Hardy Boys Original Series Summary

I first read the Hardy Boys series over 20 years ago.  I had gone to a garage sale and found a set of picture cover books listing to Desert Giant on the back cover.  I read those books plus some higher-numbered books, including possibly The Secret Agent on Flight 101.

While I enjoyed many of the original text stories, I was overall not impressed with the series.  I recall that I did not like the boys' sometimes rowdy behavior.  I did not like Aunt Gertrude.  I did not like whichever higher-numbered books that I read.  I was left with the impression that I did not like the Hardy Boys series or boys' series books.

I avoided boys' books for around 18 years, aside from a few short boys' series books written by Nancy Drew authors. 

As I have already reported, I gradually acquired some sets of boys' books and read them.  I ended up becoming a fan of boys' series.  Finally, I ran out of new boys' series to try, and it was finally time to try the Hardy Boys series again.  That was my plan all along.

Long ago I sold that set of picture covers that I read years ago, but in the last five years, I gradually built up a set again so that I could try them again.  I had all original text books on hand, and I thought that my opinion might improve after having read so many boys' series in the last couple of years.

I found that I enjoyed the original text stories more than I expected, although I still struggled with quite a few of them.  At that time, I had no desire to read any revised text books.  If I had tried to read the original text followed by the revised text for each title, I would have never made it through the set.

By the time I reached #40, I decided to read up to #58.  By the time I reached #50, I decided to go back and read only the revised text books that were significantly rewritten or completely changed.

Now that I have finished reading the original 58 Hardy Boys books, I can report that my opinion of the Hardy Boys series has improved.  I do like a number of the boys' independent series better, but the Hardy Boys series is better than I once thought.

Early in my reading, I found the coincidences to be a bit bothersome.  I reflected that the independent series are better in that aspect.  Partway through my reading, I was often annoyed about how in every single book the boys and their father seemingly work on separate cases that always turn out to be the same case.  Later in my reading, I ignored that aspect since that is simply the premise of the entire series.

I do not like the treatment of the police in the early books, just like I did not like that aspect before.  The series quickly moves past that phase, so it's not important.

I now like Aunt Gertrude.  I'm not sure why she bothered me so much. I can't say that I liked her very much in her first one or two appearances in the original text, but after those early books, she didn't bother me this time.

The Hardys are not nearly as rowdy as what I recalled.  As best I can figure, I remembered the automat scene from What Happened at Midnight and the conflicts with the Bayport police from the early books so vividly that I had a bad opinion of the boys' behavior in all of the books.  The boys do not behave in that fashion to the degree that I recalled.

I made a list of how much I enjoyed the original text and revised text books.  I did this to try to understand why I feel the way I do about the original text books as compared to the later books. 

