Editing Carolyn Keene

{{short description|House pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate}}
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'''Carolyn Keene''' is the [[pseudonym]] of the authors of the [[Nancy Drew]] mystery stories and ''[[The Dana Girls]]'' mystery stories, both produced by the [[Stratemeyer Syndicate]]. In addition, the Keene [[pen name]] is credited with the Nancy Drew [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]], [[River Heights (Nancy Drew)|''River Heights]], and the ''[[Nancy Drew Notebooks]]''.

[[Edward Stratemeyer]], the founder of the Syndicate, hired writers, beginning with [[Mildred Benson|Mildred Wirt]] (later Mildred Benson), to write the manuscripts for the Nancy Drew books.<ref name="nytbenson">{{cite web|last=Martin|first=Douglas|title=Mildred Benson Is Dead at 96; Wrote 23 Nancy Drew Books|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/books/mildred-benson-is-dead-at-96-wrote-23-nancy-drew-books.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 30, 2002|access-date=January 20, 2019}}</ref> The writers were paid $125 for each book and were required by their contract to give up all rights to the work and to maintain confidentiality.

Benson is credited as the primary writer of Nancy Drew books under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene.<ref name="Rehak2006">{{cite book|last=Rehab|first=Melanie|title=Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her|year=2006|publisher=Harvest Books|isbn=978-0156030564}}</ref> [[Harriet Adams]] (Stratemeyer's daughter) rewrote the original books and added new titles after the withdrawal of Benson.<ref name="nytbenson"/>

Other ghostwriters who used this name to write Nancy Drew mysteries included [[Leslie McFarlane]], [[James Duncan Lawrence (author)|James Duncan Lawrence]], [[Walter Karig]], Nancy Axelrad, Patricia Doll, [[Charles S. Strong]], Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., Margaret Fischer, and [[Susan Wittig Albert]]. Also involved in the Nancy Drew writing process were Harriet Stratemeyer Adams's daughters, who gave input on the series and sometimes helped to choose book titles;<ref name="Rehak2006" />{{RP|page=158}} the Syndicate's secretary, Harriet Otis Smith, who invented the characters of Nancy's friends Bess and George;<ref name="Rehak2006" />{{RP|page=140}} and the editors at [[Grosset & Dunlap]].<ref name="Rehak2006" />{{RP|page=228}}

In 1979, the Stratemeyer Syndicate changed publishers to [[Simon & Schuster]], a move that the former publishers, Grosset & Dunlap, went to court to prevent, claiming a breach of contract. The decision was made in favor of the Syndicate, stating that they could choose which publisher they would like to use for subsequent entries in the series.

In 1985, the Syndicate was bought by publishers Simon & Schuster; the Drew books are now handled by Mega-Books, a New York [[book packager]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Plunk-Powell|first=Karen|title=The Nancy Drew Scrapbook: 60 Years of America's Favorite Teenage Sleuth|year=1993|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-0312098810|page=29}}</ref>

