The Real Story Behind the Nancy Drew Mystery Books
For nearly a century, the name Carolyn Keene has been closely associated with girl detective Nancy Drew, whose adventures have enthralled readers for generations. With her sharp mind and fearless spirit, Nancy Drew has become an iconic figure over those 90-plus years, captivating readers with her daring escapades and unwavering determination. I can recall my own excitement as a young girl, waiting for my mother to bring home a new stack of Nancy Drew books from the library each week for me to devour, and the anticipation I felt upon opening each new volume.
However, what some may not know is that Carolyn Keene is not an actual individual but a collective pseudonym that has been used to encompass the diverse group of writers who contributed to the beloved Nancy Drew series. Together they created a world where teenage sleuth Nancy Drew, along with her best friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne, spends her time solving mysteries in the fictional town of River Heights. Though small details have changed and evolved over the years to align with changing cultural norms, the basic premise of the series has remained intact.
The Beginnings of a Century-Long Legacy
The Nancy Drew series first sprang to life in 1930 as the brainchild of Edward Stratemeyer, a visionary publisher who sought to create a female counterpart to his wildly successful Hardy Boys series. Under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, Stratemeyer hired writer Mildred Wirt Benson to bring Nancy Drew to life on the page. She was paid $125 per book for her efforts, and was sworn to secrecy regarding her authorship of the novels. Mildred would go on to write 23 of the first 30 installments in the original series.
In the years that followed, there was a succession of talented ghostwriters assuming the mantle of Carolyn Keene. Most would contribute just one or two novels to the series, with the exception of Stratemeyer’s daughter Harriet Adams, who wrote 20-plus volumes herself. Despite the shifting cast of writers, the essence of Nancy Drew remained consistent, ensuring a seamless continuity in the portrayal of her character and the thrilling narratives that captured readers’ imaginations.
Sadly, Edward Stratemeyer wouldn’t live to see the sensation Nancy Drew would become, as he died in 1930, just as the first few volumes were getting published. He was no stranger to literary success, however, having written and published several wildly popular children’s fiction series during the first few decades of the 20th century, including the aforementioned Hardy Boys, as well as The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, The Rover Boys, and others. The Rover Boys alone had achieved sales of 5 million copies at the time of his death.
Passing the Torch to the New Generation
Harriet Adams assumed control of the Stratemeyer Syndicate after her father’s passing, ultimately taking over the Nancy Drew franchise. Adams not only undertook the challenging task of overseeing the ghostwriters but also made significant contributions to the series by rewriting and writing her own books under the Carolyn Keene pseudonym, adding depth and dimension to the enduring saga of Nancy Drew. She came up with plot ideas and story outlines, which were then passed off to the ghostwriters for the actual writing; upon completion, she would touch up manuscripts before publication.
As part of the contract the ghostwriters signed with the Syndicate, they were never permitted to reveal that they had contributed to the Nancy Drew series. They were paid a per-book flat fee and were given no royalties, and essentially gave up all rights to the texts and any claim to the pseudonym. Harriet Adams, however, had no such contract binding her to secrecy, and for years laid claim to authorship of many of the early books in the series. In 1980, however, a full fifty years after the first Nancy Drew books were published, it was revealed during a court case between the series’ old and new publishers that Mildred Wirt Benson had actually written many of those early novels – not Harriet Adams.
Mildred Benson was an accomplished author in her own right. From the 1930’s to the 1950’s, she wrote more than 130 books under a dozen different names, including her own. Some were written for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, including the Penny Parker series and Ruth Darrow series, and some were not. Eventually she would return to journalism, taking a job with the Toledo Blade in 1944 and continuing there through her nineties. For many, however, Mildred Benson is the real face of Carolyn Keene, perhaps because it all started with her.
The Undying Legacy of a Literary Legend
To this day, there are more than 600 Nancy Drew books in print, spread across thirteen different series, penned by dozens of different authors over the years. The legacy of Nancy Drew transcends the pages of the novels, exerting an enduring influence on popular culture and sparking myriad adaptations in film, television, and other media. The remarkable popularity of the series can be attributed to its timeless appeal, with Nancy Drew resonating with readers of diverse ages and backgrounds, from her initial appearances in the 1930s to her continued relevance in the modern era.
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