Nancy Drew – Teen Sleuth

by Roberta Beach Jacobson 



When I was a child in the late '50s, early '60s, the top row of my bookshelf  was filled with Nancy Drew books. Oh, how I devoured those mysteries featuring the amateur teen detective. 

Carolyn Keene's name appeared on the covers as the author, although there was no such mystery writer. 

The series was penned by a variety of writers over the years, starting in the 1930s. 

Nancy was depicted as a bright and witty teenager (ranging from age 16
to 18) with a mind of her own. 

She lived in River Heights (state unknown) with her attorney father and a housekeeper, as Nancy's mother had passed away. 

After her high school graduation, she didn't seek out a job. She seemed
to have a busy social schedule and never lacked for money. 

Nancy's main skill, of course, was sleuthing. Her girlfriends lent a hand with most of her cases.

A crime-solving boyfriend, Ned Nickerson, made an appearance in volume seven of the series. 

Togo, Nancy's dog, also got 15 minutes of fame! 

Some 200 million copies of the mystery books have been sold worldwide. Revisions removed outdated phrases (such as rumble seat) and made Nancy's  lifestyle sound more modern. 

She switched from driving a blue roadster, to a blue convertible, later a blue Mustang. 

Throughout the 1950s, revisions in the books included more references
to Nancy's travels away from her fictional hometown of River Heights. 

Illustrations showed her as less the former flapper style and more of
an average American teen. 

My favorite books were The Hidden Staircase, The Clue in the Diary and The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk. 

The books are still available and Nancy's mysteries have been kept
alive on television and in video games. 

For even more adventures, present-day fans can go see the Warner Bros. movie titled Nancy Drew (to be released in summer 2007). Emma Roberts (niece of Julia) plays Nancy. 



more articles by  Roberta Beach Jacobson

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