    1. The Tower Treasure - OT decent
    2. The House on the Cliff - OT very good
    3. The Secret of the Old Mill -  OT very good; RT good
    4. The Missing Chums - OT very good; RT very good
    5. Hunting for Hidden Gold - OT very good; RT good
    6. The Shore Road Mystery - OT very good; RT very good
    7. The Secret of the Caves - OT good; RT very good
    8. The Mystery of Cabin Island - OT excellent
    9. The Great Airport Mystery - OT excellent; RT good
   10. What Happened at Midnight - OT fair; RT fair
   11. While the Clock Ticked - OT bad
   12. Footprints under the Window - OT bad; RT bad
   13. The Mark on the Door - OT very good; RT very good
   14. The Hidden Harbor Mystery - OT very good; RT excellent
   15. The Sinister Signpost - OT good; RT good
   16. A Figure in Hiding - OT good; RT fair
   17. The Secret Warning - OT bad; RT very good
   18. The Twisted Claw - OT bad
   19. The Disappearing Floor - OT fair; RT good
   20. Mystery of the Flying Express - OT very good; RT very good
   21. The Clue of the Broken Blade - OT very good; RT fair
   22. The Flickering Torch Mystery - OT excellent; RT very good
   23. The Melted Coins - OT very good; RT very good
   24. The Short-Wave Mystery - OT overall very good
   25. The Secret Panel - OT overall very good
   26. The Phantom Freighter - OT good
   27. The Secret of Skull Mountain - OT bad
   28. The Sign of the Crooked Arrow - OT very good
   29. The Secret of the Lost Tunnel - OT very good
   30. The Wailing Siren Mystery - OT excellent
   31. The Secret of Wildcat Swamp - OT good
   32. The Crisscross Shadow - OT good
   33. The Yellow Feather Mystery - OT excellent
   34. The Hooded Hawk Mystery - OT fair
   35. The Clue in the Embers - OT bad
   36. The Secret of Pirates' Hill - OT fair
   37. The Ghost at Skeleton Rock - OT fair
   38. The Mystery at Devil's Paw - OT very good
   39. The Mystery of the Chinese Junk - good
   40. Mystery of the Desert Giant - very good
   41. The Clue of the Screeching Owl -  excellent
   42. The Viking Symbol Mystery - bad
   43. The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior - good
   44. The Haunted Fort - overall good
   45. The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge - excellent
   46. The Secret Agent on Flight 101 - good
   47. Mystery of the Whale Tattoo - good
   48. The Arctic Patrol Mystery - good
   49. The Bombay Boomerang - very good
   50. Danger on Vampire Trail - very good
   51. The Masked Monkey - excellent
   52. The Shattered Helmet - very good
   53. The Clue of the Hissing Serpent - fair
   54. The Mysterious Caravan - very good
   55. The Witchmaster's Key - excellent
   56. The Jungle Pyramid - good
   57. The Firebird Rocket - very good
   58. The Sting of the Scorpion - very good

It didn't help much, since I don't have any obvious conclusions to make.  However, I will report my general feelings about the different parts of the series, even though I can't back up my feelings with data.  I struggled with some books and greatly enjoyed some books from all time periods.  I know for sure that I consider volumes 2 through 9 to be a strong group of books and a pleasure to read.  That group of books is the strongest in the series.

I struggled with many of the original text books from volume 10 through volume 19.  I really wanted to quit while reading volumes 10 through 12, since I was going through a difficult time and the books were not helping me escape.  I also did not like volumes 15 through 19 very much.  Getting through volumes 10 through 19 was not easy.  While I consider a number of the books to be very weak or annoying, my distaste for volumes 10 through 19 may have much more to do with my mental state at the time I read the books.  I read those books in November, which was a dark time for me.  I will probably never read those books again, since they will forever be a part of November 2015.

I also struggled with some of the higher-numbered original text books, but not as much as I did volumes 10 through 19.

Strangely, I do feel that I generally struggled less with the higher-numbered books with 20 chapters, even though those books have weaker stories.  Therefore, my impression is that my overall experience with the higher-numbered books is more positive, even though the stories tend not to be as good.

Again, I do believe this has a lot to do with me and how my life has been since I began reading the Hardy Boys set.  I have been under a huge amount of stress since November, and it has caused me not to feel well much of the time.  For that reason, I need books that are easy and effortless to read.  The books with 20 chapters are easier to read.  That's why I seem to have a more positive view of those books, although they aren't typically as good as as the earlier books.

And that's why other readers should never suggest that someone not read certain books.  I was told not to read the books with 20 chapters.  I did, and I enjoyed them.

I also want to add that I am a girls' series enthusiast.  Even though I have now read many boys' series, I am still a girls' series enthusiast.  Not only that, I am female.  So my perspective on the Hardy Boys series is different than that of the core group of fans, who are male. 

In conclusion, I enjoyed my reading of the Hardy Boys set, at least mostly, and enough that I decided to try a few of the Hardy Boys Digest books.  I sampled a few and liked them enough that I decided to read through that set as well.  I was a bit dismayed by my decision, since reading Hardy Boys #59 through #190 is a big commitment, and reading all of them will take five to six months.

I should also mention that I seem to be enjoying the Hardy Boys Digest books more than the majority of the books in the original 58.  That surely is shocking to most of you, but the Digests are easy and exciting.  The Hardy Boys Digests are exactly what I need at this point in my life.

Hardy Boys Revised Text #23 Melted Coins and #24 Short-Wave Mystery

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #23, The Melted Coins, Frank and Joe believe that Chet has been swindled by a fake college and travel to Zoar College to check on the school.  The boys also investigate the theft of an important Seneca Indian relic, the Spoon Mouth mask, which was made from some melted coins.

