History
An in-depth account of the British editions and their publishers.
The Hardy Boys
(Roger Hall, 1971)
The history of the Hardy Boys published in Great Britain and the British Commonwealth has been difficult to chronicle, but the following pages have been assembled using what information there is available. The research has been assisted greatly by reference to the British National Bibliography, which is released on an annual basis, and gives details of books – both new and some reprints – published in any given year.
From December 1950 through until 2006, UK editions of the Hardy Boys were published; in hardback from 1950 until 1986; and paperback single or omnibus volumes and Boxed Sets from 1974 to 2006.
Contents
- Numbering Systems – A primer on the three different story orders used for the British editions.
- Harold Hill – Hardbound editions (w/dust-jackets).
- Sampson Low – Hardbound editions (w/dust-jackets).
- MacDonald – Hardbound editions (w/dust-jackets).
- William Collins – Hardbound picture cover editions published in the 1970s:
- Angus & Robertson – Hardbound picture cover editions published in the 1980s
- Armada Books – Mass-market paperbacks, produced in a variety of different formats spanning the 70s, 80s and 90s:
- Minor Publishers – Diamond Books, Dragon Books, Mulberry, Paragon and Swift.
- Casefiles – The highly successful spin-off series, published in paperback.
- Undercover Brothers – The current series, which had a brief run in the UK.
- TV Related – Airdates of the various dramatisations in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
- The Artists – A detailed guide to the artists who illustrated the books.
Appendices
- Text Versions – Guide to when the revised and original text versions for each title were issued in the UK.
- Interviews – Interviews with a few individuals connected to the British series.
- Art of David Browne – Detailed analysis of the 25 Armada Format E covers illustrated by British artist David Browne.
- Book Dimensions – Physical sizes of the various editions, given in both imperial and metric units.
- Imported Editions – A non-exhaustive list of US editions sold in the UK and recorded by the British National Bibliography
- Timeline – Chronological breakdown of the key releases and events over the course of the series.
- Colin Edmonds – Interview with a British comedy scriptwriter, who co-authored two annuals based on the 1970s TV series.