Dana Girls Original and Revised Texts

The Dana Girls series was released in two sets.  The first set was published from 1934 through 1968. The following books from the first set were republished in the second set, which was in print from 1972 through 1979.

17. The Ghost in the Gallery, 1955
19. The Winking Ruby Mystery, 1957
20. The Secret of the Swiss Chalet, 1958
21. The Haunted Lagoon, 1959
22. The Mystery of the Bamboo Bird, 1960
23. The Sierra Gold Mystery, 1961
24. The Secret of Lost Lake, 1962
25. The Mystery of the Stone Tiger, 1963
26. The Riddle of the Frozen Fountain, 1964
27. The Secret of the Silver Dolphin, 1965
28. Mystery of the Wax Queen, 1966
29. The Secret of the Minstrel's Guitar, 1967
30. The Phantom Surfer, 1968

I was asked recently about whether the 1955 and 1975 versions of The Ghost in the Gallery are the same story or whether the texts have significant differences.  Specifically, I was asked whether the books are as different as the original and revised texts of The Secret of the Old Clock. I have never paid attention, so I had to carefully compare both books in order to answer the question.  I have probably only read the 1955 version and never cared to read the 1975 version.  I only have the 1975 version because it is from the second set and has different cover art.

The 1955 version of The Ghost in the Gallery has 209 pages and 25 chapters. The 1975 version has 180 pages and 20 chapters. The two books definitely tell the same story, and the main difference appears to be that the text has been rewritten and condensed for the 1975 version.

I would say that the two books are less different than the two versions of Old Clock. The books are different, but more in the way of the later revised text Nancy Drew books, such as #25-34. Here is an excerpt of the same scene from The Ghost in the Gallery from both stories.

1955 text:

Jean took the other two letters from the mailbox. One was addressed to her, the other to Louise. She knew from the handwriting that the letters were from Ken and Chris. Probably an explanation of the boys’ strange actions about the Saturday night dance.

A moment later Jean exclaimed unbelievingly, "Louise, listen to this! Chris was informed that the dance had been called off!"

The letter to Louise said practically the same thing as Jean’s, that they were told the school dance had been called off. Someone deliberately had played a mean joke on the Danas!

Revised 1975 text:

The following afternoon, when the girls returned to their suite to prepare for the dance, they found a telephone message on Jean’s desk. It read:

Ken Scott and Chris Barton called to say they are sorry to miss the dance tonight. They hope to be invited next month.

Stunned by the message from the boys, Louise and Jean flopped on the couch in their study.

"This means we can’t go to the dance!" Jean wailed.

Louise thought, What could have happened to make Ken and Chris change their minds?

The two versions have approximately the same number of words, but the character count has been greatly reduced. The first version has 561 characters while the second version has 494 characters.

The Ghost in the Gallery is the only Dana Girls book that had a significant revision, because it was the only one that was reduced from 25 chapters to 20 chapters. The remaining titles all had extremely minor edits which were mainly made to improve the continuity since the order of the titles was changed for the second set.

Using The Clue of the Stone Tiger as an example, opening the 1963 and 1972 versions to any random page shows the text beginning with the same word at the top of the page and ending with the same word at the bottom. Likely, a few minor edits were made scattered through the texts, but the page count and content of each page remained identical.

The first page of each book begins with the same two paragraphs. The books differ slightly in the third paragraph.

1963 version, first page, third paragraph:

The three Danas, en route home to Oak Falls from a long trip, were in a Chicago hotel room. They had just delivered a valuable German shepherd dog, Baron von Neckar, to its owner who had come to the city from New York on business. The two sisters and their aunt had planned to stay for a little sightseeing.

1972 version, first page, third paragraph:

The three Danas, en route home to Oak Falls from a long trip, were in a Chicago hotel room. The two sisters and their aunt had planned to stay for some sightseeing, but this latest news made them wonder if perhaps they should go directly home. They had been away for some time on a Western trip.