On page 12, the boys have gone to the top of a high-rise building that is under construction.  Joe immediately sets off across a beam to speak to a man, and the wind nearly blows him off the beam to his death.  How stupid!  For just a moment, I felt that I was reading the second Power Boys book, which takes place in a similar setting.  Joe's lack of judgment is just like something the Power Boys would do.

The premise is far less stupid than in the original.  However, the part about the melted coins is still a little stupid.  This time, some coins owned by the Indians melted and somehow formed the shape of Spoon Mouth, which became an important good luck charm.  It's implausible.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book and greatly enjoyed all of this story.  Since I did not just read the original text, I'm not sure which story I enjoyed more.  They are both very good.

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #24, The Short-Wave Mystery, Frank and Joe investigate the theft of a a bunch of stuffed animals from an auction.  Meanwhile, the boys hear mysterious sounds over the short-wave radio, and Chet has become interested in taxidermy.

One of the flaws in the original text is that the street urchins go to school, but the Hardy Boys stay at home all day listening to the radio for messages.  The revised text makes a point of mentioning school for the Hardys several times as well as having them work on homework.  In this book, they don't stay at home all day until the street urchins arrive.

I decided not to read the second half of the book.  The story is too similar to the original text, and I did not find the part I read to be that interesting.

Hardy Boys Revised Text #21 Broken Blade and #22 Flickering Torch Mystery

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #21, The Clue of the Broken Blade, Frank and Joe's fencing instructor, Ettore Russo, tells them about a broken sword blade that is missing.  Etched on the sword blade is a will that leaves a fortune in part to Russo.  A cousin claims the fortune, so Russo needs to find the broken blade.

The boys end up traveling across the country to follow a slim clue that somehow leads them to the location where the sword can be found.  Along the way, the boys end up on a movie set, where they find their parents working, when their parents are supposed to be on vacation in another state.  It's also a bit hard to believe that the boys are able to step in for a fencing master in a scene in the movie.

This book bored me from the first page.  Gradually, I began to find the book somewhat more interesting and was overall interested once I reached halfway through the book.  Overall, I did not enjoy the book very much.  I like the original text better.

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #22, The Flickering Torch Mystery, Frank and Joe investigate two mysterious plane crashes in which the pilots were killed.  The boys soon believe that the pilots may have unwittingly smuggled diamonds or radioactive isotopes into the area.  The case leads the boys to the Flickering Torch club, where they play in a combo.

Groovy, man.  This book brings the boys into the hip 1960s.  They play guitar in a combo at a club, and in one scene, they have groupies fawning over them.  That is, the text doesn't use the word "fawning," but I figure that's what was going on.

I was skeptical at the beginning of the book, but I ended up greatly enjoying the story.  I do like the original text better, but this is also a very good book.

Sock Monkeys and Series Books

I am not currently attending very many estate sales, since I only go if I see something in the preview pictures that looks quite promising or if the sales are in my immediate area.  Three estate sales were in my immediate area today, and I knew that one of them had a sock monkey.  My mother collects sock monkeys.

I first went to the sale with the sock monkey.  I entered the house and scouted out the room with the dolls and picked up the sock monkey.  Next, I leisurely went back through all the rooms to see if I could find anything else.  Unexpectedly, the sale also had the first book in the Dale of the Mounted series.  The Dale of the Mounted book was in the living room in a small stack of books that the estate sale company considered special items.  Normally the books that they showcase like that are generic old books of little interest to me. 

The Dale of the Mounted series is obscure, and I acquired three of them around six weeks ago.  I had tried reading one, but it was a bit dry with many technical details.  Nevertheless, what I read was still interesting, but I really wanted to read the first book instead to get a better idea of the series, so I quit reading.

I was thrilled to find the first book.  I will have to read it sometime soon to find out whether it is worth pursuing the rest of the series.  Below are the three books that I purchased six weeks ago.

The four books shown in this post are the only ones published with this cover art, which I really like.  The rest of the series is published with different art that I don't like as much, so I'm less motivated to find them. 

After this first sale, I went to the two other sales in my immediate area.  At the third, I found another sock monkey.

