Frank and Joe

It was the year 1927 when Edward Stratemeyer, a writer and publisher and one of the first to produce fictional series of books written by freelance writers under a pen name, particularly for young readers, created the adventurous Hardy Boys series, with all the characters penned down by Stratemeyer himself. He was a remarkable writer with more than 1000 books to his name and The Stratemeyer Syndicate  a book-packaging firm established by him  was one of the most influential corporates when it came to literature and publishing in those times. The Hardy Boys series was a runaway hit and so motivated was Stratemeyer that before he passed away in 1930 he had created another character for a thriller series  with  a female lead and named it Nancy Drew.

 The Hardy Boys continued to prosper even post the death of Edward Stratemeyer. By the year 1973, some 40 books were already published and sold millions of copies across the world. With such massive coverage it was not a surprise that the Hardy Boys series landed in my school library and this is how I got introduced to the main characters Frank and Joe Hardy. The post today is a brief take  of  my association with  the Hardy Boys series as a reader and what I felt, perceived and learnt from the characters as a kid.

Frank and Joe were brothers with Frank being a year senior and had a wonderful group of friends like we all had in school. Frank and Joe were amateur sleuths and sons to Fenton Hardy who was a professional detective. The brothers had received some initial training from their father, which held them in good stead and were seemingly adept at solving mysteries and busting espionages. The intelligent Frank and the impulsive though brave  Joe embraced frequent danger in pacy thrillers but held their nerve and emerged victorious at the end.

As  readers, the  Hardy Boys series was a  part of our growth. We all tried to be more adventurous like the Hardy Boys and particularly during games like Hockey and Football we tried to be more confident, carried a bit of  aggression and took risks on the field which was in some way a reflection of our perception of Frank and Joe. While on school picnics too, we wandered far and wide into the jungles to seek some adventure and thrill, the way Frank and Joe wandered with their friends. Also the victory of good over evil, obedience to authority ( the relationship of  Frank and Joe with their father ), having a never say die spirit and a big heart were also important virtues which we tried to imbibe.

Reading books at various stages of our life cycle and particularly in childhood has a definite bearing on our psyche and attitude knowingly or unknowingly. Edward Stratemeyer had a clear vision, he wanted the young and the juvenile to harbour traits of confidence, adventure, courage, comaraderie and righteousness alongwith entertainment and it would be fair to say that the Hardy Boys series was not off the mark.

The Hardy Boys mainly written by Canadian writer Leslie Mcfarlane , a ghost writer under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon is in itself a very intriguing story. However do read Hardy Boys and do encourage children to read them, they are still available today more than 30 years since I completed reading the series. The Hardy’s,   have withstood the test of time and I hope they have  delivered on the lines of Stratemeyer’s vision too.

Keep going Frank and Joe.