The nancy drew books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published under the pseudonym carolyn keene. Nancy drew books, in one form or another, have been popular for more than 70 years. Carolyn keene is the pseudonym of the authors of the nancy drew mystery stories and the. Carolyn keene and the mystery of the real nancy drew. Ladora native mildred wirt benson, who wrote as carolyn keene.
In the years that followed, she wrote several books for the syndicate. The character of nancy drew ghostwritten and credited to the pseudonymous carolyn. She and her friend mildred wirt benson together wrote the manuscripts. Carolyn keene was the pseudonym for the author of the nancy drew detective books. Mildred wirt benson, who wrote the text of 23 of the first 25 nancy drew books under the direction of edward stratemeyer, was still an active newspaper columnist when she died in. The stolen show, volume 18 nancy drew diaries by carolyn keene paperback. Its no longer a secret that carolyn keene, the hardworking, prolific, zippilynamed and incredibly longlived author of the nancy drew books. The complete series list for nancy drew diaries carolyn keene.
For the classic series of 56 nancy drew books, there were 8 ghostwriters. Nancy drew mystery stories series in order carolyn keene. When nancy drew burst onto the scene in 1930, no one could have known shed go on to solve hundreds of mysteries, both in print and on screen. See more ideas about nancy drew books, nancy drew mysteries and nancy drew mystery stories. The complete series list for nancy drew mystery stories carolyn keene. Nancy drew fans will enjoy the nancy drew sleuth unofficial website, which is devoted to the sleuth, her books, and her timeless quality that endures throughout the ages. Nancy drew all new girl detective books by carolyn keene. The company that was the creator of the nancy drew series, the stratemeyer syndicate, hired a variety of writers. To her readers, she was carolyn keene, one of at least two and perhaps as many as six writers who used that pseudonym for the original 56 nancy drew mystery stories. Over the years many different writers worked on nancy drews stories, which were always published under the pen name of carolyn keene. Perhaps the biggest mystery over nancy drews nine decades was the identity of. Mildred was born mildred augustine and married men named wirt and benson.
To her readers, she was carolyn keene, one of at least two and. Carolyn keene books biography and list of works author. Everything you need to know or want to know is here. Eightyfive years have passed since readers first encountered both the hardy boys and their teendetective counterpart, nancy drew, yet new books continue to be released several times a year. Carolyn keene is a pseudonym used by ghostwriters over the years who wrote under that pen name. Nancy drew complete series set, books 164 hardcover october 11, 2006. The pseudonym carolyn keene was also used for the dana girls mystery series and for the river heights spinoff series mildred wirt benson was the author of many early titles and brought nancy to life. Carolyn keene is the house name of authors who wrote childrens novels, including all of the various the nancy drew series as well as the dana girls and river heights series. Carolyn keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people both men and women over the years. Nancy drew mystery stories books 14 by carolyn keene. Other writers who have adapted the carolyn keene moniker include leslie mcfarlane, james duncan lawrence, walter karig, and nancy axelrod.
Iowan mildred wirt benson authored original nancy drew. Stratemeyer hired freelancers writers to complete the books including mildred wirt benson, who fleshed out the nancy drew character and wrote the best known books in the series. Carolyn keene author of the secret of the old clock. The house name was created by the stratemeyer syndicate the same group responsible for the hardy boys, tom swift, the rover boys, the bobbsey twins and more and is most associated with mildred a.
Carolyn keene carolyn keene is the pseudonym of the authors of the nancy drew mystery series, published by the stratemeyer syndicate. See the complete nancy drew mystery stories series book list in order, box sets or omnibus editions, and companion titles. The hardy boys, nancy drew, and the secret ghostwriters of. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Wirt was the ghostwriter carolyn keene for 23 of the first 30 nancy drew books.
Perhaps best known for their infamous nancy drew series of novels, carolyn keene was to be the american pseudonym that would spawn an entire industry. Harriet adams stratemeyers daughter rewrote the original books and. The secret of the forgotten city has a similar plot line to some of the other books in the series, but its still a good read. The adventurous writer who brought nancy drew to life arts. Stratemeyer asked mildred to write the secret of the old clock the first nancy drew book. Carolyn keenes iconic girl detective, nancy drew, is back to solve allnew mysteries in this adventurous mystery series. The first author to use the pseudonym was mildred wirt benson, who wrote 23 of the original 30 books.
Nancy drew diaries series in order carolyn keene fictiondb. The series followed a teenage girl and amateur sleuth played by. The question of who wrote the nancy drew books was a mystery for many years. Wirt benson who penned 17, 1125, and 30, walter karig who penned 810, george waller jr. Nancy drew mystery stories nancy drew mystery stories hardcover carolyn keene readerlink. The chinese new year mystery, volume 39 nancy drew notebooks by carolyn keene paperback. Teenage sleuth nancy drew and mildred wirt benson had a great deal in common, including very long and active lives. Carolyn keene is a pen name used by a variety of authors for the classic nancy drew mystery series. While discovering the secret of an ivory elephant charm, nancy and her friends work to reunite a boy from india with his true father. Carolyn keene edward stratemeyer fiction factory harriet stratemeyer adams james patterson nancy drew radha vatsal radha vatsal she received her ph. New releases, upcoming books, video, excerpts and special features. Nancy drew books by carolyn keene learn about the nancy drew books. It all began with edward stratemeyer, a writer and publisher of books for kids.
Nancy drew starter set by carolyn keene, hardcover. A recent article about the cw series referred to carolyn keene as the original nancy drew author and stated that harriet stratemeyer adams later rewrote some of the novels. Who is carolyn keene, author of the nancy drew mystery stories. But the very first books in the series, the ones that. Leaving behind a legacy, there is much speculation as to who the original author was behind this penname. The secret syndicate behind nancy drew jstor daily. Other ghostwriters who used this name to write nancy drew mysteries. The books were actually written by a team of writers, but the primary author was mildred augustine wirt benson. The nancy drew mystery stories were first published in 1930 by grosset and dunlap. Over the course of more than 600 books, nancy drews adventures were.
I still enjoy seeing nancy, bess, george and their boys solve a case. Adams was the daughter of edward stratemeyer, creator of the nancy drew series and owner of the carolyn keene pseudonym. He also wrote for childrens story magazines and newspapers before. This is close to the truth, but not the whole story by a long shot. The mystery of the ivory charm is a childrens story by carolyn keene pseudonym and the th book in the nancy drew series. Carolyn keene and the mystery of the real nancy drew author. Mildred wirt benson 19052002 was herself an independent, resourceful woman and she endowed nancy and many of her other heroines with these same qualities. The original 56 stories were written by various people under the pseudonym of carolyn keene.
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