Young readers in the first half of the 20th century devoured books by Franklin W. Dixon, Carolyn Keene, Laura Lee Hope, and Victor Appleton, among others. What these readers didn’t know was that these authors were pseudonyms created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a well-oiled publishing machine founded by Edward Stratemeyer. Stratemeyer himself wrote many of the first books in the series to establish their tone and formula.

Faded Page has recently released new ebook versions of some of the Nancy Drew novels by Carolyn Keene that fall under public domain (for example, Nancy’s Mysterious Letter and the revised edition of The Secret of the Old Clock). Franklin W. Dixon, meanwhile, didn’t just write Hardy Boys stories: he wrote about aviation in the Ted Scott Flying Stories (such as Lost at the South Pole). And you may know Laura Lee Hope as the author of the Bobbsey Twins, but she also wrote stories about the Outdoor Girls, such as The Outdoor Girls at Foaming Falls. Finally, Victor Appleton is best known for his books about Tom Swift: we have a few of those, including Tom Swift and His Chest of Secrets.

If you’re looking for more light mysteries and adventure stories like this on Faded Page, come join us and proofread a few pages to expand our offerings even more. For more information about how to volunteer, check out our companion site, Distributed Proofreaders Canada.