The secret syndicate behind nancy drew jstor daily. Teenage sleuth nancy drew and mildred wirt benson had a great deal in common, including very long and active lives. May 18, 2015 carolyn keene is the pseudonym of the authors of both the nancy drew mystery stories and a spinoff called river heights and the dana girls mystery stories, both produced by the stratemeyer syndicate. Mildred wirt benson is probably the most well known nancy drew author. In addition, the keene pen name is credited with the nancy drew spinoff, river heights, and the nancy drew notebooks edward stratemeyer, the founder of the syndicate, hired writers, beginning with mildred wirt, later mildred wirt. The mystery of the ivory charm is a childrens story by carolyn keene pseudonym and the th book in the nancy drew series. Mildred was born mildred augustine and married men named wirt and benson. Perhaps best known for their infamous nancy drew series of novels, carolyn keene was to be the american pseudonym that would spawn an entire industry. Carolyn keene nancy drew and friends umd libraries. The adventurous writer who brought nancy drew to life arts. The first edition of the novel was published in, and was written by carolyn keene. Carolyn keene, nancy drew, first edition abebooks passion for books.
Nancy drew books, in one form or another, have been popular for more than 70 years. Thats quite a career for series author carolyn keene. Add mystery to your bookshelf with this exclusive nancy drew collection. Nancy drew is that kind of series, each book ostensibly written by carolyn keene but really the work of a team of ghostwriters and editors churning out novel after novel about the exploits of a smart, brave and attractive adolescent girl named nancy drew who solves mysteries as an amateur sleuth. Leaving behind a legacy, there is much speculation as to who the original author was behind this penname. Oct 11, 2006 nancy drew complete series set, books 164 hardcover october 11, 2006.
Nancy drew complete series set, books 164 keene, carolyn on. A recent article about the cw series referred to carolyn keene as the original nancy drew author and stated that harriet stratemeyer adams later rewrote some of the novels. Keene, carolyn nancy drew mystery stories twenty volumes in two slipcases published by n. Carolyn keene is currently considered a single author. While discovering the secret of an ivory elephant charm, nancy and her friends work to reunite a boy from india with his true father. A threecornered mystery is the fourth book in the series. Nancy drew complete series set, books 164 hardcover october 11, 2006. Its no longer a secret that carolyn keene, the hardworking, prolific, zippilynamed and incredibly longlived author of the nancy drew books, as well as. Nancy receives a letter informing her that she is heir to a fortune. The nancy drew mystery stories were first published in 1930 by grosset and dunlap. Its no longer a secret that carolyn keene, the hardworking, prolific, zippily named and incredibly longlived author of the nancy drew books.
Nov 25, 2018 in the 88 years of nancy drews existence, the series has spawned over 300 books, five films, two television shows, a number of computer games, and a variety of merchandise around the world. Nancy drew the secret in the stars by carolyn keene and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. As the author of the original nancy drew series of mystery novels, mildred wirt benson aka carolyn keene shot to fame penning thrilling tales concerning a fearless and stylish teen detective who never failed to get to the bottom of the case. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym carolyn keene. Carolyn keene books list of books by author carolyn keene.
Born in ladora, io, benson was the first person to receive a masters in journalism from the university. The secret of the old clock, the hidden staircase, the bungalow mystery, the mystery at lilac inn. Publication order of nancy drew mystery stories books. Actually, more than a dozen authors have written nancy drew books, all going by carolyn keene. Perfect gift to introduce new readers to series, as well as fans looking for a beautiful collectible of these beloved classics. In addition, the keene pen name is credited with the nancy drew spinoff, river heights, and the nancy drew notebooks. Nancy is ready for fun in the sun when she joins bess and georges families on a trip to hawaii. It was the beginning of the nancy drew mystery stories series. The original 56 stories were written by various people under the pseudonym of carolyn keene. Nancy drew starter set by carolyn keene, hardcover barnes. This story tells of her search for another nancy drew. Other writers who have adapted the carolyn keene moniker include leslie mcfarlane, james duncan lawrence, walter karig, and nancy. Benson, as carolyn keene, is said to have taken the plots and thumbnail sketches supplied by the syndicate and given nancy the adventurous nature and plucky spirit that has com. Over the years, and also since so many different authors donned the carolyn keene hat, nancy drew, as well as the mysteries, have evolved.
In the 1960s there was a major revision of the earlier mystery books, which were quite dated. Other writers who have adapted the carolyn keene moniker include leslie mcfarlane, james duncan lawrence, walter karig, and nancy axelrod. This is close to the truth, but not the whole story by a long shot. The complete series list for nancy drew diaries carolyn keene. Vintage nancy drew mystery story books by carolyn keene, 15. The nancy drew books were written by ghost writers. Mildred wirt benson 19052002 was herself an independent, resourceful woman and she endowed nancy and many of her other heroines with these same qualities. The author of the best books about americas favorite teenage sleuth is iowas mildred wirt benson, who wrote as carolyn keene. Vintage nancy drew mystery story books by carolyn keene, 15 volumes. The nancy drew mystery stories was the longrunning main nancy drew series, published between 1930 and 2003.