The paragraphs have been changed, but they take up exactly the same amount of space on the page. Some words here and there have also been changed. In the 1963 version, Cora Appel is a "timid, rather harebrained young woman," while in the 1972 version, she is a "timid but faithful young woman."

The revisions are very minor in this book. I have compared some other Dana Girls books that had minor revisions and made the same observations. Readers of either version will enjoy exactly the same story and notice nothing. Only a careful comparison shows that some revisions were made.

Ten Rarest Nancy Drew Books and Collectibles

I found the phrase "ten rarest Nancy Drew Books" as a search term that led someone to this blog. I decided to list some of the rarest Nancy Drew books and collectibles. For people who are not very familiar with collecting Nancy Drew, be aware that the book or collectible has to be exactly like what I mention. If I state that a book has to list to a certain title, then an example that lists to any other title does not match.

Many Nancy Drew collectibles or book variants are scarce or perhaps rare, but I am only going to mention the ones that seem to be so scarce that most people will either never own them or will have much difficulty in acquiring them.

For a few items, I will give you an idea of value. For others, too many factors would influence the value. In some cases, the value may not be particularly high, because few people might be interested. Just because an item is rare does not mean that many people desire it.

Here is my list of ten rare (or at least very scarce) Nancy Drew books and collectibles in no particular order.

Nancy Drew Canister Puzzle

Courtesy of www.nancydrewsleuth.com

The boxed versions of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys puzzles from the late 1970s are findable, but the canister versions are extremely elusive. I recall seeing them up for sale only once online, and I believe that this picture is from that listing. Since the canister puzzles are so extremely elusive, I wonder whether the canister version was some type of promotional item. The canister puzzle is probably worth at least several hundred dollars.

#78 The Phantom of Venice Wanderer Hardcover with Dust Jacket

#57-78 in the Nancy Drew series were published in hardcover editions with dust jackets in small print runs, unlike the very common softcover versions. I covered this topic in greater detail in this blog post. The dust-jacketed versions are much harder to find, but most interested collectors are able to acquire the majority of them.

#78 The Phantom of Venice is the one that is just about impossible to acquire and, with its dust jacket present, is probably worth more than $100 as a library discard and worth more than $300 if not a library discard. If the book does not have a dust jacket and is a library discard, then I expect that it would sell for well under $100.

My Nancy Drew Date Book and Homework Planner

Courtesy of www.nancydrewsleuth.com

This homework planner seldom comes up for sale, which makes it extremely scarce.

The Mystery at Lilac Inn first printing book

The first printing book for The Mystery at Lilac Inn is very elusive. The first printing dust jacket seems to be slightly more common, and it is also very elusive. I have a first printing dust jacket that is mismatched with a later book. I also have a second printing dust jacket that is mismatched with a later book. For some reason, quite a few of the early Lilac Inn jackets are matched with later books, which makes the first printing book extremely hard to find. My guess is that sales of the first printing of Lilac Inn were lower than sales of the first printings of other early Nancy Drew books.

The first printing Lilac Inn book has four post-text ad pages. The ads are "This Isn't All!" followed by Hardy Boys to Airport Mystery, Outdoor Girls to Canoe Trip, and Blythe Girls to Margy's Mysterious Visitor in that order. The order is important, because a later printing has the same ads in a different order.

The Secret of the Old Clock with the 1930A-1 dust jacket

This jacket is now showing up more regularly than it once did, but few examples are known to exist. The dust jacket has a front flap that lists three Nancy Drew titles, ending with Bungalow Mystery. The value depends upon the condition. Examples in rough shape have sold for several thousand dollars. All other printings are not worth anywhere near this much.

Nancy's Mysterious Letter first printing book

The first printing dust jacket is scarce but can be found without a huge amount of trouble since it was used on the first three printings. The first printing book is nearly impossible to find. The first printing book has a post-text ad that ends with Clue in the Diary. Some buyers have had trouble with sellers answering questions about the post-text ad wrong, which adds to the difficulty in acquiring this book.

