1940s Nancy DrewBy the 1940s, Nancy Drew was becoming less brash and daring--still quite the adventurer, but more toned down. By this time, the housekeeper Hannah Gruen was becoming more a part of the family too. And Nancy's boyfriend Ned was starting to do a little more of the helping and even the rescuing like the scene at the end of The Secret in the Old Attic when he gallantly rescues Nancy from the near-death of a venomous spider and she feels so good to be swept up and rescued in such strong arms ;-)
The artwork reflects the changing fashion styles and the Rita Hayworth like hair. We even see some reflection of the war years, though it's not mentioned, when in The Clue in the Jewel Box, Nancy doesn't really use her car but does use a bicycle to get around.
The internal illustrations by now have gone from glossy to plain paper and have been revised to reflect the style of the 1940s.
Nancy begins to start to travel around a little more too - to Buenos Aires in The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk and to an island in the Caribbean or somewhere similar The Quest of the Missing Map, to Maine (not specifically mentioned but geography appears to be Maine) in The Mystery of the Tolling Bell and to New Orleans in The Ghost of Blackwood Hall. We'll see her travel more often to real US states and foreign countries more by the 1950s onward.
This was also a period of transition beginning behind the scenes of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The second to last book that ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson wrote was #25, The Ghost of Blackwood Hall published in 1948. The next 4 books would have different ghosts and her last would be #30, The Clue of the Velvet Mask.Jenn:)
5 comments:
Style-wise, the covers from this decade are definitely my favorites; Nancy looks glamorous, but still young.
I've always liked Ned. He's perfect: just like Nancy. He's a star football player, very handsome, and is always understanding when Nancy has to rush from their date to go solve a mystery. I know I lot of guys that would grump for hours if I did that to them on a date.
I've always liked Ned. He's perfect, just like Nancy. He's a star football player, extremely handsome, and is always understanding when Nancy needs to rush from their date to chase down a bad guy. I know I lot of guys who would grump for hours if I did that to them on a date. But not Ned! :P Good ol' Ned...
Love the hair, it's my favorite style. Also wearing gloves was 'de rigour' in those days.
Nancy
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Love the look of these covers - always have. Nancy looks like I always imagine her when I'm reading. I've always liked Ned, too - he always seems to be there just when Nancy really needs him!
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