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Nancy Drew is a fictional character, the heroine detective of a popular mystery series. The series was created in 1930 by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate.

Series history

The series was ghostwritten in the early years primarily by Mildred Wirt Benson. Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, who succeeded her father Edward Stratemeyer as the head of the syndicate, contributed a number of volumes and oversaw the substantial revisions begun in the 1950s.

Over 200 million books have been sold worldwide. Many people collect the series, which has gone through several formats over the years. The books have been in print continuously since 1930, however, many titles were revised or changed completely in the 1950s and 1960s. All titles currently in print are known as "revised text". Starting in 1979, the original series was extended with new volumes published in paperback, and in the late 1980s a new spin-off series The Nancy Drew Files was created for Simon & Schuster, Inc., starting with Secrets Can Kill. In recent years, the spinoff series Nancy Drew Notebooks, Nancy Drew: On Campus have been published. The Nancy Drew Girl Detective series is the newest version of tales about the titian-haired sleuth.

Nancy Drew also appeared with the Hardy Boys in the 36 volume Supermystery series, plus a Be Your Own Detective series (written in the style of Choose Your Own Adventure series).

Character evolution

Original Nancy, 1930 to 1940

In 1930, when the series began, Nancy is depicted as an independent-minded sixteen-year-old. The daughter of affluent River Heights, Illinois lawyer Carson Drew, she has already graduated from high school and therefore is afforded a lot of spare time and freedom. Although she maintains an active social and volunteer schedule, she is never shown as working for a living, attending finishing school or college or otherwise planning for adult life. River Heights is a fictional town.

Nancy's mother died when Nancy was ten years old; this age is changed to three in later stories. As the only woman in the Drew household, Nancy is in charge of household affairs in the family's three-story brick house, including giving orders to the housekeeper, Hannah Gruen.

Many friends frequent the Drew household. The first of these friends, Helen Corning, appears in the first four volumes, but is never a sleuthing companion. Nancy is often joined in her sleuthing activities by her close friends George (only short for Georgia in the modern paperbacks) Fayne and Elizabeth ("Bess") Marvin, cousins who have opposite personalities and appearance. George, tall and slim, with short black hair, makes a point of being a tomboy, while Bess, slightly plump with luxurious hair, denoted blonde in 1936, is the most traditionally feminine character of the threesome. Early George Fayne characterizations depict her as bold, slightly clumsy, blunt, and untowardly forward. Bess, on the other hand, tries to be proper, and is easily frightened — once wrecking a car simply because she spotted something unusual. Helen returns briefly in the original volumes 8 and 10 (which were not written by Benson). In these volumes, her personality is more like George Fayne's. Helen disappears when Benson resumes ghostwriting with volume 11, but returns from Europe (a common plot device for absent characters in series books) for one final appearance in volume 20, to serve as a link, introducing Nancy to European acquaintances. Boyfriend Ned Nickerson is introduced in volume seven, and appears in nearly every story, despite the fact that he is a student at Emerson University in the next town.

Physically, Nancy was a blonde from 1930 to 1960. She is blue-eyed and bold, and becomes involved in mysteries without always being a welcome presence. She occasionally carries a gun (early volumes only), and actually uses it against dangerous animals at Shadow Ranch, drives in her blue roadster at high speeds on gravel roads, breaks and enters, trespasses, sneaks about, opens locked doors, lockers, chests, drawers, (etc.) and is rather high-handed with adults, including law enforcement, from time to time. She is more courageous than her friends, and undaunted by the money or time spent in investigating a clue. Hannah voices her worries about Nancy's behaviour, but is clearly the Drews' employee in these early tales.

Nancy is unhindered by the Great Depression or World War II; she is never depicted as having the financial troubles of those she helps by solving mysteries. Ned is so enamoured by Nancy, he frequently allows her to wear the pants in the relationship; she often changes their plans to involve sleuthing.

Her early style is in the vein of a sophisticated flapper with immaculately curled hair, wearing pearls, high heels, and elegant dresses. This is largely the work of commercial artist Russell H. Tandy, the first illustrator for the series. He painted the dust jackets and drew the inside sketches for volumes 1-10 and 12-26. He also drew the inside sketches for volume #11, The Clue of the Broken Locket, but not the cover. By the end of the 1930's, Nancy is depicted as dressing more along the lines of a young sophisticated co-ed, with smart suits, matching hats, and gloves.

Teen-age Nancy

Nancy begins to evolve to a less reckless, and also less obviously affluent, character around volume 18 ("The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion") in the 1940s. Her fashion style becomes a bit more casual, and she no longer pursues angles that greatly endanger herself or her friends. Her car changes makes and models a few times, finally becoming a blue convertible in the post-World War II era. She is shown as pursuing hobbies more, particularly art and music. Her age also gradually changes to eighteen.

