The Secret of the Hardy Boys: Leslie McFarlane and the Stratemeyer Syndicate
384The Secret of the Hardy Boys: Leslie McFarlane and the Stratemeyer Syndicate
384Paperback(1)
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Overview
The author of the Hardy Boys Mysteries was, as millions of readers know, Franklin W. Dixon. Except there never was a Franklin W. Dixon. He was the creation of Edward Stratemeyer, the savvy founder of a children's book empire that also published the Tom Swift, Bobbsey Twins, and Nancy Drew series.
The Secret of the Hardy Boys: Leslie McFarlane and the Stratemeyer Syndicate recounts how a newspaper reporter with dreams of becoming a serious novelist first brought to life Joe and Frank Hardy, who became two of the most famous characters in children's literature.
Embarrassed by his secret identity as the author of the Hardy Boys books, Leslie McFarlane admitted it to no one-his son pried the truth out of him years later. Having signed away all rights to the books, McFarlane never shared in the wild financial success of the series. Far from being bitter, however, late in life McFarlane took satisfaction in having helped introduce millions of children to the joys of reading.
Commenting on the longevity of the Hardy Boys series, the New York Times noted, "Mr. McFarlane breathed originality into the Stratemeyer plots, loading on playful detail."
Author Marilyn Greenwald gives us the story of McFarlane's life and career, including for the first time a compelling account of his writing life after the Hardy Boys. A talented and versatile writer, McFarlane adapted to sweeping changes in North American markets for writers, as pulp and glossy magazines made way for films, radio, and television. It is a fascinating and inspiring story of the force of talent and personality transcending narrow limits.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780821422779 |
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Publisher: | Ohio University Press |
Publication date: | 01/31/2017 |
Edition description: | 1 |
Pages: | 384 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Marilyn Greenwald, a former newspaper reporter, is a professor of journalism at Ohio University. She is the author of Pauline Frederick Reporting: A Pioneering Broadcaster Covers the Cold War, A Woman of the Times: Journalism, Feminism, and the Career of Charlotte Curtis (Ohio University Press, 1999), and The Secret of the Hardy Boys: Leslie McFarlane and the Stratemeyer Syndicate (Ohio University Press, 2004).
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments | ix | |
Introduction | xi | |
Chapter 1. | Two Lives Intersect | 1 |
Chapter 2. | A Writer Is Born | 17 |
Chapter 3. | The Ghost of the Hardy Boys | 31 |
Chapter 4. | Birth of a Series | 48 |
Chapter 5. | A Well-Oiled Machine | 63 |
Chapter 6. | The Golden Handcuffs | 76 |
Chapter 7. | Tough Times | 90 |
Chapter 8. | The Circle Grows | 107 |
Chapter 9. | Good or Bad Books? | 124 |
Chapter 10. | The Best and Worst of Times | 141 |
Chapter 11. | New Opportunities | 159 |
Chapter 12. | Directing the Picture | 171 |
Chapter 13. | On the Air | 188 |
Chapter 14. | A Tragic Time | 202 |
Chapter 15. | A Ghost Emerges | 220 |
Chapter 16. | Ghosts of Their Former Selves | 234 |
Chapter 17. | At Home at the Typewriter | 254 |
Chapter 18. | The Final Chapter | 273 |
References | 283 | |
Published Works by Leslie McFarlane | 303 | |
Index | 305 |