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"Hardy Boys" redirects here. For the professional wrestling tag team, see Hardy Boyz.

The Hardy Boys is a popular series of detective/adventure books for boys chronicling the fictional adventures of teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy. The original Hardy Boys series was produced between 1927 and 1979 under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon.

Series history

The Hardy Boys is a creation of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the creators of dozens of successful book series such as the Rover Boys, the Bobbsey Twins and Tom Swift, and later, Nancy Drew. Edward Stratemeyer conceived of the Hardy Boys in 1926 with the creation of plot outlines that would become the first volumes of the series. Various ghostwriters were employed, under contract of secrecy, to pen the actual stories. The first author was Leslie McFarlane, whose writing defined the literary style of the series, as well as the personalities and nuances of its characters. McFarlane authored volumes 1-16 and 22-24, which are generally regarded as the best works of the series.

Substantial revisions to the first 38 titles began in 1959. Over the course of 15 years the series was revised to modernize outdated vernacular, reduce story length, age the characters and remove the racial stereotypes prolific in many of the early books (although the series was unusually inclusive for the era in having two non-WASP Hardy sidekicks who were portrayed as normal, fully assimilated teenagers -- Tony Prito and Phil Cohen). The result of this process varied from one book to another. In some cases only minor changes resulted, while in others the entire plot and storyline were thrown out, resulting in an entirely new book bearing no resemblance to the original.

In 1979, after 52 years and 58 titles (plus the non-fiction Hardy Boys' Detective Handbook), Grosset & Dunlap lost the rights to publish any new Hardy Boys tales in a protracted court battle with the Syndicate. They did retain the right to continue publishing these 58 titles (referred to by some Hardy Boys enthusiasts as the canon) and continue to do so to this day, despite several changes in ownership. In the meantime, Simon & Schuster continued the series in the Hardy Boys Digest series of paperback books. In 2005 the venerable Digest series was ended with volume 190 and a new series, The Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers, was started. The Undercover Brothers series is supplemented by a series of graphic novels and, initially, a now-discontinued series of comic books. Also in 2005 Grosset & Dunlap gained permission to continue publishing more titles in hardcover, starting with Digest volumes 59 to 66.

The Hardy Boys also appeared in several spin-off series: The Casefiles (127 volumes), the Clues Brothers (17 volumes), with Tom Swift in the 2 volume Ultra-Thriller series and with Nancy Drew in the 36 volume Supermystery series & the 6 volume Be Your Own Detective series.

Hardy Boys books have been issued in over 25 languages, including Norwegian, Spanish, Dutch, French, German, Sinhala, Japanese, Russian, Malay, and Afrikaans.

Story background

The Hardy Boys are brother amateur detectives. Frank is the elder of the two, and Joe is the younger brother. The stories are an unageing series as, despite their hundreds of adventures totalling far more than a year, they are always 17 and 18 years old, (originally, they were 15 and 16 years old, but this was changed in later printings) and it is always, approximately, the present day.

The two boys live in Bayport-a fictional city on a bay called Barmet Bay-with their father Fenton Hardy, a private detective formerly with the New York Police Department, their mother Laura, and their Aunt Gertrude, a character often used for comic relief. Frank's longtime girlfriend is Callie Shaw, while Joe is often linked with Iola Morton, the sister of the duo's good friend Chet Morton, another comic relief character. Other friends who assist the brothers include Phil Cohen, Biff Hooper, Jerry Gilroy and Tony Prito. The Bayport Police Department is represented by Police Chief Ezra (at least in one book "Clint") Collig, and Patrolman Con Riley. 'Detective' Oscar Smuff is often seen in cases as he comically blunders trying to solve a mystery. In the older stories, the Hardy Boys' cases often are linked to the confidential cases their detective father is currently working on. He sometimes asks them for help, while at other times they stumble upon villains and incidents that are connected to his cases.