Many of Nancy's mysteries in this era involve her application of knowledge gained from avid reading, or from consultation with teachers, professors, or other experts, and this is passed on to the readers, a trend which grows and continues to the end of the series. Nancy thus shows greater respect for authority figures, such as her father, the local police, and others willing to help with her investigations.

Although still illustrated as very glamourous during the war years, this style gives way to a more casual, normal teen appearance by the end of the decade, partially due to a switch in illustrators. Book covers began to replace the flapper style favored on early jackets with a conservative, more classic appearance. Following the post-war trend for young people to have their own, casual style, instead of dressing the same as adults, Nancy becomes less constrained. Sweater or blouse and skirt ensembles, as well as a pageboy hairstyle, are introduced in 1948, and continue with new artist Bill Gillies, who updated 10 covers and ilustrated three new jackets from 1950 to 1952. Gillies invented the modern-era trademark as a spine symbol: Nancy in side profile with a quizzing glass. Benson wrote her last volume for the series, "The Clue of the Velvet Mask," in 1953.

Revisionist Nancy

During the 1950s, a number of changes to the series updated the books for a new generation of readers. Harriet Stratemeyer Adams took on responsibility for writing the books after Benson left, and also revised the earlier volumes to remove regional and at times borderline racist references.

Internal illustrations were returned to the books beginning in 1954, and, in 1957, most Stratemeyer Syndicate books dropped to around 180 pages in length. Plotwise, stories begin to involve more travel away from River Heights, and Nancy's hometown is now more metropolitan and less rural; fairly close to Chicago, and not too far from New York City and other metropolitan destinations on the East Coast of the United States.

Other characters are developed as well. George Fayne develops into a more personable, but still masculine girl, while Bess becomes obsessed with boys and food. George and Bess are given their own respective boyfriends early in the 1950s, Burt Eddleton and Dave Evans, both chums of Ned Nickerson.

Nancy's boyfriend in this period is usually Ned Nickerson, who often lends his support and help. Hannah Gruen, in the revisions, becomes a motherly figure to Nancy since age three, and at times restricts her rash actions. Aunt Eloise Drew, a smart New Yorker, is frequently either chaperon or hostess to Nancy's New York adventures.

When the original stories began to be updated in 1959, Helen Corning became an older friend of Nancy's, and is bolder than the original Helen, serving as actual sleuthing sidekick in the first four volumes. The stage is also set to explain her departure from regular involvement with Nancy -- Helen becomes engaged; and in her last appearance before she is married, she is planning her wedding while she helps Nancy sleuth. She and her husband Jim Archer appear in some later volumes, and revised versions of several stories as well. Rudy Nappi, artist from 1953 to 1979, illustrates a more average teenager, but still in very preppy, conservative clothing. Nancy's hair changes to strawberry-blonde or titian by the end of the decade. The change, due to a printing ink error, was so favorable, that the text adopts the change in hair color. Mrs. Adams herself even explains regular changes in Nancy's hair color as possibly indcued by the young sleuth's beautician! In 1962, all Grosset and Dunlap books become "picture covers," to reduce costs. Several of the 1940s illustrations were updated by Rudy Nappi for this change, but contained the old story. The books themselves were gradually updated, in some cases only sharing a title with the original, with completely new plots and settings. For example, the original Lilac Inn really is only a setting for a crime. In the 1961 revision, it is the setting for almost all of the story. Settings in the series involve travel to several different regions in the United States, and also international destinations, including France, Peru, Scotland, Hong Kong and Africa.

None of the stories in hardcover issue today as published by Grosett and Dunlap, are older than 1957.

The Quest for Carolyn Keene

Due to confusion and difficulties in protecting the secrets of series production, ghostwriters for the Stratemeyer Syndicate signed away all rights to authorship or future royalties, and all correspondence was handled through Hariett S. Adams' office. Walter Karig tried to claim rights with the Library of Congress in 1933, something which angered the Syndicate.

In 1980, dissatisfied with the lack of creative control at Grosset, and the lack of publicity for the Hardy Boys' 50th anniversary in 1977, Adams switched publishers to Simon and Schuster, which would also make the American versions available in mass-market paperback. Grosset and Dunlap filed suit against the Syndicate and the new publishers, claiming some control over publishing as their firm provided illustrations.

Although Adams had written many of the titles after 1953, and edited others, her authorship of Nancy Drew came under fire. She filed a countersuit, claiming the case was in poor taste and frivolous. Millie Benson was called to testify about her work for the Syndicate. The court ruled that Grosset had the rights to publish the original series as they were in print in 1980, but did not own characters or trademarks. Further, any new publishers chosen by Adams were completely in their right to print original titles.

