Hidden Clues #5 The Dana Girls Revisions

Collectors frequently ask about whether the Dana Girls books were ever revised.

If you are not very familiar with Dana Girls formats, please take a moment to view my Dana Girls formats page.  The image seen to the right has been captured from my main Dana Girls page.

First, the only Dana Girls books that might possibly have revised texts are the white spine picture cover books from 1972-1979 (see  formats page for photos).  If the Dana Girls book is not a white spine picture cover, then it does not have a revised text.

Let's get more specific.

Dana Girls #1-16 and #18 were never revised down from 25 chapters, so each book only has the original text in all printings.  These seventeen books all still had the original text in the beige spine picture cover format, and all of them went out of print and never made it to the white spine format.

#19 and up only had 20 chapters in the first place, so those titles were not revised.  However, a few titles that made it to the white spine picture cover version had very slight revisions like just a sentence or a paragraph in the beginning of the book.  The order of the titles changed in the white spine format, and this caused them to have to correct minor inconsistencies like when the Danas returned from various travels.  Changing a sentence or a paragraph corrected the continuity problems.

#17 The Ghost in the Gallery is the only volume that actually was revised down from 25 chapters to 20 chapters.  The revised version appears in the white spine format.

You don't have to worry about making sure you have the original text for #1-16 and #18 in the original set, since all of those books have the original text.

#19 through #30 in the first set and their corresponding volumes in the second set are practically identical except for the very slight changes mentioned above.  It does not matter which version of the book is purchased, unless the fan is a format collector.

Since The Ghost in the Gallery is the only book that was truly revised, it is the only book where it matters which version of the text is purchased.

In closing, I find that many people who are currently collecting have forgotten how to use Internet searches to find the many series book websites and information pages.  Please consider utilizing the Internet to seek information.  Type any phrase or question that you have into Google.  You will be surprised at what is out there.

Offhand and without trying hard, I can think of at least seven advanced collectors (people with large collections who have collected for 20 or more years) who have extensive websites that cover just about anything and everything you would ever want to know about series books.  Please find and visit those sites so that we feel motivated to continue to pay the monthly hosting fees.  Having an informational site is pointless when active collectors do not use it.  Thanks.

Judy Bolton #14 The Clue in the Patchwork Quilt

In Judy Bolton #14, The Clue in the Patchwork Quilt, Judy's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Smeed, have passed away, and Judy is going through their belongings.  She discovers that Mrs. Smeed's will is missing, and that a criminal known as Blackie may have taken it.

Meanwhile, Judy finds an old telegram that had apparently had never been seen by her grandparents.  The telegram announces the birth of a baby that must be Judy's cousin.  Judy hopes that she can find this unknown cousin, but soon, she learns that this cousin knows Blackie.

On page 7, Margaret Sutton makes a sly reference to Nancy Drew.

"I'm not very eager to solve the mystery of a missing will," Judy told him.  "In books they're always hidden in old clocks and secret drawers and I'm sure Grandma wouldn't do anything as foolish as that."

On pages 41 and 42, the text mentions the radio that Judy and Horace had given their grandparents for Christmas.  Beverly Hatfield incorporated that gift into the plot of The Mystery on Judy Lane.  Since I had just read that book, reading the mention of the radio really emphasized what an excellent job Beverly Hatfield did with Judy Lane.

Sometimes it seems like Honey Dobbs could have been the inspiration for Honey Wheeler of the Trixie Belden series.  From page 87:

Honey let out a little scream of laughter.

"She's trying to say that if she has a cousin and if the cousin looks like her and if the pocketbook was intended for the cousin and if she's at the lecture and if we can find out what lecture it is and if—"

"Honey, for goodness sake, stop before you have us all crazy," commanded Peter.  "The more ifs you put in, the more complicated this sounds when it may really be a simple matter of Judy's uncle by marriage trying to get possession of the will for his daughter."

I felt like I was slipping into a Trixie Belden book as I read the passage.  The dialogue matches the speech pattern of both Honey Wheeler and Trixie Belden when they think faster than they can talk.  Jim Frayne would have been the one commanding her to stop.  It's perfect.  I mean, it's perfectly perfect.

This is an excellent book.

Judy Bolton #13 The Name on the Bracelet and The Mystery on Judy Lane

In Judy Bolton #13, The Name on the Bracelet, a telegram arrives announcing the birth of Judy Irene Meredith, Judy's namesake and the daughter of Dale and Irene Meredith.  Judy is asked to come to Tower House to be Judy Irene's nursemaid until one can be hired.

After the baby is brought home, Judy is horrified to discover that the bracelet on Judy Irene's wrist belongs to another baby.  The babies were switched!  Judy and Dale frantically begin searching for the other baby while Dale is determined to keep the truth from Irene.  Judy realizes that their lives will be destroyed by the secret, so she vows to find the baby.

