Books for Sale

     Here is the information I promised you about my Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew books for sale!

     Click Here!

     You are limited to 8 pictures on Craigslist, so I was unable to fit the picture of my Hardy Boys book from Applewood publishers. Here it is:

If you have any further questions, please let me know in the comments section!

~Sienna

EDIT: Something went wrong with my Craigslist listing and those are not my current prices. Until I can fix this, you can go by the price list below. The paperbacks are no longer for sale.

Classics: $2.00 each or $60 for all
Super Mysteries: $2.50 each or $20 for all
Twin Thrillers: $10 for both
Hardy Boys Applewood: $4.00
Hardy Boys Book Club: $4.00
Original Hardy Boys with Wraparound DJs: $5.00 each or $20.00 for all
Original Hardy Boys with DJs (not wraparound): $5.00 each or $15.00 for all
Original Hardy Boys without DJs: $4.00 each or $20.00 for all

I will sell you all the books for $130.

The Classic Series

     Today, I realized that I have never really talked about all of the different Nancy Drew series. I really want to do this, so I have decided to break it up and post about one series at a time. I will do them in the ordered they were published, starting with the Classic series.

     The classic series was written from 1959 to 1979 by 8 different ghostwriters under the pseudonym of Carolyn Keene. The 56 books in the series were meant for children ages 8-12. Because of this, most of the mysteries in this series were theft, arson, hidden wills and inheritances, or the occasional kidnapping. Nancy never solved a murder case and no one ever used inappropriate language.

     Nancy's friend, Helen Corning, helped her solve the first four mysteries in the series. After that, cousins Bess Marvin and George Fayne became Nancy's best friends and sleuthing companions. Ned Nickerson was Nancy's boyfriend (although he was usually referred to as her "special" friend), and Bess and George dated Dave Evans and Burt Eddleton. Many of the mysteries came to Nancy through her father, who was a criminal lawyer.

     Below is a list of all the books in the series. If you would like to see the illustrations or descriptions, please visit this link. I own all of the books in this series, so if you would like more information, or if you want me to write a review of one of the books, please let me know in the comments section!

~Sienna

1. The Secret of the Old Clock       29. Mystery at the Ski Jump

2. The Hidden Staircase       30. The Clue of the Velvet Mask

3. The Bungalow Mystery       31. The Ringmaster's Secret

4. The Mystery at Lilac Inn       32. The Scarlet Slipper Mystery

5. The Secret of Shadow Ranch       33. The Witch Tree Symbol

6. The Secret of Red Gate Farm       34. The Hidden Window Mystery

7. The Clue in the Diary       35. The Haunted Showboat

8. Nancy's Mysterious Letter       36. The Secret of the Golden Pavilion

9. The Sign of the Twisted Candles       37. The Clue in the Old Stagecoach

10. The Password to Larkspur Lane       38. The Mystery of the Fire Dragon

11. The Clue of the Broken Locket       39. The Clue of the Dancing Puppet

12. The Message in the Hollow Oak      40. The Moonstone Castle Mystery

13. The Mystery of the Ivory Charm      41. The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes

14. The Whispering Statue       42. The Phantom of Pine Hill

15. The Haunted Bridge       43. The Mystery of the 99 Steps

16. The Clue of the Tapping Heels       44. The Clue in the Crossword Cipher

17. The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk    45. The Spider Sapphire Mystery

18. Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion    46. The Invisible Intruder

19. The Quest of the Missing Map       47. The Mysterious Mannequin

20. The Clue in the Jewel Box       48. The Crooked Banister

21. The Secret in the Old Attic       49. The Secret of Mirror Bay

22. The Clue in the Crumbling Wall      50. The Double Jinx Mystery

23. Mystery of the Tolling Bell 51. Mystery of the Glowing Eye

24. The Clue in the Old Album 52. The Secret of the Forgotten City

25. The Ghost of Blackwood Hall        53. The Sky Phantom

26. The Clue of the Leaning Chimney   54. The Strange Message in the Parchment

27. The Secret of the Wooden Lady 55. Mystery of Crocodile Island

28. The Clue of the Black Keys 56. The Thirteenth Pearl

Note: It is believed that the upcoming Nancy Drew computer game, The Silent Spy, is loosely based on the 41st book in this series, The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes!

