Hidden Clues #6 The Textured Nancy Drew Flashlight Editions

In 2004, Nancy Drew fans noticed that some of the flashlight edition Nancy Drew books that were showing up in stores had a textured cover and that the colors were darker.  The fans referred to the books as "matte flashlight editions," and that name has stuck with those of us who saw those discussions.  The problem is that using "matte" with "flashlight" is very confusing to people who do not know what we mean, since the names mix together two distinct formats of picture cover editions.

As I prepared to write this post, I decided that we should instead refer to these books as "textured flashlight editions."  By doing that, we use a name that does not refer to the previous format of picture cover edition.  That should make discussions less confusing to collectors who are not familiar with this format.

The textured flashlight editions have a textured cover instead of the usual smooth cover seen on all other flashlight edition printings.  The surface is still shiny just like all flashlight editions.  All of the colors on the outside of the book are darker than usual.  The darker colors make the books easy to spot in bookstores.  When seen on a shelf with the regular flashlight editions, the textured covers will draw one's attention immediately, because the yellow is darker on the spine.  That was exactly what happened to me today, causing me to purchase the two textured books and write this post.

These first two photos show a textured flashlight edition from 2004 (left) next to a matte picture cover edition of the same title from the 1970s (right).

Notice that the cover art is darker on the textured flashlight editions.  The reproduction of the cover art reminds me a lot of the Perma-Bound library editions, which have cover art created from photocopies of the original editions.

I want to show you what these books look like, but photographs poorly reproduce what is obvious when viewing the books in person.  I found that I had to photograph the books without the camera flash in order to try to show the texture.

In the next photo, a regular flashlight edition is seen on the left, and a textured flashlight edition is seen on the right.  Notice that on the regular flashlight edition (left) that the light bulbs are reflected as separate from each other.  On the textured flashlight edition (right), the light is diffused where the bulbs cannot be seen as distinct, and you also should be able to detect some of the vertical and horizontal lines that cause the cover to be textured.  Click on any photo in this post to see a larger version.

For the next photo, the textured flashlight edition is on the left, and the regular flashlight edition is on the right.  Notice the same pattern with the reflected light.  You also should be able to spot some of the horizontal and vertical lines on the cover of the textured book. 

The next photo shows the textured books in the middle, with the overhead light reflected on the spines.  Hopefully, you can see some of the texture on the middle two books.

I took one last photo in direct sunlight to try to show how the color is deeper on the spines of the textured flashlight editions.

In the above photo, the regular flashlight editions look faded as compared to the textured flashlight editions.  None of the books are faded at all.  

I went through old discussions of the textured flashlight editions in the Nancy Drew Sleuths Yahoo! group to see how many of the books were printed with textured covers.  At least all of the following books can be found with the textured covers.

1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 53, 56, and the back-to-back edition of 1 and 2

The textured flashlight edition books are quite uncommon.  The flashlight editions have been in print for 33 years.  In 2004, there were at least three flashlight edition printings (noted by fans in the 2004 discussion), and only one of them had the textured covers.  If we assume that in each of the last 33 years that the flashlight editions went through three printings, then we can assume around 100 printings exist.  Only one out of approximately 100 printings has the textured surface.  We can therefore expect just one out of every 100 flashlight editions to be textured.

Most collectors are probably not interested in the textured flashlight editions, so the books are probably worth only marginally more than the average flashlight edition.  It should be noted that the current retail price for flashlight editions is around $7 to $9 each for new copies.  Used copies go for about half of that range.  The textured flashlight editions probably would not be worth more than around $10 each.

Large Number of Books Listed on eBay and Etsy

In the last two weeks, I have listed over 200 books on eBay and Etsy.  On both sites, orders of $35 or more that will ship to a United States address will receive free shipping.

Jennifer's Series Books on eBay

New listings on eBay include the following:

Kay Tracey books with dust jackets
original and revised text Nancy Drew picture covers
Ted Scott books with dust jackets
Black Stallion books
thick Judy Bolton books with dust jackets
Roy Stover books with dust jackets
Hardy Boys books with dust jackets
bulk lots of Nancy Drew picture covers

Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy

New listings on Etsy include the following:

original and revised text Nancy Drew picture covers
blue Nancy Drew books from the 1930s through the 1950s
Trixie Belden cameo editions
Trixie Belden cello editions
Dana Girls books with dust jackets
tweed Nancy Drew books with dust jackets
thick Nancy Drew books with glossy internals and dust jackets
softcover Nancy Drew books
softcover Trixie Belden books
hardcover Three Investigators books
the complete set of Cherry Ames books

Different books are listed on the two sites.  If you make an order from each store within the same hour, I will combine the orders and refund any extra postage charge. 

Wildfire #43 The Boy for Me and #44 Class Ring

43. The Boy for Me, Jane Claypool Miner, 1983

Maggie has been in love with Tony for almost a year—and he doesn't even know it!  Tony is her
older brother's best friend.  He's forever hanging around the house, but all he seems interested in is fixing up cars with Bob. 

