until July 2013, it was replaced by the Classify Service. S. The reference management service QuestionPoint provides libraries with tools to communicate with users and this around-the-clock reference service is provided by a cooperative of participating global libraries. OCLC has produced cards for members since 1971 with its shared online catalog. OCLC commercially sells software, e. g. CONTENTdm for managing digital collections, OCLC has been conducting research for the library community for more than 30 years. In accordance with its mission, OCLC makes its research outcomes known through various publications and these publications, including journal articles, reports, newsletters, and presentations, are available through the organizations website. The most recent publications are displayed first, and all archived resources, membership Reports – A number of significant reports on topics ranging from virtual reference in libraries to perceptions about library funding
8.
The Haunted Bridge
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The Haunted Bridge is the fifteenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was originally published by Grosset & Dunlap in 1937, nancys father Carson Drew is on the trail of an international ring of jewel thieves, and asks her to assist him in his pursuit. The trail leads to a resort area. Before Nancy has a chance to work on her fathers case. In the dense woods nearby is an old wooden footbridge guarded by a ghost, intrigued by the caddys story, Nancy decides to investigate. Several riddles confront the young detective as she attempts to solve the mystery of the haunted bridge and track down a woman suspected of being a key member of the gang of the jewelry thieves
9.
The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk
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The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk is the seventeenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was first published in 1940 by Grosset & Dunlap, the Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk is sure to please everyone, not only the tween girls it is aimed towards. Nancy plans a trip to South America by boat, along with chums George and they have joined a tour being conducted by an exclusive girls school. To Nancys amazement, the mother of one of the students protests Nancys presence on the tour, Nancy must also unravel the mysteries of smuggled jewelry, and purloined documents from an African government. The 1940 cover art depicts Nancy and George attempting to stop Nancys trunk from being removed from the ship, the 1962 art was updated by Rudy Nappi, and depicts Nancy, Bess and George in the same scene, wearing Kennedy suits. For the revised story in 1976, Nappi presents Nancy against a background of brown, with a montage of images, including a jewel cache
10.
The Secret of the Old Clock
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The Secret of the Old Clock is the first volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was first published on April 28,1930 and revised in 1959 by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, Nancy Drew is an eighteen-year-old high school graduate. Her father, Carson Drew, is a criminal defense lawyer. The Drews reside in River Heights and employ a housekeeper, Hannah Gruen, in early editions, she is depicted as a mere servant, later in the series she becomes more of a family member. In 2001, the novel ranked 53rd on Publishers Weeklys list of the all-time best-selling hardcover childrens books in English, eighteen-year-old Nancy Drew wishes to help the Turners, who are struggling relatives of the recently deceased Josiah Crowley. Aided along the way by chum Helen Corning, she becomes interested in the case because she dislikes his snobbish nouveau-riche social-climbing heirs presumptive, a nasty encounter at a department store allows Nancy to discredit the Topham sisters when they break an expensive imported vase. Interviewing various Crowley relatives and friends, Nancy learns from an old lady that Crowley hinted that the clue to his will would be found in the family clock. When Helen gives Nancy charity tickets to sell, she sells them to the Tophams to gain entry to their home, Nancy then joins Helen at summer camp to investigate the Topham summer-home nearby. There she is overpowered by the burglars who stole the Crowley Clock and she is imprisoned in the vacant house while the caretaker is locked in a shed nearby. She is able to obtain the clock while the burglars drink heavily at a wayside inn. Nancy is depicted as intentionally hiding stolen evidence from the police, a climactic scene, inserted before the denouement and epilogue, sees Nancy delighted to take the money from the Tophams and see it distributed to destitute family and friends. Nancy comes across as very strong-willed, but also competitive with the Tophams, although charitable and altruistic to the poor heirs, she enjoys seeing others in River Heights society lose their status earned by new money rather than character. Helen now appears older, perhaps in preparation for her eventual write-out after Volume 4 of the series to introduce Bess. Readers have noted two figures illustrated in the vein as the cousins appear in a 1959 illustration at a girls camp). Action is increased significantly and is faster-paced, greater detail is given to develop Nancy and her home. When Crowley dies, promises of being included in his will appear moot as the will, held by the Tophams, eighteen-year-old Nancy Drew is prompted to help the Crowley kin by her affection for Crowleys distant niece, little Judy, whos being raised by the elderly Turner sisters. While looking for the Hoover sisters, Nancy happens upon their farm during a downpour, in the original version the sisters wanted to improve their hatchery and dressmaking skills, here, Allison Hoover wants to take singing lessons. Nancys encounter with the undeserving Topham sisters now centers around a torn evening dress instead of a broken vase, Nancy catches up with the thieves when they stop to dine, instead of drinking illegal-era alcohol
11.