River Heights

     For those of you who don't know, River Heights is the town that Nancy and her friends Bess and George live in. Most of the books were set in River Heights, but very few tell its geographical location. A few books in spin off series, such as the Files, say that River Heights is in Illinois. Where is River Heights? is a website that goes through all of the clues given in books (street names, nearby towns, etc.) to find out where River Heights really is. In the end, the author comes up with five possible cities that River Heights could have been modeled after, with Toledo, Ohio having the most points.

     Although a map of River Heights has never appeared in any of the books, several people have drawn their own maps. Below are two of my favorites.

Map 1

Map 2

     Map 1 was drawn, I believe, by Betsy Caprio and was printed in her book Girl Sleuth on the Couch: The Mystery of Nancy Drew. This map is my favorite, because it is very detailed. The only thing I don't like is that the Drew home doesn't appear to be in a neighborhood like the books describe.

     Map 2 is the map featured in HeR Interactive's 25th Nancy Drew game, Alibi in Ashes. This is also one of my favorites, because of it's detail and accuracy. Although you cannot see in this picture, whenever you put your cursor over one of the building's it gives the name of the building, even if you can't go inside. On the map are places such as Fenley Place, Chatham Central High School, Shady Glen Cemetary, and lots more! It is very fun to see all of these locations that we've read about in the books on a map in a computer game! If you drive up to one of these locations, but are unable to go inside, you are still able to hear sounds. At Fenley Place there is screaming and at Shady Glen Cemetary there is crying.

      When I first read the Where is River Heights? website I thought that River Heights was actually Toledo, Ohio, but now that I've read more of the books I think it is somewhere in Illinois, near Chicago. What about you? Where do you think River Heights is? Comment your thoughts!

~Sienna

Note: I am needing my Dad's help posting about my Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew books that I have for sale, but he is out of town, so I will probably be posting about them within the next 3 posts :)

My Awesome Book & Books For Sale

     Today I bought a really neat Nancy Drew book from my sister. I find this book to be super cool because... *drum roll*

     It is written in braille! My sister received this book as a Christmas present a few years ago because she is very interested in braille, but since she cannot read braille yet, she decided I could have it! I found out that there are at least 20 other Classic and Digest books like this one, but I'm not sure how long they were made, or if they are still making them. This one was published in 2002. Most of the books are in two parts. Unfortunately, I only have the second part. Here is what the book looks like on the inside:

The Table of Contents

The Center Page

     Eventually I would like to get the first part of the book also. I have also discovered braille Hardy Boys books, when looking on Ebay. Speaking of Hardy Boys books, I have a lot (some very old) that I am putting up for sale along with a few Nancy Drew books. I will post pictures and prices very soon in my next post. Let me know in the comments section if you are interested in purchasing any or all of them!

~Sienna

Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson

     Today's post is about Mildred A. Wirt Benson, the original Carolyn Keene.

     Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson was born in Ladora, Iowa on June 10, 1905. Her parents were Dr. Jasper L. Augustine and Mrs. Lillian Matteson Augustine. Mildred always dreamed of being a writer and published her first story at the age of thirteen.

     She began writing for the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1927 when she wrote the twenty-third book in the Ruth Fielding series, Ruth Fielding and Her Great Scenario. In 1929, Mildred wrote the very first Nancy Drew book, The Secret of the Old Clock. She wrote twenty-three book in the series (#1-7, 11-25, and 30) and a total of 135 books in her lifetime. Her last book, Quarry Ghost, was published in 1959. After that, Mildred began focusing on her journalism career. She wrote for several different newspapers before finally getting a job at the Toledo Blade, a place she worked for 58 years. Mildred passed away of lung cancer on May 28, 2002.

~Sienna