Franklin W. Dixon
Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who wrote the Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate.
Due to the popularity of the Syndicate's various series, its ghostwriters have produced "crossover" novels, containing characters drawn from multiple, otherwise independent series. For example, the Hardy Boys have solved mysteries with both Nancy Drew and Tom Swift. In several cases, these efforts are credited to Dixon, who is given preference over Carolyn Keene and Victor Appleton, the pseudonyms associated with the other series.
The most widely recognized ghostwriter was Leslie McFarlane (1902-1977) who, between 1927 and 1946, wrote 19 of the first 25 Hardy Boys.