The Hidden Staircase
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The Hidden Staircase is the second volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, published in 1930 and revised in 1959. In the beginning of the edition of “The Hidden Staircase, ” Nancy is home alone while her father and their housekeeper. The doorbell rings and Nancy is introduced to the visitor, Nathan Gomber. When his persistence irritates and insults Nancy, she grows impatient and angrily tells him to leave, soon after, Nancy is surprised at her house by Allie Horner, whom she aided in The Secret of the Old Clock. Allie knows who Nathan Gomber is by reputation and because he stole eggs from her farm. When Carson Drew arrives home, he explains his history with Gomber, Gomber signed over his land to build a railroad, the following day, Abigail Rowen introduces Nancy to the Turnbull sisters, Rosemary and Floretta. They ask Nancy to help them learn the cause of the hauntings of their mansion in Cliffwood. Nancy stays overnight with the Turnbull sisters for over a week to determine the source of their problems and she goes alone and has her own bedroom. Before she leaves, her father gives her a revolver from his desk to protect herself and he explains that he will be out of town on business in Chicago for a few days but no more than a week. They decide that when he knows the day of his back in River Heights. Before Nancy leaves for Cliffwood, she receives a letter telling her to stay away from the Turnbull mansion. While she is there more items are stolen and at one point they find a couple of flying about the mansion. Likewise, they explain that none other than Nathan Gomber owns the stone mansion. Armed with this knowledge, Nancy is certain that Nathan Gomber is the culprit behind the thefts, and is determined to prove it. Meanwhile, her father, who sent a telegram to Nancy to pick him up on a day at the station for their meeting. Nathan confuses Carson and leads him to believe that Nancy has had an accident near Gombers mansion and is waiting there, distraught and believing Gomber, Carson Drew rides back to Gombers mansion, where he is then held prisoner. Nancy never receives the telegram from Carson Drew and worries that something is wrong since she cannot reach him, while she is running through the rain, she sees Gomber walking toward the Turnbull mansion. She decides that this is her opportunity to get into his house
12.
The Bungalow Mystery
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The Bungalow Mystery is the third volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was the last of three books in the breeder set trilogy, released in 1930, to test-market the series and it was the final volume edited by Edward Stratemeyer before his death. His daughter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, extensively revised the novel in 1960, Laura Pendleton rescues Nancy Drew and her friend Helen, who cant swim, when their rowboat capsizes during a sudden, severe storm on Moon Lake. The girls from River Heights befriend the orphaned Laura, who has come to the area to meet her new guardian, Jacob Aborn. Mr. Aborn seems somewhat boorish to the River Heights girls, and Nancy, upon returning home, receives a call from Laura. He expects her to do chores and cook, which seems natural. Laura escapes, and this leads Nancy back to the Aborn house, Nancy eventually enter the bungalow but is quickly hit on the head and knocked unconscious. However, when Nancy comes too, she soon exposes an imposter, the plot is similar, but the mystery takes longer to develop, unusual, in that revised versions of Nancy Drew typically reduce detail and speed up the action. Nancy and Helen meet Laura after she rescues them on the lake, Nancy finds the Aborns gauche but friendly. Nancy is called home to aid injured Hannah Gruen, as in the original, she encounters a tree on the road, but this time a brother and sister appear, upon returning home, Nancy looks after Hannah and takes over the housekeeping chores. Carson Drew assigns her to investigate a long list of individuals suspected of involvement in investment-securities fraud, Nancy tackles this by dressing more maturely and going door-to-door for charity as a ruse to meet the suspects. This subplot adds time and depth to the story, Laura contacts Nancy surreptitiously to ask for her help, and then escapes from her locked room at the Aborn residence to seek refuge at the Drews. Mrs. Aborn had ordered Laura to hand over valuable jewels and they are the couple Nancy couldnt locate in River Heights, who committed the banking crimes her father was investigating. Laura discovers that the real Aborns are wonderful people who would be caring guardians, to reward Nancy for helping her and rescuing her valuables, Laura presents the sleuth with her mothers favorite ring—an aquamarine, a reminder that their friendship began on water. The original 1930 artwork—Nancy peeking into the abandoned bungalow—was created by Russell H. Tandy, in 1937, the three internals were omitted. In 1943, Tandy executed a completely new pen-and-ink drawing for the frontispiece instead of updating earlier illustrations, in 1950, Bill Gillies created new cover artwork, showing Nancy spying on Stumpy Dowd. This artwork was retained for the 1960 revision, which added a frontispiece. In 1965, the cover was updated by Rudy Nappi to show Nancy dressed in a dress, contrasting with the current mod look
13.
The Mystery at Lilac Inn
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The Mystery At Lilac Inn is the fourth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1931 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, mildred Wirt Benson was the ghostwriter for the 1931 edition. In 1961, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams extensively revised the novel, creating a different story. Ethnic slurs and opinions were removed, the story involves Nancy Drew helping her friend Emily Crandall find out who stole her heirloom jewels. In the meantime, Nancy must hire a maid in the absence of Mrs. Gruen. Nancy uncovers the thief, Mary Mason, one of the applicants for the position of maid and she then tracks Mary Mason to a gang, which includes Marys brother, Bud. Nancy is bound and gagged and left aboard the sinking cabin cruiser to die. In the end, Nancy captures the jewel thief, exonerates the guardian, how did you and Helen paddle that canoe up here so fast from River Heights. Cried Doris Drake in astonishment, is the line of the book. Nancy and chum Helen vacation at historic Lilac Inn, recently purchased by friend Emily Willoughby, Nancy quickly discovers that an impersonator is operating and forging her signature to rack up bills back in River Heights. In the meantime, Emily gives reports of strange happenings, including mysterious apparitions in the lilac grove, Nancy is attacked while scuba diving alone, when Dicks best man, John, fails to keep a date. And Emilys inheritance, a fortune in diamonds, is stolen during a dramatic blackout. An explosion and cabin fire, an attack by the woman in the grove. Her sleuthing leads to recognition of a looking for money at Lilac Inn. Nancy must soon meet her evil twin face to face on the river, the novel was extensively rewritten and published in 1961, partially because the original novel featured elements of racism that were considered unacceptable. In the original story, Nancy uses racial terms as far as describing potential replacement housekeepers whom she has rejected, also the character of Mary Mason, the novels central villain, is described as an impudent, dark-complexioned girl, perhaps hinting at her ethnicity. Nancy only realizes that Mary is involved in the theft after seeing her at an exclusive, Nancy comments in particular, upon seeing Mary in the store, Surely a girl in her circumstances cannot afford to buy dresses at such a place as this. The book was printed with a jacket and four glossy illustrations
14.
