Overview:
Nancy Drew is a fictional character in a mystery fiction series created by publisher Edward Stratemeyer. The character first appeared in 1930; the books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Over the decades the character has evolved in response to changes in US culture and tastes. The books were extensively revised, beginning in 1959, largely to eliminate racist stereotypes,with arguable success. Many scholars agree that in the revision process, the heroine's original character was changed to a less assertive and more feminine character. In the 1980s an older and more professional Nancy emerged in a new series, The Nancy Drew Files, that included romantic plots for the sleuth.
In 2004 the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, begun in 1930, was ended and a new series, Girl Detective, was launched, in which the title character drives a hybrid electric vehicle and uses a cell phone. Illustrations of the character have also evolved over time to reflect the Nancy Drew type in contemporary terms. The character has proved continuously popular worldwide: at least 80 million copies of the books have been sold, and the books have been translated into over 45 languages. Nancy Drew has featured in five films, two television shows, and a number of popular computer games; she also appears in a variety of merchandise sold over the world.
A cultural icon, Nancy Drew has been cited as a formative influence by a number of women, from Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Sonia Sotomayor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former First Lady Laura Bush. Feminist literary critics have analyzed the character's enduring appeal, arguing variously that Nancy Drew is a mythic hero, an expression of wish fulfillment, or an embodiment of contradictory ideas about femininity.
List of Nancy Drew books (1930-2004)
1 The Secret of the Old Clock
2 The Hidden Staircase
3 The Bungalow Mystery
4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn
5 The Secret of Shadow Ranch
6 The Secret of Red Gate Farm
7 The Clue in the Diary
8 Nancy's Mysterious Letter
9 The Sign of the Twisted Candles
10 The Password to Larkspur Lane
11 The Clue of the Broken Locket
12 The Message in the Hollow Oak
13 The Mystery of the Ivory Charm
14 The Whispering Statue
15 The Haunted Bridge
16 The Clue of the Tapping Heels
17 The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk
18 The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion
19 The Quest of the Missing Map
20 The Clue in the Jewel Box
21 The Secret in the Old Attic
22 The Clue in the Crumbling Wall
23 The Mystery of the Tolling Bell
24 The Clue in the Old Album
25 The Ghost of Blackwood Hall
26 The Clue of the Leaning Chimney
27 The Secret of the Wooden Lady
28 The Clue of the Black Keys
29 The Mystery at the Ski Jump
30 The Clue of the Velvet Mask
31 The Ringmaster's Secret
32 The Scarlet Slipper Mystery
33 The Witch Tree Symbol
34 The Hidden Window Mystery
35 The Haunted Showboat
36 The Secret of the Golden Pavilion
37 The Clue in the Old Stagecoach
38 The Mystery of the Fire Dragon
39 The Clue of the Dancing Puppet
40 The Moonstone Castle Mystery
41 The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes
42 The Phantom of Pine Hill
43 The Mystery of the 99 Steps
44 The Clue in the Crossword Cipher
45 The Spider Sapphire Mystery
46 The Invisible Intruder
47 The Mysterious Mannequin
48 The Crooked Banister
49 The Secret of Mirror Bay
50 The Double Jinx Mystery
51 Mystery of the Glowing Eye
52 The Secret of the Forgotten City
53 The Sky Phantom
54 The Strange Message in the Parchment
55 Mystery of Crocodile Island
56 The Thirteenth Pearl
57 The Triple Hoax
58 The Flying Saucer Mystery
59 The Secret in the Old Lace
60 The Greek Symbol Mystery
61 The Swami's Ring
62 The Kachina Doll Mystery
63 The Twin Dilemma
64 Captive Witness
Triple Wow Wow Wow
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of Nancy Drew. Had several books way back in Grades School and Middle School!!
ReplyDelete