The Honey Bunch series of books were part of the Stratemeyer Syndicate of books which included the series Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and the Bobbsey Twins. This series was written under the pseudonym Helen Louise Thorndyke, and published for most of its life by Grosset & Dunlap. The first sixteen were written by Josephine Lawrence
Mildred Wirt Benson, who is best known for writing many of the first Nancy Drew books, also wrote 5 books in this series:
The series began in 1923 and chronicled Honey Bunch on various trips and adventures throughout the series. The original series lasted 34 books (with the 34th being published in 1955), although the final 2 books changed the original title from just "Honey Bunch" to "Honey Bunch and Norman", signaling the shift the series would take to attempt to appeal to both sexes.
The 35th book was listed in the back of #34 as Honey Bunch and Norman Visit Cocoa Land, but this book was never released, although the manuscript is in the New York Public Library.
In 1957 the series was re-vamped with a new title starting off the new Honey Bunch and Norman series. As would be done later by the Syndicate with the Dana Girls series also, recent titles in the original series were recycled throughout the beginning of the new series.
The final book of the Honey Bunch and Norman series was published in 1963, Honey Bunch and Norman and the Walnut Tree Mystery #12. This may be the last Stratemeyer Syndicate book to be published with a dust jacket, as most of the other Syndicate series seemed to phase them out by 1962. There is a manuscript for the unpublished 13th book, The Wooden Shoe Mystery, at the New York Public Library
Although the final book was published in 1963, the books remained in print for several years, although in the picture cover format, as Grosset & Dunlap had completely switched their line of series over to picture covers. It is believed that all 12 books were published in picture cover format. In the 1960s, Grosset & Dunlap had decided, for example with the Judy Bolton series and Connie Blair, to not republish select titles in picture cover format. It is possible this was done with the Honey Bunch and Norman series. Picture cover versions tend to be more difficult to find for this series since more copies were printed with dust jackets.
The first 12 books originally had individual cover art for each book by Walter S. Rogers, who was active with several Syndicate Series of the 1910s-1930s (The Bobbsey Twins and Hardy Boys for example). Marie Schubert took over with book 13, in a more modern fashion than Rogers had done. The Syndicate was moving toward more progressive artwork during this period throughout its popular series. Schubert continued until book 23 or 24 (book 24's cover illustration is unsigned). Book 24 also saw the end of individual cover-artwork, until the series was re-vamped in 1957. From book 25 on, Harry Lane is credited with the cover illustration. The previous books were also re-issued with the new, uniform artwork. Harry Lane's artwork was retired with book 32 of the original series. Books 33 and 34 had a new, uniform illustration which was also reused on book 5 of the revamped Honey Bunch and Norman series.
When the series was re-vamped in 1957, individual cover illustrations were returned.
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