Keeper of the Lost Cities #2 Exile First Printing with a Surprise

I am on a mission to complete a set of Keeper of the Lost Cities hardcover books in true first printings.  Books 5 and up are easy to find in first printings.  Book 4 is slightly harder but still pretty easy to find.  Book 3 is more scarce than book 4.  Book 2 even more difficult, and book 1 is the most difficult one to find.

I remember a Shannon Messenger interview where she mentioned having a book signing when her first book was released.  She sat there with her stack of books, and nobody showed up.  The series was slow to gain a following.  My understanding is that people became fans through word of mouth.  They told their friends, and gradually more people began reading the books.

It's a given that the first Keeper book is the hardest one to find in a first printing.  One big obstacle is that more than 90% of online listings for Keeper books use stock photos.  There's no way to look at the appearance of a book to get an idea of which ones could be first printings.  

The early printings of the first five books are very easy to spot if the seller has photographed the book.  The series hit the New York Times bestseller list for the first time sometime after the release of book 5.  First and early printings of books 1 through 5 do not have the blurb "New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Series" along the top edge of the front cover.

So, I've been perusing the listings that don't use stock photos in order to locate possible first printings.  I quickly found #4 and #5.  #3 took a bit longer, but I acquired it in early April. 

I also managed to snag the second printing of the first book.  I'm pretty proud of it, since the second printing was run before publication of the first book and right after the first printing was run.  It's kind of weird that the first book had two print runs before it was even released.  I surmise that there were enough pre-orders from stores that Simon &Shuster needed to do another run.  This also indicates that the very first printing was probably rather small.

I looked even harder through listings in mid-April.  I found a listing for #2 Exile that didn't have the NYT blurb on the front cover.  Since I didn't yet have any copy of #2 without the blurb, I decided it was worth purchasing even if it wasn't the first printing.  It was also pretty cheap.

The book arrived on Monday.  I extracted it from the box and immediately opened the book to the copyright page.  I was beyond thrilled when I saw the full number line, 24681097531.  Woo-hoooooo!  It was late, and I set the book aside without examining it carefully.

On Tuesday evening I decided to look at the copyright page again.  I was laser-focused on the number line, the printing date, and the publication date as I looked at the page for the second time.  When I am laser-focused on certain details, I miss other things that should be obvious.  That means there's something to notice in this photo.  (Click on the image in order to see it at a higher resolution.)

I checked the number line again, 24681097531, and then I looked for the printing date, which is near the end of the line immediately above the number line.  I found 0813, which means August 2013.  I knew that the first printing would have been run before publication.  I looked higher on the page and found the copyright of 2013.  I then located the publication date of October 2013 on the line above the copyright.  Everything tallied.

I then glanced up at the dedication where Liesa Abrams Mignogna is in bold.  That's when I saw what is now obvious.  Just above the name, I could see that writing was present on the other side of the page, and it was a name.  

I very quickly reached a conclusion in just seconds.  "Someone wrote their name on the title page—SHANNON MESSENGER PROBABLY SIGNED THIS BOOK BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE SHE PUTS THE RECIPIENT'S NAME!!!!!!"

I turned the page over to the front.

How perfect!  I have a signed copy of the first printing of the second Keeper book.  There probably aren't many first printings of the first two books that are also signed by Messenger.

Shannon Messenger's signature has changed greatly in the last 12 years.  In around 2018 she changed to a fast signature with most letters unformed.  Her series is now rather popular, so she must sign a ton of books.

This is what her signature looks like now.

I am absolutely confident that both versions are authentic signatures.  I have seen the earlier version with all letters formed in multiple online listings.  I also have some promotional stuff from around 2018 with all letters formed.  I have a set of books that are all signed with the later style.  Those signatures are guaranteed authentic because they came from the bookstore mentioned on Messenger's Facebook as the place where she had just signed a bunch of books.

Here's a comparison of the 2013 Exile cover to the signed copy that I purchased last year.  The book purchased last year was printed in 2022.

