In today’s episode, Bex Scott talks about something a little different in vintage collectibles: vintage books. Recently reminded about Nancy Drew, Bex explores the origins of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys series: how they came to be, what editions were printed, and what collectors can look for when assessing value. This is a trip down memory lane for avid readers.
In today’s episode, Bex Scott talks about something a little different in vintage collectibles: vintage books. Recently reminded about Nancy Drew, Bex explores the origins of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys series: how they came to be, what editions were printed, and what collectors can look for when assessing value. This is a trip down memory lane for avid readers.
Bex discusses the Edward Stratemeyer literary legacy which is where all the juvenile books of memory originated. Stratemeyer created everything from the Rover Boys to Tom Swift and the ever-popular Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series. Published through Grosset and Dunlap, Bex explores how each story idea was passed to a team of ghostwriters writing under a pseudonym - Carolyn Keene for Nancy Drew and Franklin W. Dixon for the Hardy Boys - and details the many volumes, dust covers, and endpapers that each incarnation of Nancy Drew hardcover went through. There is a devoted collectors base for many of the series so to assess the many incarnations, Bex offers tips about what’s rare and what’s sought-after. Book lovers, this is your episode!
Resources discussed in this episode:
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Contact Rebecca Scott | Pyrex With Bex:
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Transcript
Bex Scott: [00:00:02] Hey everybody, it's Bex Scott and welcome to the Pyrex with Bex podcast where, you guessed it, I talk about vintage Pyrex, but also all things vintage housewares. I'll take you on my latest thrifting adventures, talk about reselling, chat with other enthusiasts about their collections, and learn about a bunch of really awesome items from the past. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you love listening to podcasts so you don't miss a beat.
Bex Scott: [00:00:31] Hey, everybody, this is Bex Scott, and thank you for joining me for another episode of the podcast. And today's episode is going to be a little bit different. Still vintage, but it's going to be on the vintage book side of things. I know a lot of my friends and family members are avid readers, and some of them are even collectors of vintage novels. So I thought today might be a little bit of a fun change in direction from what I usually talk about. So growing up I was addicted to reading. I still am, although I don't have as much time anymore to read, but I would stay up all night in my room reading mystery novels, fantasy novels, and waiting to go to the library every week to take home dozens of books. And this is kind of what, I believe, started my love of mystery shows, mystery books, and it was Nancy Drew. And somebody recently reminded me of Nancy Drew, and I hadn't thought of these novels in quite a long time. So I started going back and doing a little bit of research to find out more about the author, the books, the huge community of collectors that are interested in Nancy Drew, and other novels that are like that.
Bex Scott: [00:01:55] So I found out a ton of really cool information that I wanted to share with you guys. And it kind of starts off with the literary legacy of Edward Stratemeyer, and he's the one that kind of brought to life these juvenile books. So I wanted to talk to you a little bit about him and give you an introduction to the man behind the magic, as they might say. So Edward Stratemeyer was born in 1862, he died in 1930, and he was the mastermind behind a literary syndicate that shaped the entire early 20th century. So picture the early 1900s, where this visionary created a literary empire responsible for thousands of juvenile series books. And that's from the Rover Boys to Tom Swift and the ever-popular Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. His imagination really knew no bounds at all. So here's the twist, though, Stratemeyer wasn't just a storyteller, he was the architect of ideas and characters. He crafted each storyline and then enlisted a team of ghostwriters. These unsung heroes wrote under various pseudonyms, giving life to the words that Stratemeyer envisioned. And all this creativity wasn't just in his mind. It hit the shelves thanks to dozens of publishers, with Grosset and Dunlap being the most common. So fast forward to 1979, and the syndicate's reins were handed over to new hands, Simon and Schuster. They took control, bringing with them significant changes to the style and format of the beloved series. But before we explore that era, let's focus on the golden age of Nancy Drew.
