The Adventurous Allens

I became interested in the Adventurous Allens series when I came into possession of the original artwork for one of the books. The Adventurous Allens series is a five volume series written by Harriet Pyne Grove. The author's name sounds like a bad pseudonym, but Harriet Pyne Grove was apparently a real person, and that was her real name.

1. The Adventurous Allens, 1932
2. The Adventurous Allens Find Mystery, 1932
3. The Adventurous Allens Afloat, 1932
4. The Adventurous Allens Marooned, 1932
5. The Adventurous Allens' Treasure Hunt, 1933

Like the other lesser-known A. L. Burt books, the Adventurous Allens books are extremely scarce and hard to find. It is difficult just to find the books, let alone the dust jackets. For comparison, these books are harder to find and scarcer than the first five Girl Scouts books by Virginia Fairfax. These books are probably equally scarce as the sixth volume in the Fairfax series.

I have been in-between series for a few weeks now and have been at a loss for what to read. I did not think I had any complete sets of unread books, until I realized that I had all five Adventurous Allens books.

I had not read any of them yet since Harriet Pyne Grove's writing style is a bit odd and kind of like that of Lilian Garis. I read some of the first Adventurous Allens book awhile back, but I had trouble getting into it because Grove's expository information is poorly written, making it difficult to understand. The most important part of a book is the beginning in which the author gains the reader's attention. Bungle that part, and the book will never be read.

This is how the book begins:

That first great adventure of the Adventurous Allens, the odd undertaking that led to all the rest of the adventures sought, enjoyed, endured, or met by them, was, from an adult standpoint, adventurous indeed. But it happened because at the time nothing else offered which seemed either profitable or endurable. It was a happy, if temporary solution of present evils; in other words it appealed to them as a great lark, in which they might forget sore hearts and all that had meant to them the security of home, the friendships and fun of school like, and their future dim, but expected opportunities.

That paragraph would scare off most readers. That would be why I had not read these books yet. Since I am somewhat desperate to have a set of books to read, I am ready and willing to deal with it right now.

The Adventurous Allens series tells the story of the four Allens: Philip, Nancy, Jimmy, and Marjorie. Philip is 19 and in his third year of college. Nancy is 18, and Jimmy is 15. Marjorie is around 12. Their parents died six years before the beginning of the story. Their Uncle John became their guardian and cared for them for the last six years. Uncle John recently died in a car accident, leaving the young people orphaned.

An employee of Uncle John's company stole a large sum of money, and much of the Allens' inheritance has to be used to pay off the debts. Actually, the Allens choose to use their inheritance because they want to do the right thing in their uncle's name, which just shows what upstanding young people they are. How can the reader not like them? They set a good example.

Since the Allens use much of their inheritance to pay off someone else's debt, they find themselves in need. They arrange for the sale of their uncle's property and decide to set off on an extended camping trip in two old delivery vans found on their uncle's property. The Allens explore the West and visit several national parks, including Yellowstone. They have a few harrowing adventures along the way.

I have too many thoughts for one post, so I will continue with my thoughts on Grove's writing style and the quality of the text in my next post.

Nancy Drew #56 2nd Printing 1980A-2

I have a 1980A-2 printing of Thirteenth Pearl according to Farah's 12th edition. There is not anything odd about the book itself, and it is just like the many other 2nd printings that have passed through my hands. It lists to #56 on the back cover and on the order form. It has Triple Hoax in italics on page 178.

I was writing the description of the book to sell it and was noting in the description that the book has a date written inside. I then realized that the date of "Christmas 1979" is rather odd for a book that was supposed to be printed in 1980 as Farah's Guide states.

I knew what this meant, but before acting upon it, I examined the book closely. I looked at my old "now sold" listings for the 2nd printing. I discovered little differences about Thirteenth Pearl that have no bearing on this topic, such as the fact that the first two printings have "TM" after Nancy Drew on the back cover. That "TM" has to be a reaction to the rights to the series transferring to Simon and Schuster. That was interesting although of no relevance to my issue.

The 1979 date is strong circumstantial evidence that the second printing was in 1979 rather than in 1980. It does not prove that the book was printed in 1979 since we do not know for a fact that the date was actually written inside the book in December 1979. However, dates are normally written inside books when the books are first purchased.

I contacted David Farah with this information. Farah told me that the dates used in his guide are the earliest ones that he has been able to prove. In past guides, he has changed printings to earlier years based on inscribed dates such as the one I found. Farah has made note of this inscription and plans to move the second printing earlier in the next guide.

I am glad I actually had the presence of mind to notice the date and the significance of it.

A Postage Due Package with a Twist

I was not going to write about this particular situation until I received an unexpected message from the seller.

