The Clue of the Broken Locket
Encyclopedia
The Clue of the Broken Locket is the eleventh volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories
series. It was first published in 1934, and was written by Mildred Benson
under the pseudonym
Carolyn Keene
.
The revised 1965 imprint features two separated twin sisters, and takes place in Maryland. A ghostly launch appears on a nearby lake, and two twin children are missing! The mysterious Pudding Stone Lodge seems to harbor many secrets that....
drew the frontispiece and original three internal illustrations for the volume in 1934. A facsimile of this edition is available from Applewood Books. In 1950, the cover art was modernized by Bill Gillies. In 1962 the cover art was modernized again, by Rudy Nappi. Nappi inserted himself as an old man with a pipe on the cover. In 1965, when the story was revised, Nappi made another cover, in print today, showing a dark, sinister lake, with Nancy, Bess, and George discovering the title object while wading to a ruined boat.
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories
The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories was the long-running "main" Nancy Drew series, published between 1930 and 2003. Initially, titles were published by Grosset & Dunlap, but with #57 publication switched to Simon & Schuster. Most people consider these first 56 to be the original series and consider the...
series. It was first published in 1934, and was written by Mildred Benson
Mildred Benson
Mildred Wirt Benson was an American author of children's books, in particular several Nancy Drew mysteries. Writing under Stratemeyer Syndicate pen name Carolyn Keene from 1929 to 1947, she contributed to 23 of the first 25 originally published Nancy Drew mysteries...
under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Carolyn Keene
Carolyn Keene
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...
.
Plot summary -1934 edition
The plot primarily deals with the adoption of 18-month-old twins, and the reuniting of two families. Carson Drew handles an adoption for the wealthy show-business couple, Johnny and Kitty Blair. The Blairs invite Nancy and friend Bess Marvin to a celebration, where the Blairs and other guests are distracted by heavy drinking and smoking. Nancy manages to secure some articles found with the abandoned babies, clothing and the mysterious broken half of a locket. Nancy tries to aid the incompetent maid in caring for the children. The maid is fired as a result and, with her boyfriend, plants stolen jewelry in Nancy's car as revenge. Nancy tries to help the Blairs' butler Rodney, and a nurse, Ruth Brown, who it turns out are long-separated twins themselves. Nancy must discover the whereabouts of the twins' missing natural parents, encountering resistance from the spendthrift, and nearly bankrupt Blairs.The revised 1965 imprint features two separated twin sisters, and takes place in Maryland. A ghostly launch appears on a nearby lake, and two twin children are missing! The mysterious Pudding Stone Lodge seems to harbor many secrets that....
Artwork
The cover art for the original dust jacket is uncredited. Russell H. TandyRussell H. Tandy
Russell H. Tandy was an American illustrator, best known for his cover art for early editions of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series.Tandy was a friend of Edward Stratemeyer, whose syndicate created several series of books for young readers...
drew the frontispiece and original three internal illustrations for the volume in 1934. A facsimile of this edition is available from Applewood Books. In 1950, the cover art was modernized by Bill Gillies. In 1962 the cover art was modernized again, by Rudy Nappi. Nappi inserted himself as an old man with a pipe on the cover. In 1965, when the story was revised, Nappi made another cover, in print today, showing a dark, sinister lake, with Nancy, Bess, and George discovering the title object while wading to a ruined boat.