Library Binding Books- Part 1

TV's Nancy Drew solves a mystery at the library

About three or four years ago, I was out antiquing around the area, and I stopped in a small local library. You never know if you will find something of interest at ongoing library book sales. This particular library had no sales, so I decided to look and see what series books were on the shelves for circulation. When I got to the K's, I found a large number of library bound Nancy Drews. I later found out that the copies I was looking at were known as Cameo Editions. Jennifer White's web site has some extensive information about these editions. Click here to see the books. I thought the covers were neat, and they were in okay condition considering they were probably published in the 1960s. This was my hunch, based on the fact that so many of them were Original text copies. We know that the Drews were revised in the 60s and 70s.

It seemed logical, based on the age of these volumes, that the library might be interested in accepting a gift of new copies of the classic 56. I contacted the head of the library with a simple proposal. I would donate a set of Nancy Drew books to the library, or give them the money to purchase a new set library bound. My only request was that I could have the older volumes on the shelf. Library books have little resale value among collectors. They are more of an anomaly to collectors. They show a variant, or alternative copy of a familiar title. My offer was rejected by the Head Librarian of the county. She seemed very suspect of my motives. She told me that old library books were commanding "huge" prices on Ebay, so they have a policy to only weed a collection when the books have basically lost all value.I tried to explain to her that these books had little value, but she refused to budge. In addition, she told me the library only accepts cash donations that have no stipulation on how the money is to be spent. I personally find that policy ridiculous. If I wanted to give money to have a huge wing placed on a library, they won't accept the gift?

I returned to this library late last year. I casually went to the children's collection to check out the Nancy Drew books. Probably half of the titles that were there before were now gone, and had not been replaced. The remaining volumes had deteriorated to such a state that I doubt any twenty first century child would have any interest in reading them. Old books on library shelves tend to have no circulation. So the children in that tiny town really no longer have access to a wonderful children's series.

Short sightedness can certainly be maddening.

Today Show Book Talk for Kids: Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys

Last Friday, Jennifer Fisher, president of the Nancy Drew Sleuths was the guest speaker on the Book Corner segment of The Today Show. Jennifer was interviewed by Al Roker and fielded questions from 6 kids who had read "The Secret of the Old Clock" and "The Tower Treasure." Jennifer did a great job sharing a little about the history of the series as well as some specifics about the two books read.
It was very encouraging for me to see these two classic series featured with today's children. I think we can be encouraged that the series will continue to delight new readers, as they have in the past.
I tried hard to get this segment embedded here on the site, but was unsuccesful. Clicking on the link below will allow you to see the entire segment:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34262701/ns/today-today_books/


Great job Jennifer. So glad to see you talking up our favorites!

365 Days of Nancy Drew

I wanted to encourage anyone who hasn't signed up yet to check out the "365 Days of Nancy Drew Blog" which begins tomorrow, and will continue all year long, in honor of the 80th anniversary of the creation of Nancy Drew. Jennifer Fisher is creating and running the blog. Here's her own description:

"There will be postings every day on all kinds of topics from fun facts, trivia, quotes, insights from the history behind the series, book and character discussions, craft projects, guest Bloggers, news and scoops, 80th anniversary items, giveaways and much more! It's like your own page-a-day calendar but more in-depth and insightful."

The cost is only 12.00 to subscribe for the whole year. I think this will be a fun blog for anyone interested in series book collecting.

Click on the icon up top, and you will be directed to the information page! Happy New Year!

Another High Selling Nancy Drew!

This unique collectible Nancy Drew book which has a label advertising the film "Nancy Drew: Detective just sold for a whopping 1700.00 on Ebay. These books with the wrapper included are very hard to find and date to 1938.

The book is a 1938A-12 printing and is in very good shape. The seller had a reserve price set, and up until 10 seconds before the auction closed that reserve had not been met. Things changed rather quickly! Congratulations to the seller and the buyer. It looks like a beautiful book to own. The economy may be hurting, but occasional high prices are still turning up on series books!

Thick Blues... Worth Anything?

When searching for series books, I have always operated under the thinking that a book without it's dust jacket is worth very little. Many series books that are are missing their dust jackets are very hard to determine their printing points, mainly because publishers like Grosset and Dunlap did not update their copyright pages, and often times ads for other books were not changed regularly. As a result, many collectors pass on books missing their dust jackets.

