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 nameFranklin W. Dixon.
Series history
The Hardy Boys is 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, which are generally regarded as the best works of the series.
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 Over the course of 15 years the series was revised to modernize outdated vernacular, reduce story length, age the characters and remove the racial stereotypes prolific in many of the early books (although the series was unusually inclusive for the era in having two non-WASP Hardy sidekicks who were portrayed as normal, fully assimilated teenagers -- Tony Prito and Phil Cohen). The result of this process varied from one book to another. In some cases only minor changes resulted, while in others the entire plot and storyline were thrown out, resulting in an entirely new book bearing no resemblance to the original.
In 1979, after 52 years and 58 titles (which included the non-fiction Hardy Boys' 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 58 titles (referred to by some Hardy Boys enthusiasts as the canon or "blue spines") 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 Brothers series is supplemented by a series of graphic novels and, initially, a now-discontinued series of comic books. Also in 2005 Grosset & Dunlap gained permission to continue publishing more titles in hardcover, starting with Digest volumes 59 to 66.
The Hardy Boys are brother amateur detectives. Frank is the elder of the two, and Joe is the younger brother. The stories are an unageing series as, despite their hundreds of adventures totalling far more than a year, they are always 17 and 18 years old, (originally, they were 15 and 16 years old, but this was changed in later printings) and it is always, approximately, the present day.
The two boys live in Bayport with their father Fenton Hardy, a private detective formerly with the NYPD, their mother Laura, and their Aunt Gertrude, a character often used for comic relief. 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, another comic relief character. Other friends who assist the brothers include Phil Cohen, Biff Hooper, Jerry Gilroy and Tony Prito. The Bayport Police Department is represented by Police Chief Ezra (at least in one book "Clint") Collig, and Patrolman Con Riley. 'Detective' Oscar Smuff is often seen in cases as he comically blunders trying to solve a mystery. In the older stories, the Hardy Boys' cases often are linked to the confidential cases their detective father is currently working on. He sometimes asks them for help, while at other times they stumble upon villains and incidents that are connected to his cases.
The Hardys have a motorboat called the Sleuth and a yellowconvertible (In volumes 1-6, they use motorcycles, but this changes when Joe's is destroyed in "The Shore Road Mystery"). Mr. Hardy has an airplane, which is strangely is discibe in some books as being twin-engined, while single-engined in others. Chet Morton has a jalopy called the Queen, which is described as being tomato-red and described as being bright yellow. Biff Hooper has a jalopy, Tony Prito has a motorboat called the Napoli and drives his father's pick-up truck. Vehicles always seem to be damaged when the Boys are on them.
In 1987, the series was revised with the Hardy Boy Casefiles series. Consisting of 127 volumes, these stories were much darker in tone and featured plots involving espionage, governmental conspiracies, cults, militia groups, and organized crime. They also featured a level of violence unseen in previous Hardy Boys stories, a fact that became evident to readers in the opening pages of the first "Hardy Boys Casefile" novel as longtime supporting cast member Iola Morton was murdered by a terroristbomb planted in the Hardys' car.
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Hardy Boys canon books
The Hardy Boys canon books are the original books. Below are the names of the canon books:
This series was cancelled in 2005 with volume 190. The series has branched off into others (Casefiles, Clues Brothers, et.al.). The main Hardy Boys series today is the Undercover Brothers (2005-present).
These books were aimed younger readers, particularly in third and fourth grades. The series was introduced in 1997 and was cancelled in 2000 for lack of popularity.
This book had some big differences from the other Hardy Boys books, such as:
The Hardy Boys don't solve big, illegal crimes as they do the others
In these books, Frank and Joe are only 8 and 9, unlike the other books where they are 17 and 18.
The Casefiles series, aimed at older readers, was published by Archway Paperbacks (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) between 1987 and 1998. The Casefiles were a drastic change from the established Hardy Boys world. Some of their major features:
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 1970s items of memorabilia.
Other
The Hardy Boys, popular as ever, are still being reinvented in new ideas and products. September 2005 saw 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.
Hardy-Boys.Com Homepage - extensive fan site with historical, international, and television series information, as well as an ezine, The Bayport Gazette.
