Sunday, November 22, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson - Digtial Archive Highlights #13


Highlights from Mildred Wirt Benson's Archive
University of IA: Women's Archive, Digital Collection
Image from Univ. of IA Women's Archive

Located at the University of Iowa's Digital archive is a fan letter written to Millie via her publisher Cupples & Leon in the 1960s.

I'm currently writing a biography on Millie Benson - visit the Mildred A. Wirt Benson Website for more details and research information.

Contact Me (Jennifer Fisher): nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Nancy Drew 1930s Movie Daybill Sells


Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase Australian Daybill sold for $573.60 at Heritage Auctions today. The left side--hard to see in the image here, had some staining on it up and down on the left side visible in the larger auction photo, possibly water stain, not sure, so I did not bid on it.

Friday, November 20, 2015

The Nancy Drew Mystery Key at Bird Haven Farm


The Mystery Key, a stone farmhouse of ghostly lore, and a nostalgic Nancy Drew Sleuths group all converged in June 2015 when members of The Sleuths visited the ghostly home of a former Nancy Drew ghostwriter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams

Bird Haven Farm proved to be a delightful adventure for members who toured the home now owned by Janet Mavec and Wayne Nordberg. Hedges, flowering vines, apples and cherries are just some of the delightful things growing at the farm. In the old stone farmhouse shown above, members climbed up to the second floor to view Harriet's old writing room where she wrote some of the Nancy Drew books - her ghost is said to haunt this room, as this is where she passed away in 1984. 

Janet's business, Orchard Jewelry, takes its inspiration from the farm and all of it's inhabitants from the insects to the plants and fruits themselves - even eels. New to her line of jewelry is The Mystery Key -  a replica of a vintage key to a mysterious spot on the farm. As her website notes, "This impeccably designed, rose-colored key is for a woman who dares for something to stump her. She possesses the tenacity to figure out the real mysteries in life. Like which door this hauntingly well designed replica unlocks."

To order the key, you can visit Orchard Jewelry. Use the code ND10 to receive $10.00 off your purchase!


Janet Welcomes NDS to the farm


Delightful Dog & Bone Cookies


Barns on the farm

 
 
 
 
 
 

The Mystery Key 


A View from where Harriet wrote up in her writing room

 
 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Secrets from the Syndicate Files #6


Over 300 boxes were donated in the mid-1990s to the New York Public Library from Simon & Schuster--containing the business papers/books/artwork from the Stratemeyer Syndicate which they purchased in 1984 - and it's a great resource for researchers like myself who are working on projects, like my Millie Benson Biography! I will be sharing interesting historical items from the Syndicate Files as I work my way through my research for the book.

After taking a break from writing the Nancy Drew books after book 7 - The Clue in the Diary - Millie was again asked to write book 11, The Clue of the Broken Locket, and she replied to the Syndicate on 3-26-1934 noting, "I have always been rather partial to "Nancy" and it will seem quite like old times to be writing about her again."

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson - Digtial Archive Highlights #12


Highlights from Mildred Wirt Benson's Archive
University of IA: Women's Archive, Digital Collection
Image from Univ. of IA Women's Archive

Located at the University of Iowa's Digital archive is this page with Toledo Times articles from the mid-40s taken from one of the newspaper scrapbooks Millie kept of her writing.

I'm currently writing a biography on Millie Benson - visit the Mildred A. Wirt Benson Website for more details and research information.

Contact Me (Jennifer Fisher): nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson Quotes #6


Many people who knew Mildred "Millie" Benson have a "Millie Story" - I'm saving most of those for the book, but there's also some great Millie quotes! I wanted to share some of these with you all as I'm plugging through my research files and writing my Biography on Millie Benson.

Millie: "There's only two things I believe in--well a few more things that that--but I believe in absolute honesty and honesty in journalism; honesty in everything, but particularly in journalism. And I believe in integrity."

--Press Conference at the University of Iowa at the Nancy Drew Conference in 1993

Sunday, November 08, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson - Digtial Archive Highlights #11


Highlights from Mildred Wirt Benson's Archive
University of IA: Women's Archive, Digital Collection
Image from Univ. of IA Women's Archive

Located at the University of Iowa's Digital archive is the first Penny Parker book that Millie wrote, Tale of the Witch Doll, her favorite series of all those she wrote.

I'm currently writing a biography on Millie Benson - visit the Mildred A. Wirt Benson Website for more details and research information.

Contact Me (Jennifer Fisher): nancydrewsleuth@aol.com

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Secrets from the Syndicate Files #5


Over 300 boxes were donated in the mid-1990s to the New York Public Library from Simon & Schuster--containing the business papers/books/artwork from the Stratemeyer Syndicate which they purchased in 1984 - and it's a great resource for researchers like myself who are working on projects, like my Millie Benson Biography! I will be sharing interesting historical items from the Syndicate Files as I work my way through my research for the book.

After taking a break from writing the Nancy Drew books after book 7 - The Clue in the Diary - Millie was again asked to write book 11, The Clue of the Broken Locket, and she replied to the Syndicate on 3-26-1934 noting, "I have always been rather partial to "Nancy" and it will seem quite like old times to be writing about her again."

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

Recent eBay Finds - Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew Poster


A recent find at eBay - a poster from the 1970s TV show featuring Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew!

13 Days of Drew-O-Ween - Contest Winners


Thanks to all who commented here and Facebook and the tweets and retweets at Twitter! The drawing for the Nancy Drew books, puzzle, and computer games will take place on Tuesday and the winners posted then as an update to this posting.

UPDATE:

Thanks to everyone for participating! The winners of the prizes, taken from our re-tweeters at Twitter, commenters at Facebook, and here at this blog are:

Sets of 4 Penguin Nancy Drew books - Pamela B. & Pamela H.

Nancy Drew Puzzle - Amanda (commenter from this blog)

Her Interactive Computer Game Shattered Medallion - @milehipi & @tweetdrewsclues (tweetdrewsclues--I have messaged you at Twitter for your info to ship the game to)

Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up Book - Shelli S.

Monday, November 02, 2015

Clues to Nancy Drew Collecting - Clue Book #3

 

The third Nancy Drew Clue Book is out, A Star Witness. These are cute books for the 6 to 9 year-old set.


Sunday, November 01, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson - Digtial Archive Highlights #10


Highlights from Mildred Wirt Benson's Archive
University of IA: Women's Archive, Digital Collection
Image from Univ. of IA Women's Archive

Located at the University of Iowa's Digital archive is this copy of the Nancy Drew Conference Program from the 1993 conference at the University of IA which recognized Millie and focused on many aspects of Nancy Drew on both a fan and scholarly level.

I'm currently writing a biography on Millie Benson - visit the Mildred A. Wirt Benson Website for more details and research information.

Contact Me (Jennifer Fisher): nancydrewsleuth@aol.com