The newer copy is brighter with more detail visible.  The older copy has a cleaner look, since it's missing the NYT blurb and Messenger's name is smaller.  I prefer the covers that don't have the NYT blurb, but I like the additional detail seen in the newer cover.

Dana Girls #4 A Three-Cornered Mystery Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Dana Girls books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1934 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Nancy Drew Diaries #25 What Disappears in Vegas...

In Nancy Drew Diaries #25, What Disappears in Vegas..., Bess and George's cousin Veronica is getting married to extreme sports enthusiast Xavier Redd, and as a close friend of the family, Nancy has been invited to the wedding.  Given the groom's big personality and love for the extreme, the wedding will take place in Vegas, and the couple plan to take advantage of local sporting opportunities in the week leading up to the big event.

Not everyone in the family approves of Veronica's fiancé, though, especially because of the risk-taking behavior Xavier has introduced her to.  And when one of the couple's sporting stunts almost ends in a serious accident, it's not clear whether it’s an unfortunate coincidence or whether someone really wants to stop the wedding from happening.

Still, the day of the wedding arrives.  But when it comes time to exchange vows, the bride is nowhere to be seen.  Is this just a case of cold feet?  Or has one of the wedding guests created a cold-hearted plot?  One thing’s for sure—Nancy won't rest until she finds out.

The above summary was provided by the publisher.  I find it curious that the publisher's summary makes the plot sound like sabotage.  We joked about it last year when the summary was first released.

On June 14, 2023, I wrote this:

Nancy Drew Diaries #25, What Disappears in Vegas..., will be published early next year.  The synopsis begins, "Bess and George's cousin Veronica is getting married..."  STOP!  Allow me to guess.  The wedding isn't going as planned.  Could it be sabotage?  Surely not, right?  But if it is, Nancy will find out! 

Just about every Nancy Drew Diaries book is sabotage, so having the summary indicate that this story is sabotage is kind of funny, since it continues the trend.  The odd thing is... this book is not sabotage.  Why make it sound like sabotage?

Before I decided to use the publisher's summary, I wrote my own brief summary.  Here is mine:

Nancy and her friends travel to Las Vegas for the wedding of Veronica and Xavier.  Veronica is Bess and George's cousin, and Bess will be one of the bridesmaids.  Xavier owns Redd Zone, an extreme-sports complex in Chicago.  All of the wedding events include extreme sports like BASE jumping, and Xavier films everything for social media.  After an accident during one of the sports stunts, Veronica mysteriously disappears.  Nancy and her friends search for clues.

This book has way too much exposition.  The plot is mostly exposition up until page 70 when the suspense and mystery finally begins.  The disappearance does not occur until page 99.  I read these books to see what they are doing with Nancy Drew, and I will read the book regardless of whether it is good or bad.  In this case, I was mostly bored with the story until page 65.  When I reached page 65, I made this note to myself:  "finally, some tension on page 65."

I was still a little bored with the story between pages 70 and 99.  From page 99 on, I was interested and engaged.  The story is 255 pages long.  This means that I was nearly 40% through the book before I was interested in the plot.  The reason Nancy Drew has been successful for over 90 years is because the plots have always started off fast.  The readers get hooked by an interesting plot within the first chapter, often on the very first page.  Instead, this book starts very slow and plods along until the mystery begins.

The book also has too many characters.  I had trouble keeping track of them.  It's not necessary to give the reader the names of everyone who comes in contact with Nancy.  For instance, we don't need to know that the cab driver is named Mario.

I'm a little bewildered that Bess is described on page 1 as liking to "drive fast, take risks, and ride every roller coaster in a hundred-mile radius."  On page 7, Nancy thinks to herself, "Sometimes it's hard, loving a daredevil."

I correctly deduced the culprit early in the story, long before the story becomes interesting.  It's fairly easy to figure most of these books out.  

These books tend to describe technology in an awkward fashion.  From page 140:

I scrolled down through the list of messages, looking for the little paper clip icon that denotes an attachment.

