Newswise — Nancy Drew is one of the most famous figures in American popular fiction and one of the most successful: more than 80 million copies of her mysteries have been sold since The Secret of the Old Clock was published in 1930. This year the spunky sleuth celebrates her 75th anniversary in print and to mark the occasion the University of Maryland Libraries present Nancy Drew and Friends: Girls' Series Books Rediscovered. This exhibit, which opens September 1 in Hornbake Library and runs through the end of the year, examines the impact that girls' series books—from Nancy Drew to Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames and many more—have had on the life and culture of America, and showcases the Rose and Joseph Pagnani Collection of more than 300 books from 33 different series published from 1917-1980.
"Nancy Drew and the other girl sleuths in these books are appealing heroines: they are clever, fearless, capable, and can do just about anything," said Ann Hudak, Assistant Curator, Marylandia and Rare Books Department, University of Maryland Libraries.
Nancy Drew was the brainchild of Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the syndicate that spawned such successful series as The Bobbsey Twins, The Hardy Boys and Tom Swift. Stratemeyer hired author Mildred Wirt Benson to breathe life into Nancy, and under the pseudonym of Carolyn Keene she wrote many of the initial books in the series as well as numerous other adventure series for girls under this and other pen names. Nancy's popularity helped spawn a new genre of mystery and adventure series targeted at girls, and many of them featured professional young women such as nurses, actresses, journalists, stewardesses and pilots.
On October 7, 2005, the UM Libraries will sponsor a symposium, Reading Nancy Drew, featuring UM experts and others who will discuss various aspects of Nancy Drew's impact on young readers across generations. Melanie Rehak will also talk about her new book, Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her, copies of which will be available for purchase. For more information on the symposium and exhibit, please visit http://www.lib.umd.edu/mdrm/gallery.html
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