Beverly Gray and the World Cruise

I know that over the years I have walked past many Beverly Gray books in antique stores and used book stores. Until I read John Axe's book All About Collecting Girls Series Books, I had no idea what I was missing. The Beverly Gray books are fun and enjoyable. I am enjoying the various arcs that the various volumes present. I feel like I am reading a continuing story. The books follow one another, and they read best in order.
Saying that, I will confess that I have only read three of the titles so far. I started with World's Fair, and I was a little lost initially. Obviously these girls have been together for a while, and their various male friends also have been around before. I felt that I was coming into the middle of the story. Since I didn't have the earlier titles, which chronicled Beverly's college years and her move to New York, I continued along. By the end of the story, despite the lack of background information, I was hooked.
I wanted to know more about Beverly. Would her book be published? Would she really go on the Cruise? And where does the money come from to allow her to travel around the world on the Susabella? I wanted to know, so I continued with the next title.
Beverly Gray on a World Cruise officially begins the adventures of the Susabella passengers as they embark on an around the World cruise. The young men and women embark from New York with their chaperon, and we are quickly thrown into many adventures. Passengers go overboard, half of a mysterious treasure map fall into the travelers hands, and a mysterious Count with questionable motives follows the travelers.
I am halfway through the World Cruise story arc, having completed the second volume, Beverly Gray in the Orient. They are shanghaied by pirates, the mysterious Count continues to pursue them, and they are slowly becoming aware that the treasure map is going to lead them on more adventures. I am very much enjoying the storyline, and the various romances that are developing in the story.
There is something to be said for books that build from one volume to the next. Many series books are individual stories that use the same characters in each of its volumes. Series like Beverly Gray use continuing story lines to their advantage. Judy Bolton stories are another series that come to mind that build from story to story. When I finish the next two titles, Beverly Gray on a Treasure Hunt and Beverly Gray's Return, I'll give more feedback. If you haven't read these books, grab a copy!

"Beverly Gray at the World's Fair"... A truly rare book!

The Beverly Gray series has many followers and justifiably so. Published between 1934 and 1955, this 26 volume series follows the adventures of a young girl, first as a college student, then continues on and follows her exploits as a reporter for a New York newspaper. In addition, early in the series she takes a world cruise that takes three books to complete. Her adventures continue upon her return, and she becomes quite the girl sleuth in the ensuing years. The books have a continuity that makes one want to read the books in order. Some call the Beverly Gray books a sort of soap opera. Relationships are built, and characters become more developed as the saga progresses.
Originally published by the A.L. Burt company, the book rights were bought by Grosset and Dunlap after the first eight books had been published. These early books are somewhat hard to find in their original printings and dust jackets. When Grosset and Dunlap bought the book series, they decided not to reissue the title Beverly Gray at the World's Fair. Set in the Chicago World's Fair of 1934, the book was seen as dated by the new publishers. As a result, there were only a few printings of World's Fair, and the book was allowed to go out of print. The events in this volume were fairly significant to the series, and readers who were not aware of this missing title detected a gap in the continuity. Author Clair Blank offered to rewrite the book to alleviate the problem, but Grosset and Dunlap was not interested. Beverly Gray on a World Cruise, originally number seven in the series was reprinted as number six by Grosset and Dunlap, and World's Fair slipped out of circulation.
There have only been two reprints done over the years of this title. American Web Books, a division of Applewood Books, reprinted the book in 2003. As a result, this title is sought after not only by Beverly Gray fans, but series book collectors as well. I have a copy I bought from AWB, but I do not have an original. Several copies pop up from time to time, but the price tends to be high each time the book is offered. I have heard of this title selling for as much as $1000.00, so it can be costly to grab a copy. Of course, one can get lucky and find it somewhere a lot cheaper. If you ever see it at an affordable price, you should buy it. Resale value alone makes this title a very collectible book.
I'll talk more about this series and the fun of reading it in my next post.