
Carolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator. Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten. Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
The Nancy Drew Starter Set is the perfect gift for aspiring detectives, or longtime fans of the series! The first five books in this iconic series are packaged together in a collectible box set with an updated design. Titles included are #1 The Secret of the Old Clock , #2 The Hidden Staircase , #3 The Bungalow Mystery , #4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn , and #5 The Secret of Shadow Ranch. Teenage sleuth Nancy Drew is a beloved cultural figure and noted inspiration for generations of women, including Sonia Sotomayor, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Hillary Clinton.
Welcome to the first Nancy Drew mystery story. She was introduced in 1930 and is still going strong almost 100 years later!Nancy is in her late teens and often helps her father, attorney Carson Drew of River Heights, with his practice. She had been delivering legal papers for him when she almost hit a young girl who suddenly ran into the road. Inquisitive, she learns that Judy is an orphan and her aunts are not well off. That were hoping for a bequest from a recently deceased friend, Josiah Crowley. But his latest will is missing.Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for that will.Librarian's note: this is a facsimile reprint of the first ever Nancy Drew book, published 1930.
After receiving a call from her good friend Helen Corning, Nancy Drew agrees to help solve a baffling mystery. Helen's Aunt Rosemary has been living with her mother at the old family mansion, and they have noticed many strange things - music, thumps, and creaking noises at night, and seen eerie shadows on the walls. Could the house be haunted?Helen's great grandmother, Miss Flora, thinks the house has a ghost. Nancy doesn't believe in such things, but she's puzzled and very anxious about Miss Flora's frail health.
While trying to help a friend out of a difficulty, Nancy has a perilous experience in and around a deserted bungalow, from which only her bravery and quick thinking save her.
Teenage detective Nancy Drew finds herself in danger when she sets out to track a jewel thief.
This cool paperback blank journal features one of the most memorable cover images from the classic Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series.TM & 2006 Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Nancy Drew has been solving mysteries, and delighting fans, for over 75 years. Now, for the first time, you can purchase all sixty-four classic Nancy Drew titles in one complete set!#1: The Secret of the Old Clock#2: The Hidden Staircase #3: The Bungalow Mystery #4: The Mystery at Lilac Inn #5: The Secret of Shadow Ranch #6: The Secret of Red Gate Farm #7: The Clue in the Diary #8: Nancy's Mysterious Letter #9: The Sign of the Twisted Candles #10: Password to Larkspur Lane #11: The Clue of the Broken Locket #12: The Message in the Hollow Oak #13: The Mystery of the Ivory Charm #14: The Whispering Statue #15: The Haunted Bridge #16: The Clue of the Tapping Heels #17: Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk #18: Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion #19: The Quest of the Missing Map #20: The Clue in the Jewel Box #21: The Secret in the Old Attic #22: The Clue in the Crumbling Wall #23: Mystery of the Tolling Bell #24: The Clue in the Old Album #25: The Ghost of Blackwood Hall #26: The Clue of the Leaning Chimney #27: The Secret of the Wooden Lady #28: The Clue of the Black Keys #29: Mystery at the Ski Jump #30: The Clue of the Velvet Mask #31: The Ringmaster's Secret #32: The Scarlet Slipper Mystery #33: The Witch Tree Symbol #34: The Hidden Window Mystery #35: The Haunted Showboat #36: The Secret of the Golden Pavilion #37: The Clue in the Old Stagecoach #38: The Mystery of the Fire Dragon #39: The Clue of the Dancing Puppet #40: The Moonstone Castle Mystery #41: The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes #42: The Phantom of Pine Hill #43: The Mystery of the 99 Steps #44: The Clue in the Crossword Cipher #45: The Spider Sapphire Mystery #46: The Invisible Intruder #47: The Mysterious Mannequin #48: The Crooked Banister #49: The Secret of Mirror Bay #50: The Double Jinx Mystery #51: Mystery of the Glowing Eye #52: The Secret of the Forgotten City #53: The Sky Phantom #54: The Strange Message in the Parchment #55: Mystery of Crocodile Island #56: The Thirteenth Pearl #57: The Triple Hoax #58: The Flying Saucer Mystery #59: The Secret in the Old Lace #60: The Greek Symbol Mystery #61: The Swami's Ring #62: The Kachina Doll Mystery #63: The Twin Dilemma #64: Captive Witness
Nancy and her friends witness an explosion and the burning of a beautiful country mansion. Fearing its occupants may be trapped in the blazing building, they rush to the rescue--and unexpectedly find themselves confronted with a mystery that seems insoluble. The first clue is an anonymous diary--its entries in a handwriting difficult to decipher. Who dropped the diary? Was it the stranger Nancy saw running away from the fire? What was he doing there? Finding out how Nancy discovers the answers to these questions makes for another exciting Nancy Drew mystery. Praise for the Nancy Drew series on audio...