The Sign of the Twisted Candles first printing book

This first printing book is just about impossible to find, especially because sellers do not answer questions correctly. The post-text ads are "This Isn't All" with a line drawn around it in the shape of a box, Nancy Drew to Mysterious Letter, and Judy Bolton to Invisible Chimes. A later printing has the same Nancy Drew and Judy Bolton lists in the same order, but has "This Isn't All" without a line drawn around it. This is the cause of all the trouble.

Sellers don't understand the difference, and questions have to be phrased very carefully. I had to return a book for a refund due to this problem since I used the phrasing in Farah's Guide. I asked the seller if "This Isn't all!" was within a box, and the seller said that it was. The seller thought I meant that the text was in the shape of the box rather than with a line drawn around it.

Nancy Drew #5, 8, and 11 with incorrectly numbered dust jackets

In 1950, the cover art changed for ten Nancy Drew titles. The wrong number was placed on the spines of four of the dust jackets, #2, 5, 8, and 11. Read this post for a complete explanation. #2 with the incorrect number, 8, on the spine is very scarce but can be found. #5, 8, and 11 with the incorrect numbers are infinitely harder to find than #2. The vast majority of collectors will probably never be able to find misnumbered examples of #5, 8, and 11.

The Clue in the Crossword Cipher first printing book

This book lists to The Phantom of Pine Hill on the back cover. As I recently explained, the book is elusive, although I know of several people who own it. The book is very difficult to locate, especially because sellers do not answer the question about the back cover list correctly.

Nancy Drew: Detective Dust Jacket Wrapper

Courtesy of www.nancydrewsleuth.com

Two printings of The Password to Larkspur Lane came with a wrapper on top of the dust jacket that advertised the movie Nancy Drew: Detective starring Bonita Granville. The wrapper is extremely scarce and is worth several thousand dollars in excellent condition.

When Private Offers Backfire

Sometimes making private offers can backfire on the person who makes the offer. Recently, four early Nancy Drew books with dust jackets came up for sale. A collector desperately tried to get the seller to close the auctions. The seller refused. Ultimately, the person who made the offers won three of the four auctions. The seller refused to sell those three books to the winning bidder.

Since I am sure that the winning bidder will read this, I want to make one point clear: I had nothing to do with the seller's decision not to sell the books to the winning bidder. From what I was told, two other eBay users gave the seller information about the winning bidder that caused the transaction to fall through.

Vintage Nancy Drew Secret Of The Old Clock 1st edition

This auction was for an Old Clock book with a dust jacket that lists to Lilac Inn. The auction closed at $532.56. This offer was posted in the listing:

DEAR SIRS, HELLO AND KINDEST REGARDS!! I WILL GIVE YOU 200 DOLLARS BY OVERNIGHT MAIL TOMORROW MORNING IF YOU STOP THIS AUCTION RIGHT NOW AND SELL TO ME. CONSIDERING THE BOOK IS 80 YEARS OLD, AND THE BAD CONDITION OF MOLD, I AM OFFERING YOU A FANTASTIC PROFIT!! YOU DONT WANT TO GIVE THE BOOK AWAY FOR 10 DOLLARS !!

Vintage Nancy Drew The Hidden Staircase 1st edition

This auction was for a Hidden Staircase book with a dust jacket that lists to Lilac Inn. It closed at $572.22. This offer was posted on the item page:

DEAR SIRS, HELLO AND KIND REGARDS!! I WILL GIVE YOU 100 DOLLARS IF YOU STOP THIS AUCTION AND SELL TO ME THIS BOOK. I WILL OVERNIGHT MAIL YOU THE MONEY. CONSIDERING THE AGE, THE MOLD, AND THE POOR CONDITION OF THE BOOK, I AM OFFERING YOU A FANTASTIC PROFIT!! YOU DONT WANT TO GIVE THIS BOOK AWAY FOR 10 DOLLARS.