I feel like the text should simply have stated, "I scrolled down through the list of messages looking for an attachment."  I felt like I was reading a book from more than 25 years ago.  Books from back then always had awkward explanations of technology. 

A passage on page 157 gave me pause.

George looked at the assembled crowd.  "I wouldn't say Macy's," she said.  "I'd say more... JCPenney?  Sears?"

That was where I stopped.  My reaction was, "That's odd to mention Sears..."  I then saw the next line.

Bess frowned at her.  "Sears doesn't exist anymore, George," she said.  "Anyway, what are you getting at?"

"I'm trying to think of places my grandma shops," George replied.

Ah, I see.  When my local Sears store closed in 2017, I went by one time to see if there were any good deals (there weren't).  All of the customers were using walkers or wheelchairs or were walking very slowly.  Most were extremely elderly.  It was a sad and depressing experience.  

I rate this book as overall good.  It is kind of boring, during the first part of the book, and then very good later in the story.

eBay's International Shipping Program

eBay's international shipping program makes international shipping much easier for sellers, who don't have to figure the shipping costs.  eBay also assumes all the liability, so this increases the likelihood that an eBay seller will be willing to ship internationally.  It can also save the buyer some money.  This is a win-win situation.  

Currently, eBay's program does not offer combined shipping.  If you are an international buyer and want to purchase multiple items from a seller, ask the seller to put them in one listing.  For instance, I had a buyer from the UK wish to purchase two Sweet Valley High books.  eBay was going to force the buyer to pay twice for shipping.  I created a listing with both books included, and this cut the buyer's shipping charge in half.  I didn't have to do anything special except place the two books in the one listing.

Every so often, an international buyer feels that eBay's shipping charge is too high and wants to negotiate with me.  Each time I receive an request like this, I play along but know immediately how the situation will unfold from start to finish.  Spoiler:  The buyer ultimately will decline to make the purchase because the shipping is too high.

I recently had an inquiry about this bulk lot of blue tweed Nancy Drew books that are in rough shape.

The bulk lot was priced at $59.99 with free shipping to United States addresses.  When I price these bulk lots, I am always giving the books away at cost or at a slight loss.  My expenses include the cost of the books, the shipping cost, the packaging cost, and eBay's fees.  All that combined meant that I was taking around a $5.00 loss on this lot at my price of $59.99.  I have no room for negotiation since I'm already taking a loss.  I seldom explain any of this to potential buyers, since it's irrelevant and doesn't impact them.

I would rather sell the books at a slight loss and send them to someone who wants them than drop them off at a thrift store.  I would get nothing if I were to do that, and I also would risk the books getting thrown away.  The books and I are both better off if I sell them at a slight loss.

An international buyer contacted me, offering me $70 including postage cost.  I didn't respond, for several reasons.  I don't accept offers, and I could not possibly accept just $70 including international postage costs.  I also didn't know what the buyer was seeing on their end, so I didn't have enough information to know what their costs were going to be.

The buyer then sent me another message, to which I replied:  "I never see what eBay charges for international postage, so I have no point of reference.  I don't know what I would need to take off of my price to get the total to be $70.00.  I suspect that the amount is higher than what I can do, but I have no way of knowing since I don't know what eBay's international postage charges are.  They hide it from us."

The buyer's response (paraphrased) observed that eBay makes money off of us sellers and that they would rather the money go directly to me.  They wanted me to avoid eBay's international shipping program so that I could figure the shipping myself and pay for the label directly.

Even if the money for shipping were paid to me instead of to eBay, I still would never see it.  I have to pay for the postage label which takes all of the funds.  Also, it should be noted that I pay fees on shipping, so I would then pay fees on the high international shipping charge.  If I charge directly for shipping instead of using eBay's international shipping program, then my eBay fees are much higher.  This isn't beneficial to me.

As I already stated, I knew that this wouldn't result in a sale.  Nevertheless, I retrieved the stack of books and weighed them.  I figured out the postage cost and added $18 to it to cover the eBay fees on the postage.  Since I was already taking a loss on the lot, I wasn't about to add $18 to my loss.  

