Nancy's Mysterious Letter facts for kids
Original edition cover
|
|
| Author | Carolyn Keene |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Russell H. Tandy |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Nancy Drew Mystery Stories |
| Genre | Juvenile literature |
| Publisher | Grosset & Dunlap |
|
Publication date
|
1932, 1968 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-448-09508-4 |
| OCLC | 35978951 |
| Preceded by | The Clue in the Diary |
| Followed by | The Sign of the Twisted Candles |
Nancy's Mysterious Letter is the eighth book in the exciting Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1932. The story was written by Walter Karig. He took over writing for the series when the original writer, Mildred Wirt Benson, had to stop.
Contents
Solving the Mystery of the Stolen Mail
This book tells the story of Nancy Drew's adventure. She helps a postman who loses his mailbag. This event puts his job and retirement at risk. Nancy also tries to find another person named Nancy Drew. This other Nancy is supposed to inherit a lot of money.
The 1932 Story: A Mailbag Mystery
The story begins in the autumn. Nancy Drew and her friends are enjoying hot cocoa. The postman, Ira Dixon, visits them. He is close to retiring. He leaves his mailbag inside for a moment. Someone steals it!
Nancy is then called by postal officials. They think she might be involved in the theft. This makes things very difficult for the postman. His pension and career are now in danger.
Nancy plans a trip to Emerson College. She will visit her friend Ned Nickerson. A big football game is happening there. Before she leaves, a woman named Mrs. Skeets confronts Nancy. Mrs. Skeets says her letter with money was also stolen.
Nancy gets a letter from England. It says a "Nancy Smith Drew" is needed. This person is set to inherit a large fortune. Nancy Drew does not have a middle name. So, she starts looking for her namesake. The main suspect in the mail theft is Edgar Dixon. He is the postman's half-brother.
Nancy gets clues from Mrs. Skeets and her friend George Fayne. She finds out her namesake is visiting Emerson College. Ned plays well in the football game. Nancy sees the suspect, Edgar, at the stadium. Nancy tries to meet Nancy S. Drew.
During her investigation, Nancy and Ned find a scam. People are sending letters to get money for introductions. Nancy helps Miss Drew avoid a bad situation. She also helps clear Ira Dixon's name.
The 1968 Story: A Faster-Paced Adventure
The 1968 version of the book is shorter. It keeps the main mystery but changes some details. For example, Ira Dixon's name is changed to "Nixon." The story moves much faster.
Nancy still goes to Emerson College. Her friend Helen Corning is replaced by a new character. At Emerson, someone tries to hurt Nancy. They try to drop a heavy curtain on her. This happens after she is tricked into going to an empty theater stage.
Nancy is also attacked at the airport. A young woman lures her into a washroom. The woman then tries to make Nancy faint using a special cloth. The parts about the football game are also made shorter.
Artwork Through the Years
The pictures in the Nancy Drew books have changed over time. Different artists have created the covers and inside drawings.
Original Artwork by Russell H. Tandy
The first pictures for the 1932 book were made by Russell H. Tandy. He was a fashion artist. He drew for the Nancy Drew series from 1930 to 1949.
The original book showed Nancy chasing Edgar at the football stadium. It also had a shiny picture of Nancy at the postal inspector's office. There were three shiny pictures inside the book. From 1937, only the front picture was used. But a picture of Nancy, Nancy S. Drew, and Edgar was kept. Tandy updated this drawing in 1943. He changed the hairstyles to look like the 1940s.
Later Artwork Updates
In 1950, Bill Gillies created new cover art. It showed a close-up of Nancy outdoors in the snow. She is looking at a letter with a surprised face. This artwork was used until the 1968 book came out.
The 1968 cover art was done by Rudy Nappi. It shows Nancy in a pink suit holding a letter. There is also an image of the letter on a blue background. An artist who was not named drew new pictures for inside the book. These drawings show rare glimpses of the inside of Nancy Drew's home. The 1968 artwork is still used in newer copies of the book.
A 1973 edition from Collins showed Nancy and another man at night. They are about to be hit by a car.
