The Hardy Boys are the heroes of a popular series of detective books for boys. Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate created the plot outlines, while Leslie McFarlane wrote 18 of the first 24 books in the series, all under the pen-name Franklin W. Dixon. The first three books were published in 1927. (Some later books were also written by Harriet (Stratemeyer) Adams, daughter of Edward Stratemeyer).
In 1959, the first 38 titles were revised, "revisions ranged from slight alteration to completely new stories. All the stories were reduced in length, had obsolete prose updated and had racial stereotypes (which abounded in many of the early volumes) removed". In 1979 Grosset & Dunlap lost the rights to publish any new Hardy Boys tales, but retained the rights to the 59 titles to that date (the 58 in the series, and the special Detective Handbook).
The original canon consists of:
- 01 The Tower Treasure (1927)
- 02 The House on the Cliff (1927)
- 03 The Secret of the Old Mill (1927)
- 04 The Missing Chums (1928)
- 05 Hunting for Hidden Gold (1928)
- 06 The Shore Road Mystery (1928)
- 07 The Secret of the Caves (1929)
- 08 The Mystery of Cabin Island (1929)
- 09 The Great Airport Mystery (1930)
- 10 What Happened at Midnight (1931)
- 11 While the Clock Ticked (1932)
- 12 Footprints under the Window (1933)
- 13 The Mark on the Door (1934)
- 14 The Hidden Harbor Mystery (1935)
- 15 The Sinister Signpost (1936)
- 16 A Figure in Hiding (1937)
- 17 The Secret Warning (1938)
- 18 The Twisted Claw (1939)
- 19 The Disappearing Floor (1940)
- 20 The Mystery of the Flying Express (1941)
- 21 The Clue of the Broken Blade (1942)
- 22 The Flickering Torch Mystery (1943)
- 23 The Melted Coins (1944)
- 24 The Short-Wave Mystery (1945)
- 25 The Secret Panel (1946)
- 26 The Phantom Freighter (1947)
- 27 The Secret of Skull Mountain (1948)
- 28 The Sign of the Crooked Arrow (1949)
- 29 The Secret of the Lost Tunnel (1950)
- 30 The Wailing Siren Mystery (1951)
- 31 \The Secret of Wildcat Swamp (1952)
- 32 The Crisscross Shadow (1953)
- 33 The Yellow Feather Mystery (1954)
- 34 The Hooded Hawk Mystery (1954)
- 35 The Clue in the Embers (1955)
- 36 The Secret of Pirate's Hill (1956)
- 37 The Ghost of Skeleton Rock (1957)
- 38 The Mystery at Devil's Paw (1959)
- 39 The Mystery of the Chinese Junk (1960)
- 40 The Mystery of the Desert Giant (1961)
- 41 The Clue of the Screeching Owl (1962)
- 42 The Viking Symbol Mystery (1963)
- 43 The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior (1964)
- 44 The Haunted Fort (1965)
- 45 The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge (1966)
- 46 The Secret Agent on Flight 101 (1967)
- 47 The Mystery of the Whale Tattoo (1968)
- 48 The Arctic Patrol Mystery (1969)
- 49 The Bombay Boomerang (1970)
- 50 Danger on Vampire Trail (1971)
- 51 The Masked Monkey (1972)
- 52 The Shattered Helmet (1973)
- 53 The Clue of the Hissing Serpent (1974)
- 54 The Mysterious Caravan (1975)
- 55 The Witch-Master's Key (1976)
- 56 Jungle Pyramid (1977)
- 57 Mystery of the Firebird Rocket (1978)
- 58 Sting of the Scorpion (1979)
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), 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. Other friends who assist the brothers include Phil Cohen and Biff Hooper.
More recently, a new series of books entitled The Hardy Boys: Case Files has continued the tales in a more up-to-date manner.
There are numerous Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew books, and the three titular detectives have also appeared together in television series'.