I wrote in response:  "I doubt it will be cheaper for me to pay the postage directly.  I figured the postage, and my cost is $135.00 to mail the books.  This would make the total $194.99.  We are no longer able to use surface mail.  I have to use priority mail international."

I have no idea what eBay's international shipping was going to charge the buyer.  However, it was apparent by the buyer's reaction that what I quoted was even worse.  The buyer declined to proceed.  

So, eBay's international shipping does save the buyer money, besides being easier for the seller.  

Dana Girls #3 In the Shadow of the Tower Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Dana Girls books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1934 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

The Last to Die by Kelly Garrett

The Last to Die by Kelly Garrett was published by Sourcebooks Fire on November 5, 2019.

Publisher's summary:

What started as a game turns into something much darker in this fast-paced YA thriller with a plot to die for, perfect for fans of Natasha Preston and Hannah Jayne.

Harper Jacobs and her friends are just looking for some fun when they decide to start breaking into one another's houses.  It's enough to give them a rush, and it's pretty harmless since they all promise not to take anything that can't be replaced.  But when they target the home of a classmate, it crosses a line, and one of the group turns up dead.

Harper needs to figure out what's happening fast…or else she might be next.

I found the early part of the book to be extremely interesting.  After Harper's friend dies, the plot seems to stall.  The story is not very interesting for a large chunk of the book.  Towards the climax, the story becomes interesting again, but not nearly as much as the beginning of the story.  This book is just okay.

Dana Girls #2 The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Dana Girls books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1934 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Don't Let In the Cold by Keely Parrack

Don't Let In the Cold by Keely Parrack was published on September 6, 2022 by Sourcebooks Fire.

Publisher's summary:

A claustrophobic, high-stakes thriller that will have you fearing what waits out in the cold.

It was supposed to be just one night in the cabin: one night for Lottie and her brand new stepsister, Jade, to try to get along. When a solar flare causes a massive blackout—no power or cell signal—Lottie knows they've got a long night ahead of them.

Then, in the dark, someone else shows up at the cabin—a stranger named Alex, claiming to be lost and needing shelter from the coming snowstorm.  But later that night, Lottie spies him in the driveway talking to two mysterious men in a pickup truck, and she's sure he's lying about why he's here.

Before Lottie can find out more, a fire forces her, Jade, and Alex out into the blizzard, where they must rely on one another to get to safety—wherever that is.  In the remote, freezing Tahoe wilderness, they have to survive more than just the elements.  Soon it becomes clear that Alex's accomplices are hunting for all three of them, in a scheme that's gone too far and taken a chilling, deadly turn.

Lottie, Jade, and Alex end up on the run in a blizzard near Lake Tahoe.  Two men are out to get them for some reason, and they must survive the cold while staying away from their enemies.  

The book is harrowing and suspenseful, but it's also a story of personal growth.  Lottie and Jade intensely dislike each other since they don't want to be stepsisters.  Lottie also despises Alex, since she has good reason not to trust him.  These three young people are forced into the wilderness in a blizzard and must work together.  The best part of the story is seeing how the three teens gradually come together through adversity and learn to respect and even care about each other.  It's beautiful.

This is an excellent book.

Dana Girls #1 By the Light of the Study Lamp Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Dana Girls books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1934 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Swarm by Jennifer D. Lyle

Swarm by Jennifer D. Lyle was published on November 7, 2023, by Sourcebooks Fire.

Publisher's summary:

On a sunny September morning, the creatures first appear.  Shur sees one of them hovering outside the window in history class: it looks like a giant butterfly, at first too beautiful and strange to seem like a threat.  But when emergency alerts light up everyone's phones around her, she realizes something very, very wrong is happening outside.  These… things are everywhere.

By the time Shur makes it back to her house with her brother, Keene, and their two best friends, it's clear they must face whatever comes next on their own.  A terrifying species the world's never seen before has suddenly emerged, and few living things are safe.  As the creatures swarm and attack outside, life for Shur and her friends becomes a survival game.  They board the windows, stockpile supplies, and try to make sense of the news reports for as long as the power stays on.

