Edward Stratemeyer
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Stratemeyeredward.jpg
Edward Stratemeyer (October 4, 1862 - May 10, 1930) was an American publisher and writer of books for children. He created the Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Rover Boys, and Tom Swift series, among others.
Stratemeyer pioneered the technique of producing long-running, consistent series of books using a team of freelance authors to write standardized novels, which were published under a pen name owned by his company. Through his Stratemeyer Syndicate Stratemeyer produced short plot summaries for the novels in each series, which he sent to other writers who completed the story, writing a specified number of pages and chapters.
Stratemeyer's series were also innovative in that they were intended purely as entertainment, with little of the moral lessons or educational intent found in most other popular fiction of the early twentieth century. Instead, he produced straightforward action or mystery stories centered around idealized heroes and heroines.
References
- O'Rourke, Meghan. 2004. Nancy Drew's father: the fiction factory of Edward Stratemeyer. The New Yorker. November 8:120-129.
External links
- The Hardy Boys Unofficial Home Page (http://hardyboys.bobfinnan.com/hb3.htm)