Nancy Drew & Stratemeyer Syndicate Auction April 22nd - Books & Manuscripts

Have you ever wanted to own a piece of Stratemeyer Syndicate history? The Syndicate that created and produced and in many cases wrote your favorite series books like Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Bobbsey Twins and many more? Now's your chance!

Former Stratemeyer Syndicate partner, Nancy Axelrad, has decided to part with a collection of over 100 combined books and manuscripts in her possession in this historic auction. Quite a few are signed author's copies or signed by Nancy for books she edited including a Hardy Boys book signed and inscribed by Syndicate partner Andrew Svenson and a Nancy Drew book signed and inscribed by Harriet Adams to Nancy Axelrad. Most of the Nancy Drew were Nancy's author's/editor's copies as were the Bobbsey Twins books/manuscripts she personally revised and worked on for Grosset & Dunlap in the 80s/early 90s.

The auction will take place: Saturday, April 22nd online and you can e-mail bids - see details at the auction website on the format of the auction and how to bid. 

Series for auction include: Nancy Drew (foreign editions too), Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Dana Girls, Bobbsey Twins & Historical Bobbsey Twins Manuscripts, Honey Bunch, Honey Bunch & Norman, Sunny Boy, Bunny Brown, Rover Boys, Ted Scott, Bomba, Laura Lee Hope's The Make-Believe Stories, Edward Stratemeyer Bound to Succeed Series & Ship and Shore Series, plus a set of Horatio Alger books from Nancy's NJ library.

Here's a sample of just a few of the items for sale - see the website to view all items being auctioned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie #1

Nancy Drew Femme Fatale? It's coming, March 2017! Dynamite Comics debuts their new comic series Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie #1 - the first issue of 6 planned. 

Here's a sneak peak/synopsis and issue specs:

 When the teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy are accused of the murder of their father – a detective in the small resort town of Bayport – they must team up with the femme fatale Nancy Drew to prove their innocence (and find the real guilty party in the process) in a twisting, hard-boiled tale, complete with double-crosses, deceit and dames.

Inspired by new crime classics like Ed Brubaker’s Fatale and Darwyn Cooke’s Parker series, writer Anthony Del Col (Assassin’s Creed, Kill Shakespeare) and artist Werther Dell’Edera (Batman: Detective Comics, House of Mystery) bring the iconic teen detectives into the modern age, and redefine noir for a new generation of readers!

Cover A: Faye Dalton
Cover B: Emma Vieceli
Cover C Subscription: Robert Hack
Writer: Anthony Del Col
Art: Werther Dell'Edera
Genre: Mystery
Publication Date: March 2017
Format:Comic Book
Page Count: 32 Pages
ON SALE DATE: 3/8

There are also several different covers you can order for the issue. Where to order? Your local comic book shops and online where you can pre-order to download the issue when it's available.

Some fun facts:

Writer Anthony Del Col grew up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and in this Bleedingcool.com article, he noted, "...now that I’m a creator I like to analyze characters and stories and dissect what works, and how I could improve upon them. And thus I came up with the idea of putting these three icons into a completely new adventure that could appeal to those that grew up with them."

Anthony is inspired by Hitchcock and Chandler novels. 

Fans of classic Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys novels will find Easter Eggs to the classic stories in these issues.

 

For classic fans who are concerned about how their beloved characters will be treated in a modern/noir setting, Anthony notes, "For those that are fans of the original Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys adventures, you’ll have fun re-exploring these characters. Do not be afraid by the marketing: these are the same characters as before, but shed in a new (noir, moody) light." 

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.

 

 

 

Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Super Mystery Bonfire Masquerade

A preview of the upcoming Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mystery, Bonfire Masquerade, out in July 2011.

Jenn:)

My Today Show Appearance on Nancy Drew Hardy Boys

Penguin publishers was able to arrange for Al Roker's Book Club for Kids on the Today Show to select the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books for the kids in the club to read. The first books in each series were read and everyone met up on Jan. 29th at the Today Show Studios in NYC for the taping. View the segment here.

I was asked to be the expert guest on the show back in December and was very excited to be invited. Of course they normally have the author of the books on but in this case that was not possible. They normally have a different studio set up but that set was being used for a different segment so we were set up in another area.

I flew to NYC on the 27th to spend some time before and after the show at the New York Public Library to research in the Stratemeyer Syndicate archives for my Nancy Drew book I'm working on about her mysterious history. I was a bit nervous about the Today Show appearance and could barely sleep the night before. I arrived a little early and was ushered into hair and make up for touch ups. My hair was not cooperating :) It was so cold/windy and full of static. Uggh!

I got to meet the kids and their parents: Ian, Spencer, Delroy, Danielle, Treasure, and Tatiana. They had a make-shift green room area on the first floor set up. I brought gifts for the kids--Her Interactive computer games, Nancy Drew pins and magnifying glasses, and some neat Nancy Drew shirts from Jen's Ideas.

Meredith Jaffe lent her Nancy Drew books/collectibles for the segment--you can see them on a table in between the kids and I. Unfortunately they didn't focus on them during the segment which was a shame. The kids were interested in them though and seeing them before the segment went live.

We began the segment with Al Roker asking a few questions about the books and then we quickly went to the kids for their questions.

The kids were great and had some fun questions. I wasn't expecting Delroy's question about Chet's car :) While we were waiting for the segment to go live, they did several live shots of the kids with their books.

Once we went live, it was a whirlwind! It felt like the segment lasted about 30 seconds but I'm told it ran nearly 5 minutes. We mostly discussed the books and the characters.

We took some photos before the segment downstairs with the kids and their books. Treasure, standing next to me is going to be a tall girl! She's only 11 and look how short I feel :) ha!

Danielle had some questions for me and was very interested in the books. It's nice to see the kids have interest in these great classic books--and hopefully this segment inspires more to pick up our childhood favs and enjoy the same exciting mysteries.

Jenn:)

New Classic Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Boxed Sets

Go Vintage! Check out the new boxed sets from Grosset & Dunlap for their classic collections! These will have the first 6 books in each. These will be out Sept. 3rd, 2009. They have that classic tweed look. Although the Nancy Drew tweed was blue and the Hardy Boys was a brown color, it looks like they've used a yellowish color for Nancy to go with the yellow spine books and then the blue look for the blue spine Hardys.

Here's descriptions from the publisher:

Nancy Drew Starter Set by Carolyn Keene:

The Nancy Drew Starter Set is the perfect gift for aspiring detectives, or longtime fans of the series! The first six books are packaged together in a collectible box set with an updated design. Titles included are #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, and #6 The Secret of Red Gate Farm.

The Hardy Boys Starter Set by Franklin W. Dixon:

A special treat for Hardy Boys fans! The first six books in the classic mystery series are packaged together in a collectible box set featuring a newly redesigned slipcover. Titles included are #1 The Tower Treasure, #2 The House on the Cliff, #3 The Secret of the Old Mill, #4 The Missing Chums, #5 Hunting for Hidden Gold, and #6 The Shore Road Mystery.

Can't wait for these to come out. They are so much better than those black/yellow or black/blue sets with the flashlight!

Jenn:)