I've got #1-28 and #30. Every once in a blue moon I go on eBay to sleuth around for the oval softcover paperbacks #29 or #31-34. Apparently the series went up to #39 in the square soft- & hardcovers. I also wouldn't mind acquiring an oval replacement for my #11 "ugly" (or thin hardcover) with an oval softcover. It would result in a much more aesthetically pleasing sight line.These babies are found on the bottom shelf of one of my IKEA bookcases, the one designated as the children's lit section. Note that they made the move with me, while my Nancys have been relegated to the far corner of my parents' basement. That's a tight spot I may have to rescue Nancy from the next time I'm out west. I was always a sucker for her titian hair.
For those of you who read Nancy Drew mysteries, you may want to look up a copy of Chelsea Cain's Confessions of a Teen Sleuth: A Parody. It pokes a bit of fun at all girls' series fiction.
I have my own confession to make. I started re-reading my Trixies in fall and they still hold the same charm for me as they did when I first got them. (I have paused at after #10 to squeeze in a few other finds. I'll be back.) But Jeepers! some of the events seem so dated: a life before cellphones, e-mail, Google, and blogs.
Juli! We just may be kindred spirits! Anne would be so proud! My "collection" has only 9 books - Little House on the Prairie. When I left Wpg, I made a potentially remorseful decision to give up my mismatched LHOP (Chloe inherited them) in order to forge ahead on my dream to own a matched hardcover set. One of the children I look after brought home the scholastic book order in which a boxed set of paperbacks was $40. Now, I knew going in that this newly published series has committed a heinous crime in that Garth Williams beloved cover drawings have been replaced by PHOTOS of little girls who do NOT match Laura and Mary in appearance nor spirit, and worse!, the drawings within the books themselves have been REMOVED. I was appalled a few years back when they COLOURED the beautiful sketches (Laura's boots were NOT blue). I am still after my original hard covers, but I wanted a set to be able to read (every Christmas, out they come). But part of the magic has gone with Garth Williams' drawings.
ReplyDeleteWhew. That was a lot for 5:30 a.m. I need to go lie down.
p.s. I LOVEd Trixie Belden - Honey, the twins with the sticky hands...
p.s. ignore spelling (starting with the first word of that rant - your name). It's 5:30 a.m.
ReplyDeleteActually, I get Juli, July, and Julia a lot; I'm almost immune to it. I only own one 2nd-hand LHOP: On the Banks of Plum Creek. I remember it being my favorite). Re: Williams--How dare they?! Yep, Mary wore blue; Laura wore pink. Ma got the hair ribbons mixed up once; I just checked & it happened in Plum Creek. No wonder I liked that one. Plus they lived in a cool sod house near a creek. I kinda' figured a kindred spirit of L's could be a kindred spirit of mine.
ReplyDeleteJulie! We truly are cousins. My bookcase in my apartment has two shelves designated solely to the beautiful yellow Nancy Drew books (the other two have movies and the fifth is just a hodge-podge of random ones), although there are some Hardy Boys in there, too...
ReplyDeleteChelsea, I inherited about 1/2 my Nancys from Gwen, and she's the one that put me on to Hardy Boys. I'd forgotten to mention them. The _Confessions_ book speculates that there was a relationship btwn Nancy and Frank--what fun!
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