Order of Carolyn Keene Books

Carolyn Keene is a pseudonym used by various authors who wrote children's novels, including the Nancy Drew series, the Dana Girls, and the River Heights series. This pseudonym was established by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the same organization behind the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, the Rover Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, and others. Mildred A. Wirt is most closely associated with Carolyn Keene, having authored the initial Nancy Drew books. Other writers who later contributed under this name include Harriet Stratemeyer, James Duncan Lawrence, Walter Karig, Nancy Axelrad, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., Margaret Scherf, and Susan Wittig Albert. Initially, authors received $125 per book, relinquished all rights to the intellectual property, and were required to keep their identities confidential. The first novel published under the Carolyn Keene name was The Secret of the Old Clock in 1930, marking the start of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. Below is a list of Carolyn Keene’s books in the order of their original publication.