Yet nothing can prepare them for what follows.  The butterflies are only the beginning.  The next onslaught will be deadlier, and even closer to home.

This story is quite reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic.  After the huge butterflies appear and begin attacking, Shur and Keene pick up their brother, Little, from daycare.  Their friends Nathan and Jenny are also with them.  The group of four teenagers and four-year-old Little escape to Shur, Keene, and Little's home.  They end up trapped in their home for the entire story.  The story clearly mimics the lockdown phase of the pandemic.

There are also some references to how people react to the swarm, and the reactions also mimic how people reacted to the pandemic.  

This is an excellent story, and I highly recommend it.

Keeper of the Lost Cities: The Chronological Order of the Forgotten Secrets

Here are my previous posts on the Forgotten Secrets.    

The Forgotten Secrets
More on the Forgotten Secrets

This post contains MAJOR SERIES SPOILERS.  Stop reading NOW if you have not already read all of the books including #8.5 and #9.

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I started thinking about the chronological order of the Forgotten Secrets after reading a post on Reddit that pointed out an inconsistency.  Sophie, Dex, and Oralie view the Forgotten Secrets in random order based on which color crystal they select. 

We know for certain that the secret with Bronte, Kenric, and the dead gnome comes first chronologically.  This is because Kenric's hair is in a ponytail, and the event occurs before Oralie becomes a Councillor.

If we go by what is stated in Stellarlune, then Kenric and Prentice in Kenric's library comes last chronologically.

Kenric and Prentice in Kenric's library

Stellarlune, Page 251:   He just held up the cache and studied the glints of color.  There were only six secrets at that point.  The blue crystal was missing—which made sense, since it was the memory they were currently watching.

This is impossible, however, since the memory cannot be the final one saved.  Kenric mentions Prentice's exile in one of the other secrets.  Prentice was exiled after Kenric recruited him as Keeper.

Kenric and Oralie questioning Fintan about stellarlune/Kenric reveals to Oralie that he knows about Project Moonlark

Unlocked, Page 531:   "I saw how upset you were when Prentice was exiled.  And I saw the look on your face when Alden brought us that strand of DNA."

The secret presented in Unlocked must come after the secret from Kenric's library, even though the secret from Kenric's library was supposedly saved last.  This does appear to be a plot inconsistency.  However, Kenric is a tricky fellow.  Perhaps Kenric figured out a way to remove secrets that he had already placed in his cache.  This would allow for more secrets to be saved after the one with Prentice in the library, resulting in the seven secrets.

Here I give what I think is the true chronological order of the Forgotten Secrets.  I have included a few new observations I made on this rereading of the Forgotten Secrets.  I also have included the colors of the crystals, since the colors used must have meaning.

1st:  Bronte and Kenric dealing with a dead gnome (green crystal)

This one must come first because Kenric's hair is long and in a ponytail.  He cut it short after Oralie became a Councillor and made fun of it.

2nd:  Kenric and Oralie arguing in Kenric's readying room (red crystal)

This secret is from Oralie's first-year-as-Councillor celebration.  Kenric's hair is short in this secret.  Kenric and Oralie don't get along at all.

3rd:  Kenric requesting a matchmaker give him the hypothetical match lists for himself and Oralie (pink crystal)

Kenric is now in love with Oralie.  In this memory, he makes sure that number one matches will provide the DNA for Project Moonlark. 

4th:  Kenric and Prentice in Kenric's library (blue crystal)

Kenric ostensibly asks Prentice to be his personal Keeper, although he is actually recruiting Prentice to be the Keeper of the Black Swan.  This could have occurred before Project Moonlark was initiated, but I'm going on the assumption that Kenric recruits Prentice after he sets Project Moonlark into motion.

5th:  Kenric and Oralie questioning Fintan about stellarlune/Kenric reveals to Oralie that he knows about Project Moonlark (orange crystal)

This memory is from after Sophie's birth, since the Moonlark is mentioned.  Prentice's exile is mentioned, so this memory is after Kenric recruits Prentice.

