The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Illustrator), Sara Paretsky (Introduction) "NANCY DREW, an attractive girl of eighteen, was driving home along a country road in her new, dark-blue convertible..." (more)
Key Phrases: young sleuth, tire marks, Josiah Crowley, Abby Rowen, River Heights (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Girl sleuth, Nancy Drew, is introduced in this audio version of the first book in the series. After aiding an injured child, Nancy accidentally stumbles upon the mystery of Josiah Crowley's missing will. While several of Crowley's impoverished relatives claim that he had included them in his will, his arrogant relatives, seem to possess the only copy, which leaves them in total possession of the deceased man's fortune. Nancy is intrigued by the situation and begins searching for Crowley's missing antique clock, an object that reportedly contains a clue to the will's location. During her investigation, she encounters a series of obstacles, one of which is the theft of the clock by thieves. Nancy's rescue of the clock ultimately leads to her discovery of the real will. Narrator Laura Linney (The Mothman Prophecies, The Truman Show) delivers a pleasant listening experience with clear pronunciation and excellent timing. While the voices of some characters are more clearly delineated than others at times, the exchanges between characters are still easily followed. Background music is occasionally used, usually to indicate moments of tension. Libraries with a demand for fiction featuring girl detectives will want to add this to their collections.
Paula L. Setser, Deep Springs Elementary School, Lexington, KY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Summer 2005 (Volume XLVIII, Number 2, pp 248-250) Cover Story Septuagenarian Nancy Drew Still Solving Mysteries (Photo of The Hidden Staircase) "Since 1991, Applewood Books has been publishing exact replicas of the Original Nancy Drew Mystery Series from the 1930s--twenty to date. The originals feature a sixteen-year-old Nancy who was a bit more independent than her 1950s "revised version" who was eighteen and much more demure."

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 210 pages
• Publisher: Applewood Books; Facsimile edition (September 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557091552
• ISBN-13: 978-1557091550
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,738 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( P ) > Paretsky, Sara
  #25 in	Books > Children's Books > Popular Characters > Book Characters > Nancy Drew > Nancy Drew Mysteries
  #31 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( K ) > Keene, Carolyn

• This is item 1 in The Nancy Drew Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best books ever!, March 3, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) (Hardcover)

the first time i read this book, i couldn't put it down. it was so interesting. now i have the book and have read it a couple times now. i'm trying to collect the nancy drew hardbacks, and so far, i have #'s 1-15. but out of all the nancy drews that i've read, i think this one was one of the best. it's about nancy trying to find a missing will in a clock that will help nancy's friends receive money. there's so many suspenseful occurences in the book, and this is one of the best parts about it. if you love mysteries and nancy drew, then surely, you'll love this book.....also, if you're trying to collect the nancy drew hardbacks, then you should probably start out with this one, the very first one in the whole series. hope you like the book!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Case of Nancy Drew: An Adult Reader's Thoughts On OLD CLOCK, September 12, 2006

By	Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) (Hardcover)

Written by Mildred Wirt Benson from an outline by Edward Stratemeyer, THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK was first published in 1930. It was the first book in the Nancy Drew series, and it and those that followed presented its heroine as a rich, headstrong, and distinctly reckless teenager who sometimes carried a pistol and who wasn't above breaking the law when it suited her purposes.

As the series progressed and other writers began to generate Nancy Drew novels, the character changed and Nancy was "toned down;" instead of flatly rich, she became reasonably affluent; recklessness was replaced by commonsense caution; and while she might be willing to bend the law a bit she would never knowingly break it. In the 1950s and 1960s the earlier novels were re-written to reflect this change in character.

THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK was significantly rewritten in 1959, and the 1959 version is the only version currently in print. Given its era, you will find nothing in the way of cell phones, computers, or the like; Nancy's fashion sense includes gloves; and she always seems find time to whip up a credible meal from scratch for friends. This particular story finds Nancy involved in a search for a missing will. She is assisted in this by her father, who is a noted attorney, and by her older friend Helen Corning. (The re-occuring characters of George, Bess, and Ned do not appear in the earliest books.) As her investigation progresses she not only finds herself at odds with unworthy heirs, but confronting furniture thieves as well.

The Nancy Drew books are not great literature by any stretch of the imagination--they are too distinctly formula for that--but they are competently written, literate, and never talk down to their target audience; they are also good "comfort reading" for grown-ups who recall their childhood reading fondly. THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK is not, at least in my opinion, the "best" of the series, but it is no less amusing for all that. Innocent fun.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad For Nancy's First Case, April 12, 2003

By	J. Thiel "jtthiel" (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) (Hardcover)

This review concerns both the original 1930 edition as well as the revised 1959 edition. Josiah Crowley has died and his will states that all of his money is to be left to the rich, snobby Topham family, who only took the old man into their home so that they could get his fortune. However, there are rumors of a second will which would leave the money to people that actually liked and cared for Josiah and who are really in need of it. Desperatley wanting to help these people, Nancy is determined to locate the second will if it exists. The original and revised editions have some differences (aside from the revised being shorter), but basically they tell the same story. Personally, I prefer the original edition. The writing is so much better in the original and the scenes are so well described that you can almost picture yourself there. The revised editions are all stripped of the rich language that characterized the early original editions. The story isn't bad and the mystery isn't very complex, which is understanable given that this is Nancy's first case. This isn't the most exciting book, but it does manage to keep you entertained while you're reading it.