The Secret at Shadow Ranch
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The Secret of Shadow Ranch is the fifth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1931 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene and this book, as of 2001, ranks 50 on the list of All-Time Bestselling Childrens Books, according to Publishers Weekly, with 2,347,750 sales since 1931. In this book, you are introduced to Nancys best friends, Elizabeth Bess Marvin and Georgia George Fayne, George is a brave, sporty tomboy, while Bess is a girly, shopping, scaredycat. One of Bess and Georges cousins, Alice Regor, travel with Nancy to their Aunt, Nancy reunites Alice with her long-lost artist father, who is suffering from amnesia. Nancy travels with her friends Bess and George to Shadow Ranch, near Phoenix, the ranch is in danger of being shut down, and is threatened by a phantom horse that seems to bring destruction with it each time it appears. The girls soon become friends with the ranch hands who help them. The discovery of a watch with a hidden message about a green bottle. These clues lead her to an ancient Indian dwelling, a prisoner, a chest of gold hearts, a gang of thieves, the revised book had the title changed to of instead of at, and doesnt expand the biographies of the cousins significantly. Whereas the ranch is depicted as slow, and a young doctor is interested in Nancy. Tandy illustrated the original dust jacket and internal illustrations, and the frontispiece, in 1950, Bill Gillies revised the cover art, which featured Nancy on a rearing horse. The art was revised for the new story in 1965, this time by Rudy Nappi, though Ned Nickerson is mentioned in passing in this book as being in Europe, Nancy doesnt actually meet Ned until two books later, The Clue in the Diary, #7. The mistake was made when this title was revised, in the revised text, Nancy is said to be knitting a sweater for Ned, identified as her boyfriend, in the first chapter. George references the sweater and Ned again in the final chapter, since Nancy has not yet met Ned in the series, this error was corrected in subsequent printings in the first chapter substituting Ned with her father, Carson Drew. The last chapter still mentioned Ned as the one who would receive the sweater, many printings later, Georges remark in the last chapter was changed from Ned to your dad when she mentions the sweater Nancy is knitting. However, Ned is still mentioned in book as being in Europe. Sometime in early 2011, interactive entertainment developer, Her Interactive, Shadow Ranch is available only for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, priced at $4.99 for the iPad and $1.99 for the iPhone and iPod Touch
15.
The Secret of Red Gate Farm
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The Secret of Red Gate Farm is the sixth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, It was first published in 1931. There is no front flyleaf for the 1989 edition of this book, out on a leisurely shopping trip, Nancy, Bess and George encounter an odd French-Chinese perfume saleswoman, who is reluctant to sell a particular fragrance to Bess. On a return trip to River Heights, they ponder her odd behavior and encounter the malnourished Millie Byrd. Millie becomes acquainted with the girls, and when Nancy accompanies her to a job interview, millies grandmother, owner of Red Gate Farm, welcomes the trio and Millie to her farm where they plan to vacation as paid boarders, and assist with waiting on other boarders. Once on the farm, Nancy uncovers a strange group called The Black Snake Colony—a nature cult—who are tenants on a portion of Mrs. Byrds farm. Accused of passing counterfeit money, Nancy shares details of the odd colony, Nancy, Bess, George, and Millie go undercover disguised in the white robes and hoods worn by the cult members, and join them in their cave hideaway. This volume also serves to develop the Bess and George characters. For the 1961 version of the book, the elements did not change much. George is bitten by a snake, and one of the agents is the son of a boarder at Red Gate Farm. Al Sniggs, gruff right-hand man of Maurice Hale, is now named Al Snead, the original cover art and four illustrations were executed by R. H. Tandy. He updated his own frontispiece to pen and ink in 1943, in 1950, Bill Gillies introduced new art which was prominently featured in promotions and advertisements, as well as on one-half of Rudy Nappis endpaper design, introduced in 1953. The iconic image is of Nancy spying on a cave from behind a tree, because the story is nearly the same as the original version, the art was retained when the 1961 revision was introduced. It was never revised again, and remains in print as of 2009, various editions have come under criticism from adult collectors, mainly because the costumes worn by the Colony members resemble KKK apparel
16.
The Clue in the Diary
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The Clue in the Diary is the seventh volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, and was first published in 1932 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Its text was revised in 1962 and this is the last manuscript Mildred Wirt Benson wrote in her initial run. She would return for volume 11, The Clue of the Broken Locket, as they are driving, a luxurious roadside estate bursts into flames. The girls park the car and make sure no one is trapped inside. In doing so, Nancy sees someone fleeing the property, and she picks up this clue, and as firefighters and gawkers arrive on the scene, she notices an attractive young man moving her car away from the flying embers. At first suspicious of Ned Nickerson, Nancy warms to him when he helps her out of a jam, Ned proves to be a good friend, and is a perennial admirer of Nancys from then on. Meanwhile, Mrs. Swensons husband is missing, and she identifies his diary as the one picked up at the fire. To top it all off, the owner of the house, Felix Raybolt, is missing. Raybolt, it out, swindles inventors like Swenson out of their patents and copyrights. Nancy struggles to decipher the diary and find the two missing men, aided by her best friends, and a new friend, the attentive Ned Nickerson. The 1962 revision added internal illustrations, featuring drawings of an immaculately dressed Nancy and chums sleuthing. All of these drawings are present in editions published through 2009
17.