At this point, I decided that I was having a lucky day.  Later after some errands, I was driving near the thrift store, which I seldom check due to a lack of interesting merchandise.  With the way things were going, I figured that the store probably had a sock monkey and some series books.  So I decided to go in, even though it was likely going to be a waste of time.  I went in and found a sock monkey in with the dolls.  This one is a recent mass-produced sock monkey, but it was only $0.99. 

I went to the book section to discover two bins full of books.  I don't search the bins unless I see something that looks promising.  I shifted some books and found a Happy Hollisters book.  Ah.  Now I had to search through both bins just in case.  I found some books that I didn't end up purchasing, but the next photo shows the ones that I did get.

I ended up with seven Happy Hollisters, one Nancy Drew, two Dana Girls, and one Canby Hall.  The price stickers were in the color of this week's special where items are 50% off.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have purchased the Happy Hollisters books.  Even at half off, I may not break even since Happy Hollisters books sell very low, but at least I rescued them from a possible bad end in a dumpster.

Finally, I also purchased this Hardy Boys book today.  Notice the back cover error where the white print is all missing.

Altogether, it was a good day.

Hardy Boys Revised Text #19 Disappearing Floor and #20 Flying Express

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #19, The Disappearing Floor, Frank and Joe are on the search for jewel thieves.  Soon, their search leads them to an old mansion in the woods that is said to be haunted.  The boys suspect that the criminals are hiding out in the mansion.  Later, they learn that an old professor is also staying at the mansion while perfecting his invention.

The science fiction aspects of the original text were mostly removed in this version and what remains is more believable. 

Clams Dagget is mentioned on page 105.  He originally appeared in The Mystery of the Chinese Junk, which was published four years before this revised text.  Both stories were written by James Lawrence.

The chase scene through the mansion was not annoying to me like the one in the original text.

The question and answer session at the end bored me, so I skimmed that part.  Otherwise, I enjoyed this story.  Since I did not like the second half of the original text, I probably enjoyed this version overall more.

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #20, Mystery of the Flying Express, the Hardys are asked to investigate who is trying to sabotage the Flying Express, a hydrofoil that will carry passengers in the waters near Bayport.  Meanwhile, Chet's new hobby is the zodiac, and he predicts the future of everyone he meets.  Coincidentally, the primary villain is also obsessed with the zodiac and uses it to decide how to proceed.

The book continually refers to the villains as "aqualantes."  Is this a real word? 

I greatly enjoyed most of this story, but I felt it got stupid towards the end.  One minor event in the book has to do with license plates found in a boathouse.  The plates have nothing to do with the mystery, but it is revealed at the end that the plates once belonged to Aunt Gertrude and somehow ended up in a boathouse to which the boys were taken as prisoners.  This is a ridiculously stupid and improbable coincidence.

I do not know which version of the text I enjoyed more.  I like both versions.

Hardy Boys Revised Text #15 Sinister Signpost, #16 Figure in Hiding, and #17 Secret Warning

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #15, The Sinister Signpost, the Hardys investigate who is sabotaging Mr. Alden's special racing cars.  A signpost placed temporarily along the roadside is used to flash a light at the vehicles, crazing the windshield and causing a wreck.  Meanwhile, Aunt Gertrude has inherited a stable of race horses and is not happy about it.

Frank and Joe suspect Mr. Alden's son, Roger, of being the culprit responsible for sabotaging the racing cars.  Roger is quite rude to the Hardys, but I feel that they are way too rude in return and that they make the situation much worse.  I don't feel that they need to be quite as rude as they are, and I find it a bit disgraceful.

On page 95, the boys learn that the stolen racehorse might be in Maryland.  Joe exclaims, "That's a coincidence.  Aunt Gertrude's stable is located there."  It's not a coincidence; it's by design.  Joe should know that.

I enjoyed this story.  Some parts are a little weird, and the ending is way too coincidental.  Chet and then the troopers show up at the perfect moment, so the criminals get captured.  Even though this story has flaws, I like it better than the original text.

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #16, A Figure in Hiding, the boys investigate just as many random events as in the original text.  In both stories, the title of the book has nothing to do with anything.  The phrase is included in the text several times in a lame attempt to make the title mean something.