This book is rather melodramatic, and I rather wanted to slap Dale at times.  However, the story is excellent and quite compelling.

In November 2018, one final Judy Bolton book, The Mystery on Judy Lane, was published with the permission of Margaret Sutton's family.  This book fits seamlessly between volumes 13 and 14 of the original series by Margaret Sutton.  The book was written by Beverly Hatfield.

In The Mystery on Judy Lane, Judy assists Peter in his law office during the holiday season.  Peter is once again assisting the Piper family—this time with a will.  Meanwhile, Judy shops for Christmas presents, and as she shops, she notices a strange woman spying on her.  Who is this woman, and does she have something to do with the Piper family?

The subplot in which Judy searches for Christmas presents is delightful.  I especially enjoyed getting to know Judy's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Smeed, who really come alive in this book.  I love Judy's gift to her grandparents.  It is quite special.  I was also a little sad knowing that the Smeeds would not live much longer.

In the beginning of the story, I found the references to earlier mysteries to be a bit distracting and seemingly overdone.  The references to past mysteries continue throughout the book, but I found them interesting rather than distracting as I continued reading.

Some time later, after I had read further into the original series, I realized that the writing style and references to past mysteries more closely match Margaret Sutton's style for the later Judy Bolton titles, like #25 and up.  That was my problem, since I had just read #13 and had not reached the later books yet.  Margaret Sutton's style shifted somewhat over the 35 years that she wrote the series.

I am in awe that Beverly Hatfield was able to so closely match Margaret Sutton's writing style.

The book strikes the right tone and meshes quite well with the original series.  This is an excellent addition to the Judy Bolton series that is just as good as the original books.

Judy Bolton #11 The Unfinished House and #12 The Midnight Visitor

In Judy Bolton #11, The Unfinished House, Peter has established his law office in Roulsville, and Judy assists him as his secretary.  Peter is determined to thwart a real estate racket in which unusable narrow strips of land are raffled off, then the winners are coerced into purchasing the adjoining land.

Judy becomes acquainted with the Piper family, winners of one of the strips of land.  Judy and Peter find a way for the Pipers to build a house on the narrow land.  During construction, someone tries to frighten the workers away with strange sounds and threats of the Red Circle.

The book is like a traditional mystery, and the beginning reminds me of the Nancy Drew book, The Clue in the Diary, in which a needy family is brought to the attention of the main characters.

The story is quite suspenseful up until when the secret of the Red Circle is revealed.  That main mystery is revealed by around page 200, and the book is 250 pages long.  The last 50 pages bored me.

Except for the last 50 pages, this is a very good book.

In Judy Bolton #12, The Midnight Visitor, Judy and Peter seek shelter in an empty house during a storm.  They keep hearing noises, and they discover that a girl named Sally is hiding in the house.  Sally goes home with Judy, and Judy soon learns that Sally is related to Kay Vincent's family.  Harry Vincent is trying to take away Sally's inheritance.  Peter and Judy vow to help Sally.

This is a very good book.

Judy Bolton #10 The Riddle of the Double Ring

In Judy Bolton #10, The Riddle of the Double Ring, Judy is shocked when Arthur Farringdon-Pett proposes to her and gives her a ruby engagement ring.  Judy is unsure of what she wants and makes Arthur promise to keep their engagement a secret.  Judy still likes Peter, but she also likes the idea of marrying Arthur.

Lorraine has her own suspicions and decides to try to capture some thieves in order to prove that she is as good as Judy.  Lorraine disappears, and Judy and Arthur begin a desperate search for her whereabouts.

On page 14, Arthur says of Lorraine, "Sometimes I feel like taking her over my knee and giving her a few lessons her mother should have given her sixteen years ago."  Ugh.  Sexism like this did bother me years ago, but it does now.

The middle part of the story bored me somewhat.  This is the part where Judy searches for Lorraine.

Judy's brief engagement to Arthur has always annoyed me, simply because it is so obviously wrong.

I enjoyed the book, except for the parts that bored me.

eBay Promotions + Many New Etsy Listings

I need to get some stale listings moved out of my eBay store.  I also need to get the number of listings down, even if the result is just getting some of the more popular items to move.

I went through my store and slightly lowered the prices of some of the stale listings.  I also added a promotion for 10% off any order of 2 or more items.  I placed the minimum quantity at 2 in order to avoid anyone purchasing the one $5.99 item and getting 10% off.  I am fine if the discount is triggered for orders totaling above $10.

I also still have the promotion for free shipping to the United States on orders of $35 or more.

