Nancy Drew is the heroine of a popular mystery series for girls. The series was created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The series was ghostwritten in the early years primarily by Mildred Wirt Benson. Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (who succeeded her father Edward as the head of the Syndicate), contributed a number of volumes and oversaw the substantial revisions begun in the fifties.

All books are published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene

Over 200 million have been sold worldwide. Many people collect the series, which has gone through several formats over the years. The series has spawned various spin-offs, most prominently the Nancy Drew Files, starting with Secrets Can Kill (1991).

Nancy Drew's father is Lawyer Carson Drew, her mother died when she was young, so she lives in River Heights with her father and her housekeeper Hannah Gruen. She is often joined in her sleuthing activities by her close friends George Fayne and Bess Marvin. Nancy's boyfriend is (usually) Ned Nickerson who often lends his support and help, while George calls on her on-off counterpart Burt Eddleton, and Bess on Dave Evans.

An - incomplete - list of Nancy Drew books:

  • The Secret of the Old Clock
  • The Hidden Staircase
  • The Bungalow Mystery
  • The Mystery at Lilac Inn
  • The Secret at Shadow Ranch
  • The Secret of Red Gate Farm
  • The Clue in the Diary
  • Nancy's Mysterious Letter
  • The Sign of the Twisted Candles
  • The Password to Larkspur Lane
  • The Clue of the Broken Locket
  • The Message in the Hollow Oak
  • The Mystery of the Ivory Charm
  • The Whispering Statue
  • The Haunted Bridge
  • The Clue of the Tapping Heels
  • The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk
  • The Mystery of the Moss Covered Mansion
  • The Quest of the Missing Map
  • The Clue in the Jewel Box
  • The Secret in the Old Attic
  • The Clue in the Crumbling Wall
  • The Mystery of the Tolling Bell
  • The Clue in the Old Album
  • The Ghost of Blackwood Hall
  • The Clue of the Leaning Chimney
  • The Secret of the Wooden Lady
  • The Clue of the Black Keys
  • The Mystery at the Ski Jump
  • The Clue of the Velvet Mask
  • The Ringmaster's Secret
  • The Scarlet Slipper Mystery
  • The Witch Tree Symbol
  • The Hidden Window Mystery
  • The Haunted Showboat
  • The Secret of the Golden Pavilion
  • The Clue in the Old Stagecoach
  • The Mystery of the Fire Dragon
  • The Clue of the Dancing Puppet
  • The Moonstone Castle Mystery
  • The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes
  • The Phantom of Pine Hill
  • The Mystery of the 99 Steps
  • The Clue in the Crossword Cipher
  • The Spider Sapphire Mystery
  • The Invisible Intruder
  • The Mysterious Mannequin
  • The Crooked Banister
  • The Secret of Mirror Bay
  • The Double Jinx Mystery
  • Mystery of the Glowing Eye
  • The Secret of the Forgotten City
  • The Sky Phantom
  • Strange Message in the Parchment
  • Mystery of Crocodile Island
  • The Thirteenth Pearl
  • The Triple Hoax
  • The Flying Saucer Mystery
  • The Secret in the Old Lace
  • The Greek Symbol Mystery
  • \The Swami's Ring
  • The Kachina Doll Mystery
  • The Twin Dilemma
  • Captive Witness
  • Mystery of the Winged Lion
  • Race Against Time
  • The Sinister Omen
  • The Elusive Heiress
  • Clue in the Ancient Disguise

The books were reprinted in the 1970s and 1980s, and in the early 1990s, a new series of books were created for Simon & Schuster, under the new epithet The Nancy Drew Files. The 'Original' series was also extended, and in more recent years, the extra series' Nancy Drew on Campus and Nancy Drew Notebooks have added to the tales about the titian-haired sleuth.

Nancy Drew has (in)frequent crossover stories with The Hardy Boys, created under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon.

The name Carolyn Keene has also been used to author a shorter series of books in a similar (female detective) vein, as a more accurate crossbreed of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, entitled The Dana Girls, featuring detective sisters.

Actress Bonita Granville portrayed the character of Nancy Drew in four movies in the 1930s. A television series called The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries appeared on television in the 1970s, and another, brief series appeared in 1995. In 2003, ABC broadcast a TV film featuring Maggie Lawson as Nancy Drew.

The following titles have been adapted as computer games:

  • Secrets Can Kill
  • Stay Tuned for Danger
  • Message in a Haunted Mansion
  • The Treasure in the Royal Tower
  • The Final Scene
  • The Secret of the Scarlet Hand
  • The Haunted Carousel
  • The Secret of Shadow Ranch

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