A few weeks ago, I had to go to the post office to pick up a postage due package. Fortunately, I had to wait in line to send an international package via first class mail, so I was not inconvenienced by having to pick up the package. The postage due was $5.18. The seller had used a priority mail flat rate box, wrapped it in brown paper, and sent it via media mail.

Upon opening the package, I discovered that the box was a used box. USPS sees any use of priority mail materials for other classes of mail as a violation, but in this case, the box had already been used for its original intended purpose. The seller was simply recycling the box and had not defrauded the post office.

Since my bid for the books was at least $5.18 above my winning bid, I decided that I was not out any more than I was willing to pay for the books in the first place. Furthermore, the box was used, so why bother the seller about the situation? For those who think it odd that I would not take it up with the seller, I have had some sellers respond in a very negative, irrational fashion. Recently, I decided only to contact sellers when I feel the extra postage amount made my purchase too expensive. I don't enjoy being attacked when I have done nothing wrong.

Fast forward one week, and I received a message from the seller. He asked me if I had received all of my books. I had purchased several lots of books from him. He stated that he had received a "strange letter" from my post office about how media mail is only to be used for books. Since he did not know what the letter meant, he was concerned about whether I had received the books.

Of course I knew why he had received the letter. This is the response I sent.

I have received the books. I have not opened the box of ----- books since they arrived today, and I just got home.

This is interesting that they sent you a letter, and I know why. The first package you sent me (-----) was a flat rate priority box that was wrapped in brown paper. My post office pulled off some of the brown paper and sent the package on to me postage due because of the priority box. I had to pick up the package at the post office and had to pay $5.18 postage. It had messages stamped on it saying that priority mail supplies are only to be used for priority mail, etc.

My post office is overly vigilant about inspecting incoming media mail packages for violations, so I have to pay postage due on packages fairly frequently. I usually tell the sellers and ask to be reimbursed because most of them are using new priority supplies. I noticed that the box you used appeared to be a used box, and I don't see a problem with that. Additionally, I was willing to pay a little more than the opening bid for the ----- books anyway and would have paid more if someone else had bid, so I decided not to tell you about it. I guess I should have since my post office decided to tell you, especially since it sounds like the letter didn't explain the true situation.

The post office sees it as a violation for even used priority boxes to be reused for other classes. I don't agree with the policy on used boxes, but that is how it is. I just accept it.

I will be leaving you positive feedback and fives on the DSR ratings, so you have no need to worry about anything. I always run behind on feedback, which is why I haven't left it yet.

The seller thanked me for the information since he did not realize that he was in violation of the rules. He reimbursed me for the $5.18. He thanked me for being understanding about his mistake and told me that he was refunding me because he would not have felt right if he hadn't. Isn't that a great seller?

I am a bit annoyed with the inefficiency of my post office for sending the seller a form letter that did not explain the true situation. They should have two form letters: one for media mail packages that do not contain books and the other for media mail packages mailed with priority supplies. Of course the seller was confused since he knew he mailed me only books. How was he to know what the problem actually was? How helpful is it to send a seller a message informing him of his policy violation yet not telling the actual violation? It sounds like something eBay would do to one of its sellers.

Nancy Drew DJ and Dana Girls PC Prices

In the current market, Nancy Drew books with dust jackets seem to be mostly unwanted, while Dana Girls books in the beige spine picture covers are greatly in demand.

For the most part, I can no longer sell Nancy Drew books with dust jackets. People do not seem to want them. One could conclude that the people who want the dust jackets are not shopping on Bonanzle, but I lowered my prices when I relisted some on eBay. Those books did not sell, and some of them were below cost.

The books and dust jackets were not in perfect shape, but several years ago, I could have priced those same books at $15 to $20 and sold them easily. I had tweed copies of #1, 12, 14, 20, 21, and 29 with dust jackets and priced each at $6.99 each. None of them sold. A few years ago, people buying to resell would have purchased them for around $10 each and then marked the prices up. Times have changed.

I do not want to reset the listings for Bonanzle, so I may place those particular books in one lot and see if I can get a taker. I also wonder whether I should place many of my dust-jacketed books in lots to move them out, since I now have way too many. I hate doing that, since I do not feel that the books are worthless. Some people are still buying the dust-jacketed books at higher prices, so I do not wish to give away what I have. I just wish I could sell at least some of the dust-jacketed books to cut down on my extras. ............................................

Nancy Drew in the original text picture cover editions sell for around $5-$10 each unless the picture cover is a special or first printing. In those cases, the picture covers can sell for $15 and higher, although I have noticed that many people seem to prefer the cheaper copies rather than the first PCs.

I used to think that the Dana Girls beige spine picture covers have approximately the same value, with the exception of the high-numbered ones. I have concluded based on my sales on Bonanzle that the Dana Girls beige spine picture covers tend to be worth more than the original text Nancy Drew picture covers.