The main characters of this mystery, classics story are. Who is carolyn keene, author of the nancy drew mystery stories. Below is a list of carolyn keenes books in order of when they were originally published. Carolyn keenes first novel was the secret of the old clock, which was published in 1930. Perhaps the biggest mystery over nancy drews nine decades was the. Iowan mildred wirt benson authored original nancy drew series. The flying saucer mystery ebook by carolyn keene official. The ladora native is the one whose vision made nancy drew a. Dec 11, 2017 the author of the best books about americas favorite teenage sleuth is iowas mildred wirt benson, who wrote as carolyn keene. Buy a cheap copy of nancys mysterious letter book by carolyn keene.
Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Vintage nancy drew mystery story books by carolyn keene. Nancy is ready for fun in the sun when she joins bess and georges families on a. Its no longer a secret that carolyn keene, the hardworking, prolific, zippilynamed and incredibly longlived author of the nancy drew books. Carolyn keene is a pen name used by a variety of authors for the classic nancy drew mystery series.
In the 88 years of nancy drews existence, the series has spawned over 300 books, five films, two television shows, a number of computer games, and a variety of merchandise around the world. Oct 24, 2019 a recent article about the cw series referred to carolyn keene as the original nancy drew author and stated that harriet stratemeyer adams later rewrote some of the novels. Nancys mysterious letter nancy drew mystery stories. Below is a list of carolyn keene s books in order of when they were originally published. Very collectible mysterythriller childrens books by carolyn keene author of nancy drew books. Mildred wirt benson, who wrote the text of 23 of the first 25 nancy drew books under the direction of edward stratemeyer, was still an active newspaper columnist when she died in may of 2002 at. What are some of the best books of nancy drew files of. Stratemeyer gave all of them the name carolyn keene. Carolyn keene s first novel was the secret of the old clock, which was published in 1930.
Jan 30, 2020 nancy drew books, in one form or another, have been popular for more than 70 years. Perhaps the biggest mystery over nancy drews nine decades was the identity of the reallife woman behind her carolyn keene. Aug 22, 2014 actually, more than a dozen authors have written nancy drew books, all going by carolyn keene. Carolyn keene is the author of the everpopular nancy drew books. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of and is available in hardcover format. Mildred wirt benson, who wrote the text of 23 of the first 25 nancy drew books under the direction of edward stratemeyer, was still an active newspaper columnist when she died in. Buy a cheap copy of nancy s mysterious letter book by carolyn keene. The pseudonym carolyn keene was also used for the dana girls mystery series and for the river heights spinoff series. Bungalow mystery by carolyn keene, first edition abebooks. Wirt was the ghostwriter carolyn keene for 23 of the first 30 nancy drew books. Over the course of more than 600 books, nancy drews adventures were.
The first author to use the pseudonym was mildred wirt benson, who wrote 23 of the original 30 books. Carolyn keene and the mystery of the real nancy drew author. The question of who wrote the nancy drew books was a mystery for many years. Iowan mildred wirt benson authored original nancy drew. Mildred wirt benson was the author of many early titles and brought nancy to life. Nancy drew starter set by carolyn keene, hardcover. Nancy and her friends search for a stolen camera in the fourteenth book in the interactive nancy drew clue book mystery series. Nancy drew diaries series in order carolyn keene fictiondb.
Yet, as reported by jstor daily, keene never existed. The nancy drew books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published under the pseudonym carolyn keene. Nancy drew mystery stories books 14 by carolyn keene. Mildred wirt benson, who wrote the text of 23 of the first 25 nancy drew books under the direction of edward stratemeyer, was still an active newspaper columnist when she died in may of 2002 at the age of 96. Nancy drew is a fictional character, a sleuth in an american mystery series created by publisher edward stratemeyer as the female counterpart to his hardy boys series. Nancy drew mystery stories nancy drew mystery stories hardcover carolyn keene readerlink. Nancys mysterious letter nancy drew mystery stories, book 8. Stratemeyer had an author in mind for this new series. Carolyn keene is the pseudonym of the authors of the nancy drew mystery stories and the dana girls mystery stories, both produced by the stratemeyer syndicate. See more ideas about nancy drew books, nancy drew mysteries and nancy drew mystery stories. Carolyn keene is the pseudonym of the authors of both the nancy drew mystery stories and a spinoff called river heights and the dana girls mystery stories, both produced by the stratemeyer syndicate. The chinese new year mystery, volume 39 nancy drew notebooks by carolyn keene paperback.
If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. The character of nancy drew ghostwritten and credited to the pseudonymous carolyn keene has appeared in a number of series over the years. Carolyn keene is the pseudonym of the authors of the nancy drew mystery stories and the dana girls mystery stories, both produced by the stratemeyer. Browse author series lists, sequels, pseudonyms, synopses, book covers, ratings and awards. Very collectible mystery thriller childrens books by carolyn keene author of nancy drew books. The stolen show, volume 18 nancy drew diaries by carolyn keene paperback.
It all began with edward stratemeyer, a writer and. Shop for nancy drew mystery books online at target. Mar 07, 2019 its no longer a secret that carolyn keene, the hardworking, prolific, zippilynamed and incredibly longlived author of the nancy drew books, as well as the dana girls series, never existed. Nancy drew mysteries a lot of cozy mystery lovers started here. The character of nancy drew ghostwritten and credited to the pseudonymous carolyn. The pseudonym carolyn keene was also used for the dana girls mystery series and for the river heights spinoff series mildred wirt benson was the author of many early titles and brought nancy to life.
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