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First: Gene Weingarten is always a pleasure to read. I know it is not relevant to his main angle, but I wish he had followed up on this part: In 1959, many of

First: Gene Weingarten is always a pleasure to read. I know it is not relevant to his main angle, but I wish he had followed up on this part: In 1959, many of the old Hardy Boy books were redone, streamlined, modernized, sterilized. I, like many HNers, I imagine, first read the Hardy Boys in the post-1959 editions. A couple decades ago, when I learned about the rewrites, I decided to collect the originals, and compare them. It was a fascinating experience. Weingarten's phrasing above gets to the key elements. Racial stereotypes were removed-- the old versions were quite offensive to modern sensibilities at times-- along with about 1/3rd of the text. Plots were simplified, and a much more formulaic approach to action (from one mini-cliffhanger to another) took over. Descriptive passages were omitted, more often than not. So: if you really want to read Leslie McFarlane, be sure to check out the pre-1959 editions.

hga 16y ago
Indeed. When I started to read such fiction, I had 2 or a few more volumes of the novels and one of them was a pre-1959 edition. By comparison the newer ones were very thin gruel, and not having any way to procure the older ones and knowing science was my calling I concentrated on getting what Tom Swift Jr. books I could manage. One funny thing happened with my 5th grade teacher sometime later: we realized we were both fans of Tom Swift and started reeling off titles, none of which the other recognized. He had of course read the original series about the (future) father, I was reading the 2nd focused on his son (Jr.).
- joeycfan 16y ago
  Good call. I loved Tom Swift. The Giant Robot one was my favorite. A few years ago I was in the office of a plastics company that had a huge diagram on the wall of a machine that crawled through oil pipelines, inspecting them from the inside. (I think they made the wheels for it). I immediately thought - 'Holy shit, it's Tom Swift's Atomic Earth Blaster!" (That was from the pre-green ages, back when men were men and instead of protecting the Earth, we fucking BLASTED it. Someone should write Tom Swift and His Autonomous Rain-forest Devourerer. "Gasp, Tom! The ARFD is out of control!". "No, it's always like that") Also - I always felt that Tom Swift was the inspiration for Reed Richards. Also - someone mentioned Tintin and I was not allowed to post this reply --- If you like Tintin you'll like this webcomic - it's a total TT homage and 90% as good. http://fifine.purrsia.com/COMICS.html http://fifine.purrsia.com/COMICS.html --- Could anyone PLEASE tell me how fast is too fast to reply? I cannot find out, I have written HN twice!
whatusername 16y ago
I think a script to auto-submit Gene Weingarten articles on HN would be a karma-winner.
gruseom 16y ago
That is fascinating. It solves a puzzle for me: the books I read, which would certainly have been the 1959 revisions, were definitely of a 1950s and not 1930s sensibility. The feel is that of the beginning of the rock and roll era, when teenagers would drive around in cars of their own and devote themselves to fun, but the social and family structures were still stable. Nothing transgressive had happened yet, but it was about to. The late 1950s were nostalgic for themselves before they were even over. My bet is that the 1959 revisions were a great contribution to the Hardy Boys' longevity. It sounds like the books were stripped down to their essence. Talk about uncelebrated. If McFarlane was at the bottom of the literary barrel, how about the anonymous hack who had to go in and clean up his work! Whoever it was, I'm on their side. Snobbish though every critic may be, you can't argue with those books' success. I don't mean success at selling copies; I mean success at captivating children, generation after generation. Harry Potter had a similar ability to suck children into an imaginary realm and get them reading. But its popularity was more intense and perhaps short-lived. The Hardy Boys' effect has been more diffuse but extraordinarily durable. Maybe in 15 years someone will cut the Harry Potter books down to size and turn them into perennials too.
Sukotto 16y ago
wow, I had no idea... I just dug out my old Hardy Boys hardcover books from way at the back of the book shelf (behind the Saberhagen Swords books) and sure enough, mine were all from 1959. Here's the inscription from inside th cover of book #1 "The Tower Treasure" (c) Grosset & Dunlap, Inc. 1959 all rights reserved ISBN: 0-448-08901-7 (Trade edition) ISBN: 0-448-18901-1 (Library edition) In this new story, based on the original of the same title, Mr. Dixon has incorporated the most up-to-date methods used by police and private detectives. Unlike the book referenced in the article, mine begins Chapter I The Speed Demon Frank and Joe Hard clutched the grips of their motorcycles and stared in horror at the oncoming car. It was careening from side to side on the narrow road. "He'll hit us! We'd better climb this hillside -- and fast" Frank exclaimed, as the boys brought their motorcycles to a screeching halt and leaped off. A little later comes what I believe is the scene referenced at the start of the article: Frank chuckled and sad, "After the help we gave Dad on his latest case, he ought to set up the firm of Hardy and Sons." "Why not?" Joe replied with a broad grin. "Isn't he one of the most famous private detectives in the country? And aren't we bright too?" Then, becoming serious, he added, "I wish we could solve a mystery on our, though." Now I'll have to try and dig up a couple of the originals just for fun. I loved these books when I was 10~13... practically inhaling them one after another.

