I think everyone recognized my favorite intrepid girl sleuth, Nancy Drew!
Nancy first appeared in 1930. Her creator was Edward Stratemeyer, who was the founded of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. He created The Hardy Boys series in 1926. Drew's character was conceived to capitalize on girls interest in the Hardy boys adventures and mystery stories. The books were an immediate success.
Wikipedia states, "A cultural icon, Nancy Drew has been cited as a formative influence by a number of prominent women, from Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Conner and Sonia Sotomayor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former First Lady Laura Bush."
Did you know that over the years, both men and women have written these mystery stories? Mildred Wirt Benson and Harriet Adams, Stratemeyer's daughter, are credited as being the primary writers of the series. All the writers who wrote under the pseudonym, Carolyn Keene, have my dying appreciation for instilling in me a life long love of reading.
I would immediately spend my dollar weekly allowance on the next volume of the Nancy Drew series. I would try to pace myself so that the book would last till the following week but, of course,I would, ravenously, stay up all Saturday night and finish it. Lucky for me, we would also make our weekly library trip on Sunday so I had other books to keep me going.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in the Eastern bloc, I was not familiar with this heroine, but I had other favorite mysterious books that I could not put down; a group of children solving riddles and mysteries, I believe by a French original but the titles and the author sname I have long forgotten.;)
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Me too .. I have all older male cousins and I got their hand-me-down bikes (trust me its hard to forget there's a bar there once you encounter it), their peacoats, and their books .. so I was reading the Hardy Boys before I met Nancy, Bess, George, Ned .. and her roadster
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Carolyn Keene was the pseudonym for several writers, including men! I read them all with much relish, back in third grade.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that, but then I don't read these stories. Interesting fact though - Dave
ReplyDeletei loved these stories growing up - Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Brains Benton...ate them up. I also loved Donna Parker and Trixie...something.
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