Vintage Nancy Drew Mystery At Lilac Inn 1st edit 1930

This auction closed at $449.00 and was for a Lilac Inn book with a dust jacket that lists to Shadow Ranch. This offer was posted on the item page:

DEAR BRIAN, HELLO AND KINDEST REGARDS!! I WILL GIVE YOU 400 DOLLARS FOR THIS BOOK, 400 DOLLARS FOR THE OLD CLOCK BOOK, AND 400 DOLLARS FOR THE SHADOW RANCH BOOK, AND 400 DOLLARS FOR THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE. BRIAN, THAT IS A 1600 DOLLAR PROFIT FOR YOU.CONSIDERING THE AGE OF 80 YEARS, THE BAD CONDITION, AND THE MOLD, THIS IS THE GREATEST PROFIT YOU WILL MAKE THIS YEAR!! BRIAN, LAST MARCH, ANOTHER SELLER LISTED 3 NANCY DREW BOOKS OF THE SAME VINTAGE AS YOURS,BUT NEW DUSTJACKETS.I OFFERED HIM A GREAT DEAL. HE HELD OUT.I WARNED HIM ITS A BUYERS MARKET.HE LOST THE BOOKS FOR LESS THAN 50 DOLLARS EACH.NEXT DAY, HE EMAILED ME AND ASKED IF MY OFFER WAS STILL VALID.TOO LATE.HE LOST THE BOOKS FOR PENNIES.HE WAS FURIOUS WITH HIMSELF FOR NOT ACCEPTING MY OFFER. IN THIS BANKRUPT ECONOMY, YOU CANNOT BE GREEDY AND HOLD OUT TIL THE LAST DAY.SMART PEOPLE TAKE THE HIGHEST OFFER.BRIAN,MY OFFER FOR 1600 DOLLARS IS ONLY VALID UNTIL WEDNESDAY MORNING.

Vintage Nancy Drew The Secret At Shadow Ranch 1st edit

This last auction was for the first printing book and jacket for Shadow Ranch. While this was the most desirable of the four books, it was also in the worst condition. This auction closed at $799.35. This offer was posted on the item page:

DEAR SIRS, HELLO AND KIND REGARDS !! I WILL GIVE YOU 100 DOLLARS IF YOU STOP THIS AUCTION AND SELL THIS BOOK TO ME. I WILL OVERNIGHT MAIL YOU THE MONEY TOMORROW MORNING. CONSIDERING THE AGE OF 80 YEARS OLD,THE BAD MOLD, AND THE BAD CONDITION OF THE BOOK, THIS IS A FANTASTIC PROFIT FOR YOU!! YOU DONT WANT TO GIVE THIS BOOK AWAY FOR 10 DOLLARS.

The immediate effect of these offers is that the seller decided that the books were not fit for eBay. He was not used to selling on eBay, so he was unaware that most collectors check eBay auctions. The seller was not going to accept the offers, but he was seriously considering canceling the auctions. He had approached a local book dealer about the books and thought that he was better off taking that dealer's offer than letting the auctions run. The seller was planning to cancel the auctions during the last day if the bids were not high enough. I managed to convince him that he was best off letting the auctions run until the very end.

Desperate private offers can scare sellers into not selling the books at all. This situation serves as a good example of why collectors might not want to come on so strong. In the past, we also have seen collectors contact sellers and gush over the books, telling them the highest price in Farah's Guide for a book in excellent condition, despite the poor condition of the book offered for sale. That behavior can also cause the books to be removed from eBay.

I suggest that anyone who is interested in these types of Nancy Drew books go ahead and place an early bid in the auction. I do that each time I see a book like these. We need sellers to know that the only interested collectors are not just the people who are making the private offers. So few people now bid early on these auctions that it often appears that nobody is interested.

Note: The person who made the offers on these auctions is the same person who had the auction mentioned here closed early.

Collectors Behaving Badly

1932 NANCY DREW Book "NANCY'S MYSTERIOUS LETTER" Keene

The book appears to be from around 1942 to 1943 by the pulp paper and general appearance.

Question: The fact that it lists titles that weren't even written until a decade after 1932 wasn't enough of a clue to figure out that it's neither a '1st edition' not a 'Printing year: 1932' book?

