Monday, August 31, 2015

Mildred Wirt Benson - Digtial Archive Highlights #1


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 neat short story by Mildred Wirt Benson, A Question of Value which was published in Lutheran Young Folks in 1927, the year she became the first person to get a Masters in Journalism at the University.


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

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Nancy Drew Drewtique - Cleverly Handcrafted Gifts


Nancy Drew Sleuths and other Nancy fans have been crafting some clever Nancy Drew crafts for The Drewtique located at The Sleuth Shop. You can purchase these consigned items there which benefits those who create them so cleverly - some use the great Nancy Drew fabric and others images of Nancy Drew - all under official licensing too, unlike other non-licensed items on the market. Shop at The Drewtique for our great selection from jewelry to bags and cases, bookmarks to car decals, key chains to pillows, quilted items to book boxes and much more.  

 
 
 

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Nancy Drew Books: Scary Things Kids (& Adults) Do #66


Thanks to little Jackie Morris and her hysterical "this is MY book territory" scribblings, we have NO idea how this book began nor how that cliffhanger ended! Hypers!

Friday, August 28, 2015

Nancy Drew at Cafe Press


Here's a sampling of all the neat items you can get at our Cafe Press Nancy Drew Shop - all officially licensed by Nancy Drew Sleuths! Spend $45 or more in our shop - and use code SHIP6ZG to get free shipping through 12-31-15! 

 
 
 
 

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Sleuth Shop Spotlight - Clever Nancy Drew Goodies


A sampling of goodies you can find in our Nancy Drew Sleuth Shop - where we sell licensed Nancy Drew merchandise, vintage books and collectibles, and our own officially licensed merchandise. Select the standard shipping option when checking out to pay just one flat rate shipping no matter how much you purchase. Also, orders over $100 (pre-ship total to US addresses) get free shipping to celebrate the 85th Anniversary of Nancy Drew this year.

 
 
 

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Nancy Drew Drewtique - Cleverly Handcrafted Gifts


Nancy Drew Sleuths and other Nancy fans have been crafting some clever Nancy Drew crafts for The Drewtique located at The Sleuth Shop. You can purchase these consigned items there which benefits those who create them so cleverly - some use the great Nancy Drew fabric and others images of Nancy Drew - all under official licensing too, unlike other non-licensed items on the market. Shop at The Drewtique for our great selection from jewelry to bags and cases, bookmarks to car decals, key chains to pillows, quilted items to book boxes and much more.

 
 
 

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Nancy Drew Collecting, Wills & Inheritances - a Cautionary Tale


What happens when Nancy Drew mystery themes come to life? You end up with a cautionary tale for everyone out there - not just Nancy Drew collectors. Read on, I promise, no spooky ghosts or villains with threatening notes to stay off the case or else! However, there is some intrigue that began last year with a strange e-mail...

I received an e-mail that I was receiving an inheritance. My first though, was yeah right, is it a Nigerian princess who wants to stow their valuable bank funds in my bank, they just need my bank account number to transfer the funds ;-) Well, no, it turned out to be a Sleuth member who had passed away sadly and had left a will behind. The will left their Nancy Drew collection to be divided among myself and 2 other Sleuth members. I was rather sad and stunned at the turn of events. The estate though was in disarray due to some financial issues, heirs taking what they wanted and abandoning the house for all intents and purposes, the house having it's own internal issues and lots of other drama. Right out of something like The Secret of the Old Clock in a more strange set of circumstances came the question of, could there be another will? Oh yes...

After months of getting the run around from the executor of the will, I was finally able to get some information--a 2nd will had been found leaving all this member's possessions - TO CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Eyes rolling!) Because, of course, cats can read vintage collectible Nancy Drew books ;-) Some of these cats were just wild neighborhood cats with no caretakers--which ones were in the will? Another intrigue. The executor had washed their hands of the situation with the new "will" being found and so myself and the other 2 Sleuths were left without the books. There were issues with mold/etc. in the house too, so I was already hesitant about having books like that as mold spreads, though you can do things to try and kill it. The house was in foreclosure and locked up tight. So, sadly there wasn't much we could do legally except just let the books go.