It is worth viewing the completed listings for Dana Girls books on Bonanzle, sorted by highest price first. While #27-30 are the hardest to find volumes, they are the hardest to sell when the prices are marked accordingly. I suspect that many buyers are content with the much cheaper white spine counterparts of those volumes, which keeps the demand down somewhat.

I have noticed that the prices of #1-26 in the beige spine picture covers are often priced low by many sellers. I began by pricing them low and sold them extremely fast. As I found more, I gradually marked the prices up since I concluded that the books had to be worth more than I thought. The books continued to sell fast even as my prices gradually increased.

The following comments do not apply to books with heavy wear or books that have noticeable flaws like a tape scar on the cover or a split binding. Books with those flaws are always worth less.

I have this lingering idea that the low-numbered volumes should be worth a little less than the mid-range volumes, but I may be wrong. I first priced these books at around $5, but I have now raised my prices to around $10. If the book meets the points for the first PC printing (#23 on back cover, ND to #39 and DG to #23 on inside), then I price it slightly higher, unless the condition is rough.

#7 to maybe around #11 are probably worth around $15 each. #12 to around #21 are definitely worth at least $20 each. Some of #12 to #21 may be worth more than $20 each. Some volumes are much harder to find than others, and #12 seems to be one of them. #23 to #27 are worth $20-$25 each. #28 and #29 are worth $40 to $70, roughly. #30 is worth around $100, and possibly a little more.

Collectors have known for years that the higher-numbered volumes are scarcer, but it is apparent that many people have trouble finding the middle volumes. The values mentioned here are based on what I have successfully sold so far, and some of the middle volumes may be worth more than what I have quoted. ............................................

I have observed that eBay auctions no longer yield actual values for the majority of books sold. Often, the Dana Girls picture cover editions sell on eBay for under $10 in the auctions, and that is why many people price them so low in their listings. The sellers who successfully get the higher prices have used the fixed-price listings in which buyers have more time to notice the books.

The completed listings search on eBay is mostly useless now, and I encourage sellers of series books to utilize other methods in order to fairly price their books. For series books, Bonanzle's completed items search will help greatly since it has many months of completed listings.

Sellers always need to watch pricing trends. Some books that were once high in demand are not currently of interest, and many once-coveted books are no longer worth very much at all. Sellers must be willing to adjust their prices up and down based on the current trends, even when the trends are down.

Courageous Wings by Mildred A. Wirt

Courageous Wings was written by Mildred A. Wirt and published by Penn in 1937.  It was later reprinted by Books, Inc.  The Books, Inc. edition is not too difficult to find and can be found fairly inexpensively.   Books, Inc. published the book in a hardcover edition with dust jacket and a glossy picture cover edition.

The story begins from the perspectives of Jim Sherman, a young pilot, and Shorty Dawes, his mechanic. The two men are approached by another man, Marcus Reman, who asks the men to fly him to Martin Bowman's estate at Pinetop. The weather conditions are poor, and the men refuse, despite Reman's offer of five hundred dollars. Consider how much money $500 was in 1937. Reman must be up to something!

Reman obtains the services of another pilot. In the meantime, a young woman, Cleo Bowman, approaches Sherman and Dawes and wonders whether there is a way that she can get to Pinetop that night. She refuses to state why, but explains that her father has a great deal to lose if she fails to make the trip.

Jim Sherman offers to take Cleo to Pinetop (for free, of course), even though he just refused to fly due to the weather. After a very harrowing flight in which the plane nearly crashes, the young people arrive at Pinetop. They find Reman and his pilot already there. Reman produces a letter written by Mr. Bowman that summoned Reman to Pinetop immediately. Cleo notes that the signature does not look like her father's, but Reman insists that the signature is genuine.

Cleo confesses in private to Jim and Shorty that her father's company is in danger of failing due to much bad luck in recent months. An incident occurs which makes it apparent that Reman is up to no good. Around this time, the perspective switches to Cleo, and the rest of the story is told from Cleo's point of view. The remainder of the book centers around Cleo's attempts to help Mr. Bowman get out of financial debt. Jim and Shorty lend their assistance.

It is a bit odd that the story begins from the young men's point of view and later switches to Cleo. At the beginning, I thought that Jim Sherman was the main character and did not realize until a few chapters later that it was Cleo Bowman.

This is a typical good story by Mildred Wirt Benson and is worth reading.

An Unexpected Book Find

A new Half Price Books opened a few days ago, and I checked it out today. I did not find anything there, but I was impressed with how the management makes a store that has been open only three days look just like a store that has been in business for many months. The store had the full range of books and even had books in the clearance section. The clearance section amused me since the store just opened.