Orange as the crystal color must refer to the orange glow of the Noxflares.

On this reading of the scene with Fintan, the following passage stands out.

Stellarlune, Page 239:  "Have you ever heard of Stellarlune?"  "Stellarlune?" Fintan repeated, dragging out the syllables.  "Can't say that I have."

Later in the book, Mr. Forkle makes this remark.

Stellarlune, Page 291:  "Stellarlune," Mr. Forkle repeated, dragging out each syllable.  "You'll have to forgive me—sometimes the abundance of strange terms gets the better of me.  Stellarlune is one of Lady Gisela's projects, isn't it?"

I wrote in my previous post, "Mr. Forkle is definitely playing dumb by dragging out the syllables in 'stellarlune.'  He's heard of it."  Fintan is playing dumb as well.  Ah, these former Councillors and their games...   

6th:  Oralie and Kenric in Elysian (yellow crystal)

I believe that Kenric gained some information about Elysian from Fintan's memory when he and and Oralie questioned Fintan.  If so, then this memory comes after the one with Fintan.

7th:  the map of Elysian (purple crystal)

I assume that Kenric created a map of Elysian after he and Oralie visited Elysian.

Judy Bolton #10 Riddle of the Double Ring Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Judy Bolton books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1937 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used in 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used in 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used in 1937:

What Happened on Hicks Road by Hannah Jayne

What Happened on Hicks Road by Hannah Jayne is a YA thriller published by Sourcebooks Fire on August 29, 2023.

Publisher's summary:

Those eyes.  Wide.  Ice blue.  A swath of blond hair illuminated in headlights.  Then, blackness.

Thump!

"We hit something."

Lennox Oliver is loving her new life in California.  For the first time, she feels normal.  She has friends, and a maybe boyfriend and best of all no one knows the truth about her past and what happened to her mom.

But everything changes the night after a party when a drive on the supposedly haunted Hicks Road turns deadly and Lennox hits something…or someone.

Her friends say it was nothing, at worst, a deer in the road.  But Lennox can't shake the vision of the girl in the headlights: bloody hair, wide, terrified eyes, lips parted in a scream.  When she goes out to investigate, there's a slight dent in the car, but that's it: no body, no blood.

Lennox wants to go to the police—but how can she?  She shouldn't have been driving, and as her friends remind her, there's no evidence that she actually hit anything.  All Lennox wants to do is go back to her boring, normal life.  But when a note saying FIND ME is slipped through her window, she fears that there was a girl she hit on Hicks Road that night …or she's slipping deeper into the illness that took her mother.

Lennox is an unreliable narrator, which is a bit annoying, simply because I wasn't sure which direction the plot would take.  

The reader knows that one of two things must be true: Lennox hit a girl on Hicks Road, or she imagined it.  So, which is it?

Years before, Lennox's mother was committed to a mental institution due to acute schizophrenia.  Lennox worries that she is developing the disease.  The reader has no way of knowing whether Lennox is mentally ill or whether something else is going on.

I had a suspicion that grew as I read through the story.  Once I was in the second half of the book, I felt like I was probably right.  I still had doubts, however.  I won't say anything else.

The book ends very abruptly right after the reveal of the true situation.  Some readers have complained about the abrupt ending.  When I was in the process of purchasing the book, I read one review that mentioned the abrupt ending.  The review started to mention why it was okay, and I quit reading since I didn't want to know anything.

For this reason, I knew as I read the book that it would end very quickly after the plot resolution, so I was prepared for a fast ending.  I wasn't surprised or disappointed in that.

After I finished, I realized that the abrupt ending was like what Christopher Pike does in many of his teen books.  Pike's books tend to end very quickly after the plot resolution, so What Happened on Hicks Road is the same style of book.  While Hicks Road isn't a Pike book, it does have some similarity to Pike in several ways.  I was okay with the ending.

