Whenever I couldn't find a Nancy Drew book I had not read yet on a visit to the library, I next turned to Dana Girls. I never did read all of them because the library did not carry them all. Dana Girls were a little bit more down-to-earth to me simply because they were actually in school. I thought everyone went to college, so Nancy must have been in a perpetual summer, but the Dana Girls went to school, albeit a private, boarding school with which I was not at all familiar.
Like their "cousin" Nancy Drew, Dana Girls mystery series was also written by the Stratemeyer Syndicate under the pen name of Carolyn Keene. The series was started after Edward Stratemeyer's death, capitalizing on Nancy's popularity. The Dana Girls were published from 1934-1979 in 34 volumes by Grosset & Dunlap.
Louise is 17 years old, dark-haired and serious minded (like Frank Hardy), and Jean is 16, fair and impetuous (like Joe). The combination of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys is not surprising sinse Leslie McFarlane wrote the first three books and Mildred Wirt Benson wrote the next 11 or 12 in the series. The girls live with Uncle Ned, a ship captain, and Aunt Harriet and attend Starhurst Academy, an elegant boarding school.
The series was created by Harriet Adams and originally written by Leslie McFarlane and bears a striking resemblance to Hardy Boys, another McFarlane project. McFarlane wrote the first four titles and then decided he preferred Hardy Boys. Adams wrote the rest. Volumes 1 - 16 and 18 went out of print while the rest were updated and the last four books where added after the revisions were done.
The first books came out in a blue-green cover with a few of the original books in a different color (Pink?). The later reprint books came out with white picture covers. Pre1942's books where thicker and used a heavier paper. During the war and after the books were printed as thinner volumes that did not have as thick pages. (Some information provided by David Edward)
1 BY THE LIGHT OF THE STUDY LAMP 1934
2 THE SECRET AT
LONE TREE COTTAGE 1934
3 IN THE SHADOW OF THE TOWER
1934
4 A THREE-CORNERED MYSTERY 1935
5 THE SECRET
AT THE HERMITAGE 1936, 1949
6 THE CIRCLE OF FOOTPRINTS
1937, 1949
7 THE MYSTERY OF THE LOCKED ROOM 1938,
1950
8 THE CLUE IN THE COBWEB 1939, 1950
9 THE SECRET
AT THE GATEHOUSE 1940
10 THE MYSTERIOUS FIREPLACE
1941
11 THE CLUE OF THE RUSTY KEY 1942, 1951
12
THE PORTRAIT IN THE SAND 1943, 1953
13 THE SECRET IN THE
OLD WELL 1944
14 THE CLUE IN THE IVY
1952
15 THE SECRET OF THE JADE RING 1953
16 MYSTERY
AT THE CROSSROAD 1954
17 THE GHOST IN THE GALLERY
1955, 1975
18 THE CLUE OF THE BLACK FLOWER 1956
19
THE WINKING RUBY MYSTERY 1957, 1974
20 THE SECRET OF THE
SWISS CHALET 1958, 1973
21 THE HAUNTED LAGOON
1959, 1973
22 THE MYSTERY OF THE BAMBOO BIRD 1960, 1973
23
THE SIERRA GOLD MYSTERY 1961, 1973
24 THE SECRET OF LOST
LAKE 1963, 1974
25 THE MYSTERY OF THE STONE TIGER
1963, 1972
26 THE RIDDLE OF THE FROZEN FOUNTAIN 1964, 1972
27
THE SECRET OF THE SILVER DOLPHIN 1965, 1972
28 MYSTERY OF THE WAX
QUEEN 1966, 1972
29 THE SECRET OF THE MINSTREL'S GUITAR
1967, 1972
30 THE PHANTOM SURFER 1968, 1972
31
THE CURIOUS CORONATION 1976
32 THE HUNDRED-YEAR MYSTERY
1977
33 MOUNTAIN-PEAK MYSTERY 1978
34
THE WITCH'S OMEN 1979
Year New Old Year New Old Year New Old
1972 1 25 1972 6 30
1974 11 24
1972
2 26 1973 7 20
1974 12 19
1972
3 27 1973 8 21
1975 13 17
1972
4 28 1973 9
22
1972 5 29 1973
10 23
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