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The Ted Scott series takes off

Dust jacket for the first Ted Scott volume, Over the Ocean to Paris (1927).

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.

The Gift

Regifting or exchanging a gift is a common activity after the holiday season but it is not especially new. Here is a rare instance when Edward Stratemeyer felt obliged to return a book he received from a publisher.

Series Book Autographs

Presentation signature from Victor Appleton II to Dr. Fred L. Whipple, an expert on comets who was a consultant on Tom Swift and the Mystery Comet (1966).

When collecting modern first printings, the typical desire is to obtain a first printing of a book in fine condition that is signed by the author.  Sometimes these copies are the only ones that will sell at all.  With juvenile series books, this is usually not possible because there were relatively few occasions to meet […]