I don't think this story is an improvement over the original.  The story is too complicated with too many characters and too much going on.  Too much information is thrown at the reader and very little of it is compelling.

I would have liked more time spent at the health resort, since that part of the story interested me.  If that part had been expanded quite a bit with the Hardys investigating undercover, this book could have been outstanding.  I love undercover work of that type.  Instead, the revised text is just as mediocre as the original text.

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #17, The Secret Warning, the Hardys search for a missing golden Pharaoh's head.  Their search takes them to Whalebone Island, where the ship sank that was carrying the golden head. 

The author throws in a sly reference to Syndicate author Andrew Svenson by naming a ship Svenson.

This story is a huge improvement over the original text, which bored me from start to finish.  I love the setting around Whalebone Island and the boys' explorations.  I greatly enjoyed this story.

Hardy Boys Revised Text #13 Mark on the Door and #14 Hidden Harbor

The revised text of Hardy Boys #13, The Mark on the Door, parallels the original text pretty closely, even though almost the entire story was rewritten.  The boys seek Elmer Tremmer and the villains who are holding him captive in Mexico, just like in the original text.

One of the oddities of the original text is that the Hardys' guide is a Yaqui Indian who wants to be called "Yaqui."  The revised text corrects that problem by changing that character into a Mexican boy who is named Tico.  

I greatly enjoyed the revised text.  I probably enjoyed the original text slightly more, but both versions are very good.

In the revised text of Hardy Boys #14, The Hidden Harbor Mystery, Frank and Joe investigate a feud between two relatives, which is expanded from the smaller part it played in the original text.  In the revised text, the feud and the hunt for treasure is the main story. The feud is fleshed out much better in this story.

This book has some of the same great atmosphere as The Clue of the Screeching Owl, and it was written by the same author.

I really enjoyed the original text, but mainly because I enjoy crazy stories when I find them interesting.  This version of the story is actually better than the original text.  This is an excellent book and is my favorite revised text story so far.

The Lance Todd Series by Budd Westreich

The Lance Todd series consists of two books written by Budd Westreich.  The first book is Lance Todd at Mystery House, and the second is Lance Todd at Mystery Island.  The books were published in 1959 by Lantern Press.  They have not been reprinted and are hard to find.  The first book is more scarce than the second book.

In Lance Todd at Mystery House, Lance's father has inherited a house in New Mexico from his old college roommate who didn't like him.  Lance is sent to New Mexico to attend to the inheritance.  Lance soon finds himself enmeshed in mysterious events.  Lance is followed as he leaves New York, and upon his arrival in New Mexico, he discovers prowlers near the house.

The atmosphere is tense and foreboding at the beginning of the story while Lance is followed by a mysterious stranger.  Even when Lance becomes friendly with the stranger and decides to trust him, the reader is left with a lingering unease that all is not as it seems.  The opening chapters of this story are outstanding.

A government base is located near the house, so this story has to do with government spies and foreign agents.  This is a typical boys' story, but it is handled so much better than in the typical Hardy Boys book.  The number of characters is kept to a bare minimum, which makes the story easy to follow and much more interesting.

This is an excellent book.

In Lance Todd at Mystery Island, Lance's friend Eric asks Lance to join him on Swallow Island, where a glowing serpent has been spotted in the ocean near the island.  Lance soon suspects several of the island's inhabitants of being involved as he tries to determine how and why someone is trying to scare others away from the island.

The point of view shifts between Lance and Eric, sometimes abruptly in the middle of scenes, which makes the reading experience rather odd at times.

I started to get a little bored with the story halfway through, although it did regain my interest later.

I was annoyed about how Lance keeps his theories from the other characters and from the reader.  I never like it when the author and main character keep information from me and not in a way that I find intriguing.  A story can still be suspenseful when I know what is going on.  When Lance finally reveals his suspicions, I found I had already guessed, in spite of having been given only meager clues.  It wasn't that hard to figure out, and less secrecy would have been better.

I found it strange that the boys are called men.  Normally, books for juveniles and children refer to the characters as girls and boys even when they are past the age of 18.

I greatly enjoyed most of this book, although I feel the story is not quite as good as the previous book.