Customer Reviews

The Secret of the Old Clock Nancy Drew Mystery Stories 1

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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!

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.

Nancy Drew is heading home when she witnesses a little girl almost get hit by a truck. This chance meeting with Judy and her aunts leads Nancy into her first mystery. The aunts were counting on inheriting money from their cousin Josiah Crowley. But other relatives have produced a will that leaves everything to them. When Nancy begins to realize the plight of everyone left out of the will, she feels she must investigate. But where might the real will be hidden?

I read many of Nancy's mysteries while growing up, but I realized I'd never read this one before. The story seemed a little more straight forward then I remember others being, but it might just be me. Still, Nancy tackles the case with her usual enthusiasm. I was most surprised to discover the Bess and George weren't present for this first adventure. Frankly, I missed them.

I simply must share the line that drew lots of laughs from me. A villain is confronting Nancy and says, "This will be the last time you'll ever stick your nose in business that doesn't concern you!" If you only knew, fella....

Nancy may not represent the best literature available, but she's fun escapism that everyone needs. Over 70 years old, she's proved her staying power. This is the perfect series to make life long mystery lovers out of kids. Sure worked for me.

This particular edition of The Secret of the Old Clock is a reprint of the original, 1930 text and is NOT THE 1959 REVISION. An easy way to tell is by the cover art. If Nancy Drew is walking through the woods while holding a clock, it is the 1930 text. If she is kneeling down, it is the rewrite.
With this in mind, it is important to understand that there is an extensive section involving racial stereotypes concerning an African American character that some may find offensive. For this reason, this book, in my opinion, is not really suitable for younger children. However, adults and older children who are familar with the Nancy Drew series and have read the 1959 version of this book will certainly enjoy reading this original text.
Having read both the 1930 and the 1959 version, my personal opinion is that the 1930 version is the better book. Unlike in the rewrite, we gain more insight into why Nancy and the Topham sisters do not get along, for example. There is also better character development and these characters seem more authentic. The rewrite suffers somewhat in these respects and should have simply been rewritten to remove the offensive material while leaving the remaining text mostly intact.

When you first read, "The Secret of the Old Clock" by Carolyn Keene, you will notice that it is fiction. You will read about mystery, persistence, and suspense.
Nancy Drew is an attractive 18-year-old who is crazy about her dark- blue convertible. She also loves the thrill of getting her hands in any mystery case. She lives with her dad, (Carson drew) who is a very well known lawyer and her housekeeper (Hannah Gruen) in a small country town named, River Heights.
Nancy starts to pull out of her drive way and all of a sudden she sees these two guys pull out of a house in a very large truck, almost hitting a little girl named Judy. She manages to jump up on a brick wall, but looses her balance and falls to the rocky bank. Nancy leaps out of her car and scrambles down the embankment to see if she has broken anything. After examining her she brings Judy to her house and tells Judies aunts what has happened. Apparently the guys who were pulling out were not there to get old items the ladies didn't want they were there to steal the ladies things. After Nancy starts talking to them she finds out that after one of their relatives had past away named Josiah Crowley they were supposed to get some money from him.
Instead, a family named the Tophams (which are very snobby) who had taken him in because they new he had a lot of money. Even though the Tophams knew they would get all of his money. Now, there has been news that there could be a new will stating the money is to be divided among his family. The only two problems are, they can't find the will and if they did the Tophams will do everything in their power to destroy it to avoid having to give up the money. A clue that Nancy has found was the last words out of Crowley's mouth was "Will." So that means there might be another will.
Nancy now goes dangerously snooping, which has its ups and downs. She'll get a clue one minute and thinks she's almost got it, then be frustrated because it's nothing. Nancy truly believes that she will find the will and Crowley's money will be distributed between his real family. She believes she has to solve this mystery or all of Crowley's family will have troubles their whole lives because of her.
This is the start of an amazing adventure for Nancy. Through this mysterious mystery, Nancy not only has a boatload of work to do, but also finds amazing friends. "The Secret of the old Clock" is by far one of the best books I've ever read.

The Secret of the Old Clock marks the debut of Nancy Drew an outgoing vivacious teenage sleuth. She is bold, tenacious and
dedicated the righting the wrongs in her world. Alas, this edited version from the original 1930 text is definitely watered down. Our heroine, is not as assertive as she was in the original and her character is flat. The original 1930 version is better written, adds more drama and puts you in the context of the times. It also shows the human side of Nancy that is not captured in the present version.

Okay, so this is not the "real" Nancy Drew. Should I have my child read it? By all means. Although it lacks the depths of the orignal it is entertaining mystery literature for those under the age of nine. They will love the exploits of Nancy and their imagination will run wild. I do recommend that they read it and if at all possible the original. The contrasts of the two Nancy Drews is a mystery within itself.

This book is great! It is about Nancy Drew and how she has to find a will that a man named Josiah Crowley may have made. But Ada and Isabel, the people who would get the will if no one found a later one,are no help! They hope there isnt a later will. Ada and Isabel are rich, and the people the later will is going to go to are poor. Nancy Drew has to find out the mystery. She has to find a blue notebook which tells of where the will is! Josiah Crowley is a very smart man and has great hiding places! The time is running out! The will is going to go to the mean twin sisters who dont even need it, Ada and Isabel! If you read this great story, you will find out if she finds it!!

... I am 10 years old and started reading Nancy Drew booksabout 7 months ago.Now I am very familiar with the charactors,andreally love reading the books. Every time I start a Nancy Drew book, I know that I'm about to get involved in an exiting,adventurous mystery with Nancy Drew and all her friends. Once I pick up a Nancy Drew book, I get so involved that I don't want to put it down.So for, I've really enjoyed all of the Nancy Drew books that I have read.

I have loved reading Nancy Drew since I was little. They are still fun, however you may want to find older copies of these books to really get your money's worth. Otherwise, you will be buying what is in essence a disposable product, kind of like a magazine or newspaper.
I have an older set from the mid 1990's and it's in fine shape, but I have noticed that the publisher is following a trend I have started to see in the book industry as a whole. They are all switching to cheaper quality materials for their books, but still asking the same amount of money if not more. I thumbed through some of these at my local bookstore and noticed that while they are still in the familiar yellow hardbacks, the covers are not well printed, it looks like a muddy scan for the cover and the paper used inside is the same you would get in your average newspaper.
Some may not care, but if you consider that in order to buy the whole 56 book set it costs well over 350 dollars . . . you can see that it adds up fast and for that kind of money, they should be like the previous 60 years or so editions, nice tight bindings and high quality paper that doesn't yellow in five years or so.
What gets to me is that the industry is trying to pull a fast one on the consumer. If they could lower their prices a little, to reflect their use of disposable materials, that would be more honest on their part.
But I guess that's what's at issue here. Buy with caution, because if you intend for these books to stay in your library a while, you may be disappointed.