hga 16y ago

Indeed. When I started to read such fiction, I had 2 or a few more volumes of the novels and one of them was a pre-1959 edition. By comparison the newer ones were very thin gruel, and not having any way to procure the older ones and knowing science was my calling I concentrated on getting what Tom Swift Jr. books I could manage. One funny thing happened with my 5th grade teacher sometime later: we realized we were both fans of Tom Swift and started reeling off titles, none of which the other recognized. He had of course read the original series about the (future) father, I was reading the 2nd focused on his son (Jr.).

joeycfan 16y ago
Good call. I loved Tom Swift. The Giant Robot one was my favorite. A few years ago I was in the office of a plastics company that had a huge diagram on the wall of a machine that crawled through oil pipelines, inspecting them from the inside. (I think they made the wheels for it). I immediately thought - 'Holy shit, it's Tom Swift's Atomic Earth Blaster!" (That was from the pre-green ages, back when men were men and instead of protecting the Earth, we fucking BLASTED it. Someone should write Tom Swift and His Autonomous Rain-forest Devourerer. "Gasp, Tom! The ARFD is out of control!". "No, it's always like that") Also - I always felt that Tom Swift was the inspiration for Reed Richards. Also - someone mentioned Tintin and I was not allowed to post this reply --- If you like Tintin you'll like this webcomic - it's a total TT homage and 90% as good. http://fifine.purrsia.com/COMICS.html http://fifine.purrsia.com/COMICS.html --- Could anyone PLEASE tell me how fast is too fast to reply? I cannot find out, I have written HN twice!

whatusername 16y ago

I think a script to auto-submit Gene Weingarten articles on HN would be a karma-winner.

gruseom 16y ago

That is fascinating. It solves a puzzle for me: the books I read, which would certainly have been the 1959 revisions, were definitely of a 1950s and not 1930s sensibility. The feel is that of the beginning of the rock and roll era, when teenagers would drive around in cars of their own and devote themselves to fun, but the social and family structures were still stable. Nothing transgressive had happened yet, but it was about to. The late 1950s were nostalgic for themselves before they were even over. My bet is that the 1959 revisions were a great contribution to the Hardy Boys' longevity. It sounds like the books were stripped down to their essence. Talk about uncelebrated. If McFarlane was at the bottom of the literary barrel, how about the anonymous hack who had to go in and clean up his work! Whoever it was, I'm on their side. Snobbish though every critic may be, you can't argue with those books' success. I don't mean success at selling copies; I mean success at captivating children, generation after generation. Harry Potter had a similar ability to suck children into an imaginary realm and get them reading. But its popularity was more intense and perhaps short-lived. The Hardy Boys' effect has been more diffuse but extraordinarily durable. Maybe in 15 years someone will cut the Harry Potter books down to size and turn them into perennials too.

Sukotto 16y ago

wow, I had no idea... I just dug out my old Hardy Boys hardcover books from way at the back of the book shelf (behind the Saberhagen Swords books) and sure enough, mine were all from 1959. Here's the inscription from inside th cover of book #1 "The Tower Treasure" (c) Grosset & Dunlap, Inc. 1959 all rights reserved ISBN: 0-448-08901-7 (Trade edition) ISBN: 0-448-18901-1 (Library edition) In this new story, based on the original of the same title, Mr. Dixon has incorporated the most up-to-date methods used by police and private detectives. Unlike the book referenced in the article, mine begins Chapter I The Speed Demon Frank and Joe Hard clutched the grips of their motorcycles and stared in horror at the oncoming car. It was careening from side to side on the narrow road. "He'll hit us! We'd better climb this hillside -- and fast" Frank exclaimed, as the boys brought their motorcycles to a screeching halt and leaped off. A little later comes what I believe is the scene referenced at the start of the article: Frank chuckled and sad, "After the help we gave Dad on his latest case, he ought to set up the firm of Hardy and Sons." "Why not?" Joe replied with a broad grin. "Isn't he one of the most famous private detectives in the country? And aren't we bright too?" Then, becoming serious, he added, "I wish we could solve a mystery on our, though." Now I'll have to try and dig up a couple of the originals just for fun. I loved these books when I was 10~13... practically inhaling them one after another.