In 1977, Grosset & Dunlap, through its division known as Treasure Books, published two Nancy Drew coloring books for fans of the teen detective series. Priced at $1.00 each and with covers by Rudy Nappi, these two coloring books allowed young fans to breathe life into Nancy Drew and her mystery-solving skills by coloring her world in any way that the young reader saw fit!

The two coloring books were drawn by Tony Tallarico, and as the introduction stated, “Many of these exciting pictures are taken from the Nancy Drew thrilling mysteries. If you’ve read the stories, you can easily identify the books the Nancy Drew mystery pictures are based on.”

Nancy Drew Mystery Pictures to Color #1 sports a cover of Nancy glancing back at a stone tower surrounded by barren trees and lightning. Inside are numerous pictures to cover, from Whispering Statue to Ivory Charm; from Whistling Bagpipes to Old Album; and from the Scarlet Slipper to the Crossword Cipher. The last page of the coloring book sports an order form allowing you to order any of Nancy’s first 54 books. The back cover is an exact duplicate of the front cover, less the price in the top right hand corner, plus a bar code in the bottom left hand corner.

Nancy Drew Mystery Pictures to Color #2 sports a cover of Nancy looking back at the reader as she heads for a small building on a wharf, sea gulls flying overhead. Inside are new pictures to cover, from Hidden Staircase to Fire Dragon; from Broken Locket to Old Attic; and from the Sky Phantom to the Glowing Eye. As with the first coloring book, the last page of this second coloring book sports an order form allowing you to order any of Nancy’s first 54 books. Once again, the back cover is an exact duplicate of the front cover, less the price in the top right hand corner, plus a bar code in the bottom left hand corner.

Finding either of these coloring books clean and uncolored may be a difficult task! They can be priced anywhere from $5.00 to $20.00 or more, depending on the condition. A third coloring book, simply titled Nancy Drew Clues to Color, was also published, with a cover by Rudy Nappi and interior illustrations to color by Tony Tallarico.

So what color IS Nancy’s hair? What color is her convertible? What color is that outfit she’s wearing? With these fun little collectibles, YOU get to decide!

To sign up for a reminder-only(non-posting) service to remind you of when the latest issue is published online and when new ads are placed as well as any other important announcements, contests, etc., click on the following button:

Click to subscribe to TheSleuth