Sunday, September 16, 2007

Stoop Sale Treasures

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I have been collecting the original Nancy Drew books since I was about eight. It all started with my mother giving me her small collection of books that she had been given secondhand through a family friend. Once I had a taste of the first few in the series, we made it our personal goal for her and myself to read all of the original 56. My mother being the bookworm that she was would often pick up used copies at old book stores, and flea markets for me. My grandmother was in on it too, she remembered fondly reading the books before she would give them as Christmas presents to my mother when she was little. My family would take small vacations up to northern New Hampshire and scout out all of the used book stores in search of trying to complete my collection. It grew slowly from the originals that my mother had passed on to me.
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Since my mothers passing on December 21st '06, my itch to finish my collection has started back up again. Being an avid thrifter, I am always scanning the shelves for the blue or yellow spines. I usually find them everyone in a while, but yesterday I found not just one but SIX older copies (print run 1932 - 1945) laying outside a brownstone in my neighborhood at the annual end of summer stoop sale.

Nancy Drew Stoop Sale Finds

Five of them from what I can gather where printed either between 1932 - 1939 because of the glossy frontispieces and the orange endpapers.

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The sixth one is a war time edition with the frontispiece on plain paper so I would date it at 1943- 1945.

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The lady who I bought them from seems to have a lot more which she did not put out at the stoop sale. After a a little chat about how I only needed 8 more to complete my collection she gave me her phone number, apparently she had many more inside her house and she said that she would love to help me! I think I may be making a phone call in the near future.

Yesterday I spent countless hours rearranging and decorating. Here is a sneak peak or my Nancy Drew collection, more photos of my apartment will follow!

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