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Book Details
The Secret at Shadow Ranch Book #5 in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series by Carolyn Keene was copyrighted by Grosset & Dunlap in 1931. 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 Secret of Red Gate Farm Nancy, Bess, and George become entangled in a mystery after Bess purchases a suspicious product from a perfume saleswoman. Their investigation leads them to Red Gate Farm, where they discover a secret society operating behind a front of natural beauty and tranquility. Strange nighttime rituals, hidden caves, and coded messages point to a larger criminal scheme involving counterfeiting. With determination and teamwork, Nancy and her friends unravel the mystery and expose the operation.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 Secret of Red Gate Farm. 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 vibrant red topstain. The dust jacket retains Illustrator Russell H. Tandy’s vivid artwork of Nancy crouched in the shadows near a moonlit hillside, watching a circle of white-robed figures engaged in a strange ritual beneath the full moon. 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
Very Good vintage condition. Dust jacket colors have remained crisp. Jacket has a small missing piece at the bottom and at the top and bottom on the spine. Blue cloth boards are vibrant with rubbing along all edges of the book and spine. Bright embossed orange lettering is still clear. Decorative bright orange silhouette endpapers are clean with age-toning. Red topstain is vibrant and the binding is strong and fully intact. 203 pages are age-toned and free of markups, creases or stains. There are small tears at the bottom of the frontispiece, title and copyright pages 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 9.5 oz.