Nancy's Mysterious Letter
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Nancys Mysterious Letter is the eighth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1932 and was penned by Walter Karig, due to Karig having died in 1956, the 1932 version passed into the public domain in Canada and other countries that have a life plus 50 policy, in 2007. In the late autumn after returning from Red Gate Farm on a day trip, Nancy and her friends enjoy hot cocoa, postman Ira Nixon, nearing retirement, is invited inside, and leaves his mailbag in the vestibule, where it is stolen. Nancy is summoned by postal authorities, who accuse her of being involved in the theft, which threatens the postmans pension and career. In the meantime, she is invited to spend a weekend as a guest of Ned Nickerson at Emerson College, where a big game will take place. Nancy encounters low-brow Mrs. Sailor Joe Skeets, who accuses her of wrongdoing due to her own missing letter containing money, strangely, the letters are re-posted later. Nancy receives a letter from British solicitors informing her of a Nancy Smith Drew, Nancy has no middle name or initial and she searches for her namesake. The primary suspect becomes Edgar Dixon, the brother of her mail carrier. Mrs. Skeets provides a clue, as does George Fayne, Ned performs well in the big game, during which Nancy sees the suspect in the stadium. Nancy tries to contact with Nancy S. Drew. While she investigates during a layover, she and Ned discover a lonely-hearts mail racket where money is solicited for introduction services. Nancy saves the day for Miss Drew, and helps her avoid marriage to a crook, the revised edition is largely condensed, but employs the same plot. Sub-plots involving early snowfall adding days to the Emerson trip and Nancys success at a hotel costume event are eliminated, Ira Dixon becomes Nixon, and the action is accelerated. Nancy still goes to Emerson, but her companion in the original version, the action at Emerson now includes someone attempting to harm Nancy by releasing a heavy curtain after luring her to a deserted theater stage. Nancy is also waylaid at the airport while going there to find her namesake, the teen sleuth is lured into the wash room by a young woman who tells Nancy someone is sick. Once inside, the woman grabs Nancy and holds a cloth over Nancys nose. Forced to breathe the anesthetic, Nancy faints into the womans arms, the details involving the football game are modernized and abridged to reduce this story element. The original 1932 artwork is by the fashion illustrator Russell H. Tandy, Nancy is depicted chasing Edgar at the football stadium, with a glossy frontispiece of Nancy at the postal inspectors office and three glossy internal illustrations included in the original imprint
18.
The Sign of the Twisted Candles
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The Sign of the Twisted Candles is the ninth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. As the second written by Walter Karig, it was originally published in 1933 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. In the course of solving the mystery of an old mans disappearing fortune, the second of three novels by ghostwriter Walter Karig, this story focuses on Nancys encounter with a 100-year-old man at The Sign of the Twisted Candles, a roadside inn and restaurant. Nancy and her friends, Bess and George, take afternoon tea there while waiting out a storm and they encounter Asa Sidney, celebrating his 100th birthday, and the pathetic maid and waitress, Carol Wipple, mistreated by her adoptive parents, Frank and Emma Jemmit. Nancy discovers Mr. Sidney is a relative of Bess and George. This leaves Nancy chumless, as the refuse to associate with Nancy. Carol is named as the benefactress, and Nancy sets out to prove Frank. Nancy also must discover why Asa was interested in young Carol, meanwhile, relatives from the Sidney and Boonton families fight over the money. Carol is discovered to be the great-niece of Asa Sidney and thus owns the rights to a number of inventions awaiting patents from Sidney, the family feud is resolved due to Nancys discoveries. The original 1933 artwork is by the fashion illustrator Russell H. Tandy, in the original edition, Nancy is shown meeting with Mr. Sidney in a simple summer dress and hat. This edition is noted for its internal art depicting Nancy pushed from a ladder and this illustration and two others were dropped in 1936 and subsequent editions. Bill Gillies 1950 cover art shows Nancy watching from a window as Frank Jemmit digs a hole outside, a more simply executed version of this image was used for half of the end paper used from 1953 to 1959. The end papers show the man, while Nancy hides behind a tree. The 1968 cover art shows a flip-haired Nancy near a candle with Asa glowering in the background and this art was also used as a generic cover stock, in red, blue and pink, for library binding or rebound library copies of all titles in the series
19.
The Password to Larkspur Lane
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The Password to Larkspur Lane is the tenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1933 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Walter Karig in his third and final Nancy Drew novel and his final appearance for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Due to Karig passing away in 1956, this book and his other 2 Nancy Drews, as of January 1,2007, have passed into the domain in Canada. The story opens with Nancy tending her prize delphiniums when a carrier pigeon lands in her yard. Nancy contacts the registry for carrier pigeon, meanwhile, housekeeper Hannah Gruen takes a fall and must be treated at the local orthopedists office. Her attending physician, Dr. Events led him to believe the patient was being held prisoner, the only clue to the womans identity is a bracelet with a family crest. Nancy, of course, sets out to track the crest, in the meantime, the pigeon registry contacts Nancy about the bird, suspecting criminality is involved. Effie Schneider, a girl who serves as Hannahs substitute. A ferocious woman attacks Nancy and steals the bracelet from her, Nancy and Helen explore the vicinity, finally finding L. S. Lane. Near the little-used road is a surrounded by delphiniums and an electrified fence. Elderly patients are outside on the grounds, Mrs. Eldridge is also outside near the fence and reveals she is indeed a prisoner. Nancy and Helen disguise themselves as an old lady and her nurse, Nancy reaches Mrs. Eldridge and rescues her. She sends Eldridge safely away with Helen before being imprisoned by the doctor and his partners. Nancy escapes from her prison and sabotages the crooks getaway airplane just as the police arrive. The word The is dropped from the title, the plot is similar, although condensed. Bess and George are included in more of the action, a subplot involving supernatural events at Helen Corning Archers in-laws summer place on Sylvan Lake leads Nancy there. The butler, Morgan, is involved in crimes as well. Bess accompanies Nancy in the operation instead of Helen, with Bess dressing like a nurse
20.