This has led me to wonder a bit about the worth of older Nancy Drew titles. Older thick blue volumes without dust jackets seem to be little easier to find these days on Ebay, and they are certainly less expensive than their jacketed counterparts. I am inclined to think that they are not very sought after by collectors, thus their prevalence on the market currently.

I understand why they are not as collectible as volumes with dust jackets, but I wonder if people are not missing the boat. Many of these volumes are still attractive and holding up well. Endpapers are bright and attractive, and the paper quality on 1930's volumes are often times still crisp and white. A few that I have found recently feel as though they have hardly been opened. I had the good fortune of finding a few of these on a recent visit to some antique stores. Examining these early volumes, they seem to be worth having in one's collection. Finding a early printing without endpapers would be even more exciting.

I'm curious what others think. Is it worth picking these older printings up, dust jacket or not? Will we see a rise in value for these volumes?

2010 Nancy Drew Convention: Sleuth on Land, Sleuth at Sea

There are big plans in the works for the 2010 Nancy Drew Convention. Fans have the opportunity to spend two weeks together during the month of April to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of America's favorite teenage sleuth, Nancy Drew.

Folks can gather for 5 days on land April 6-10th in Merrit Island, Florida located outside of Orlando. Visits around the Orlando area, including book hunting and antiquing, a trip to the Kennedy Space Flight Center, and time spent on the Cocoa Beach Pier are just some of the events planned leading up to a big convention weekend. Featured speakers scheduled so far include Nancy Drew artist Rudy Nappi and Stratemeyer Syndicate editor Nancy Axelrad. In addition, various other speakers will include Todd Latoski, Laura Ruby, Dean Burcham and others.

If you have the time, stay on with the Nancy Drew Sleuths and go on a cruise to the Bahamas April 11-15th. The theme of the cruise is The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk. Rudy Nappi will continue along on the cruise, and more fun activities are planned while cruising the Bahamas.

I had been thinking that I could not attend this convention due to being a teacher and some school obligations. However, things may change, and I am rethinking this decision. Rooms are only available for the land portion until January 15th. The cruise needs to be booked soon as well. If I go, I can only do the land portion, but that would be better than nothing.

Clicking on the banner at the top of this blog will take you to a web page that gives all details for the trip. It looks like a fun way to celebrate a series book heroine.

Nancy Drew Collecting Question

I recently purchased three PC Nancy Drew first printings. I am attempting to buy all later PCs as firsts, and think, honestly, that now is the time to grab them up. Prices seem to be low due to the economy, and, though I doubt PCs will ever be as collectible as the older Drew formats, first printings are always more desirable regardless.



As you can see, I purchased #54 The Strange Message in the Parchment, #55 Mystery of Crocodile Island, and #56 The Thirteenth Pearl. All seem to have the proper points according to my Farah's Guide to support their printing status. They are in great shape, described well by the seller, and I am pleased with my purchase.



I am a little confused, however by the cataloging number that Grosset and Dunlap used for my #56. If you look at the next photo, here are my #54 and #55 spines:






Notice that, like all other spines, the cataloging number is a four digit number with the volume number at the end. Now check out the cataloging number for my #56:




Why does that number have a dash and an additional number? I have looked at my Farah's Guide, but see no explanation. Anyone know if this is a variant? A second printing perhaps? I don't think so, because it seems to have all the points for a 1979B-1 printing, including the mention of "The Triple Hoax", NOT in italics. Was Grosset and Dunlap getting ready to change their cataloging? If anyone knows the answer, feel free to respond.
I am very pleased with my purchase, just a tad confused!

The Sleuth- A Nancy Drew Fanzine

My apologies to all for not being more committed last month to this blog. I have been extremely busy, as noted in my previous post, and have found little to no time for any series book reading, collecting or the blog. I'm hoping November will be better.
One of the things I was hoping to accomplish here on the blog is helping people find periodicals that specialize in series book collecting and certain series in particular. One of the best is The Sleuth, which spotlights and celebrates Nancy Drew.
The Sleuth is a bimonthly periodical published by the Nancy Drew Sleuths. The latest copy alone is a treasure trove of information. Todd Latoski has been examining the paperback digests and continues with his article on The Secret of Shady Glen. Two different girl series are discussed- the Kay Traceys and the Penny Parkers. In addition, individual episodes of the seventies Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries shows have been discussed.
The magazine is excellent, and I enjoy the read each and every time it comes to my doorstep.
The link above will take you directly to the back issues page, all of which I believe are still available. Here is a link to subscribe to the periodical. 38.00 gets you a year subscription. You won't regret the money spent!