Nancy, as mediator in a generation-old feud, divulges an unknown birthright.
When Bess Marvin purchased an expensive bottle of Oriental perfume, she never expected to stumble into a mystery. Now Bess, Nancy, George, and their new friend Jo are out to unravel the secrets of a mysterious conspiracy, a secretive cult, and a ring of counterfeiters in The Secret of Red Gate Farm
Another vacation turns into a riddle for Nancy to solve while she visits a lakeside holiday area. Cecily Curtis seeks the girl sleuth’s help in solving two mysteries. One concerns her fiancé, a popular singer who believes his record company is cheating him. The other involves a hidden family treasure; the only clue is half of a gold locket. Strange circumstances provide Nancy with many opportunities to test her sleuthing skills and discover the astounding secrets of Pudding Stone Lodge. This book is the revised text. The plot of the original story (©1934) is different.
A carrier pigeon furnishes Nancy with a clue to a mysterious retreat.
Nancy receives a letter informing her that she is heir to a fortune. This story tells of her search for another Nancy Drew.
Nancy is asked to solve a puzzling mystery then encounters a second case. The first concerns a valuable collection of rare books. Wealthy Mrs. Merriam has commissioned a supposedly reputable art dealer to sell it, but soon believes the man is a swindler. The second mystery involves the theft of a beautiful marble statue, rumored to whisper, has an uncanny resemblance to Nancy! As suddenly as it disappeared, the marble statue is returned and is discovered to be a reproduction! To solve both mysteries, Nancy adopts an alias and a disguise, becomes an employee of the suspicious dealer, gathering evidence against a clever ring of art thieves. This book is the revised text. The plot of the original story (©1937) is different.
Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE] ACE #1 Nancy Drew tackles a mystery professional detectives failed to solve--finding a valuable centuries-old message in a hollow oak tree in Illinois.The story is based on the original title of the same name first published in 1935. The plot is vastly different in this extensively revised and shortened version.
Nancy Drew is visiting Deer Mountain Lodge to help her father with a case involving jewel thieves and while there, comes across another mystery involving a haunted bridge! How Nancy solves both mysteries and competes in a golf tournament despite her injurred arm is exciting and fun reading. l
What secret life-giving power does the exquisite ivory elephant charm contain? Can the trinket really protect its wearer from all harm? Nancy Drew finds out when the owner of the Bengleton Wild-Animal Show asks her to investigate one of the performers who may be involved in some mysterious illegal scheme. The girl detective's assignment becomes complicated when the elephant trainer's young assistant, Rishi, seeks refuge at the Drew home from his cruel foster father, Rai. While following clues to help the boy find his real father, Nancy learns about an eerie abandoned house. She is harassed by its strange owner, Anita Allison, and the fiendish Rai. How Nancy uses the ivory charm, reunites a maharaja with his son, and brings the evildoers to justice will mystify readers from beginning to end.
CHALLENGING questions confront Nancy Drew when she attempts to solve the mystery of the strange tapping sounds in the house of a retired actress. Who is the tapper? How does he gain access to Miss Carter's house, despite securely locked doors and windows? Why do the tapping sounds come in Morse code? Is there a sinister motive behind the prowler's actions? While trying to learn the answers to these and other puzzling questions, Nancy finds her investigations complicated by the dishonest administrator of a will and by a thief who steals the actress's prize Persian cats.How Nancy communicates with the ghostlike intruder by tap dancing in code, how she outwits three criminals wanted by the police, and how she brings happiness to Miss Carter in a romantic reunion with the actress's former leading man will thrill the lively young detective's host of fans.
Nancy must search for a flight of 99 steps to solve the mystery of a friend’s weird dream. Her search leads her to France, but before leaving the United States, a sinister man called Monsieur Neuf warns the young sleuth not to pursue her mission! While in France, Nancy and her father investigate a wealthy financier who has been frightened into selling large amounts of securities. Startling discoveries convince the girl detective that Carson Drew’s case and her own mystery are linked by the 99 steps! This book is the original text. A revised text does not exist.
Nancy's father Carson Drew enlists her help in tracking down a missing heiress, and Nancy, Bess and George stumble upon a mysterious moss-covered mansion. The girls learn someone was murdered near the mansion and they hear strange noises coming from inside the building. Action bounds in this thrilling adventure involving gypsies, a missing heiress, a needy elderly lady, a reclusive artist, an airplane accident, and a forest fire
A sprawling estate was willed to a dancer who has vanished several years earlier. During their investigation at Heath Castle, Nancy, Bess and George realize that its crumbling walls contain a secret, but what is it? They search for clues in the neglected gardens of the vast estate, hoping to find a lead to the missing woman. Danger lurks in a castle tower and throughout the vine-tangled grounds as Nancy exposes a sinister plot to defraud the dancer of her inheritance. This book is the revised text. The plot of the original story (©1945) is similar with minor revisions.