The Hardys have a motorboat called the Sleuth and a yellow convertible (In volumes 1-6, they use motorcycles, but this changes when Joe's is destroyed in "The Shore Road Mystery"). Mr. Hardy has an airplane, which strangely is described in some books as being twin-engined, while single-engined in others. Chet Morton has a jalopy called the Queen, which is described as being tomato-red and described as being bright yellow. Biff Hooper has a jalopy, Tony Prito has a motorboat called the Napoli and drives his father's pick-up truck. Vehicles always seem to be damaged when the Boys are on them.

In 1987, the series was revised with the Hardy Boy Casefiles series. Consisting of 127 volumes, these stories were much darker in tone and featured plots involving bioterrorism and other kinds of terrorism, espionage, governmental conspiracies, cults, militia groups, and organized crime. They also featured a level of violence unseen in previous Hardy Boys stories, a fact that became evident to readers in the opening pages of the first "Hardy Boys Casefile" novel as longtime supporting cast member Iola Morton was murdered by a terrorist bomb planted in the Hardys' car.

The original series (1927-1979)

The first 58 stories and the 38 revisions, along with the Detective Handbook and its revision, are considered by many collectors to form the Hardy Boys canon.

  • The House on the Cliff
  • The Secret of the Old Mill
  • The Missing Chums
  • Hunting for Hidden Gold
  • The Shore Road Mystery
  • The Secret of the Caves
  • The Mystery of Cabin Island
  • The Great Airport Mystery
  • What Happened at Midnight
  • While the Clock Ticked
  • Footprints under the Window
  • The Mark on the Door
  • The Hidden Harbor Mystery
  • The Sinister Sign Post
  • A Figure in Hiding
  • The Secret Warning
  • The Twisted Claw
  • The Disappearing Floor
  • The Mystery of the Flying Express
  • The Clue of the Broken Blade
  • The Flickering Torch Mystery
  • The Melted Coins
  • The Short-Wave Mystery
  • The Secret Panel
  • The Phantom Freighter
  • The Secret of Skull Mountain
  • The Sign of the Crooked Arrow
  • The Secret of the Lost Tunnel
  • The Wailing Siren Mystery
  • The Secret of Wildcat Swamp
  • The Crisscross Shadow
  • The Yellow Feather Mystery
  • The Hooded Hawk Mystery
  • The Clue in the Embers
  • The Secret of Pirate's Hill
  • The Ghost at Skeleton Rock
  • The Mystery at Devil's Paw
  • The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
  • The Mystery of the Desert Giant
  • The Clue of the Screeching Owl
  • The Viking Symbol Mystery
  • The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior
  • The Haunted Fort
  • The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge
  • The Secret Agent on Flight 101
  • The Mystery of the Whale Tattoo
  • The Arctic Patrol Mystery
  • The Bombay Boomerang
  • Danger on Vampire Trail
  • The Masked Monkey
  • The Shattered Helmet
  • The Clue of the Hissing Serpent
  • The Mysterious Caravan
  • The Witchmaster's Key
  • The Jungle Pyramid
  • The Firebird Rocket
  • The Sting of the Scorpion
    • The Hardy Boys Detective Handbook

    The Hardy Boys Mysteries ("Digests") (1979-2005)

    This now-discontinued series of paperbacks started in 1979 as a continuation of the hardcover books, hence the volume numbers start as #59 and ended in 2005 with volume 190.

    Volumes 59 thru 85 were also released in hardcover with a dustjacket.