The book is a bit tedious at times, simply because Lennox is such an unreliable narrator.  As my suspicion about the true situation developed, I found Lennox's narration to be far less annoying.  I was pretty sure that I knew where the plot was going, and I began to spot the clues that had been there all along.  The book also has some intriguing misdirection.

In my opinion, the early part of the book is good, and the second half is very good.

Judy Bolton #9 The Mysterious Half Cat Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Judy Bolton books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1936 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1936 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1936 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1936 to 1937:

The Plague Land Trilogy by Alex Scarrow

The Plague Land Trilogy by Alex Scarrow is a science fiction horror series published by Sourcebooks Fire, 2017-2019.

Publisher's summary:

A thrilling tale about one family's survival against a devastating virus that sweeps across the world and leaves the survivors touched by fire.

Leon and his younger sister, Grace, have recently moved to London from New York and are struggling to settle into their new school when rumors of an unidentified plague in Africa begin to fill the news. Within a week, the virus hits London. The siblings witness people turning to liquid before their eyes, and they run for their lives.

A month after touching Earth's atmosphere, the plague has wiped out most of the population.  Desperate to stay alive, Leon and Grace are reluctantly taken in by a tight-knit group of survivors. But as they struggle to win their trust, the siblings realize that the virus isn't their only enemy, and survival is just the first step…

Perfect for those looking for:

• Pandemic Fiction
• A thrilling plague book series
• Post-apocalyptic fiction
• Stories of survival in the wake of the apocalypse
• Books for teen boys

This series consists of three books:

1.  Plague Land, 2017
2.  Plague Land: Reborn, 2018
3.  Plague Land: No Escape, 2019

While the series is marketed as post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, it is actually science fiction horror.  That's an important distinction, because it lets readers know that this series will not conclude like typical post-apocalyptic fiction.  Readers should know for sure where the plot is heading by the beginning of the second book.  

While I enjoyed reading all three books, the plot is grim, much more so than the typical dystopian fiction.  Seriously.  These books are not for the faint-hearted and might be a bit disturbing even for many people who enjoy dystopian fiction.

Since the books are young adult, the grimness of the plot is bearable.  If these books were adult novels with the kind of graphic descriptions found in adult novels, I would not have been able to read them.  Since the graphic scenes are described minimally, I was okay with it.  A vague description of a character's horrific death is sufficient.  I prefer to avoid the gore.

Overall, this series is excellent, but it is tough to read due to the grim content.

Judy Bolton #8 The Voice in the Suitcase Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Judy Bolton books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1935 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1935 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1935 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1935 to 1937:

Plain paper frontispiece illustration used from 1943 to 1967:

Sale + Books Listed + Some Thoughts

I listed quite a few books on Etsy.  The books listed include the following:

tweed Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew original text picture cover
tweed Judy Bolton
tweed Dana Girls
Dana Girls picture cover
hardcover Nancy Drew Digest
Three Investigators
Rick Brant
Vicki Barr
Trixie Belden

Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy

My Etsy inventory is 10% off this week.  I have excluded the tweed Nancy Drew books, since they are consistently selling and often quickly.  My stock continues to diminish steadily, so discounting them would be illogical.  The point of running a sale is to move books that aren't selling. 

My eBay books are also 10% off this week.  

Jennifer's Series Books on eBay

On eBay, I ended around 50 listings and moved them into bulk lots.  I'd like to get my eBay inventory down to no more than 300 items.  This is a long-term goal, since it's not happening anytime soon.  Sales are rather poor, and books are moving very slowly.  Bulk lots that I created months ago still aren't moving, so even cheap books in bulk are a hard sell.

I've listed just a few books on eBay so far, mainly Kay Tracey and some new bulk lots.  I also lowered some prices.

I find that Nancy Drew books are now very hard for me to sell on eBay.  While I did have 15 orders in the last 90 days that included Nancy Drew books, most of them were from repeat buyers.  The repeat buyers are people who follow me.  Outside of those buyers, my Nancy Drew books barely sell on eBay.

I am toying with the idea of removing most of my Nancy Drew books from eBay and placing them on Etsy.  I think they'd do better.