Farah's Guide... INVALUABLE!

Farah's Guide, by David Farah is a book most Nancy Drew collectors are aware of and many use. The book, now in its 12th edition, allows a collector to identify a first printing of a Nancy Drew book. The guide lists 2745 printings of Nancy Drew books published between 1930 and 1979. It is 556 pages long, and has numerous additional articles beneficial to the Nancy Drew collector.

I find the guide very useful in identifying the printings of the Nancy Drew books I own. The guide concentrates primarily on the first 56 books published in the series. It does have a short entry on the Simon and Schuster books #57-78. I would love to see someone put together and publish a guide to the paperbacks, with artwork included.

The guide gives a history of the series, as well as biographical information on the authors and illustrators. It has 135 photos of authors, illustrators, models photos of poses used for cover art, and pictures of ledger pages kept by Mildred Wirt Benson as she received payments for her work on the Nancy Drew series. Additionally, there is information on collectibles spawned by the series over the years.

Mr. Farah has been printing his guide now for twenty years, and has been a collector since 1967. This 12th edition is considered a 20th year anniversary edition, and is available in a hardcover dust jacket copy as well as a spiral bound copy. The spiral bound edition sells for $95.00, while the hardcover lists at $130.00. The hardcover has been produced to look like a 1930's Nancy Drew book, complete with orange lettering and a spine symbol. Though seemingly hefty in price, either edition of the guide is well worth the investment spent.

I have found the guide useful as I buy and sell Nancy Drew books. I often dream of having a complete collection in high quality first printings, and this guide is an excellent tool in identifying those elusive firsts. Clicking on the picture in this blog will take you directly to Mr. Farah's web page, where you will find additional information and be able to download an order form. I highly recommend Farah's Guide to my readers.

The Haunted Carousel

"A newspaper reporter challenges Nancy to solve a weird mystery involving an amusement park merry go round. Why does the carousel light up in the middle of the night and begin revolving and playing music when no one's around?"

So reads the inside flap of the library discard hardcover edition of the 72nd volume of the Nancy Drew series that I currently own. The copy had the misfortune of meeting my dog's teeth when he was a puppy, and the lower portion of the spine is severely chewed. From time to time I have tried to find a replacement copy, but to date the search has proven fruitless.

Most copies of this book are paperback copies, originally published by Simon and Schuster as a Wanderer paperback. Hardback copies with dust jackets were available as well. These were mostly sold to libraries. It was published in 1983, then reprinted in 1987 and 1988 as Minstrel editions, each with different cover art. This was one of the last Nancy Drew stories to come from the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the original creator of the series. It is edited by Nancy Axelrad, a long time employee of the Syndicate, and ghostwritten by James Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence also wrote The Silver Cobweb and The Mysterious Image in addition to a few more.

The story is well written and fast paced. Ned assists Nancy on the case that takes place in Riverwood Amusement Park. In addition, a dying man's words regarding a flower riddle is also challenging Nancy's abilities to solve a mystery. Another great amusement park mystery with shades of Robert Arthur's Three Investigator story The Secret of Skeleton Island, the story fuels my own love for the "mystery set in an amusement park" genre. I will pose the same question I did a few days ago: Are there any other such series books that take place in a amusement park? I'd love to read some more!!!

1st Printing Bungalow Mystery Sells High on Ebay

An early copy of The Bungalow Mystery, more than likely a first printing just sold on Ebay for the high price of $3383.33. This book, listed as a first printing seemed to have the necessary characteristics for a real first printing, part of the original breeder set for the Nancy Drew series. Congratulations to both buyer and seller. Series books seem to be a nice investment, don't they? I downloaded a couple of pictures of the book sold. Along with the Bungalow Mystery, the buyer also got an early printing of The Secret of the Old Clock. Ebay number, in case you want to look further is 160360940768.

And the Canon is...