The Clue of the Broken Locket
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The Clue of the Broken Locket is the eleventh volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1934, and was written by Mildred Benson under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the revised 1965 imprint features two separated cousins, and takes place in Maryland. A ghostly launch appears on a lake, and two twin children are missing. The mysterious Pudding Stone Lodge seems to many secrets that have a lot to do with the cousins and are very important to Nancy. Nancy invite Ned and his friends to come to the lake to help, the cover art for the original dust jacket is uncredited. Tandy drew the frontispiece and original three internal illustrations for the volume in 1934, a facsimile of this edition is available from Applewood Books. In 1950, the art was modernized by Bill Gillies. In 1962 the cover art was modernized again, by Rudy Nappi, Nappi inserted himself as an old man with a pipe on the cover. In 1965, when the story was revised, Nappi made another cover, in print today, showing a dark, sinister lake, with Nancy, Bess, and George discovering the title object while wading to a ruined boat
21.
The Message in the Hollow Oak
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The Message in the Hollow Oak is the twelfth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene and first published in 1935, Nancy Drew finds out that she has won a rather unusual prize in a contest, a piece of land in Canada. She takes a trip, her first outside of the United States, as she is traveling by train to Canada, she meets an author named Ann Chapelle. Suddenly, the crashes, and everything is thrown into confusion. Nancy and her two friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne, are uninjured, but Chapelle is taken to a nearby hospital, gravely injured. Along with this request, Nancy also has another problem, Two men have heard that there might be gold on Nancys land, new York City detectives cant find a clue to a missionarys fortune, which is hidden in a hollow oak tree. Nancy goes to a site in Illinois that is connected to the mystery. She joins an archeological dig and stays on site, in Illinois
22.
The Mystery of the Ivory Charm
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The Mystery of the Ivory Charm is the thirteenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1936 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson. This is one of the few Nancy Drew books where an acknowledgement has been made to Mildred Wirt Benson. The acknowledgement from the 1974 edition reads as follows, Acknowledgement is made to Mildred Wirt Benson, the plot finds Nancy, Bess, and George investigating a mysterious boy from India. The boy, Coya, works for a circus, and is treated poorly by his guardian, Rai, also a native of India. Coya runs away from his guardian and seeks asylum at the Drew home in River Heights. Soon after his arrival, the girls begin investigating property owned by the unusual Miss Anita Allison and they encounter a house with no insides, and a hidden tunnel. The property mysteriously catches fire, revealing a hidden cache of jewels, Nancy traces Coyas parentage and uncovers a sinister kidnapping plot involving both Miss Allison and Rai. The climax also reveals a secret about the charm. This version is similar to the original text. Some character names are updated or altered and Miss Allison became Mrs. Allison, harriet Stratemeyer Adams and her employees at the Stratemeyer Syndicate completed the revisions. The 1936 edition featured cover art by Russell H. Tandy, Tandy updated his frontispiece to a plain pen and ink drawing for printings after 1943. Rudy Nappi illustrated new cover art for the picture cover binding in 1962. An uncredited illustrator completed interior illustrations for the revision
23.
The Whispering Statue
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The Whispering Statue is the fourteenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was originally published by Grosset & Dunlap in 1937, an updated, revised, and largely different story was published under the same title in 1970. Nancy, Bess, and George encounter a troublesome stray terrier on their way to the festivities of a new park. The terrier carries the handbag of one of the guest speakers into a nearby pond, Nancy retrieves the handbag, and uses the terrier to prompt the speaker during her address. Nancy learns that the woman seeks her estranged husband, Nancy keeps the terrier temporarily, and takes it with her when she, her father, and friends go on a retreat to the seashore. On the train, the girls observe elderly Bernice Conger, once there, the girls find a statue that bears an uncanny resemblance to Nancy, in a whispering pose. Further mysterious actions occur when Mrs. Conger acknowledges that she is being swindled, a seaplane accident leads Nancy to the estranged husband she has been seeking. In the climax of the story, Nancy hides behind the statue, Nancy is asked to solve a puzzling mystery, whereupon she encounters a second case. The first mystery concerns a collection of rare books. The second mystery involves the theft of a beautiful marble statue, which is thought to whisper. She becomes an employee of the dealer, with the alias Debbie Lynbrook. The mystery becomes complicated when the marble statue is discovered to be fake. The original 1937 cover art is by Russell H. Tandy, rudy Nappi illustrated the same scene for the 1962 picture cover edition, with updated clothing and hairstyles. Nappi also illustrated the cover of the 1970 edition, which is blue and white. Adult collectors of juvenile series often discuss artwork and plot elements in various fanzines, the original story introduces the recurring character of Nancys dog Togo, who begins as a bull terrier but is mentioned as a fox terrier or illustrated as a Scottish terrier in later appearances. In the revision, Nancy and her friends hide by kneeling inside three empty picture frames, a somewhat laughable idea, the statue whispers because of special holes drilled in the original that the wind could pass through when positioned in a garden. The artwork on the 1970 cover and interior text illustrations make the resemblance to Nancy undeniable. Since the statue is a likeness of a woman, it is anachronistic that the statue sports a hairstyle not popularized until 1960 or later
24.