Then Maggie begins dating other guys—and suddenly Tony starts paying a lot of attention to her.  But she can't tell if he's being protective, or if he's actually jealous. 

Will Tony always think Maggie is just Bob’s little sister?

I found this book good enough that I finished it.  However, I did not find it very interesting and would never read it again.

44. Class Ring, Josephine Wunsch, 1983

Jill breezes into Sherry's life one spring day, and after that nothing is the same.  Sherry is fascinated by her—at first—and introduces her to all her friends.  

So she’s shocked when Jill starts spending time with Kent. He's Sherry's boyfriend.  They've been going steady for a year, and Sherry's even wearing his class ring.  

But Jill is serious about Kent, and soon he stops calling Sherry or mentioning the prom.  Sherry wonders if Kent ever loved her at all.

I read Class Ring when I was in junior high, and I am quite confident that it is the only Wildfire book that I read as a teenager.  I recall that I enjoyed the book.  The story holds up well.  This book is excellent.

Wildfire #41 The Wrong Boy and #42 Make a Wish

40. Christy’s Choice, Maud Johnson — reviewed here

41. The Wrong Boy, Carol Stanley, 1982

Kyle Harmon was absolutely the last boy Meg would ever have dreamed of being interested in.  He did crazy things and dressed in crazy clothes and never went anywhere without his motorcycle.

Then Meg is assigned to work on a chemistry project with him and finds that, underneath his wraparound shades and leather jacket, he's a very special person—and Kyle thinks Meg's pretty special, too.

But as soon as they get serious about each other, their problems start.  Meg's parents think Kyle is strange, and her friends make fun of him.  Worse, Kyle refuses to change, but he expects Meg to change for him.  Since she can't, Meg knows she'll have to make some important decisions...

On page 166, Meg tries to find a way to show her mother that she is "not about to run off and join a cult or a motorcycle gang."  This reminds me of Jessica Wakefield who is prone to similar stunts, like in Sweet Valley High #82, Kidnapped by the Cult!

The first part of the story is a bit tedious, but the rest of the book is excellent.

42. Make A Wish, Nancy Smiler Levinson, 1983

Jana and Shep have known each other for years.  And now that Jana is almost seventeen, she wants Shep to be more than just her good friend.  But Shep asks Holly to the May dance.

Hurt, Jana throws herself into a new part-time job at the department store.  It's not very exciting, but there's Ross Dantine to talk to.  Jana is flattered when he asks her out.  She likes Ross very much, but she can't stop thinking of Shep, even though she knows it's time to let him go...

This is a very good book.

Wildfire #38 The Searching Heart and #39 Write Every Day

38. The Searching Heart (also Searching Heart), Barbara Steiner, 1982

Laura has always known what she wants to do—become a veterinarian.  Even before she finishes high school, she applies for an after-school job at a veterinary clinic.  

But then her life changes dramatically.  The doctor she works for is Jed Jordan, warm, caring—and twenty-five years old.  Before Laura and Jed know what's happening, they fall in love! 

Laura is delighted... and frightened.  Her parents don't approve of Jed because he's older.  And Laura worries because she's miserable when she's apart from him.  How can she go away to college now?  What will become of her dreams?  And what will become of her tender relationship with Jed?

I didn't care for this book and found it boring.  All the information about the vet clinic is just minimally interesting.  It doesn't help that Laura has to help put animals to sleep three different times during the story.  I didn't like Jed.  I skimmed a lot of the story.  

39. Write Every Day, Janet Quin-Harkin, 1982

Kim is the misfit in her family.  Her brother, her sister, her parents—they're all athletic and outgoing, but Kim thinks she doesn't measure up at all.

So every summer she dreads the trip to the camp her family runs in the mountains, where she's expected to help out on the hikes and climbs.

But this summer there's Brian.  Brian cares about Kim and wants to spend time with her.  But would he feel the same way if he knew the truth about her?  Kim's afraid to find out...

Kim has a very real reason for being afraid of heights, and she has never told her family.  She hides it from them, while they struggle to understand why she doesn't participate in the different activities.

I really enjoyed this book.

Wildfire #36 The Impossible Love and #37 Sing About Us

36. The Impossible Love, Arlene Hale, 1982

Jenny and Pam.  Sisters. 

Pam is gorgeous.  Jenny is "interesting looking."  Pam is popular.  Jenny has two close friends.  Pam has one boyfriend after another.  Jenny is sure no boy but faithful Thad will ever look twice at her.

Until Mark.  Mark comes to town, and Jenny is swept off her feet by the very sight of him.  But that's before Mark is swept off his feet by Pam.  

Sadly, Jenny watches them together—and dreams about herself and Mark.  But it’s an impossible dream... an impossible love... Or is it? 