My apologies for missing the last week with no blog. As I have said, I am a high school teacher, and we had to report back to work last week. School begins tomorrow, and I'm going to have to figure out how to maintain a twice a week blog along with the various demands school brings. In addition to school, I'm working nights part time until the middle of October, and taking a graduate level course towards my Masters degree. So bear with me, at least for the next month or so. I'll do my best!

Based on comments made, it seems everyone feels that the Nancy Drew books 1-175 are the official canon. I find that interesting, as I would think many would feel that only the Original Text Nancy's constitute the official canon. Or that only the first 56 books published by Grosset and Dunlap count. But that is not the case.

Personally, I'm glad that there is room in readers minds for the later paperbacks. I find the pace of the books acceptable, and really like the modern Nancy of the late twentieth century. I like the mysteries, and find them reflective of their time, just as the early Nancy reflected her own era. I have only read a handful, but I like the paperbacks. I'm glad folks don't mind including them. It adds to the appeal of the series, in my opinion. The longevity of the series is a testimony to the Stratemeyer vision.

I'll post later this week again. If you haven't done so, check out my Bonanzle booth. I have some paperback Nancy's, as well as first printings of the early Girl Detective series.

What is the official Nancy Drew canon?

Like most collectors, when I stumble across a title in a series, I right away know that if I read one, I'm going to have to have them all. This seems to be a borderline sickness. If the book has a number on the spine, I immediately want to find the other titles in the series, and make sure I have them all at my disposal. Even worse, I'm one of those people who feels he must read the books in the order they were published. I have to tell myself it's okay to read The Hidden Staircase if I haven't first read The Secret of the Old Clock. And if I found out that a particular book series was not written in the same order they were published, I have to decide if I read the series in written order or published order. Sometimes I think I must be a victim of some strain of OCD disorder, but the messy desk I have by the middle of the school year assures me I don't!

I read Nancy Drew. Even better, I collect Nancy Drew as well. I don't talk about it a whole lot. I suffer from the gender stereotype that says a boy reads The Hardy Boys and girls read Nancy Drew. I read The Hardy Boys and the Three Investigators as a kid, but would have never been caught dead reading one of my sister's Nancy Drews!! The whole idea was crazy! But my fourth grade teacher did read the revised text Old Clock to us out loud in school, and I had to admit the story was interesting. Since then I have read numerous other titles in the series, and now, drawing close to fifty, I have to say it out loud... Not only do I read and collect Nancy Drew, I also enjoy her.

I have had to "give myself permission" to read Nancy Drew out of order. I have read most of the early original text tiles, and quite frankly I am captivated by the look into the past that it gives. I enjoy the roadster, the social etiquette presented, and the slice of midwestern Americana that it celebrates. I have read a couple of the later yellow spine titles, and recently have been exploring some of the paperback digest tiles after procuring a large portion (almost a hundred!) from a fellow collector.

I have been reading The Bluebeard Room and am almost done. In this book, we see a slightly different Nancy Drew. She is involved in a mystery that surrounds drugs. In addition, she kisses a young man, and it's not even Ned! She is anxious over what other people think of her, and she is given to other emotional feelings not commonly seem in the Nancy of the Thirties and Forties! This Nancy is not your grandmother's Nancy.

Personally, I have been enjoying the paperback Nancy Drews. They have pretty good story lines, and they seem to still be sticking to the basic premise started by the Syndicate so many years before. But what do fans think? What is considered the Official Nancy Drew book series?

Is it the Grosset and Dunlap published 1-56? Or is it all 175 titles before the Nancy Drew, Girl Detective series was started? Or is Nancy only the original books written before the G&D yellow spine editions were brought out? Does the series end with the last dust jacketed book The Mystery of the Fire Dragon, published the year I was born, 1961? What is the official Nancy Drew canon? Does a Nancy Drew purist lower his or her self reading the paperbacks? Must a real Nancy Drew story have blue multi-pic endpapers? Can Nancy drive a convertible instead of a roadster?

I'm curious what most of you think. Is Nancy a character frozen in time, or does a modern Nancy Drew fit in the Twenty-first century? Perhaps because of my desire to have each title in the series, numbers 57-175 sit on my bookshelf along with my matte picture cover Nancy Drews. I want them all! (BTW, I don't have them all yet, but I'm getting there!!) Since I want them all, 1-175 works for me!