Rediscovering Nancy Drew

"Rediscovering Nancy Drew is a rich collection of literary memories and insightful cultural comments."--Journal of Children's Literature "Nancy, especially the Nancy of the original story, is our bright heroine, chasing down the shadows, conquering our worst fears, giving us a glimpse of our brave and better selves, proving to everybody exactly how admirable and wonderful a thing it is to be a girl. Thank you, Nancy Drew."--Nancy Pickard "Nancy Drew belongs to a moment in feminist history; it is a moment, I suggest, that we celebrate, allowing ourselves the satisfaction of praising her for what she dared and forgiving her for what she failed to undertake or understand."--Carolyn G. Heilbrun "Rediscovering Nancy Drew lights up the territory. It informs, delights, and acknowledges through love and scholarship a debt long overdue."--Dale H. Ross In 1991, women staff and faculty at the University of Iowa discovered that the pseudonymous author of the original Nancy Drew books, Carolyn Keene, was none other than Mildred Wirt Benson, the first person to earn a master's degree in journalism at Iowa. The excitement caused by their discovery led to the 1993 Nancy Drew Conference, which explored the remarkable passion for Nancy Drew that spans a wide spectrum of American society. The result: a lively collaboration of essays by and interviews with mystery writers, collectors, publishers, librarians, scholars, journalists, and fans which presents a spirited, informative, totally enjoyable tribute to the driver of that blue roadster so many readers have coveted.

Featuring interactive elements on each spread, offers a glimpse into the world of Nancy Drew highlighting her favorite mysteries.

Nine critical essays contribute to the accelerating academic investigation into girls' fiction as mechanics of gender formation in the 20th century. Among the series they discuss are Ann of Green Gables, Isabel Carleton, Linda Lane, Betsy-Tacy, and several focusing on automobiles, as well as Nancy herself. They also consider Girl Scouts and related organizations and books furthering the effort of World War II. No personal recollections are included. Paper edition (unseen), $18.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Writing & Art inspired by Nancy Drew from 97 contributors around the world -- from A to Z: Kathleen Aguero, Kimmy Alan, E. Kristin Anderson, Amanda Arkebauer, Roberta Beary, Sujoy Bhattacharya, Julie E. Bloemeke, Steve Bogdaniec, Anne Born, Tanya Bryan, Kathy Burkett, Bill Capossere, Sylvia Cavanaugh, Tricia Marcella Cimera, Ellen Cohen, Christine Collier, Linda Crosfield, Ashini J. Desai, Kristina England, Paul Fericano, Jennifer Finstrom, Jennifer Fisher, Deirdre Flint, Lea Shangraw Fox, Linda McCauley Freeman, Shivapriya Ganapathy, Erica Gerald Mason, Vijaya Gowrisankar, Geosi Gyasi, Maureen Hadzick-Spisak, Kathleen M. Heideman, Jennifer Hernandez, Kathleen Hogan, Juleigh Howard-Hobson, Mark Hudson, Mathias Jansson, Alice-Catherine Jennings, Jessie Keary, Elizabeth Kerper, Phyllis Klein, Tricia Knoll, Laurie Kolp, Jennifer Lagier, Kathleen Lawrence, Jenna Le, Joan Leotta, Kristie Betts Letter, Lorette C. Luzajic, Marieta Maglas, Ksenya Makarova, Shahe Mankerian, Susan Martinello, Karen Massey, Cathy McArthur, Nancy McCabe, Catfish McDaris, Patricia McGoldrick, Michelle McMillan-Holifield, Carolina Morales, Lylanne Musselman, Kaitlynn Nichol, Sarah Nichols, Faye Pantazopoulos, Lee Parpart, Stephanie R. Pearmain, James Penha, David Perlmutter, Robert Perret, Anna Pesnell, Jessica Purdy, Cynthia Todd Quam, Patrick T. Reardon, Nancy Reddy, Luisa Kay Reyes, Jeannie E. Roberts, Stephen D. Rogers, M.A. Scott, Shloka Shankar, Sheikha A., Sogol Shirazi, Donna JT Smith, Hilary A. Smith, Massimo Soranzio, Elizabeth Stark, Virginia Chase Sutton, Dorothy Swoope, Shrehya Taneja, Marjorie Tesser, Marion Tickner, Melanie Villines, Sarah Broussard Weaver, Mercedes Webb-Pullman, A. Garnett Weiss, Lin Whitehouse, Martin Willitts Jr, Marilyn Zelke-Windau."

"This collection of essays focuses on the girl sleuth, made famous by Nancy Drew but also characterized by other detectives like Cherry Ames, Trixie Belden, Linda Carlton, and, in today's world, by Veronica Mars and Hermione Granger. Solving mysteries is what each of the essayists strives to do, examining the conundrums these sleuths have left in their wake"--Provided by publisher.

This volume brings together for the first time critical work by Pinays of different generations and varying political and personal perspectives to chart the history of the Filipina experience.

Why did the figure of the girl come to dominate the American imagination from the middle of the nineteenth century into the twentieth? In Consumerism and American Girls' Literature Peter Stoneley looks at how women fictionalized for the girl reader the ways of achieving a powerful social and cultural presence. He explores why and how a scenario of 'buying into womanhood' became, between 1860 and 1940, one of the nation's central allegories, one of its favourite means of negotiating social change. From Jo March to Nancy Drew, girls' fiction operated in dynamic relation to consumerism, performing a series of otherwise awkward manoeuvres: between country and metropolis, uncouth and unspoilt, modern and anti-modern. Covering a wide range of works and authors, this book will be of interest to cultural and literary scholars alike.