Well, as it turns out, somehow these books or some of them have made it onto eBay in recent auctions of foreign edition Nancy Drew books. Perhaps the bank auctioned the contents of the home or donated it somewhere leading to its eventually ending up on eBay. It's a mystery!

But the cautionary tale in all of this is that if you have collections of things that mean a lot to you and you want them to go to people or to institutions or be donated/etc.. then WRITE IT DOWN and make it legal--put it in a will, add it to an existing will as a codicil to the will. Or better yet, give them away to people while you still can and your wishes can be fulfilled without any shenanigans interfering after the fact. Find an institution who you can sell or donate items to who would like your collection, and sign paperwork arranging it. If you don't do these things, you might end up victim to a second will that's possibly questionable and also have heirs or friends who don't abide by your wishes either which has happened in the case of another series book collector who passed on and their heir didn't honor their wishes to give away some of their books and collectibles to specifically designated people and decided to sell them instead for the money. Unfortunately, you can't always rely on your family to abide by your wishes once you're gone, so sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands while you still can.

So, my best advice, is to get your affairs in order and make sure you find places for your collections if that's important to you. Now, if you don't care what happens to your collection when you're gone, not a big deal. But if you do, be sure to make plans to avoid headaches for your heirs and others down the road.

Nancy Drew Books: Scary Things Kids (& Adults) Do #65


Uh oh! Looks like Happy Fun Ball started a fire...

(SNL Reference, people!)

Friday, August 21, 2015

Nancy Drew at Cafe Press


Here's a sampling of all the neat items you can get at our Cafe Press Nancy Drew Shop - all officially licensed by Nancy Drew Sleuths! Spend $45 or more in our shop - and use code SHIP6ZG to get free shipping through 12-31-15!

 
 
 
 

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Nancy Drew Classic Covers Puzzle Sale at The Sleuth Shop


The classic (all 56 books) Nancy Drew Puzzle is now on sale at The Sleuth Shop! 1000 pieces! Shown here is the cover image and then the puzzle put together. So much fun :) We also have a special deal if you buy two.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Nancy Drew Books: Scary Things Kids (& Adults) Do #64


Fun with Nancy Drew Endpapers! 

When in doubt cover up the 3 ladies staring at Nancy on the left like that snobby looking one in the middle! I mean, who do they think they are anyhow?! 

I'm not sure what happened below--or what someone was trying to tell us, but it just reeks of crazy little brother!

  
I've got it! How about a bookmark! Because nothing says Nancy Drew, like an orange tree...
 
 

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Sherlock Holmes Granville as Nancy Drew


I purchased 2 photos (last photo below) - press type - a couple of years ago at eBay featuring Bonita Granville who played Nancy Drew in the 1938/1939 movies from Warner Brothers. These were press photos for the Nancy Drew films featuring Bonita as "Sherlock Homes Granville" - I recently saw a third photo at eBay with the same style but different pose and purchased it. You can click on the image below to see a larger view of the back which references Nancy Drew, Reporter - the second of the four Nancy Drew films - taken by photographer George Hurrell, a famous Hollywood photographer.

 

Saturday, August 08, 2015

Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Cover Art Exhibition at the Brush Art Gallery


My good friend Jim McNamara's collection of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys artwork is on display now at the Brush Art Gallery & Studios in Lowell, MA from August 8 through September 12. Jim is a prolific collector of series book illustrations and you can also see a few Dana Girls, Trixie Belden and other series art hanging as well. If you are in the area, please visit the exhibition. There is a reception on the 15th featuring illustrator Ruth Sanderson, who illustrated some of the earlier Wanderer Nancy Drew paperbacks in 1979 and early 1980s. She was our guest of honor at the Nancy Drew Sleuths' 2013 Boston, MA convention. The Pollard Memorial Library also has a display of some of Jim's collection which is great to see as well.