Bex Scott: [00:03:45] Nancy Drew spanned from 1930 to 1979, and during this nearly five decade period, the Nancy Drew series saw a constant evolution in physical formats. Early editions, the first six books, they were thick volumes with blue or bluish-gray split covers. The end papers were blank, and the title lettering was a subtle light orange. Dust jacket sported illustrations only on the front, leaving pristine white spines on the shelves. The evolution didn't stop there, though. In 1932, with volume number seven, a garish orange silhouette of Nancy adorned the book cover, and the endpapers transformed into vivid orange silhouettes. I haven't seen this version, but I would love to. This sounds like something you definitely have to see in person. Production costs led to changes, so three glossy internals were trimmed in 1937, leaving only a glossy frontispiece. The saga continued with a blue silhouette of Nancy joining the party in 1941. To fast forward to 1946, volume number 23 marked a dramatic shift. This is when white spine dust jackets adopted the wraparound style and the orange silhouette end papers turned into a deep, mysterious blue. And I don't know about you guys, but dust jackets drive me nuts.
Bex Scott: [00:05:14] I always take them off when I read hard covers, and they're beautiful if they're designed nicely, but they just get in the way. I'd love to know, you guys, how you feel about that as well. So the silhouette on the book cover followed suit. This is where we say goodbye to the orange hue and the silhouette spine symbol on the dust jacket, it lasted for just four more volumes before transitioning into a circular color portrait. So the journey gets even more exciting. In 1947 and 1948, some volumes surprised collectors with marvelous maroon Dana Girls end papers. This was a rare treat for the keen-eyed collectors. These volumes are both hard to find and highly collectible. And for those of you who have never heard of the Dana Girls, this was a series of mystery stories by Carolyn Keene, who was the author of Nancy Drew, and they were published non-continuously from 1934 to 79, and after the publication of volume 13, they were discontinued. So during the mid 1940s, Grosset and Dunlap terminated many series that weren't selling very well, and the Dana Girls was one of them. The sudden termination of the series is probably the reason why some scattered copies of Nancy Drew books from the late 1940s contain the Dana Girls end papers rather than waste the end papers, which had already been printed, the bindery put them to good use.
Bex Scott: [00:06:56] Okay, so back to Nancy Drew. The dust jacket took a turn in 1950, with the older volumes embracing the wraparound style and a new illustration by a fresh talent. Volume number 30, in 1953, introduced a shift from slick blue covers to a blue cloth tweed, a style that would eventually become the most common. And who can forget the mysterious digger ends from volumes 30 to 35, depicting Nancy observing a clandestine figure digging in the night. These sought-after end papers added an extra layer of intrigue to the collector's hunt. Now we're going to fast forward to 1959, and the iconic multi-scene end papers took center stage, gracing various styles until volume number 56 in 1979. The oval cameo end papers made a fashionable appearance as an offshoot of Simon and Schuster's reprints. So for those of you who love dust jackets and collect them, here's a little bit of a trivia nugget. The last volume featuring a dust jacket was volume number 38, 'The Mystery of the Fire Dragon', a rare gem produced only in 1961. Next up we have the 60s. In 1962, there was a shift to the yellow spine picture covers accompanied by revised text, updated content, and a drastic reduction in page count. The golden age of Nancy Drew books was undergoing a metamorphosis. As the 60s continued, Nancy Drew's popularity sparked continuous reprints. Each new format brought older editions out of retirement and it created a bunch of different styles in the book covers. From leather-bound Easton Press sets to yellow spine picture covers, the Nancy Drew collection became an amazing thing for collectors to attain.
Bex Scott: [00:09:06] So how do you identify the gems in this massive collection? It's all in the details, so check for intact and clean copies, undamaged spines, and the presence of dust jackets. Even though they're annoying when you read them, it is really necessary to have them for a complete collection and to increase the price you can get if you decide to sell them. Pay attention next to publication dates, publishers and page counts, and signed copies by the author, definitely a bonus, obviously. So first editions. It's always a thrill - I'm sure, I've never held a first edition of anything - to hold an original print of the original manuscript. That's what defines a first edition. But it's not just the number one in the number line. Scarcity plays a crucial role as well. Thousands of copies may dilute the value, so keep an eye out for those rare finds.