The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion
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The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion is the eighteenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series published by Grossett & Dunlap, and was first published in 1941. The original text was written by ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson, based upon an outline from Stratemeyer Syndicate co-owner Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Nancys father Carson Drew enlists her help in tracking down a missing heiress and they later hear that someone was murdered near the mansion, and upon investigating they hear strange noises emanating from within. Knowing that he could not possibly be guilty of sabotage, Nancy, during the Drews investigation, Nancy becomes suspicious of an old, spooky mansion. Behind a high enclosure, wild African animals roam about the extensive grounds. Nancy discovers that something besides the training of animals is going on at the mysterious moss-covered mansion estate. The original dust jacket was painted by Russell H. Tandy, and depicts Nancy, Bess, Tandy also illustrated a frontispiece, this volume is the first in the series to have only one illustration on plain paper, previously, glossy, highly detailed art was used. The cover, but not the interior illustration, was updated to the scene, set in the 1960s, with Nancy, Bess and George. Nappi also illustrated the new location with Nancy in the foreground stalked by a panther. An uncredited artist provided five internal line drawings and a frontispiece for the revised text
25.
The Quest of the Missing Map
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The Quest of the Missing Map is the nineteenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1942 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson. Nancy investigates a small cottage at the Chatham estate and discovers a connection between the mysterious occurrences at the cottage and an island where a lost treasure is said to be buried. With one half of a map, Nancy sets out to find a twin brother who holds the other half. The mystery becomes dangerous when an assailant hears about the treasure and is determined to push Nancy off the trail, can she endure this and other grave dangers, and recover in time to solve the mystery
26.
The Clue in the Jewel Box
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The Clue in the Jewel Box is the twentieth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1943 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson. An antique dealers revelation about a former queens priceless heirloom leads Nancy on a series of exciting yet dangerous adventures, madame Alexandra, who is living in exile in River Heights, asks Nancy to search for her long-lost grandson. Using an old, faded photo of the prince at age four, a secret in the old jewel box helps Nancy unveil a slick impostor, and bring the mystery to its thrilling conclusion
27.
The Secret in the Old Attic
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The Secret in the Old Attic is the twenty-first volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1944 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson. Nancy searches for clues to missing music manuscripts written by deceased soldier Philip March, marchs daughter and his father, living together on the family estate, are rapidly running out of money, and believe some of Fipps music is being sold and played on the radio. Nancy goes to the estate to investigate, with the assistance of Bess, in the meantime, her fathers client solicits her aid in his investigation of a rival company, which seems to be manufacturing silk cloth using his patented methods. In the meantime, the girls are all planning to attend an Emerson College dance, except for Nancy, could Diane Dight, rich daughter of the owner of the Dight firm, which Nancy is investigating, have turned Neds head. And what is Bushy Trott, manic scientist, doing at the Dight plant, Nancy continues trying to solve both mysteries, discovering hidden songs in the process. All the while, she tries unsuccessfully to shed few tears over Ned, the resolution of both cases and her romantic plight are quite climactic. The revised version, still in print, is a version of the original story. It is shorter by five chapters, and includes Diane Dight, collectors of the series seem to greatly enjoy the original art by Russell H. Tandy, which depicts Nancy among highly Gothic elements, by candlelight, in the old attic. In 1962, Rudy Nappi gave Nancy a modern flip hairstyle and changed the color to red and this cover plays heavily on the spooky elements popular during the Dark Shadows era
28.
The Clue in the Crumbling Wall
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The Clue in the Crumbling Wall is the twenty-second volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1945 under Carolyn Keene, a pseudonym of the ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson, Nancy and her friends work to find an inheritance concealed in the walls of an old mansion before it can be discovered and stolen by some unscrupulous men. The original art, by R. H, tandy shows Nancy, Bess and George removing a box that they have found while hiding from two men were hacking away at the stone walls of a garden walkway. Bess is depicted with very dark brown hair, and all three girls are in feminine clothing, contrary to what the text of the book describes. Nancy is depicted in the dress in the frontispiece. The cover was updated with revised art in 1962 to show the same scene, the frontispiece was not updated in this edition. The story was revised for a 1973 edition with new art showing a montage of Heath Castle, the vandals. The art work of the 1973 edition included a frontispiece and the illustrations that were described as crude and lacking in detail, according to adult critics
29.
The Clue in the Old Album
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The Clue in the Old Album is the twenty-fourth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1947 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, Nancy witnesses a purse snatching and pursues the thief. She rescues the purse, but not its contents, then is asked by the owner, the source of light will heal all ills, but a curse will follow him who takes it from the gypsies. This is one of the clues Nancy is given to find an old album, a lost doll, and a missing gypsy violinist
30.
The Ghost of Blackwood Hall
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The Ghost of Blackwood Hall is the twenty-fifth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1948 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson. Nancy Drews jewelers customer Mrs. Putney asks Nancy and her friends to recover her stolen jewels. The search for the thieves takes Nancy, Bess, and George to New Orleans, Mrs. Putneys odd behavior and two young women involve Nancy in a case involving a cruel hoax being perpetrated at the abandoned Blackwood Hall. Nancys father, Mr. Drew, also helps solve this mystery by contacting his workers, and helping him find the man that is connected to this mysterious mystery
31.
