The secret of the old clock by Carolyn Keene

The Secret of the Old Clock is the first volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was first published on April 28, 1930, and rewritten in 1959 by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. On January 1, 2026, the original version of the novel entered the public domain in the USA. Nancy Drew is a sixteen-year-old high school graduate (her age was changed to eighteen in the 1959 rewrite). Her father, Carson Drew, is a well-known criminal defense lawyer. The Drews reside in River Heights and employ a housekeeper, Hannah Gruen. In early editions, she is depicted as a mere servant; later in the series, she becomes more of a family member. In 2001, the novel ranked 53rd on Publishers Weekly's list of the all-time best-selling hardcover children's books in English, having sold about 2.7 million copies. (This summary is from Wikipedia.)

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About this eBook

Author Keene, Carolyn
Illustrator Tandy, Russell H., 1891-1963
LoC No. 30012384
Title The secret of the old clock
Original Publication New York, NY: Grosset & Dunlap, 1930.
Series Title Nancy Drew mystery stories ; 1
Note Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_of_the_Old_Clock
Credits Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net
Summary The Secret of the Old Clock is the first volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was first published on April 28, 1930, and rewritten in 1959 by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. On January 1, 2026, the original version of the novel entered the public domain in the USA.
Nancy Drew is a sixteen-year-old high school graduate (her age was changed to eighteen in the 1959 rewrite). Her father, Carson Drew, is a well-known criminal defense lawyer. The Drews reside in River Heights and employ a housekeeper, Hannah Gruen. In early editions, she is depicted as a mere servant; later in the series, she becomes more of a family member.
In 2001, the novel ranked 53rd on Publishers Weekly's list of the all-time best-selling hardcover children's books in English, having sold about 2.7 million copies. (This summary is from Wikipedia.)
Language English
LoC Class PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres
Subject Teenage girls -- Juvenile fiction
Subject Mystery and detective stories
Subject Wills -- Juvenile fiction
Subject Women detectives -- Juvenile fiction
Subject Drew, Nancy (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction
Subject Lost and found possessions -- Juvenile fiction
Category Text
eBook-No. 77924
Release Date
Last Update Apr 4, 2026
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
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