The Secret of the Old Clock
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| The Secret of the Old Clock | |
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| Author | Carolyn Keene |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Nancy Drew Mystery Stories |
| Genre(s) | Mystery novel |
| Publisher | Grosset & Dunlap |
| Publication date | 1930 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
| Followed by | Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase |
The Secret of the Old Clock is the first book in the Nancy Drew mystery series by Carolyn Keene. Nancy Drew is a young detective, about 16 years old when the series starts, and her father is a well-known lawyer in River Heights, where the Drew family lives. The housekeeper, Mrs. Hannah Gruen, lives with the family. In early original text stories, she is a servant. Later in the series, she is treated more as a member of the family, and this is the role she plays in revised stories.
As of the year 2001, it ranked 53rd on a list of the all-time best-selling hardcover children's book in English; according to Publishers Weekly, it had sold about 2.7 million copies.[1].
[edit] Plot introduction
In the original released in April 1930, Nancy is a 18 year-old high school graduate, who desires to help the poor, struggling relatives of Josiah Crowley, recently deceased. She is spurred on by her dislike for his "heirs," snobbish, wealthy rivals in the community. Traveling through the rural area in her blue roadster, Nancy investigates by interviewing various relatives and friends of Crowley, and has a run-in with thieves in trying to recover Crowley's mantle clock, in which the clue to the whereabouts his last will are hidden, including an exciting car chase involving guns and police. Along the way, Nancy is briefly aided by Helen Corning, a chum, and encounters girls her own age, the Horners, who stand to inherit by the discovery of the later will. Many of the meetings are accidental.
In the 1959 version, Nancy is 18, and is most prompted to help the Crowley kin by her affection for a young child who is a distant relative. The Horners are now the Hoovers, and Nancy helps to discover musical talent in their family. She uses her high-powered navy blue convertible to aid her in her search. This Nancy is more refined and sedate, the gun chase is toned-down, her rivals are depicted as very undeserving of wealth, and Helen is older (in preparation for her initial "write-out," after volume 4 of the revised series---no explanation is made in the original series to introduce Bess and George.)
Artwork: In 1930, this volume was published with the white-spine dust jacket shown, and four glossy black and white illustrations. In 1937, three of the illustrations were eliminated, leaving only a frontispiece. In 1943, this art was updated to fit current 1940's style. In 1950, the dust jacket was re-done as a wraparound jacket, with the picture continuing onto the spine of the book, with 1950's era appearance. When the new text was published in 1959, five illustrations were added. In 1962, dust jackets were eliminated by the publisher, and the books were issued with the art directly on the cover with yellow spines and backs. In 1965, the art was updated on the cover, but all of the other illustrations remained the same.
