Nancy Drew Theme

The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories were first published on April 28th, 1930, and the first three stories were released all at once as a breeder set. These first books (The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase and The Bungalow Mystery) were written under the pseudonym of Carolyn Keene by Mildred Wirt Benson, from outlines provided by Edward Stratemeyer. Stratemeyer ran the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a company that produced children’s books for publication. (The Syndicate was also responsible for The Hardy Boys and The Bobbsey Twins.) Stratemeyer would come up with the ideas and then hire writers to flesh out the stories. Edward Stratemeyer died in May of 1930 and never got to see what a success became of the Nancy Drew stories.

After his death, his daughter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, took over the business of the Syndicate and she wrote books #31 and #33-56. In 1959 she began a revision of the first 34 texts to modernize them for the future. Mildred Wirt Benson wrote 23 of the first 30 books. Mildred Wirt Benson and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams are considered the two most important Nancy Drew authors. Mildred’s birthday was July 10, 1905 and Harriet’s birthday was December 11, 1892.