==Ghostwriters==

===Nancy Drew===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 1930–1957 (25 chapter text at Grosset & Dunlap/Stratemeyer Syndicate)
|-
! #
! Writer
! Story
! Year
! Rev.
! Revised by
|-
! 1
| rowspan="7"| [[Mildred Wirt Benson]]
| ''[[The Secret of the Old Clock]]''
| rowspan="4"| 1930
| rowspan="2"| 1959
| rowspan="2"| [[Harriet Adams]]
|-
! 2
| ''[[The Hidden Staircase]]''
|-
! 3
| ''[[The Bungalow Mystery]]''
| 1960
| rowspan="2"| Patricia Doll
|-
! 4
| ''[[The Mystery at Lilac Inn]]''
| 1961
|-
! 5
| ''[[The Secret of Shadow Ranch]]''
| rowspan="2"| 1931
| 1965
| Grace Gote
|-
! 6
| ''[[The Secret of Red Gate Farm]]''
| 1961
| Lynn Ealer
|-
! 7
| ''[[The Clue in the Diary]]''
| rowspan="2"| 1932
| 1962
| rowspan="2"| Harriet Adams
|-
! 8
| rowspan="3"| [[Walter Karig]]
| ''[[Nancy's Mysterious Letter]]''
| rowspan="2"| 1968
|-
! 9
| ''[[The Sign of the Twisted Candles]]''
| rowspan="2"| 1933
| rowspan="2"| Patricia Doll
|-
! 10
| ''[[The Password to Larkspur Lane|Password to Larkspur Lane]]''
| 1966
|-
! 11
| rowspan="15"| [[Mildred Wirt Benson]]
| ''[[The Clue of the Broken Locket]]''
| 1934
| 1965
| rowspan="2"| Grace Gote
|-
! 12
| ''[[The Message in the Hollow Oak]]''
| 1935
| 1972
|-
! 13
| ''[[The Mystery of the Ivory Charm]]''
| 1936
| 1974
| Priscilla Baker-Carr
|-
! 14
| ''[[The Whispering Statue]]''
| rowspan="2"| 1937
| 1970
| Harriet Adams
|-
! 15
| ''[[The Haunted Bridge]]''
| 1972
| Priscilla Baker-Carr
|-
! 16
| ''[[The Clue of the Tapping Heels]]''
| 1939
| 1969
| rowspan="3"| Harriet Adams
|-
! 17
| ''[[The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk|Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk]]''
| 1940
| 1976
|-
! 18
| ''[[The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion|Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion]]''
| 1941
| 1971
|-
! 19
| ''[[The Quest of the Missing Map]]''
| 1942
| 1969
| rowspan="10"| Priscilla Baker-Carr
|-
! 20
| ''[[The Clue in the Jewel Box]]''
| 1943
| 1972
|-
! 21
| ''[[The Secret in the Old Attic]]''
| 1944
| 1970
|-
! 22
| ''[[The Clue in the Crumbling Wall]]''
| 1945
| rowspan="2"| 1973
|-
! 23
| ''[[The Mystery of the Tolling Bell|Mystery of the Tolling Bell]]''
| 1946
|-
! 24
| ''[[The Clue in the Old Album]]''
| 1947
| 1977
|-
! 25
| ''[[The Ghost of Blackwood Hall]]''
| 1948
| rowspan="3"| 1967
|-
! 26
| [[George Waller, Jr.]]
| ''[[The Clue of the Leaning Chimney]]''
| 1949
|-
! 27
| [[Margaret Scherf]]
| ''[[The Secret of the Wooden Lady]]''
| 1950
|-
! 28
| [[Whilemina Rankin]]
| ''[[The Clue of the Black Keys]]''
| 1951
| rowspan="2"| 1968
|-
! 29
| [[Alma Sasse]]
| ''[[The Mystery at the Ski Jump|Mystery at the Ski Jump]]''
| 1952
| Ann Shultes
|-
! 30
| [[Mildred Wirt Benson]]
| ''[[The Clue of the Velvet Mask]]''
| rowspan="2"| 1953
| 1969
| Priscilla Baker-Carr
|-
! 31
| [[Harriet Adams]]
| ''[[The Ringmaster's Secret]]''
| rowspan="2"| 1974
| June Dunn
|-
! 32
| [[Charles S. Strong]]
| ''[[The Scarlet Slipper Mystery]]''
| 1954
| rowspan="2"| Ann Shultes
|-
! 33
| [[Harriet Adams]]
| ''[[The Witch Tree Symbol]]''
| 1955
| rowspan="2"| 1975
|-
! 34
| [[Patricia Doll]]
| ''[[The Hidden Window Mystery]]''
| 1956
| Mary Fischer
|-
! 35
| [[Harriet Adams]]
| ''[[The Haunted Showboat]]''
| 1957