Bex Scott: [00:10:08] So next I wanted to talk a little bit about the mystery behind Nancy Drew's inception. For years, the question of who wrote the Nancy Drew books remained elusive. While Stratemeyer crafted the characters in synopsis, the actual writers remained silent, with Mildred A Wirt revealed as the ghostwriter behind Carolyn Keene. So Mildred was an independent and resourceful woman herself. She breathed life into Nancy Drew with her strong and vivid characterizations. The veil of secrecy persisted until the 1980 trial, where her identity as the original Carolyn Keene became widely known. And for those of you who are looking for a bit of a guide on collecting Nancy Drew, there is David Farah. Farah's Guide is the Nancy Drew Bible. It has a classification system to determine printing and value, and you can rely on this book to decode the intricacies of the 56 original volumes. And a little bit of information for you here, for collectors, a set of three first edition Nancy Drew books sold for $225 in 2019. And I'm not sure what they sell for now, but I feel like they must sell for a lot more than that. So that's the information that I have so far on Nancy Drew. And to give you an idea, going back to Stratemeyer, of how impactful he was, he churned out over 1600 young adult novels and amassed a staggering $500 million in sales. There's a quote that says, in 1926, a whopping 98% of American children considered a Stratemeyer Syndicate book as their favorite. So that included books like The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, and more. And that's a pretty large statistic there.
Bex Scott: [00:13:21] So next up, I wanted to go into the Hardy Boys a little bit. I've read a couple of Hardy Boys books. They're awesome, and this is a collection that my dad had when he was growing up. The Hardy Boys was all about amateur sleuthing, mysteries, and captivating plots, and it was created under the pseudonym Franklin W Dixon. The series started in 1927, and it captivated readers with the adventures of brothers Frank and Joe Hardy. The classic series was comprised of 58 books from 1927 to 1978. Leslie McFarlane, a renowned ghostwriter, left his mark on the series, making volume one 'The Tower Treasure', a milestone in 1927. The series continued to enthrall readers with thrilling titles like 'The House on the Cliff' and 'Mystery of the Whale Tattoo'. The early years of the Hardy Boys series from the 1920s to the 1960s, witnessed hardback editions with dust jackets. The rare red cloth covers and white dust jackets adorn the shelves, capturing the essence of the era. Changes in cover art and format kept collectors on their toes. The 60s brought a significant transformation, with matte picture covers taking the spotlight. In 62 the hardback with dust jacket format bid farewell, making way for the iconic yellow spine picture covers. The value of individual books varied, but collectors often sought complete sets. Fast forward to the 80s, and this was a turning point with a limited edition release. Easton Press unveiled a leather-bound set with gold embossing, and Applewood Books brought back the first 16 titles in a small run. These additions became sought-after gems for collectors. So fast forward to present day, and Penguin Random House actually holds the reins of the Hardy Boys legacy, so it'll be interesting to see kind of what happens with that collection of books.
Bex Scott: [00:15:30] So I hope you enjoyed today's episode. It was a little bit different than usual, but if you are a book lover, a Nancy Drew or a Hardy Boys lover, let me know. I'd love to learn about the collection that you have, which books you are looking for, how many you have, and feel free to find me on Instagram at Pyrex with Bex. Thanks everybody!
Bex Scott: [00:00:02] Hey everybody, it's Bex Scott and welcome to the Pyrex with Bex podcast where, you guessed it, I talk about vintage Pyrex, but also all things vintage housewares. I'll take you on my latest thrifting adventures, talk about reselling, chat with other enthusiasts about their collections, and learn about a bunch of really awesome items from the past. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you love listening to podcasts so you don't miss a beat.
Bex Scott: [00:00:31] Hey, everybody, this is Bex Scott, and thank you for joining me for another episode of the podcast. And today's episode is going to be a little bit different. Still vintage, but it's going to be on the vintage book side of things. I know a lot of my friends and family members are avid readers, and some of them are even collectors of vintage novels. So I thought today might be a little bit of a fun change in direction from what I usually talk about. So growing up I was addicted to reading. I still am, although I don't have as much time anymore to read, but I would stay up all night in my room reading mystery novels, fantasy novels, and waiting to go to the library every week to take home dozens of books. And this is kind of what, I believe, started my love of mystery shows, mystery books, and it was Nancy Drew. And somebody recently reminded me of Nancy Drew, and I hadn't thought of these novels in quite a long time. So I started going back and doing a little bit of research to find out more about the author, the books, the huge community of collectors that are interested in Nancy Drew, and other novels that are like that.
