“Nancy Drew’s success as a girl sleuth is the outgrowth of her love of reading and her intense desire to learn as much as possible about people and places, real and fictional. Some of the books Nancy has enjoyed most are classics that have endured. Through reading, she has discovered that love and a wish for security are born in everyone, and often hate, distrust, jealousy, and the inability to forgive as well.”

Thus is the introduction to each of the three “Nancy Drew Favorite Classics” published by Grosset & Dunlap in 1978. Black Beauty, Heidi, and Grimm’s Fairy Tales (numbered on the spine 1, 2, and 3 respectively) were previously published in Grosset & Dunlap’s Companion Library Series, but were re-packaged for this new series that never went beyond these first three books (despite the tagline on the back that advised “More Titles in Preparation”). Each book had a blue spine with a white square in the middle advertising it as ”A Nancy Drew Favorite Classic” and a number on the top to identify its place in this series. In the back of each book was an Order Form from which you could order any of the first 55 Nancy Drew titles.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell had a beautiful cover painted by Ken Barr, with interior art done by E. Raymond Kinstler. Heidi by Johanna Spyri (and translated by Helen B. Dole) also sported a beautiful cover painting by Ken Barr, but the interior art in this second book was done by Sergio Leone. The third, and final book, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, by the Brothers Grimm, sported a painted cover by unidentifiable initials “TMA”, with interior art by Adele Werber.

The back cover to each book listed the $2.50 USA price (and $2.95 Canadian price), as well as the titles available in this “Nancy Drew Favorite Classic” library. It also listed the three titles available in the “Hardy Boys Favorite Classics” series, which included Treasure Island, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Below these listings of titles was a small reproduction of the cover painting.

These collectible books are not easy to come by, and when you do find them, they can sell anywhere from $5 each to $20 or more! They make a nice addition to your collection, and are a must-have for those out there that must have a complete series! As Carolyn Keene states at the conclusion of her introduction to each book, “I wish you many happy hours with these stories that Nancy cherishes.”

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