Answer: Well,thank you for being so kind with your response. The others interested can determine how to bid on the book.

That was hardly necessary. The person who commented was nitpicking about the item specifics, which we all know tend to be wrong. Why would someone attack a seller over the item specifics?

The seller selected "1st edition" in the item specifics, which can be considered true depending upon how the term is defined. While I dislike that term greatly, any book that has the original text could be considered a first edition. However, most people feel that it means first printing. Regardless, collectors should not attack sellers when the term is used incorrectly.

The seller also selected 1932 as the printing year, which is not true. Since the book was copyrighted in 1932, I can see why someone would use that year. It's not a big deal. As a buyer, I never look at the item specifics unless I cannot see the books in a picture well and am trying to figure out if they are hardcover or softcover books, such as with the Wanderer editions.

Even if the seller was gushing about how the book was a true first printing and was dead wrong, treating the seller badly is inappropriate. A gentle note informing the seller about the age of the book is a better approach. We end up all looking bad when one of us acts like this.

New Poll on Nancy Drew Brass Bound Trunk

I have a poll concerning the first printing of the revised text of the Nancy Drew book The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk. The book has this cover art and is copyright 1976.

The back cover and order form list to The Sky Phantom. It seems that many of us have been unable to locate this printing, so I'm curious as to whether any of you own the first printing of the 1976 revised text.

Deceptive Book Listings

I am always bothered when I see buyers pay too much for books that are not the advertised first printings.

This summer I spotted a Nancy Drew book that was advertised as a first printing, yet it was not. I am not going to identify the seller, who is probably not a collector.

The book is not the first printing because the back panel of the dust jacket lists the Dana Girls #1-15 followed by #17. The first printing dust jacket lists the Dana Girls #1-15 only.

The book sold for $39.99, which is way too high in the current market for a book that has a dust jacket that is not the first printing and has a faded spine. It is a shame.

The seller stated the following in the description.

Dust jacket lists to this title "The Scarlet Slipper Mystery #32" on inner sleeve as well as on the interior pages making this the 1st printing of this title.

While the seller could have been purposefully deceptive, I believe that this seller likely thought that the book was the first printing. In any case, I am willing to give this seller a pass. Unfortunately, the outcome was that a buyer paid too much for a book that does not have a first printing dust jacket.

Before finishing up this blog post, I wanted to see if any of you could find this listing by searching for it on Google. Much to my surprise, I found another Scarlet Slipper listing misidentified as the first printing.

This auction ended right before the other one was listed, so the other seller probably used this auction as the basis for the first printing identification. The lesson is never to use another listing as the means for making a first printing identification, unless you are absolutely certain that the seller is a knowledgeable and honest collector. Even then, you may have to be careful.

Some collectors appear to mislead their buyers on purpose. In fact, several collectors are vague about certain printing points, perhaps hoping that buyers who do not own Farah's Guide pay too much for books that are not firsts. Be very careful, especially if you do not own Farah's Guide.

Finding More Good Books

You will recall that last week I purchased a bunch of early and first printing Hardy Boys picture cover books. I decided to check that same book store again today. I had a suspicion that not all of the books had been put out last week. I was right.

I found the $1 box editions of the Hardy Boys Skeleton Rock and Nancy Drew Fire Dragon. Fire Dragon lists to Dancing Puppet on the inside, which matches the book mentioned here. Fire Dragon is the second $1 box printing, which is currently not mentioned in Farah's Guide. Several more have surfaced since that blog post.

Witch Tree Symbol is the first printing book and jacket. Circle of Footprints is a tweed book with dust jacket. Scarlet Slipper and Golden Pavilion are first picture cover printings and are in really nice shape, as are most of the books. Scarlet Slipper and Golden Pavilion are in slightly better shape than the books in my collection, so I will be keeping them.

99 Steps is the first printing. The remaining five Nancy Drew books are early picture cover books that list either to Pine Hill or to Whistling Bagpipes. This is a very nice group of books.