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[[Image:Hardyboysnumber174.jpg|frame|Hide-and-Sneak (The Hardy Boys #174) Published in August 2002]]
[[Image:Hardyboysnumber174.jpg|frame|Hide-and-Sneak (The Hardy Boys #174) Published in August 2002]]


''The Hardy Boys'' was a creation of the [[Stratemeyer Syndicate]], the creators of dozens of successful book series such as the ''[[Rover Boys]]'', the ''[[Bobbsey Twins]]'' and ''[[Tom Swift]]'', and later, ''[[Nancy Drew]]''. [[Edward Stratemeyer]] conceived of the Hardy Boys in 1926, with the creation of plot outlines that would become the first volumes of the series. Various [[ghostwriter]]s were employed, under contract of secrecy, to pen the actual stories. The first author was [[Leslie McFarlane]], whose writing defined the literary style of the series, as well as the personalities and nuances of its characters. McFarlane authored volumes 1-16 and 22-24, which are generally regarded as the best works of the series.
''The Hardy Boys'' was a creation of the [[Stratemeyer Syndicate]], the creators of dozens of successful book series such as the ''[[Rover Boys]]'', the ''[[Bobbsey Twins]]'' and ''[[Tom Swift]]'', and later, ''[[Nancy Drew]]''. [[Edward Stratemeyer]] conceived of the Hardy Boys in 1926, with the creation of plot outlines that would become the first volumes of the series. Various [[ghostwriter]]s were employed, under contract of secrecy, to pen the actual stories. The first author was [[Leslie McFarlane]], whose writing defined the literary style of the series, as well as the personalities and nuances of its characters. McFarlane authored volumes 1-16 and 22-24.


Substantial revisions to the first 38 titles began in [[1959]]. Over the course of 15 years the series was revised to modernize outdated [[vernacular]], reduce story length, and remove the [[Ethnic stereotype|racial stereotypes]] prolific in many of the early books.
Substantial revisions to the first 38 titles began in [[1959]]. Over the course of 15 years the series was revised to modernize outdated [[vernacular]], reduce story length, and remove the [[Ethnic stereotype|racial stereotypes]] prolific in many of the early books.

Revision as of 00:38, 23 August 2005

The Hardy Boys is a popular series of detective/adventure books for boys chronicling the fictional adventures of teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy. The original Hardy Boys series was produced between 1927 and 1979 under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon.

File:Hardyboysnumber174.jpg
Hide-and-Sneak (The Hardy Boys #174) Published in August 2002

The Hardy Boys was a creation of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the creators of dozens of successful book series such as the Rover Boys, the Bobbsey Twins and Tom Swift, and later, Nancy Drew. Edward Stratemeyer conceived of the Hardy Boys in 1926, with the creation of plot outlines that would become the first volumes of the series. Various ghostwriters were employed, under contract of secrecy, to pen the actual stories. The first author was Leslie McFarlane, whose writing defined the literary style of the series, as well as the personalities and nuances of its characters. McFarlane authored volumes 1-16 and 22-24.

Substantial revisions to the first 38 titles began in 1959. Over the course of 15 years the series was revised to modernize outdated vernacular, reduce story length, and remove the racial stereotypes prolific in many of the early books.

In 1979, after 52 years and 59 titles (which includes Detective Handbook), Grosset & Dunlap lost the rights to publish any new Hardy Boys tales in a protracted court battle with the Syndicate. They did retain the right to continue publishing these 59 titles (refered to by some Hardy Boys enthusiasts as the canon or bluespines) and continue to do so to this day, despite several changes in ownership. In the meantime, Simon & Schuster continued the series in the Hardy Boys Digest series of paperback books. In 2005 the venerable Digest series was ended with volume 190 and a new series, The Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers, was started. The Undercover Brother series is supplemented by a series of graphic novels and, initially, a now-discontinued series of comic books. Also in 2005 Grosset & Dunlap got permission to continue publishing more titles in hardcover, starting with Digest volumes 59 to 66.

The Hardy Boys also appeared in several spin-off series: The Casefiles (127 volumes), the Clues Brothers (17 volumes), with Tom Swift in the 2 volume Ultra-Thriller series and with Nancy Drew in the 36 volume Supermystery series.

Hardy Boys books have been issued in over 25 languages, including Spanish, Dutch, French, German, Sinhala, Japanese, Russian, Malay, and Afrikaans. For more information on the international translations, see Hardy-Boys.Com's Foreign Section.

List of Original Titles (The Canon)

File:Acabin.gif
The Mystery Of Cabin Island - 1929

Story Background

The Hardy Boys are brother detectives, Frank being the elder of the two, and Joe his younger brother. The two sleuths live in Bayport with their father Fenton Hardy (himself a private detective and formerly an ace detective for the NYPD), their mother Laura, and their Aunt Gertrude. Frank's longtime girlfriend is Callie Shaw, while Joe is often linked with Iola Morton, the sister of the duo's good friend Chet Morton. Other friends who assist the brothers include Phil Cohen, Biff Hooper, Jerry Gilroy, and Tony Prito. The Bayport Police Department is represented by Chief Ezra Collig, Detective (and later civilian) Oscar Smuff and Patrolman Con Riley. In the older stories, the Hardy Boys' cases often are linked to the case their detective father is currently working on.

TV Appearances

The Hardy Boys have appeared five times on television, including programs on The Mickey Mouse Club in 1956 and 1957 starring Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk. In a 1967 pilot called "The Mystery Of The Chinese Junk" starring Tim Matthieson (later Matheson) as Joe Hardy and Rick Gates as Frank aired on NBC. Two years later, in 1969, ABC ran a Saturday Morning cartoon series (produced by Filmation) and later an ABC prime time series starring Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy from 1977-1979. There was also a syndicated 13 episode Canadian series in 1995 with Paul Popowich.

The Mickey Mouse Club series, the animated series and the 1970's ABC-TV series were responsible for the creation of many items of Hardy Boys memorabilia such as board games, comic books, jigsaw puzzles, dolls and other items. The teen heartthrob Shaun Cassidy was featured on many of the 1970's items of memorabilia.

Other

The Hardy Boys, popular as ever, are still being reinvented in new ideas and products. September 2005 will see the release of the first ever Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew "Supermystery" PC Game. In 2002-3, Random House issued the first seven volumes on audio cassette.

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