Thanks to a copyright extension introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and endorsed by Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) in 1998 encouraged by big media companies including Disney, there was a 20 year delay in adding anything to the public domain. What had been a 75-year single term for works for hire became an innovation-stunting 95 […]
Happy Birthday, Edward Stratemeyer
Today is the 158th anniversary of Edward Stratemeyer’s birth on October 4, 1862. Over his lifetime his birthday was remembered by family and fans. Like many of his readers, his own birthdays were celebrated with the gift of books. Upon learning about the death of Horatio Alger, Jr., Edward wrote to Alger’s sister, Olive Augusta […]
Stratemeyer.org Up and Running with New Content
If you are a subscriber to this blog, I apologize for all the mail you have been getting as the old posts were returned to this site. It’s taken about two weeks, but we are back online. Not only do we have all of the info the old site had online, but we are adding […]
Stratemeyer.org Restart
Welcome. This blog is called “Yours Truly” not just because that is who wrote it but because this was the way that Edward Stratemeyer signed almost all of his business letters. The Stratemeyer Syndicate archive of business records at the New York Public Library is one of the best resources for information about Edward Stratemeyer […]
The Ted Scott series takes off
The first volume of the Ted Scott series was an obvious retelling of the first solo Transatlantic flight by Charles A. Lindbergh in May 1927. From time to time a reference is made to how quickly the story was rushed into print. An examination of the dates is interesting. Charles Lindbergh departed from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, […]
Ghostwriting in the Mega-Books era 3
In a further exploration of the Mega-Books writers’ guidelines from the early 1990s, some of the topics which were off limits in the Syndicate era were allowed (murder) while some topics used in early books (drugs or alcohol) were prohibited.
Ghostwriting in the Mega-Books Era 2
A guide to writers of Nancy Drew books for Mega-Books provides details on the scope of the modern series. The procedures were different from those used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate.
What the Font — Bright Days
Edward Stratemeyer owned a story paper in 1896 and 1897 called Bright Days. This explores some of the typefaces used for the titles and advertisements.
Banned Book Week
The last week in September is considered to be Banned Book Week. In 2019 this is Sept. 22-28. While you will see lists of many books that have been “challenged” or “censored” over the years, most of the time our juvenile series books are not listed. Yet, the librarians who wanted to impress fellow librarians, […]
What the Font — 1950s Nancy Drew
A.P. Tedesco was the art director for Grosset & Dunlap and he led the redesign of most of their line, including Nancy Drew. The redesign included new body and title typefaces.