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Secret Of the Hardy Boys: Leslie McFarlane & the Stratemeyer Syndicate

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For fans of THE HARDY BOYS, here's an account of the real writer behind the first books of the series. He's Canadian writer Leslie MacFarlane who, in his early struggling years, signed with Edward Stratemeyer's Syndicate to ghostwrite novels for the juvenile market from outlines provided by the syndicate.

MacFarlane worked on more than one series but it's THE HARDY BOYS that grants him a special position in the firmament (however, ambivalent he was about it). He wrote the first ones plus most of the first 30 books and thereby laid the foundation for much of its style and characterization -- even if the plots weren't his, nor the author's name, and altho he only got a small, flat payment in return.

This book details his personal and professional life from childhood to death in 1977. Much seems to come from diaries that he kept as an adult. And some from letters he wrote to his children. While the Hardy Boys is the main motive behind this book, MacFarlane's other work -- his adult stories, his radio and television contributions -- are examined.

Be aware that MacFarlane's life had no excitement to speak of unless you consider the stress of trying to earn income and sustain his family as a freelance writer as exciting. Still, it might be inspiring not just to aspiring writers but to those who are struggling to get by in their lives.

The writing of this biography is unadorned and a bit repetitive -- sometimes, repeating itself within a couple pages. The chronology is often sacrificed as the author ties together events by theme (a not uncommon technique in biographies). Yes I found every page readable and informative.

(For more on the Stratemeyer Syndicate try the lively GIRL SLEUTH: NANCY DREW AND THE WOMEN WHO CREATED HER.)

This is a plodding biography that has some decent content on MacFarlane's involvement with the Stratmeyer Syndicate and his authoring of the Hardy Boys. However, there's a lot of tedious material to get through for a few interesting parts.

I wasn't aware that Franklin W. Dixon was a cover name until very recently when I looked up the Hardy Boys on the internet and that's when I came across Leslie McFarlane. I can still remember what a big deal the Hardy Boys books were when I was first introduced to them in elementary school. Not just the writing, but the physical book itself, the colorful drawings on the front, the fantastic titles and just the fact they were very sturdy and good looking hardbacks.

So I looked forward to reading this bio with interest. It turns out that only part of this bio has to do with the Hardy Boys as McFarlane had a love hate relationship with it and he was much, much more than just a Hardy Boys ghostwriter. He was a natural and gifted writer and successful not only as a sports and serious writer, but also in magazines, TV, radio, and film documentaries.

If you are purely interested in his work with the Hardy Boys, you can read his autobiography, but if you want to know more about this gifted Canadian (yes, he is Canadian!) storyteller, this is a good book. I highly recommend it to his fans.

Most readers of mysteries know the author of the 'Hardy Boys' teen mystery series was the elusive Franklin W. Dixon - but he was a man who never existed. The real founder of Hardy Boys was one Edward Stratemeyer, founder of a children's book empire who began as a mere newspaper reporter with dreams of becoming a famous novelist. Between 1927 and 1947 one Leslie McFarlane wrote the first twenty-four Hardy Boys mysteries for $100.00 per book, agreeing to the anonymity demanded by Stratemeyer's syndicate and starting a trend which was to continue in later books. The Secret Of The Hardy Boys exposes the true grit: a syndicate which built a virtual children's book empire, promoting and development of children's literature in North America.