The Clue of the Leaning Chimney
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The Clue of the Leaning Chimney is the twenty-sixth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1949 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual authors were ghostwriters George Waller, Jr. and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. A rare and valuable Chinese vase is stolen from a pottery shop, during the investigation, Nancy searches for a leaning chimney, which leads her to missing pottery experts
32.
The Secret of the Wooden Lady
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The Secret of the Wooden Lady is the twenty-seventh volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1950 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Margaret Scherf. Nancy, Bess, and George travel to Boston Harbor to assist Captain Easterly, the ships figurehead of a wooden lady is missing. Once the mystery is solved, the history of the ship is revealed
33.
The Clue of the Black Keys
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The Clue of the Black Keys is the twenty-eighth volume in the Nancy Drew mystery series. It was first published in 1951 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual authors were ghostwriters Wilhelmina Rankin and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Prof. Terry Scott went to River Heights to ask the help of Carson Drew to help him to find Dr. Joshua Pitt. Mr. Drew thought that the case was more of a mystery, so he referred him to Nancy Drew, before the professors had time to translate the cipher, the tablet disappeared together with Dr. Pitt, leaving only the bottom half of one of the keys. Terry suspected the Tinos because they vanished when the cipher stone, someone tried to steal the half-key. Sergeant Malloy helped them identify the thief, Juarez Tino, Terry gave the half-key to Nancy and that night a burglar broke into the Drews house. A thief stole Terrys things and documents from the hotel room, Nancy asked her fathers advice, and he suggests finding the other expedition members. Nancy and George meet with Dr. Graham, and he says the four expedition members trust one another, ned Nickerson asks Nancy to drive his fraternity brother in Emerson College, Prof. Terence Scott, to his lecture. Bess and George trail Mr. Porterly, and overhear his telephone conversation planning harm to Nancy, Dr. Anderson tells Nancy that Mr. Juarez Tino telephoned to say that hed reveal where the cipher and Doctor Pitt are for a price. After Terry Scotts lecture, Mrs. Lillian Wagnell asked him to decipher her sea captain grandfathers old diary, Nancy doubts Mrs. Wagnells intent, and Mrs. Prescott mentions that Mrs. Wagnell doesnt have a sea captain grandfather. Mrs. Wagnell doesn’t want Terry to borrow the diary so Nancy suggests he take the important pages, Carson Drew received a letter from Caswell P. Breed in Baltimore, a relative of Dr. Pitt, the Drews went to Baltimore but Mr. Breed sent no letter. Terry discovered that the Wagnells and Porters were related to the stuepeds, after those things happened, Terry went to Mexico and Nancy decided to join the educational trip of Dr. Anderson in the Florida Keys. A day before Nancy went to Florida, Juarez searched their house for the half-key, when Nancy got to Florida she asked Dr. Anderson to work on a special assignment with Fran Oakes, to look for the Black Keys amongst the Florida Keys. Fran Oakes introduces Nancy to Jack Walker, her cousin and they went to Two Line Parker who knows about the Florida Keys history. The fisherman told her about the Black Falcon, during their rest, Nancy found the burned letters in Porterlys’ place. There was a part of letter that talked about her. Nancy and Dr. Anderson saw Juarez Tino in a speedboat while they were searching the Florida Keys looking for where the Black Falcon sunk and they tried to follow him but he lost them
34.
The Mystery at the Ski Jump
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The Mystery at the Ski Jump is the twenty-ninth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1952 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Alma Sasse. Nancy, Bess, and George follow the trail of fur thieves to New York, while trying to catch the thieves, Nancy must catch a woman named Mitzi Channing who is using Nancys identity. Nancy finds out that everyone who has been buying from Mizti is in a dreadful trap
35.
The Clue of the Velvet Mask
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The Clue of the Velvet Mask is the thirtieth volume in the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was Mildred Bensons final ghostwrite for the series, the plot and story take place largely in Nancys hometown of River Heights. Nancy tries to solve a mystery about a gang of event thieves robbing homes during parties, lectures, musicals, much of the original story contains elements of dramatic crime dramas, the villains are darker in tone than many other entries in the series. As the story opens, Nancy and friends attempt to thwart suspicious, at the party, Nancy finds an odd, black velvet hood, which she retains as a clue, most of the guests are wearing simpler, smaller masks as the evening is very warm. Her acquaintance, Linda, who is an employee of the Lightner company, is suspected of wrongdoing, at subsequent Lightner events, Nancy encounters other thieves, and is nearly suffocated by an evil pair of crooks. Nancy and George rent wigs to switch identities, however, George is kidnapped, her disguise removed, is put under the influence of hypnotic, mind-altering drugs, and threatened. This results in a timid, frightened characterization, paralyzed by fear, George refuses to help in the investigation, Nancy focuses on the executive assistant at Lightners, Mr. Tombar, while she attempts to decode mysterious numbers written on the lining of the mask. She realizes that the numbers actually mark dates of events at which robberies took place and she encounters thieves at a wedding, a musicale, where they nearly smother her, and a lecture. Finally, Nancy attends another masquerade as a girl, and she stops a robbery in process. She and Bess investigate the ramshackle Blue Iris Inn in the countryside, trying to find out why Peter Tombar owns the property. On a hunch, she and Bess take a visit while talking with the recovering George Fayne. Only paranoid George knows where they are, and can identify the clothing last worn by Nancy and she must overcome her mental breakdown and get on the case when the girls fail to return. Crime noir elements feature heavily in this book, and Ned Nickerson is prominently featured as a partner in crime solving. Nancy is accosted by a woman in the chapters, comes face to face with a thief at a wedding reception. George Fayne is drugged and a victim of criminal threat, finally, Nancy and Bess are kidnapped, blindfolded, and abused verbally. Additionally, the revised version removes questionable descriptive elements of Georges drugged status and her discovery of a dress button Nancy has planted at the scene is downplayed. In the original version, Nancy has changed clothes, so only George knows what Nancy and this book was the first promotional release for the 1959 debut of the Nancy Drew Readers Club. The covers of volumes released in group are two-toned pastels, featuring full color jackets and frontispieces
36.