Buyers can work the discount to their advantage if they only want a more expensive item.  I have a book priced at about $600.  By purchasing it alone, the buyer receives no discount.  If the buyer finds a book for $5.99 and adds it to the cart with the $600 book, then the discount is activated.  The buyer then gets $60 off of the expensive book.  I have had only one or two buyers work the discount that way for items priced above $100.  I was glad to see them do it, since it helped get a couple of items sold.  Every little bit helps.

Jennifer's Series Books on eBay

I do not plan to list any additional books on eBay until I get the number of listings down.  I have 295 listings, which is more than my allotted 250 free listings.  If I can get my listings down to around 250, then most or all can be renewed with this month's free listings.  The reason I have extra listings is because of a listing promotion in December.

I have been working on my Etsy shop this weekend.  I previously reported that I had moved 65 books from Etsy to eBay because the books were not moving on Etsy.  As of this writing, over half of those books have sold on eBay.  By the way, I raised the prices of most of those listings when I moved them to eBay, and they still sold fast.  The buyers for those particular books are on eBay.

I find that the main girls' series books sell the best for me on Etsy, so I wish to concentrate on those books.  My best seller by far is Nancy Drew followed by the Dana Girls.  Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames, and the Three Investigators sell regularly but not nearly as well as Nancy Drew and the Dana Girls.  I currently have only one book on Etsy that is not from one of those series, and I will remove it once my other copy sells on eBay.

I feel like this will work out really well having my Etsy shop strongly focused on just certain series.  Since I no longer have as many series on Etsy, I have changed my shop categories to better split up the inventory of those series.  Sellers are only allowed 20 categories on Etsy, so we must choose wisely depending upon what we sell.

Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy

I have listed over 60 books on Etsy this weekend.  Some of them have already sold, but there are still around 45 or so new listings.  I have finished listing the books that are different from what had been listed.  I hope to list quite a few revised text Nancy Drew books today, but these listings will just replace books that have sold in the last month or two.

On Etsy, I still have free shipping to the United States on orders of $35 or more.  I have no other discounts on Etsy currently, since traffic and sales have improved on Etsy in the last week. 

Judy Bolton #9 The Mysterious Half Cat

In Judy Bolton #9, The Mysterious Half Cat, Judy is thrilled that her old friend, Scottie, is returning to Farringdon.  When Scottie arrives, Judy finds that she has changed.  She is no longer carefree and interested in solving mysteries.  Scottie's every thought is on her young sister, Carol, who appears to be mentally disabled.  Meanwhile, Scottie is searching for her relatives so that she can get some help taking care of Carol.

According to a passage on page 40 of A Guide to Judy Bolton Country, Margaret Sutton's editor did not like the story as Margaret originally wrote it.  She requested major changes.  Margaret replied, "I have added a new thread of mystery and taken out everything that seemed unnecessary to a clear, concise synopsis."

I don't consider the final story to be very clear or concise.  I find it to be a bit odd and obnoxious.  The story features as sort of an afterthought a Chinese laundromat with supposed spirits in the basement.  That isn't necessary.  Scottie deliberately keeps information from Judy, and meanwhile, she blames Judy for not helping her.  Excuse me?  How can Judy help her if she won't tell what she knows?

I only somewhat enjoyed this story. 

Judy Bolton #8 The Voice in the Suitcase

In Judy Bolton #8, The Voice in the Suitcase, some men are seen near a school picnic.  They are carrying a suitcase, from which comes a voice.  Intrigued, Judy hopes to see the men again.  Later, she has reason to believe that at least one of the men went to an old house owned by Mr. and Mrs. Brady, who are to celebrate their golden wedding.  In order to track down clues, Judy manages to get herself invited to travel with Selma Brady to help clean the house in preparation for the golden wedding.

During one scene, Judy is frightened by something that sounds like it is dragging chains.  This creature walks over her face during the night.  The next morning, Judy is frightened by the tracks that she sees on her face.  Later, Judy learns that the creature was a ferret.

From page 177:

Judy felt ashamed that such a tiny animal could have frightened her so.  The ferret was the least bit like a snake and it did have red eyes and sharp teeth and a wiry tail but Judy would never have been so horrified by those tracks on her face if she had known.

I still would have been horrified.  A ferret running walking over my face at night?  Ugh!

For years, I considered this particular book to be my least favorite Judy Bolton book.  After I finished this book, I decided that my opinion had changed somewhat.  I still do not like the part of the book where Judy and Selma clean the house.  It is too depressing.  The portion of the story that features the entertainment at the golden wedding bores me, so I skipped it.

Aside from the boring entertainment and the depressing housecleaning, I did enjoy the story during this reading.  This book is about average average among the earlier books in the Judy Bolton series.