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Book Details
The Whispering Statue Book #14 in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series by Carolyn Keene was copyrighted by Grosset & Dunlap in 1937. Circa Mid-1940s Vintage Edition. Writer\'s Background
Carolyn Keene was the shared pen name for writers working under the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the book-packaging firm behind Nancy Drew. The writer behind the earliest volumes was Mildred Wirt Benson (1905-2002), a young journalist who poured her spirited energy into Nancy, shaping her as a confident and independent girl detective, a heroine unafraid to take risks and think for herself.Story
In The Whispering Statue, Nancy travels to a coastal town with Bess and George to help her father investigate a shady art dealer and a marble statue that bears a striking resemblance to her. As she takes on a secret identity to solve the case, Nancy works to recover a valuable stolen heirloom, protect a vulnerable widow from fraud, and unravel the mystery behind the lifelike statue. Her college boyfriend, Ned Nickerson joins the girls partway through the case and assists Nancy as the mystery deepens. Together, they navigate a web of art fraud, hidden identities, and seaside suspense.Collectible Notes
Title page contains a note of compliance with government regulations for the conservation of paper, making this book a collectible tied to World War II. The dust jacket flap lists Nancy Drew Mystery Stories in sequential order, including titles published after The Whispering Statue. Combined with the distinctive high-acid wood pulp paper stock used during wartime, this later edition was issued sometime between 1944 and 1945. Book features the iconic blue cloth boards stamped with the orange Nancy silhouette, matching orange silhouette endpapers and a red topstain. The dust jacket retains Illustrator Russell H. Tandy’s vivid artwork of Nancy hiding behind a marble statue of a woman with her hand raised to her lips, watching as a man in a suit and hat approaches from the background. For children living through wartime-rationing and uncertainty, the story offered courage, escape, and the thrill of justice. NOTE: The dust jacket has been reinforced with a paper backing and covered by a clear cellophane wrapper, protective measures added later to preserve its condition.Condition
Good vintage condition. Dust jacket colors have remained crisp. Jacket has only a couple of small chips at the edges and top of the spine with very tiny tears at the top and bottom of the jacket. Blue cloth boards have softened to a more muted tone with age, a common variation in Grosset & Dunlap bindings from this era. Embossed orange lettering is still clear. Decorative bright orange silhouette endpapers are clean with age-toning and foxing. Red topstain is muted with age and the binding is strong and fully intact. 217 pages are age-toned and free of markups, creases or stains. The first 4 pages have small tears at the bottom near the seam, pages 43-46 have large tears and all pages have darkened to brown, likely caused by the high-acid wood pulp paper used during WWII. Illustrated frontispiece is crisp and well-preserved. Last page contains the words \"The End.\" If you are interested in more than one Nancy Drew book, a 10% discount is available for two or more purchases.Carefully packaged and shipped with care from our smoke-free home. Now available to readers and collectors around the world through International Shipping. Measures 7.5\" long, 5.25” wide and 1\" deep. Weighs 10 oz.
