It's a Ken Holt First!?

The Ken Holt series is highly regarded in the world of series book fiction. Many collectors and fans of juvenile fiction feel it is the finest written of all series books. The series was written by Samuel Epstein, under the pseudonym of Bruce Campbell. Written between 1949 and 1963, the series totals 18 books. It is passionately sought after by collectors, and continues to be discussed in it's own Yahoo group. When it comes to tightly woven, well crafted tales of mystery, one will be hard pressed to find a better series. Ken is the son of a newspaper man who ends up living with the Allen clan, publishers themselves of a small local paper. The Allen's son Sandy is Ken's closest pal, and helps Ken solve various crimes and mysteries.

The stories have a film noir feel about them. Dark and gritty, and much more realistic than the Hardy Boys or Judy Bolton, crimes are solved without relying on coincidences and happenstance. Brains are used to solve the situations, and normally there seem to be several criminals that need to be caught and brought to justice. These dirty crooks smoke and probably swear, though we are never privy to their more earthy conversations. The realistic elements found in the series is what makes it so highly regarded today.

I discovered these stories through the Internet, after starting to collect Rick Brant books. I do not remember these on the shelves of my childhood bookstores. I have only seen a few in the antique and used bookstores I frequent today. It would be interesting to know which part of the country that they sold well. Because pickings are so slim here, I don't think the Holts were widely collected here on the Delmarva peninsula.

I have managed to collect 11 books in the series, all found on the Internet. Up until yesterday, I believed all of my copies were first printings. I was mistaken. It seems, despite my guarded attempts to only buy firsts in this series, I have a couple of later printings. They are all dust jacketed, and definitely early printings, but not all firsts. Here is where I went wrong.

I'm afraid I was not as careful as I could have been when it came to paying close attention to the inside lists of books, as well as little details. My first mistake came with book ten. The Mystery of the Green Flame. The book matches all first printing points until you come to the ad on the back for the current list of Hardy Boy books available. The book lists to The Hooded Hawk Mystery, which is exactly what it should list to. The problem? First printings of this title do not include the previous HB book, The Yellow Feather Mystery. My copy lists this title. I probably have a second or third printing but definitely not a first.

My next collecting mistake comes with my copy of The Mystery of the Vanishing Magician. The dust jacket meets every printing point of a first. It is a beautiful copy, brighter then my camera caught here to the left. However it appears that this may be a mismatched dust jacket to book. It seems that someone has taken a later printing book and placed a first printing dust jacket on it. I know this because inside of the book itself, the list of titles should only list to itself. This one lists to the seventeenth title in the series.

I found one other book in my collection that I believe I bought because it was a higher number in the series. It is not a first, but it is in nice condition, and I will keep it until I find a first. So make sure you do your homework before purchasing. Know what you are purchasing, and know something about the series you are collecting. My Ken Holt titles are some of the best books in my collection. I enjoy reading these as much as I do collecting them. They are wonderful stories worth owning.

Skeleton Island- Two Spins on the Same Title...

"The Secret of Skeleton Island". Sounds creepy, atmospheric, and definitely worth reading. If it was the 1930's and 40's, it could be a great B movie from Universal, or even better, a 15 chapter serial. In reality, it is the title found in not one but two classic children's book series! Both Ken Holt and the Three Investigators solved the secret at Skeleton Island, and did so a mere sixteen years from each other.

In 1949, Ken Holt and Sandy Allen solved the first Skeleton Island secret. The Ken Holt series was published by Grosset and Dunlap and written by Sam and Beryl Epstein using the pen name of Bruce Campbell. "The Secret of Skeleton Island" is the premiere volume in the series, and is full of action and suspense. The Epstein's create a world that will remind one of the film-noir output of Hollywood in the late 40's and early 50's. Crooks are mean and nasty, families are innocent and cohesive, and the good guys relentlessly pursue evil until the bad guys have been brought to justice.

Ken Holt's Skeleton Island is the site of a fancy resort and country club. It got its name because someone once dug up a skeleton presumably of one of the pirates that frequented the tiny island. Ken and Sandy are looking for Ken's missing father, Richard Holt of the Global News Agency. Their journey takes them from Ken's Prep School to the bustling city of New York, and soon enough to exciting adventures on Skeleton Island itself.


I just recently re-read this book, and if you have not read it, do so. It does a great job introducing readers to the new series, and the Epsteins are wonderful writers. The suspenseful, ominous mood prevalent throughout the book is proof of the talent of these two gifted people. Many consider the Ken Holt series the best of the children's book series published. I have read 4 of the 18 books in the series and have never been disappointed. I would go as far as to say that it rivals any adult mystery series currently on the market today. I was fortunate to find a first printing of this book. The inside flap features a synopsis of this and the second title in the series, "The Riddle of the Stone Elephant". The back flap features the first six Rick Brant titles, and the back lists to the 28th title of the Hardy Boys series. Whether you find a first printing, or a reading copy, pick this one up and read it! Classic series book reading at it's best!


Seventeen years later, author Robert Arthur visited a Skeleton Island found in Atlantic Bay located in the southeast coast of the United States. Another pirate hangout, this one also features an abandoned amusement park, and rumors of buried pirate treasure. The Three Investigators series was a book series created by Robert Arthur and published by Random House. Arthur was looking to create a children's series similar to the Hardy Boys, but wanted the series to highlight good writing, something he felt was lacking in other series of the era. The series consists of 43 titles in the original series. Arthur penned ten of the first eleven titles in the series, and achieved his goal of a well written series before his death in May of 1969. Jupiter, Pete and Bob's adventures were the envy of many boy book readers of the 1960's, myself included.

The Three Investigators title rivals the Ken Holt entry when it comes to danger and excitement. It's a roller coaster ride that has one surprising thrill after the other. The element of an abandoned amusement park is an inspired piece of creativity. A phantom ghost is rumored to return periodically to the Merry-Go-Round that was the scene of her untimely demise years before. The carousel comes to life whenever the ghost decides to attempt to finish her deadly ride. The park is being readied for a movie, and Alfred Hitchcock, a recurring character in the original series, sends the boys to solve the mystery so that the film can finish production.

Though lighter in tone than the Holt adventure, this book rivals it's predecessor. Arthur spins a compelling mystery of ghosts, criminals, pirate doubloons and creepy happenings. Danger abounds, and the sinister mood that Arthur creates leaps off of every page. Though you may figure out the secret before the end of the book, you may not know every surprise that the ending brings. Again I was fortunate to find a first printing of this title. The back of the book features the first six titles, listing to itself. In addition, know that the first printing incorrectly lists the first book title as "The Mystery of Terror Castle". The real title? "The Secret of Terror Castle". This is a great read, and the Three Investigators evoke a sense of nostalgia for a time of innocence that makes the whole series worth collecting and reading.

Anyone know of other book series that share similar titles? Are they worth reading as these two are?