Books from series that are more scarce do better on eBay.  Those sales are slow as well but not as bad as Nancy Drew sales.

eBay now has an offsite ad program where sellers can pay to be included.  The offsite ad program has a prohibitive daily minimum fee of $5.  That would be $150 per every 30 days, which is a scary high fee. I would never do it.

I am required to pay for offsite ads on Etsy.  I only pay the extra offsite ad fee on listings that are sold via offsite ads.  In the last month, I was assessed $16.33 in offsite ad fees on Etsy.  That's doable.

Aside from eBay's extreme offsite ad fees, I am suspicious as to whether paying those fees would gain me anything.  eBay has given me a $100 credit, but I don't plan to use it.  A number of sellers who have used the credit reported that it did little and that they cancelled the offsite ads once their credit ran out.  The free trial doesn't seem worth it.

Month/Year Code in Modern Simon & Schuster Books

Many of us purchase the modern Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books as they are released.  If you're like me, once you have each new book, you verify the first printing number line on the copyright page and then never look closely at the rest of the copyright page.  The modern copyright pages are quite crowded with information.

The Simon & Schuster books of yore (pre-2009) had much less information on the copyright pages.  I've often looked at those copyright pages, but I guess the information overload of the modern ones has caused me never to look at them closely, at least not until this weekend.

I've mentioned my obsession with the Keeper of the Lost Cities (KotLC) series, which is also published by Simon & Schuster under the Aladdin imprint.  I'm now searching for first printings.  I will get more into that in an upcoming post.  Here, I stick to what's relevant to the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books.

I have managed to acquire the second printing of the first KotLC book.  As I examined the number line, 2468109753, I saw what was printed on the line immediately above. 

Please click on all images in order to see them clearly.

I circled two areas of the page.  The book was published in October 2012 (see top circled area).  Look at the line immediately above the second printing number line (see bottom circled area).  That line ends with "0912 FFG."  I haven't worked out what "FFG" means, but I believe that "0912" indicates that this specific book was printed in September 2012.  That would indicate that the first two printings of KotLC #1 were run before the book was ever published.

You might think that "0912" is a suggested age range, like 9-12, but it definitely can't be that based on what I've seen in other books.  Let's look at some of those other books.

Here's the copyright page from one of the Keeper books I purchased last year.

This book has "0622 FFG" above the number line.  "0622" cannot be the recommended age range, since age 6-22 makes no sense for a children's book.  It must mean that the book was printed in June 2022.

I then started checking Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books.  I found that the first printing of Nancy Drew Girl Detective #39 has the expanded copyright page.  I have a later printing of #38 that also has the expanded copyright page, but I'm not sure if the first printing of #38 did.  All I know is that the expanded copyright page came into use sometime in late 2009 at the time of publication of either NDGD #38 or #39.

Here is the copyright page of the first printing of NDGD #39.  

It has "1009 OFF" above the first printing number line.  The book was published in December 2009, so it looks like the first print run was in October 2009.

Here is the copyright page of the first printing hardcover of Nancy Drew Diaries #24 What Disappears in Vegas..., which was published in January 2024.

"1223 BVG" is on the line above the number code.  The book must have been printed in December 2023.

This might be old news to many of you, but I found it enlightening.  This will help me in figuring out the age of modern Simon & Schuster books that are not first printings.

Spring Break Sale at Jennifer's Series Books

All of my books are 10% off this week.

Jennifer's Series Books on eBay

Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy

Sales have remained very slow, and I hope to get some books to move this week.  I also hope to motivate myself into listing books on both sites.  I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by my unlisted extras.  Here are photos of my unlisted extras.  Some books are organized, but you'll notice that many are random.

Always click on images in order to see them at a higher resolution.

Whenever I post pictures like this, some people will try to shop from the photos.  I am not offering books through private transactions.  As it is, I'm feeling stressed about listing the books.  Just the idea of answering any possible private inquiries is causing me even more mental stress.  I won't do it, and I won't get into the reasons why.  Hopefully, I will be able to get started listing some of these books.