Pam is a lot like Jessica Wakefield.

This is an excellent book.

37. Sing About Us, Winifred Madison, 1982

When Judy and her best friend, Tammie, make a foolish wish—for an exciting new boy to walk into their lives—Judy doesn't expect it to come true.

But it does!  The boy is Chip, a senior and a glamorous rock star.  Judy and Chip start spending every free moment together.  Judy even helps Chip write songs to perform. 

But the night of the Halloween Dance, when Tammie arrives in a belly dancer's costume, Chip can't take his eyes off her.  Just as fast as he fell for Judy, he falls for Tammie. 

Judy is crushed. She's lost Chip and she's angry at Tammie.  She feels alone and hurt and empty.  But she's still determined to make her senior year an exciting year...

The first 90 pages of this book are excruciating.  I found Chip to be so repulsive and couldn't stand Judy's obsession with him.  Judy even feeds Chip pieces of sandwich by placing them in his mouth.

And look at the photo cover!  Yuck.  Chip is gross.  In fact, he's far worse in the book than on the cover.  Chip speaks with an obnoxious fake cowboy dialect.  I cannot stand cowboy dialect in books.  Ugh.

Once Chip dumps Judy, the book becomes bearable.  Once both girls have been dumped by Chip, the book becomes good.  The good part starts on page 124, two-thirds of the way into the story.

When Tammie steals Chip from Judy, Judy thinks about shooting both of them.  Fortunately, she doesn't have a gun.  The possibility of Judy committing suicide is presented on page 103.  Judy thinks Tammie might have tried to commit suicide on page 124, and on page 125, she makes that suggestion to Tammie's father.  Yikes.  Judy is one intense girl.

This book is interesting in some ways, but it is also rather hard to read until towards the end.

Wildfire #34 Goodbye, Pretty One and #35 Just a Summer Girl

34. Goodbye, Pretty One – Lucille S. Warner, 1982

Karen thinks her life is just about perfect.  Her parents dote on her, give her anything she wants.  And she has Brad—handsome, serious, Brad.  As far as she can see, they're the perfect couple. 

So she doesn't understand at all when Brad says, "It's not working, Kar.  Maybe when you grow up a little..."  What does he mean? 

Over the summer, Karen finds out.  She lands her first job and meets new people, including sophisticated Jason. 

Karen is growing up!  She keeps thinking, If only Brad could see me now...

This book is very good.  Karen is such a silly girl and is clueless about her behavior.  She gradually learns and begins to grow up.

35. Just a Summer Girl, Helen Cavanagh, 1982

Summer at the beach.  Every year Nina looks forward to it.  Endless days in the sun, beach parties, dances, picnics.  And lots of time for her painting and drawing. 

Nina hopes this summer will be special.  And it is.  She falls in love.  She's never felt as attracted to a boy as she is to Ben.  But Ben doesn't understand Nina.  He wants to be a fisherman and live quietly on the island, while she is a city girl who wants to be an artist. 

Nina's not sure she can change her life... even for Ben. 

I never connected with this story.  Ben never seems right for Nina, and I couldn't see why she is attracted to him.  I skimmed a lot of this story.  I did not like this book.

Wildfire #32 Junior Prom and #33 He Loves Me Not

32. Junior Prom, Patricia Aks, 1982

Amy is positive she’s the only sophomore who has never had a date!  She doesn't even know any boy—except Jeff.  But he's quiet and shy and hardly knows Amy is alive.  

More than anything, Amy wants to go to the Junior Prom.  She won't have a chance, though, unless she does something drastic.  So she launches a campaign to get a Prom invitation from a junior boy. 

Her plan seems to work at first.  She has dates with Grant and Len and Hank.  But no boy asks her out twice.  What does Amy do wrong?  When the prom is just ten days away, Amy loses all hope of ever being asked.  But then...

The word "retarded" is used in this book at least three times and possibly more than that.  I did not keep track.  That word is now quite offensive, so it really stands out when used in old books.

Amy goes about impressing her dates in the stupidest way possible.  She memorizes information about each boy's interests, and then she throws as much of that information as she can into their conversations.  Each boy must think she is crazy, which is why none of them ask her out again.

I found the book to be quite boring, and I only stuck through it out of curiosity.  I wanted to see when Amy comes to her senses.  I marginally enjoyed the book and skimmed parts of it.

33. He Loves Me Not, Caroline B. Cooney, 1982

Alison has never had a boyfriend—or even a date!  She plays piano with a band and spends her weekends performing at parties and dances.  She works hard, and she has no time for anything except school and work.

When she meets Ted it looks like an impossible relationship.  Ted is just as busy as she is.  And they don't even go to the same school.  Still, he asks for Alison's phone number, and Alison begins to hope that maybe—just maybe—her life is going to change...

The plot moves very slowly in this book, but the story is very good.  For some reason, the slow pace did not bother me at all.