Nancy is intrigued by a magazine article offering a large reward to anyone finding a missing medieval stained-glass window. She invites Bess and George to join her on a search in Charlottesville, Virginia. During the girls' investigation of Ivy Hall, an old rundown, southern mansion, rented by a superstitious actress, they encounter a hostile ghost. Eerie sounds come from a beautiful neighboring estate that is surrounded by a high brick wall. Could these mysterious noises and the ghost at Ivy Hall be connected? This book is the revised text. The plot of the original story (©1956) is similar with minor revisions.
Nancy meets Helene and Henri Fontaine, refugees from Centrovia who run a dancing school in River Heights. Strange circumstances have brought the brother and sister to United States. When they receive an anonymous note threatening their lives, Nancy offers her help. But she encounters nothing but puzzles. Are the Fontaines involved with the Centrovian underground? Have they been threatened by their own countrymen? Why? Is a series of paintings by Henri Fontaine being used for a sinister purpose? Suddenly the Fontaines disappear. Have they been kidnapped? Nancy and her friends pursue the trail relentlessly, even though danger lurks around every corner. They are trapped by their enemies, and escape seems impossible. But Nancy's quick wit finally enables her to solve this intriguing and intricate mystery.
When Mrs. Putney seeks Nancy's help in recovering her stolen jewelry, the search for the thieves takes the girl detective and her friends, Bess and George, to an abandoned mansion in the River Heights vicinity known as Blackwood Hall and to the colorful French Quarter of New Orleans. When the quest is hampered by the strange behavior of Mrs. Putney and two young women who are being victimized by so-called spirits, Nancy must fight these unseen perpetrators of a cruel hoax! The resourceful young sleuth wants to help, but is hindered. The ghostly spirits have warned these gullible victims to not to have anything to do with Nancy Drew! This book is the original text. The plot of the revised story (©1967) is similar with minor revisions.
A rare and valuable Chinese vase is stolen from a pottery shop and Dick Milton, the owner, asks Nancy for help. The young sleuth is tasked to find the thief, the missing ornament and to locate a leaning chimney. This chimney marks a discovery that will solve Dick’s financial problems. During her investigations, Nancy finds the leaning chimney, but it only leads her into more puzzles. Are there connections between the theft of the rare vase, a number of similar crimes and the strange disappearance of a Chinese pottery expert and his daughter? This book is the revised text. The plot of the original story (©1949) is similar with minor revisions.
When a neighbor asks Nancy to accompany her to an old uninhabited mansion, she finds a witch tree symbol that leads her to Pennsylvania Dutch country in pursuit of a cunning and ruthless thief. The friendly welcome the girl sleuth and her friends receive from the Amish people soon changes to hostility when it is rumored that Nancy is a witch! Superstition helps her enemy in his attempt to get her off his trail, but Nancy persistently uncovers one clue after another to outwit her dangerous adversary. This book is the revised text. The plot of the original story (©1955) is similar with minor revisions.
An antique dealer's revelation about a former queen's priceless heirloom starts Nancy on a trail of exciting adventures.Madame Alexandra, now living incognito in River Heights, asks Nancy to find her missing grandson. With only one clue to go on -- a faded photograph of the prince at the age of four -- the young detective begins her search, which rapidly involves her in a series of dangerous and harrowing adventures. When Nancy needs help, she calls on Bess, George, Burt, Dave, and her special friend, Ned. How Nancy's discovery of the heirloom's secret unmasks a slick imposter and reunites the long-separated family climaxes this suspense-filled mystery story.
A trunk that Nancy receives from her father for a trip to Buenos Aires becomes the center of a mystery.
Nancy becomes involved in a maze of mystery when she accepts an invitation from Mrs. Chantrey, a client of Mr. Drew, to vacation at her cottage in a picturesque seaside town. Carson Drew has promised to join his daughter, but fails to arrive. The alarming disappearance of Mr. Drew and the odd circumstances surrounding his rescue are only the start of a series of highly dangerous adventures for Nancy and her friends Bess and George. Mrs. Chantrey's story about a nearby cliffside cave reputedly inhabited by a ghost intrigues Nancy and she decides to investigate. Several frightened townspeople claim to have seen an apparition and heard the weird sounds of a tolling bell just before water rushes from the cave. What Nancy discovers and how she outwits a ring of swindlers will thrill all admirers of the courageous young detective
Nancy witnesses a purse snatching and chases the thief. She rescues the purse, but not its contents. The owner, a doll collector, asks Nancy to do some detecting. The woman provides a mysterious note: "The source of light will heal all ills, but a curse will follow him who takes it from the gypsies." Nancy interprets this clue in her quest to find an old album, a lost doll, and a missing gypsy violinist. The girl detective’s valiant efforts bring happiness to a misunderstood child and her lonely grandmother. This book is the revised text. The plot of the original story (©1947) is similar with one major and other minor revisions.