On Wednesday, August 17, about midway through the workday, I decided that I ought to check a few places for books that afternoon. I had felt like death from about August 1 to August 13, and I had started feeling like a normal person again beginning around August 14. I thought that I could manage hitting a few stores, and I had a feeling that good books were out there.
After school, I briefly second-guessed myself. Did I really want to do this in rush hour traffic? I was certainly going to get caught in at least one traffic jam. I couldn't shake the feeling that good books were to be found.
From April 1:
On Friday afternoon, I wanted to go check a certain store, but I wasn't feeling well. I really wasn't feeling well, but I also felt strongly that books were to be found in that store. This doesn't happen to me very often, but when it does, I know not to ignore it. I have never forgotten that day in October 2012 when I felt that a large book find was out there waiting for me, and I ended up making a fabulous book find.
Even though I truly felt bad, I drove to the store that beckoned me. While I didn't find anything fabulous, I did come away with quite a few books. It was like they had been put out just for me.
I had a similar feeling last Wednesday, and I couldn't ignore it. I wasn't that surprised to find the large stash of Nancy Drew picture covers from the early 1960s. These days I seem to be unfazed by outstanding finds. I think this is tied to the pandemic and all the bizarre events in the world and in my life in the last 2 1/2 years.
I should have gotten really excited about an excellent find, but that didn't happen. I took it as an ordinary event in the course of a normal day. Why wouldn't I find a large stash of early and first printing Nancy Drew picture covers in excellent condition and with tint anomalies?
I started going through the books, checking the condition and deciding which ones to purchase. Books from two different original owner's sets were present. Around 75% of the books were from one person's set, and those books were in excellent condition and tended to be first picture cover printings. Around 25% of the books were from another set (obvious due to markings on the books) and were in lesser condition.
Early in the process of sorting the books, I found a copy of The Clue in the Diary, knowing by exterior appearance that it wouldn't likely have the 1932 text. I checked it anyway, and it wasn't the 1932 text.
I saw first picture covers in very nice shape and pulled out most of them. A few were overpriced, and I did not get those. As I went through the books, I kept spotting tint anomalies. I seldom find tint anomalies in stores. I have usually obtained them through bulk lots purchased online.
I found another copy of The Clue in the Diary, this time with the darker blue tint on the cover and the right texture. It had the original text. I was unfazed. This was all completely normal.
Finally, I finished selecting all the books I wanted. I left around 20 books behind that weren't worth purchasing because they were in poor condition or were overpriced. It's obvious when a store checks online prices because they randomly price certain books significantly higher. I always wonder exactly what they saw that made them think that a certain book is worth more than a bunch of other books that look the same. Why did The Whispering Statue first picture cover need to be priced noticeably higher than the rest of them? It's not worth more.
When a store checks online prices, they miss the true rarities like the 1932 text version picture cover of The Clue in the Diary. At any given time, usually no examples will be up for sale. They can't find that information, so they end up pricing it the same as the rest.
Right after I drove away from the store, the significance of finding The Clue in the Diary in picture cover with the 1932 text finally hit me. I marveled that I had just purchased an extremely elusive book in the wild, and it was probably in better condition than the copy I have owned for over a decade. Not only that, but I had also likely just found one of the nicest known surviving examples.
I have sorted the books I purchased for this post so that I can more easily explain what I am keeping and why. Remember that you can click on images in order to see them at a higher resolution.
These books are all in better shape than the corresponding printings in my collection. I will be keeping all of them. Hidden Staircase and Shadow Ranch have the black box on the front cover. Lilac Inn is the first picture cover printing that didn't have the $1 box or the black box on the cover. Diary has the original 1932 text. Ski Jump, Velvet Mask, and Haunted Showboat are first printing picture covers.
These next books have tint anomalies on the covers, and I will probably be keeping all of them. All the books are first printing picture covers except for both Moss-Covered Mansion books and Jewel Box.
I will probably not be keeping the books in the following photos, although I do have to check again to make sure. These books are all first printing picture covers or first printings.
This is another group of books that I will probably not be keeping. The books are from the early 1960s.
I also found three Nancy Drew books with dust jackets. They are not first printings.
I found two Nancy Drew Files in the hardcover Grey Castle Press edition. I also found one of the early Choose Your Own Adventure books.
I found three Perma-Bound Nancy Drew hardcover library editions.
Finally, I found two Trixie Belden books.
My Nancy Drew picture covers have been shelved in a location where I could not get to them. I spent several hours yesterday moving books so that I could get the picture covers where I could reach them easily. Now I can go back through and make certain that I am keeping the books that are in better condition and that I am keeping all of the tint anomalies that are of the most interest to me.
Here are links to my Facebook posts from yesterday that show photos of when I moved the books.
Before the move
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