Author Topic: First Mystery You Ever Read?  (Read 13331 times)

Becke Davis

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First Mystery You Ever Read?
« on: December 23, 2019, 11:44:40 pm »
Nancy Drew books were the bread and butter of my childhood reading menu, but I'm pretty sure the very first mystery I ever read came from the Weekly Reader Book Club. It was called THE SECRET OF THE OLD POST BOX by Dorothy Sterling, and I still have my original copy of the book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/979876854

If you can remember, what were the first mysteries you ever read?

Kate Stine, Editor

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Re: First Mystery You Ever Read?
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2019, 11:22:51 am »
I bet I read some I can't remember now but the first I remember is a Nancy Drew book. I had to go to my Mom and ask what "Titian" meant.

Anyone else remember their first mystery?

Becke Davis

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Re: First Mystery You Ever Read?
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2019, 03:59:26 pm »
I bet I read some I can't remember now but the first I remember is a Nancy Drew book. I had to go to my Mom and ask what "Titian" meant.

Anyone else remember their first mystery?

Was the word "titian" used to describe someone's hair? I used to be a redhead and there have been a lot of redheads in my family, so we all picked up on red hair descriptions early on.

The Nancy Drew books were great for expanding vocabulary! I just read my 7-year-old granddaughter the first book in the new Nancy Drew Clue Crew series. She loved it! I'm tempted to get the Nancy Drew starter set, which are all books I remember reading: The Nancy Drew Starter Set is the perfect gift for aspiring detectives, or longtime fans of the series! The first five books are packaged together in a collectible box set with an updated design. Titles included are #1 The Secret of the Old Clock, #2 The Hidden Staircase, #3 The Bungalow Mystery, #4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn, and #5 The Secret of Shadow Ranch.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/550422/nancy-drew-starter-set-by-carolyn-keene/

JRob

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Re: First Mystery You Ever Read?
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2019, 06:54:14 pm »
I can't really be sure but it was either Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators or The Hound of the Baskervilles illustrated digest sized version that my parents gave me.

Becke Davis

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Re: First Mystery You Ever Read?
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2019, 12:35:21 am »
I can't really be sure but it was either Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators or The Hound of the Baskervilles illustrated digest sized version that my parents gave me.

I knew that the Nancy Drew books were written by "Carolyn Keene" but I didn't realize she also wrote the Hardy Boy books and many others!

https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/adams-harriet-stratemeyer

Kate Stine, Editor

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Re: First Mystery You Ever Read?
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2019, 12:08:56 pm »
Becke,
The word "titian" was used to describe Nancy's hair. Her hair color ranged from blonde, to strawberry blond to reddish blond over the years.

Becke Davis

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Re: First Mystery You Ever Read?
« Reply #6 on: December 30, 2019, 01:13:52 pm »
Becke,
The word "titian" was used to describe Nancy's hair. Her hair color ranged from blonde, to strawberry blond to reddish blond over the years.

Wow, I didn't know that! I always picture her as a blonde, or maybe a strawberry blonde. Now that I think of it, I pictured her looking like my mom did when she was a teenager.

Denise

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Re: First Mystery You Ever Read?
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2020, 02:35:58 am »
I can't really be sure but it was either Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators or The Hound of the Baskervilles illustrated digest sized version that my parents gave me.

I knew that the Nancy Drew books were written by "Carolyn Keene" but I didn't realize she also wrote the Hardy Boy books and many others!

https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/adams-harriet-stratemeyer

Carolyn Keene and other author names were used by a stable of different writers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Keene
"Poirot," I said. "I have been thinking."  "An admirable exercise, my friend. Continue it." - Agatha Christie, Peril at End House

Brian

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Re: First Mystery You Ever Read?
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2020, 09:51:50 am »
I had an older sister so I read her Nancy Drew hand-me-downs. So my first mystery was The Secret of the Old Clock. Fantastic. Then The Hidden Staircase. Wow! Even better.

She also had the Dana girls. The Mystery of the Locked Room was terrific!

Then my aunt found me reading another Nancy Drew or Dana Girls and said "What are you doing?" Those are for girls!." And she gave me my first Hardy Boys: Footprints Under the Window. Also very good.

My first "adult" mystery was either The House of Brass by Ellery Queen, or an Agatha Christie.

Becke Davis

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Re: First Mystery You Ever Read?
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2020, 11:51:37 am »
I can't really be sure but it was either Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators or The Hound of the Baskervilles illustrated digest sized version that my parents gave me.

I knew that the Nancy Drew books were written by "Carolyn Keene" but I didn't realize she also wrote the Hardy Boy books and many others!

https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/adams-harriet-stratemeyer

Carolyn Keene and other author names were used by a stable of different writers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Keene

Check out the Harriet Adams Stratemeyer link for a list of the books and author names, including Carolyn Keene.