The Ringmaster's Secret
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The Ringmasters Secret is the thirty-first volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in late 1953 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Coincidentally, the Sims Circus, former employer of Nancys equestrian instructor, is coming to town, Nancy investigates the link between the unhappy circus star, young aerialist, Lolita, and her bracelet. Lolita is the daughter of the acting manager, Ringmaster Kroon. Pietro, the young, handsome clown, tells Nancy Lolita has the charm from her bracelet. Nancys regular appearances at the circus, and her detective reputation brings the ire of Kroon, when a bareback rider is injured, Nancy is asked to join the show as her replacement. Bess Marvin stands in at an interview with Kroon, and agrees to audition later, while Nancy lightens her hair, Nancys travels with the circus come to an abrupt end when she and George are kidnapped and left aboard the car of a freight train. After their escape, Nancy continues following up on clues, including a woman in England linked to both the bracelet and Lolita. In the climax of the story, Nancy is rescued by Ned when Kroon tries to imprison her in the lions cage,1974 Edition, the story is a shortened and abridged version of the original, lacking detail in the subplots, and quickening the pace. Nancy uses a wig to resemble Bess, as well, since her hair is titian in the revision, the story is basically a simplified version of the original. Nancy is illustrated as mature, dressed in tailored clothes, in series of book club editions with illustrations by Polly Bolian. The books featured eight internal illustrations on double pages, and a color frontispiece, the books removed prior- and next-book notices and promotions, and all other details that would serve to sequence the books. Nancy is shown as willowy, with short, wavy hair, and this volume is criticized by adult collectors, who regularly discuss and review Nancy Drew plot elements. The original art was executed in 1953 by illustrator Rudy Nappi, and shows a very sedate Nancy in a shirtwaist dress typical of the period, an unknown artist executed the original frontispiece. In 1974, Nappi updated his art to a collage of the ringmaster, an unknown artist executed highly criticized internal illustrations showing Nancy wearing mostly bell-bottoms and t-shirts for the updated edition
37.
The Scarlet Slipper Mystery
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The Scarlet Slipper Mystery is the thirty-second volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was published in 1954 by Grosset & Dunlap and written by Charles S, strong under the house pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Nancy meets the Fontaines, refugees from the country of Centrovia. The Fontaines receive threats from an assailant, and Nancy offers to help. Nancy begins her search for them and becomes involved in a mystery involving a pair of scarlet dance slippers, a painting, there are many people pretending to be friends of the Fontaines, but Nancy does not know if they are lying
38.
The Witch Tree Symbol
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The Witch Tree Symbol is the thirty-third volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1955 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. When a neighbor asks Nancy Drew to accompany her to an old uninhabited mansion, a new mystery opens up, Nancy finds a witch tree symbol that leads her to Pennsylvania Dutch country in pursuit of a cunning and ruthless thief. The friendly welcome the young detective and her friends Bess and George receive from the Amish people soon changes to hostility when it is rumored that Nancy is a witch, superstition helps her adversary in his attempt to get her off his trail, but Nancy does not give up. She persistently uncovers one clue after another, nancys intelligence and sleuthing ability finally lead to the fascinating solution of this puzzling case
39.
The Hidden Window Mystery
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The Hidden Window Mystery is the thirty-fourth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1956 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Nancy and her friends, Bess and George travel to Charlottesville, the girls stay with Nancys cousin Susan. Nancy discovers someone is trying to keep her away from Charlottesville, the mansion they are staying at is said to be haunted by a mysterious ghost. Also Nancys new neighbors brother, Alonzo Rugby is in Charlottesville and is a suspect in this mystery
40.
The Secret of the Golden Pavilion
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The Secret of the Golden Pavilion is the thirty-sixth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1959 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the actual author was ghostwriter Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Nancy, Bess, and George travel to Hawaii to solve a puzzle involving an old golden pavilion. They are then set to find a trio of art thieves and they help find a Chinese mans treasure. Carson Drew is asked by Mr. Sakamaki to solve the mystery of the estate, Kaluakua, the estate is located in Hawaii and has a secret. Sakamaki was warned never to sell the estate until he learns its secret, complicating the situation, a brother and sister have suddenly appeared, claiming to be heirs to the estate. Also, somebody has been hacking at the floor of the Golden Pavilion, which is a circular open building on the estate
41.
The Mystery of the Fire Dragon
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The Mystery of the Fire Dragon is the thirty-eighth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, and was first published in 1961, Nancy Drew is called to New York City by her Aunt Eloise to solve a missing-person case. The granddaughter of her elderly Chinese author neighbor, Mr. Soong, has been kidnapped, Nancy decides to visit the store again but as she goes along the sidewalk, Nancy is knocked-out by a falling vase which hits her on the head. While Nancy is unconscious, Bess and George take up the mystery, a series of clues lead the girls to Hong Kong, where Nancys boyfriend, Ned Nickerson, joins the action. Nancy foolishly follows Chi Che on board a plane, and is herself kidnapped, ingenious Nancy uses her lipstick to signal for help on the plane windows. This is the volume in the series to be issued with a dust jacket. Subsequent volumes integrated the artwork directly into the covers