Adams was rumored to be embarrassed about the negative publicity of the trial; many adult collectors and fans believed her character to be less after the trial. After her death, her partners continued, finally selling the entire Syndicate to Simon and Schuster. An acknowledgement to Mildred Benson was added to Grosset copyright pages; they currently print the original 56 hardcovers and recently began publishing out-of-print titles originally issued by Simon and Shuster. The original Nancy Drew series added the last new title in 2003.

Pseudonym Carolyn Keene

All Nancy Drew books are published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene regardless of actual author. The name Carolyn Keene has also been used to author a shorter series of books entitled The Dana Girls. This series features female detective sisters and is a kind of crossbreed of The Hardy Boys (detective brothers) and Nancy Drew (female detective).

Special editions

The Reader's Club or Cameos

Nancy Drew was issued as a book club feature, the Nancy Drew Reader's Club, from 1959 to early 1961. Several volumes, no. 30-35, were issued with new illustrations by artist Polly Bolian. The volumes matched Grosset's other Doubleday Book Club publication, Young Library. A full color jacket illustration was repeated as the frontispiece, and double-page pen and ink drawings highlighted the texts. References or notices for other volumes, and volume numbering, was removed from the text and the jackets. The series saw six more volumes, 36, 27-29, and revised 1-2 added in 1960. Plans for additional titles were abandoned after two years and the series ceased publication in early 1961. The volumes are highly desired by today's collectors due to their original artwork.

Regular Book Club Editions

Nancy Drew was issued in the yellow-spine picture format, as a book club, in 1962. The back covers were solid yellow, and spines feature no volume numbers. "Book Club Edition" appears on the title page. The entire series in print was not issued in this format; only volumes 1-34 were issued. In the 1970s, a book club offer was available directly from the publisher, but these volumes are exactly the same as regularly purchased volumes. They were simply mailed on schedule to the subscriber.

Twin Thriller

Nancy Drew had two-volumes in one published in the 1970s. These are collected for their uniqueness; evidence indicates however that libraries and schools seemed to be targeted for the marketing of these books. Covers featured geometric clover designs on lilac grey, with a vignette from one of the two volumes' original cover art. All of the volumes are sequential, i.e. 1-2, 3-4, except for the final two issued. 17 and 24 appear together as one, as they were not revised until the mid 1970s.

Applewood Books Reprints

Applewood Books began reprinting "facsimile" editions of both Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys in 1991. The books feature the original dust jacket art, original illustrations, although not scattered through the text, original texts, and duplication binding of an early Nancy Drew format. Many of the volumes contain forewords from adult author fans of the series. The series has currently been issued up to volume 19, The Quest of the Missing Map. Sales were originally good, and have inspired interest in the collector's market.

Books in the series

The original 56 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories books

Nancy Drew books subsequent to the original series

Other Nancy Drew series include Nancy Drew on Campus, Nancy Drew Files, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Super Mysteries, and Nancy Drew Notebooks (which feature an eight-year-old Nancy Drew). The latest series, which also comes in the form of graphic novels, is titled Nancy Drew: Girl Detective.

Series in film and television

Actress Bonita Granville portrayed the character of Nancy Drew in four movies in the 1930s, with Frankie Thomas as "Ted" Nickerson, her constant sidekick. A television series called The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries ran from 1977 to 1979 and starred Pamela Sue Martin as the girl detective. Another brief series starring Tracy Ryan appeared in 1995. In 2003, ABC broadcast a TV film featuring Maggie Lawson as Nancy Drew.

Warner Bros. Pictures will reportedly shoot a new Nancy Drew film, The Mystery in Hollywood Hills, directed by Andrew Fleming and starring Emma Roberts as Nancy Drew, in early 2006. This new film will also star Kay Panabaker(Phil of the Future, Read it and Weep, Summerland) as George and Amy Bruckner(Phil of the Future) as Bess. Will reportedly be part of a series of films.

In the film the Nancy Drew will be much younger than she is in books, considering the ages of the cast members are mostly about 15.*

Series in computer games

Several Nancy Drew titles have been adapted and released as computer games by Her Interactive. The games are targeted at "ages 10 and up" and follow the popular adventure game style of play. Players must move Nancy around in a virtual environment to talk to suspects, pick up clues, solve puzzles, and eventually solve the crime. High sales and a general growing demand for girls' CD-ROM titles have led to several Nancy Drew game releases, including:

External links

Nancy Drew | Fictional detectives | Fictional heroines | Characters in written fiction | Nancy Drew books | Children's books | Series of books | Juvenile series | Paula Drew

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Nancy Drew".

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