About this title: A New York Times Bestseller Nancy Drew, plucky girl detective, has survived the Depression, World War II, and the sixties, and emerged as beloved by girls today as she was by their grandmothers. In a narrative as fast-paced as one of Nancy's adventures, Melanie Rehak solves a page-turning literary mystery: Who created Nancy Drew? Rehak tells all ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harvest Books
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780156030564ISBN:015603056X
Description: Very good. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 364 p. Contains: Illustrations. Intended for a young adult/teenage audience. Very good read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this DVD supports the North Central Regional Library. Thriftbooks and NCRL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Library ID found on DVD and case. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harvest Books
Date Published: 2006-09-05
ISBN-13:9780156030564ISBN:015603056X
Description: Very good. Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, minimal to no highlighting/under. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harvest Books
Date Published: 2006-09-05
ISBN-13:9780156030564ISBN:015603056X
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
"As a fan of Nancy Drew when growing up, I was delighted to find out about this book and read it from cover to cover in short order. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in Nancy Drew and other serial books published by the Stratemeyer Syndicate."
"I devoured Nancy Drew books when I was younger. I'll never forget library days in middle school, when we were allowed to take out a book for the month; I always chose a Nancy Drew mystery.
While Rehak's findings on Nancy's origin and the backstory of her "author", Carolyn Keene (a pen name for multiple authors), were interesting, Mildred's and Harriet's life stories weren't so interesting that they needed to be recounted in such detail.
I also found the later trials involving the rights to Carolyn Keene's name to be fairly depressing, recalling the ugly truth of Nancy's later years, when a battle waged between two of her primary authors for claims to Nancy's creation. It took away some of the innocence I inherently associate with Nancy Drew, and although it did happen, I kind of wish I'd remained oblivious to these facts.
All in all, the latter half of GIRL SLEUTH is stronger than the first, following Nancy's evolution in popular culture over four decades."
"This book about the woman who created Nancy Drew really helps the reader appreciate how truly ahead of her time Nancy Drew actually was. It gives the history of the two woman behind Nancy Drew, Mildred Wirt Benson and Harriet Stratermyer Adams. Harriet was most likely the first female C.E.O. and Mildred was a female pilot, journalist and writer of not only tons of books for the syndicate besides Nancy Drews but several of her own series. Anyone who has ever picked up a Nancy Drew and loved it, will love this book, it really cements Nancy Drew as a feminist icon."
"An interesting and very in-depth look at how the Nancy Drew books came to be and the people behind her creation and continuation. I knew that the Nancy Drew's "author", Carolyn Keene, was a pseudonym, but beyond that, I was not much aware of how these books were put together or who were the main forces behind it.
Melanie Rehak clearly did an excellent job researching the world of Nancy Drew and how she came to be, including so much information about the Stratemeyer Syndicate that put together the Nancy Drew books, along with the Hardy Boys, the Dana Girls, the Bobbsey Twins, etc. It was interesting to hear how the Syndicate recruited authors and how the authors were expected to work exactly off an outline provided, churning out a manuscript that fit the Syndicate's needs in exchange for a one-time payment. It was also fascinating to think about how long Nancy Drew has been around - almost 80 years! Her character has, as Rehak notes, gone through so many changes and revisions to account for changing times and new social and cultural norms. Some people may not be aware that many of the "original" Nancy Drew books you can buy now, the yellow hardcovers, do not actually contain the full, original texts; instead, they have been edited to remove certain material and make certain parts less insensitive.
There were minor things I wish had been changed in this book, such as including more information about the current incarnation of Nancy Drew and getting rid of some excess details about not wholly related events, but it was still, overall, a fascinating book. Anyone who read Nancy Drew growing up (and who isn't included in that?) will probably be intrigued by all the information in here. It makes me want to go pick up an old Nancy Drew book and reread it!"
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