Nancy Drew author - Carolyn Keene

[jgmp123]

Hey Guys,
I’m not sure if anyone has any signed book connections, but I have been looking everywhere for a nice signed Nancy Drew book for my 9 year old daughter. If anyone has any advice or contacts, it would be appreciated.

Thanks,
James

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Carolyn Keene had identity issues. She sometimes felt like she was Franklin W. Dixon. In those instances, she was partly correct!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_McFarlane

[Jeff Alcorn]

Hi James,

My daughter collects girls mystery series books and has a great overview volume called "All About Collecting Girls' Series Books" by John Axe. In this book you get the details about how the Nancy Drew books were created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and that Carolyn Keene never existed. The outlines for books 1-3 were by Edward Stratemeyer and 4-56 by his daughters Harriet & Edna.

The actual stories were then written out by Mildred Wirt Benson #1-7, 11-25, & 30; Walter Karig #8-10; Harriet Stratemeyer Adams #31, 33-56. Other in house authors did #26-29 & 32. The book does not cover #57 - onward, but only the "classic" titles from the 1930s - 1960s. I don't know if any signed volumes exist since the Stratemeyer Syndicate guarded this information quite closely and it didn't come out until the late 1960s I believe. Hope this info helps,

Jeff Alcorn

[jgmp123]

Hi James,

My daughter collects girls mystery series books and has a great overview volume called "All About Collecting Girls' Series Books" by John Axe. In this book you get the details about how the Nancy Drew books were created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and that Carolyn Keene never existed. The outlines for books 1-3 were by Edward Stratemeyer and 4-56 by his daughters Harriet & Edna.

The actual stories were then written out by Mildred Wirt Benson #1-7, 11-25, & 30; Walter Karig #8-10; Harriet Stratemeyer Adams #31, 33-56. Other in house authors did #26-29 & 32. The book does not cover #57 - onward, but only the "classic" titles from the 1930s - 1960s. I don't know if any signed volumes exist since the Stratemeyer Syndicate guarded this information quite closely and it didn't come out until the late 1960s I believe. Hope this info helps,

Jeff Alcorn


Whoa Jeff...Mind blown. I had no idea and hadn't really come across any of that detailed info in my research.
Thank you for this.
-James