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Although British English cannot truly be called a separate language, the British Nancy Drew books are certainly foreign editions. These books were actually "translated" to a certain degree as some of the text would be Anglicized for the U.K. audience, such as the use of "torch" for flashlight or "lift" for elevator.
There is a multitude of formats released by various publishers in the U.K., many of which are subsidiary companies of the original publishers. The formats relate back generally to the American editions (e.g., dust jackets, picture covers, paperbacks), but the U.K. editions created new artwork for the covers.
Below are listed the names of the publishers . The details regarding the dust-jacketed books are described on this page, but for picture covers and paperbacks you will need to link to the appropriate pages.
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THE DUST JACKETED BOOKS
The earliest UK editions came in a style similar to those
available at the time in the U.S. - a plain hardback book with
a
silhouette of Nancy on the cover by the title, encased in a
paper
dust jacket with a colorful illustration on the front. The
first
publishers, Harold Hill & Co., had new artwork created for
their
covers, but the subsequent editions by Sampson Low and
MacDonald used
contemporary American artwork. Note the publisher Sampson Low
is actually named after an individual and thus the company is
not Sampson & Low as it is sometimes misattributed.
By popular demand, click here to view the gallery of all the Varty covers produced for Harold Hill & Company.
![]() © 1954 Harold Hill & Son Limited, Newcastle Upon Tyne |
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Green boards under DJ; thick book; DJ illustration original - not attributed, but signed "Varty" on lower left corner; 4 cartoon panels of next book in series on back of DJ; digger endpapers in slightly lighter blue than American books; title and black 1950s silhouette of Nancy on cover |
Green boards under DJ; digger endpapers in slightly lighter blue than American books; title and black 1950s silhouette of Nancy on cover |
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Red boards under DJ; green and white Dana Girls (walking) endpapers; title and black 1950s silhouette of Nancy on cover |
Red boards under DJ; often had no title on front of book, just black 1950s silhouette of Nancy. |
Here is the grid of the DJ numbering system (different than those used for picture covers and paperbacks). If there is a grey space in a cell below, this indicates that the titles was not available in that format; tan space below means that title was probably not available in that format.
U.K. No.
Harold Hill
Sampson Low wrap/white
Sampson Low yellow-spine
MacDonald
1
Old Clock
1954
2
Hidden Staircase
1954
3
Bungalow
1954
4
Lilac Inn
1954
5
Shadow Ranch
1955
6
Red Gate Farm
1954
7
Clue in Diary
wrap 1960
8
Mysterious Letter
year not indicated (1960)
1969 (Nappi)
9
Twisted Candles
wrap 1960
10
Larkspur Lane
wrap* 1960
1969 (Nappi #2)
11
Broken Locket
wrap 1962
12
Hollow Oak
white spine 1962
13
Golden Pavilion
1963
14
Old Stagecoach
1963
15
Fire Dragon
1963
16
Dancing Puppet
1963
18
Haunted Showboat
1964
17?
Hidden Window
1964
19
Moonstone Castle
1964
20
Whistling Bagpipes
1964 (note - misprinted on book cover as Whispering Bagpipes)
21
Velvet Mask
1965
22
Ringmaster's Secret
1965
23
Scarlet Slipper
1965
24
Witch Tree
1965
25
Pine Hill
1966
26
Leaning Chimney
1966
27
Wooden Lady
1966
28
Black Keys
1966
29
Ski Jump
1967
30
99 Steps
1967
31
Blackwood Hall
1967
32
Old Album
1967 (Nappi #1)
33
Crossword Cipher
1967
34
Old Attic
1968 (Nappi #1)
35
Crumbling Wall
1968 (Nappi #1)
36
Tolling Bell
1968
37
Spider Sapphire
1969
38
Jewel Box
1969 (Nappi #1)
Return ND Home Page See Where Nancy Has Traveled in the United Kingdom Sales Page © 1998, 1999, 2000 Lea Shangraw Fox Last updated 13 May 2000