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

Carolyn Keene
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (145 customer reviews)

List Price: $7.99
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Book Description

May 1, 1930 8 and up 760L (What's this?)
Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for a missing will.

Frequently Bought Together

The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) + The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #2) + The Bungalow Mystery (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, Bk 3)
Price for all three: $21.57

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Editorial Reviews

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."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Read by Laura Linney
3 hours, 14 minutes
2 cassettes

Nance Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for a missing will. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Details

  • Age Range: 8 and up
  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (May 1, 1930)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0448095017
  • ISBN-13: 978-0448095011
  • Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 0.8 x 7.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (145 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

I read all the Nancy Drew books when I was a kid, and this is the one that starts the series. Rima G. Hawkins  |  17 reviewers made a similar statement
I purchased this book for my 9 year old daughter and she absolutely loved it. Mireyasplace  |  17 reviewers made a similar statement
I liked this one a lot!Though I did not read this book first,it made want to read more. yummytulip:)  |  15 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format: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
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34 of 36 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
Format: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!
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad For Nancy's First Case April 12, 2003
Format: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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars It's Nancy Drew!
What more can I say? Other than I love that she knows how to dress and she doesn't say every thought that she has- I think today's youth could learn some things about good manners... Read more
Published 5 hours ago by Rita Raines
5.0 out of 5 stars What little girl doesn't like Nancy Drew
This was my first book series as a little girl and now my grand daughter is starting her collection with the first three. She is already in chapter 2, only had them a day... Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Mcgowin
5.0 out of 5 stars Bought this for my little sister.
She loved it. She has always been a fan of the Nancy Drew books, and she said that this one was a great addition to the series.
Published 1 month ago by Drew Bruckner
5.0 out of 5 stars It seems like yesterday
But it's been more than 50 years since I read this the first time. It is still as good as I had remembered. Now I'm going to read them all again in order.
Published 1 month ago by Terry A. M. Mumford
5.0 out of 5 stars COOL!!!!!!!!!!
I liked this one a lot!Though I did not read this book first,it made want to read more.I mean,I read THE MOONSTONE CASTLE MYSTERY in a HOUR just because I was sooo hooked. Read more
Published 1 month ago by yummytulip:)
5.0 out of 5 stars Nancy drew the secret of the old clock
It was a horrible book! Don't read it!
Trust me! Don't read it in the book any of the old clock is ticking to the world! Don't read it I say....don't u dare read it! Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Bilinsky
5.0 out of 5 stars The secret of the Old Clock:80th Anniversary
My 24 year old daughter will love it. A hard cover Nancy drew book is always good to add to a library
Published 2 months ago by Martha B. Pearce
5.0 out of 5 stars Never a Dull Moment
Nancy Drew series are great novels for any age. I began reading them when I was in middle school, thanks to the suggestion of my mom. Read more
Published 2 months ago by GAL
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Choice!
I loved Nancy Drew books when I was young and I am starting my granddaughter on the series. This is a great choice for the first book as it was her first in the series and I just... Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. Rotti
4.0 out of 5 stars 68 years later
Or maybe 70 yrs. ago I read all the Nancy Drew series, so, can't tell you how it would strike me now, but then, I devoured them as fast as I could. Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. Belisle
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Too young for a Kindle?
She is probably not too young. However, illustrations do not show up well and there are limited children's books available for Kindle. That is why we are not getting one for our 10 year old who loves to read. I do hope that changes soon!
Dec 17, 2010 by Linda Johnston |  See all 3 posts
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