    59. Night of the Werewolf
    60. Mystery of the Samurai Sword
    61. The Pentagon Spy
    62. The Apeman's Secret
    63. The Mummy Case
    64. Mystery of Smugglers Cove
    65. The Stone Idol
    66. The Vanishing Thieves
    67. The Outlaw's Silver
    68. Submarine Caper — Retitled "Deadly Chase"
    69. The Four-Headed Dragon
    70. The Infinity Clue
    71. Track Of The Zombie
    72. The Voodoo Plot
    73. The Billion Dollar Ransom
    74. Tic-Tac-Terror
    75. Trapped At Sea
    76. Game Plan for Disaster
    77. The Crimson Flame
    78. Cave-In!
    79. Sky Sabotage
    80. The Roaring River Mystery
    81. The Demon's Den
    82. The Blackwing Puzzle
    83. The Swamp Monster
    84. Revenge of the Desert Phantom
    85. The Skyfire Puzzle
    86. The Mystery of the Silver Star
    87. Program For Destruction
    88. Tricky Business
    89. Sky Blue Frame
    90. Danger on the Diamond
    91. Shield Of Fear
    92. The Shadow Killers
    93. The Serpent's Tooth Mystery
    94. Breakdown in Axeblade
    95. Danger on the Air
    96. Wipeout
    97. Cast of Criminals
    98. Spark of Suspicion
    99. Dungeon of Doom
    100. The Secret of the Island Treasure
    101. The Money Hunt
    102. Terminal Shock
    103. The Million-Dollar Nightmare
    104. Tricks of the Trade
    105. The Smoke Screen Mystery
    106. Attack Of The Video Villains
    107. Panic on Gull Island
    108. Fear on Wheels
    109. The Prime-Time Crime
    110. Secret of Sigma Seven
    111. Three-Ring Terror
    112. The Demolition Mission
    113. Radical Moves
    114. The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals
    115. Sabotage at Sports City
    116. Rock N Roll Renegades
    117. Baseball Card Conspiracy
    118. Danger in the Fourth Dimension
    119. Trouble At Coyote Canyon
    120. The Case Of The Cosmic Kidnapping
    121. The Mystery in the Old Mine
    122. Carnival Of Crime
    123. The Robot's Revenge
    124. Mystery With a Dangerous Beat
    125. Mystery On Makatunk Island
    126. Racing to Disaster
    127. Reel Thrills
    128. Day of the Dinosaur
    129. The Treasure At Dolphin Bay
    130. Sidetracked To Danger
    131. Crusade of the Flaming Sword
    132. Maximum Challenge
    133. Crime in the Kennel
    134. Cross-Country Crime
    135. The Hypersonic Secret
    136. The Cold Cash Caper
    137. High-Speed Showdown
    138. The Alaskan Adventure
    139. The Search for the Snow Leopard
    140. Slam Dunk Sabotage
    141. The Desert Thieves
    142. Lost in the Gator Swamp
    143. The Giant Rat of Sumatra
    144. The Secret of Skeleton Reef
    145. Terror at High Tide
    146. The Mark of the Blue Tattoo
    147. Trial and Terror
    148. The Ice-Cold Case
    149. The Chase for the Mystery Twister
    150. The Crisscross Crime
    151. The Rocky Road to Revenge
    152. Danger In The Extreme
    153. Eye On Crime
    154. The Caribbean Cruise Caper
    155. The Hunt For the Four Brothers
    156. A Will To Survive
    157. The Lure Of The Italian Treasure
    158. The London Deception
    159. Daredevils
    160. A Game Called Chaos
    161. Training For Trouble
    162. The End Of The Trail
    163. The Spy That Never Lies
    164. Skin And Bones
    165. Crime In The Cards
    166. Past And Present Danger
    167. Trouble Times Two
    168. The Castle Conundrum
    169. Ghost Of A Chance
    170. Kickoff To Danger
    171. The Test Case
    172. Trouble in Warp Space
    173. Speed Times Five
    174. Hide and Sneak
    175. Trick or Trouble
    176. In Plane Sight
    177. The Case of the Psychic's Vision
    178. The Mystery of the Black Rhino
    179. Passport to Danger
    180. Typhoon Island
    181. Double Jeopardy
    182. The Secret Of The Soldier's Gold
    183. Warehouse Rumble
    184. The Dangerous Transmission
    185. Wreck 'n' Roll
    186. Hidden Mountain
    187. No Way Out
    188. Farming Fear
    189. One False Step
    190. Motocross Madness

    The Clues Brothers (1997-2000)

    The Clues Brothers books were aimed younger readers, particularly in third and fourth grades. The series was introduced in 1997 and was cancelled in 2000 for lack of popularity.

    This book had some big differences from the other Hardy Boys books, such as:

     

    This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "The Hardy Boys".

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