Bex Scott: [00:01:55] So I found out a ton of really cool information that I wanted to share with you guys. And it kind of starts off with the literary legacy of Edward Stratemeyer, and he's the one that kind of brought to life these juvenile books. So I wanted to talk to you a little bit about him and give you an introduction to the man behind the magic, as they might say. So Edward Stratemeyer was born in 1862, he died in 1930, and he was the mastermind behind a literary syndicate that shaped the entire early 20th century. So picture the early 1900s, where this visionary created a literary empire responsible for thousands of juvenile series books. And that's from the Rover Boys to Tom Swift and the ever-popular Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. His imagination really knew no bounds at all. So here's the twist, though, Stratemeyer wasn't just a storyteller, he was the architect of ideas and characters. He crafted each storyline and then enlisted a team of ghostwriters. These unsung heroes wrote under various pseudonyms, giving life to the words that Stratemeyer envisioned. And all this creativity wasn't just in his mind. It hit the shelves thanks to dozens of publishers, with Grosset and Dunlap being the most common. So fast forward to 1979, and the syndicate's reins were handed over to new hands, Simon and Schuster. They took control, bringing with them significant changes to the style and format of the beloved series. But before we explore that era, let's focus on the golden age of Nancy Drew.
Bex Scott: [00:03:45] Nancy Drew spanned from 1930 to 1979, and during this nearly five decade period, the Nancy Drew series saw a constant evolution in physical formats. Early editions, the first six books, they were thick volumes with blue or bluish-gray split covers. The end papers were blank, and the title lettering was a subtle light orange. Dust jacket sported illustrations only on the front, leaving pristine white spines on the shelves. The evolution didn't stop there, though. In 1932, with volume number seven, a garish orange silhouette of Nancy adorned the book cover, and the endpapers transformed into vivid orange silhouettes. I haven't seen this version, but I would love to. This sounds like something you definitely have to see in person. Production costs led to changes, so three glossy internals were trimmed in 1937, leaving only a glossy frontispiece. The saga continued with a blue silhouette of Nancy joining the party in 1941. To fast forward to 1946, volume number 23 marked a dramatic shift. This is when white spine dust jackets adopted the wraparound style and the orange silhouette end papers turned into a deep, mysterious blue. And I don't know about you guys, but dust jackets drive me nuts.
Bex Scott: [00:05:14] I always take them off when I read hard covers, and they're beautiful if they're designed nicely, but they just get in the way. I'd love to know, you guys, how you feel about that as well. So the silhouette on the book cover followed suit. This is where we say goodbye to the orange hue and the silhouette spine symbol on the dust jacket, it lasted for just four more volumes before transitioning into a circular color portrait. So the journey gets even more exciting. In 1947 and 1948, some volumes surprised collectors with marvelous maroon Dana Girls end papers. This was a rare treat for the keen-eyed collectors. These volumes are both hard to find and highly collectible. And for those of you who have never heard of the Dana Girls, this was a series of mystery stories by Carolyn Keene, who was the author of Nancy Drew, and they were published non-continuously from 1934 to 79, and after the publication of volume 13, they were discontinued. So during the mid 1940s, Grosset and Dunlap terminated many series that weren't selling very well, and the Dana Girls was one of them. The sudden termination of the series is probably the reason why some scattered copies of Nancy Drew books from the late 1940s contain the Dana Girls end papers rather than waste the end papers, which had already been printed, the bindery put them to good use.
Bex Scott: [00:06:56] Okay, so back to Nancy Drew. The dust jacket took a turn in 1950, with the older volumes embracing the wraparound style and a new illustration by a fresh talent. Volume number 30, in 1953, introduced a shift from slick blue covers to a blue cloth tweed, a style that would eventually become the most common. And who can forget the mysterious digger ends from volumes 30 to 35, depicting Nancy observing a clandestine figure digging in the night. These sought-after end papers added an extra layer of intrigue to the collector's hunt. Now we're going to fast forward to 1959, and the iconic multi-scene end papers took center stage, gracing various styles until volume number 56 in 1979. The oval cameo end papers made a fashionable appearance as an offshoot of Simon and Schuster's reprints. So for those of you who love dust jackets and collect them, here's a little bit of a trivia nugget. The last volume featuring a dust jacket was volume number 38, 'The Mystery of the Fire Dragon', a rare gem produced only in 1961. Next up we have the 60s. In 1962, there was a shift to the yellow spine picture covers accompanied by revised text, updated content, and a drastic reduction in page count. The golden age of Nancy Drew books was undergoing a metamorphosis. As the 60s continued, Nancy Drew's popularity sparked continuous reprints. Each new format brought older editions out of retirement and it created a bunch of different styles in the book covers. From leather-bound Easton Press sets to yellow spine picture covers, the Nancy Drew collection became an amazing thing for collectors to attain.