I then visited a thrift store where I found another ceramic Christmas tree. Next, I checked out a used book store that I visit occasionally. Much to my surprise, I discovered that the owner was liquidating his inventory. Every book in the store was $1.00! Of course many books had already sold, but many books remained.

I felt like I was at a library book sale except that I did not have to hurry. I pulled out the books that interested me the most, and then I thought about how far I wanted to go. I probably spent around 20 minutes looking over the children's books, and this is what I bought.

I probably have some duds in the bunch, but I tried to take what I thought would be of some interest to somebody. I will be keeping a few of the books. Most of the books will be sold, and many of them will be sold in lots. It's always fun coming home with a big stack of books.

Carolina Castle by Mildred A. Wirt

Carolina Castle was written by Mildred A. Wirt and was published by the Penn Publishing Company in 1936. It is a stand-alone novel and is quite scarce.

In Carolina Castle, Joan Carling spends the summer with her school friend, Evelyn Brandleton, near Charleston, South Carolina. The girls' ages are not given, but since Evelyn's brother Benny drives, I assume that the young people are not very young. Perhaps the young people are supposed to be around 17 or 18, but somehow, they seem a little younger to me, so I place their ages at around 14 to 15.

As the story opens, Evelyn frets because her brother, Benny, has gone off in his car, forgetting that he was to take the girls to Charleston that day. The situation is made worse because of the rain, since the girls cannot go outside.

After the rain clears, Evelyn decides to take Joan to Castle Hill where the girls explore the ruins of an old plantation that was burned down during the Revolutionary War. The girls discover an old passageway hidden in the ruins. They have no candles, so they are unable to explore the ruins that day. They cover the opening and decide to tell Benny nothing about their discovery.

Of course Benny immediately suspects that the girls are hiding something from him. Unknown to them, Benny explores the ruins. Soon, the three young people exchange stories and explore the passageway together. They discover an old buried chest that contains a diary.

The diary was written by a young woman during the Revolutionary War. It tells the story of her family's harrowing experiences during that time. The young people decide to try to discover the fate of the young woman who wrote the diary.

This book is an excellent read. Unfortunately, Carolina Castle is very hard to find. It has been reprinted in recent years, but those copies seldom come up for sale and tend to be expensive.

Linda by Mildred A. Wirt

Linda was published in 1940 by Cupples and Leon. It was written by Mildred A. Wirt and is one of her most obscure books. It seldom comes up for sale with an original dust jacket. Most examples that surface are offered by collectors and have reproduction dust jackets. I recall seeing examples with original dust jackets selling for possibly $500 to $600 years ago.

I advise against reading the dust jacket's synopsis unless you are fine with the entire plot of the book being spoiled before you read it. I have found the dust jacket synopsis online in a listing for a book that is up for sale, so also be cautious about any synopsis that appears in a seller's listing. My objection is to one specific piece of information that is mentioned in the synopsis. While I still greatly enjoyed the book, I would have preferred not to have had that part of the plot spoiled before reading the book. I cannot understand why the Cupples and Leon company did this with some of its books.

I will now give a setup of the basic premise, and needless to say, I will not mention how the book ends.

Linda Calvert is a spoiled 18-year-old girl who lives with her 57-year-old father, Jim Calvert. Linda's mother has been dead for three years. Mr. Calvert runs a successful golf course that he built on an old farm. The Calverts live in the renovated farmhouse.

Mr. Calvert worries that Linda has developed bad habits, including laziness, during the last few years. He does not approve of Barney Durbin, who is Linda's favorite golfing companion. Linda does not understand why Mr. Calvert disapproves of Barney, who is lazy and self-centered.

As an aside, the caddy who figures prominently into the subplot of the book is a boy named Sammy. The caddy in the Nancy Drew book, The Haunted Bridge, is also named Sammy. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I kind of doubt it. Mildred Wirt Benson wrote both books, and why not put in a sly nod to Nancy Drew?

To go back to this book, Mr. Calvert has decided to send Linda away for the summer to Iowa to live with Aunt Rachel, Doctor Cameron, and their teenage children, Faye and Clyde. Linda temporarily postpones her banishment to Iowa when she manipulates her father into letting her stay by cleaning the house properly, staying away from Barney, and cooking dinner correctly.

Soon, Linda makes her father a promise she fails to keep, and Linda is sent to Iowa. Linda thinks that all she needs to do is impress the other young people, and they will flock after her. Linda little understands that the others see her as a hopeless snob and has no idea why they avoid her. During Linda's time in Iowa, she is put through a number of hardships that begin to shape her character.

I did not like Linda during the first few chapters, but that is to be expected since she is portrayed as shallow and selfish. As the book progresses, the reader begins to care about Linda.

This book is comparable to Mildred Wirt Benson's other standalone titles, which are all good. The difference with this book is that it is not a mystery, but that does not take away from the excellent story presented.