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 1959–1979 (20 chapter text at Grosset & Dunlap/Stratemeyer Syndicate)
|-
! #
! Writer
! Story
! Year
|-
! 36
| rowspan="21"| [[Harriet Adams]]
| ''[[The Secret of the Golden Pavilion]]''
| 1959
|-
! 37
| ''[[The Clue in the Old Stagecoach]]''
| 1960
|-
! 38
| ''[[The Mystery of the Fire Dragon]]''
| 1961
|-
! 39
| ''[[The Clue of the Dancing Puppet]]''
| 1962
|-
! 40
| ''[[The Moonstone Castle Mystery]]''
| 1963
|-
! 41
| ''[[The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes]]''
| 1964
|-
! 42
| ''[[The Phantom of Pine Hill]]''
| 1965
|-
! 43
| ''[[The Mystery of the 99 Steps]]''
| 1966
|-
! 44
| ''[[The Clue in the Crossword Cipher]]''
| 1967
|-
! 45
| ''[[The Spider Sapphire Mystery]]''
| 1968
|-
! 46
| ''[[The Invisible Intruder]]''
| 1969
|-
! 47
| ''[[The Mysterious Mannequin]]''
| 1970
|-
! 48
| ''[[The Crooked Banister]]''
| 1971
|-
! 49
| ''[[The Secret of Mirror Bay]]''
| 1972
|-
! 50
| ''[[The Double Jinx Mystery]]''
| 1973
|-
! 51
| ''[[Mystery of the Glowing Eye]]''
| 1974
|-
! 52
| ''[[The Secret of the Forgotten City]]''
| 1975
|-
! 53
| ''[[The Sky Phantom]]''
| 1976
|-
! 54
| ''[[The Strange Message in the Parchment]]''
| 1977
|-
! 55
| ''[[Mystery of Crocodile Island]]''
| 1978
|-
! 56
| ''[[The Thirteenth Pearl]]''
| 1979
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 1979–1985 (20 chapter text at Simon & Schuster/Stratemeyer Syndicate)
|-
! #
! Writer
! Story
! Year
|-
! 57
| rowspan="2"| [[Harriet Adams]]
| ''[[The Triple Hoax]]''
| 1979
|-
! 58
| ''[[The Flying Saucer Mystery]]''
| rowspan="3"| 1980
|-
! 59
| rowspan="3"| Nancy Axelrad
| ''[[The Secret in the Old Lace]]''
|-
! 60
| ''[[The Greek Symbol Mystery]]''
|-
! 61
| ''[[The Swami's Ring]]''
| rowspan="4"| 1981
|-
! 62
| Sharon Wagner
| ''[[The Kachina Doll Mystery]]''
|-
! 63
| Nancy Axelrad
| ''[[The Twin Dilemma (novel)|The Twin Dilemma]]''
|-
! 64
| Richard Ballard
| ''[[Captive Witness]]''
|-
! 65
| Nancy Axelrad
| ''Mystery of the Winged Lion''
| rowspan="5"| 1982
|-
! 66
| James Duncan Lawrence
| ''[[Race Against Time (Nancy Drew)|Race Against Time]]''
|-
! 67
| Richard Ballard
| ''The Sinister Omen''
|-
! 68
| Sharon Wagner
| ''The Elusive Heiress''
|-
! 69
| James Duncan Lawrence
| ''Clue of the Ancient Disguise''
|-
! 70
| Sharon Wagner
| ''[[The Broken Anchor]]''
| rowspan="3"| 1983
|-
! 71
| rowspan="4"| James Duncan Lawrence
| ''The Silver Cobweb''
|-
! 72
| ''The Haunted Carousel''
|-
! 73
| ''Enemy Match''
| rowspan="3"| 1984
|-
! 74
| ''The Mysterious Image''
|-
! 75
| rowspan="2"| Sharon Wagner
| ''The Emerald-Eyed Cat Mystery''
|-
! 76
| ''The Eskimo's Secret''
| rowspan="3"| 1985
|-
! 77
| rowspan="2"| James Duncan Lawrence
| ''The Bluebeard Room''
|-
! 78
| ''The Phantom of Venice''
|-
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Children's literature}}
* [[Franklin W. Dixon]]
* [[Nancy Drew Mystery Stories]]
* [[J. K. Rowling]]

==References==
{{Reflist |25em}}

==External links==
{{wikisource author}}
* {{LCAuth|n79084050|Carolyn Keene|751|}}

{{Nancy Drew}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keene, Carolyn}}
[[Category:American mystery writers]]
[[Category:Stratemeyer Syndicate pseudonyms]]
[[Category:Nancy Drew]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:American women novelists]]
[[Category:Women mystery writers]]