Bex Scott: [00:09:06] So how do you identify the gems in this massive collection? It's all in the details, so check for intact and clean copies, undamaged spines, and the presence of dust jackets. Even though they're annoying when you read them, it is really necessary to have them for a complete collection and to increase the price you can get if you decide to sell them. Pay attention next to publication dates, publishers and page counts, and signed copies by the author, definitely a bonus, obviously. So first editions. It's always a thrill - I'm sure, I've never held a first edition of anything - to hold an original print of the original manuscript. That's what defines a first edition. But it's not just the number one in the number line. Scarcity plays a crucial role as well. Thousands of copies may dilute the value, so keep an eye out for those rare finds.
Bex Scott: [00:10:08] So next I wanted to talk a little bit about the mystery behind Nancy Drew's inception. For years, the question of who wrote the Nancy Drew books remained elusive. While Stratemeyer crafted the characters in synopsis, the actual writers remained silent, with Mildred A Wirt revealed as the ghostwriter behind Carolyn Keene. So Mildred was an independent and resourceful woman herself. She breathed life into Nancy Drew with her strong and vivid characterizations. The veil of secrecy persisted until the 1980 trial, where her identity as the original Carolyn Keene became widely known. And for those of you who are looking for a bit of a guide on collecting Nancy Drew, there is David Farah. Farah's Guide is the Nancy Drew Bible. It has a classification system to determine printing and value, and you can rely on this book to decode the intricacies of the 56 original volumes. And a little bit of information for you here, for collectors, a set of three first edition Nancy Drew books sold for $225 in 2019. And I'm not sure what they sell for now, but I feel like they must sell for a lot more than that. So that's the information that I have so far on Nancy Drew. And to give you an idea, going back to Stratemeyer, of how impactful he was, he churned out over 1600 young adult novels and amassed a staggering $500 million in sales. There's a quote that says, in 1926, a whopping 98% of American children considered a Stratemeyer Syndicate book as their favorite. So that included books like The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, and more. And that's a pretty large statistic there.
Bex Scott: [00:13:21] So next up, I wanted to go into the Hardy Boys a little bit. I've read a couple of Hardy Boys books. They're awesome, and this is a collection that my dad had when he was growing up. The Hardy Boys was all about amateur sleuthing, mysteries, and captivating plots, and it was created under the pseudonym Franklin W Dixon. The series started in 1927, and it captivated readers with the adventures of brothers Frank and Joe Hardy. The classic series was comprised of 58 books from 1927 to 1978. Leslie McFarlane, a renowned ghostwriter, left his mark on the series, making volume one 'The Tower Treasure', a milestone in 1927. The series continued to enthrall readers with thrilling titles like 'The House on the Cliff' and 'Mystery of the Whale Tattoo'. The early years of the Hardy Boys series from the 1920s to the 1960s, witnessed hardback editions with dust jackets. The rare red cloth covers and white dust jackets adorn the shelves, capturing the essence of the era. Changes in cover art and format kept collectors on their toes. The 60s brought a significant transformation, with matte picture covers taking the spotlight. In 62 the hardback with dust jacket format bid farewell, making way for the iconic yellow spine picture covers. The value of individual books varied, but collectors often sought complete sets. Fast forward to the 80s, and this was a turning point with a limited edition release. Easton Press unveiled a leather-bound set with gold embossing, and Applewood Books brought back the first 16 titles in a small run. These additions became sought-after gems for collectors. So fast forward to present day, and Penguin Random House actually holds the reins of the Hardy Boys legacy, so it'll be interesting to see kind of what happens with that collection of books.
Bex Scott: [00:15:30] So I hope you enjoyed today's episode. It was a little bit different than usual, but if you are a book lover, a Nancy Drew or a Hardy Boys lover, let me know. I'd love to learn about the collection that you have, which books you are looking for, how many you have, and feel free to find me on Instagram at Pyrex with Bex. Thanks everybody!
