Overview

The Hardy Boys series was originally conceived by publisher Edward Stratemeyer in 1926. Stratemeyer outlined the books and characters then hired Canadian author Charles Leslie McFarlane to serve as the initial ghostwriter for the series, working under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon. The first Hardy Boys book, The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure, was published in 1927.The series was a massive success. Dozens of new Hardy Boys books were commissioned in the following decades, written by McFarlane and his successors. However, beginning in the late 1950s, long after Stratemeyer's death and McFarlane's departure from the series, the publisher began a concerted effort to rewrite the original Hardy Boys books and bring them in line with ""modern"" sensibilities. Politically incorrect content was removed, the writing was simplified, and the plots were given more of an action-theme. These new editions from Passage Press restore the first three Hardy Boys books to their original form, as conceived by Stratemeyer and written by McFarlane. It is our hope that modern audiences will see what parents and children alike saw in these books for decades: The perfect introduction to reading for young people. Box set includes: The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure, The Hardy Boys: The House on the Cliff, and The Hardy Boys: The Secret of the Old Mill.

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9781959403418

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Franklin W. Dixon is a pseudonym for the writers of the Hardy Boys series, most notably for author Leslie McFarlane. Leslie McFarlane (1902–1977) was a Canadian writer, newspaperman, filmmaker, and reluctant architect of one of the most beloved series in all of children’s literature. As a young journalist living in Springfield, Massachusetts, he answered a curious ad: “Writer wanted for juvenile series.” The gig paid $100 flat per book, without royalties, but in the early days of the Great Depression, this was enough to keep coal in the McFarlane family furnace. Thus began his double life as Franklin W. Dixon, ghostwriter of the first 21 Hardy Boys books. McFarlane brought real literary flair to the job, slipping challenging vocabulary and high drama into formulaic plots he often rewrote entirely. His knack for adventurous storytelling and keen sense of humor helped millions of kids fall in love with reading.

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