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The Secret in the Old Attic

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Country
  
United States

Publisher
  
Grosset & Dunlap

Originally published
  
1944

Genre
  
Children's literature


Cover artist
  
Russell H. Tandy

Language
  
English

Publication date
  
1944, 1970

Author
  
Carolyn Keene

Page count
  
180

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Series
  
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories

Preceded by
  
The Clue in the Jewel Box, VERY DEADLY YOURS

Followed by
  
The Clue in the Crumbling Wall, Fatal Attraction

Similar
  
Carolyn Keene books, The Nancy Drew Files books, Mystery books

Chapter 4 of nancy drew the secret in the old attic a silly sibling film


The Secret in the Old Attic is the twenty-first volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1944 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson.

Contents

Plot summary - 1944 edition

Nancy searches for clues to missing music manuscripts written by deceased soldier Philip March. March's daughter and his father, living together on the family estate, are rapidly running out of money, and believe some of "Fipp's" music is being sold and played on the radio. Nancy goes to the estate to investigate, with the assistance of Bess and George. In the meantime, her father's client solicits her aid in his investigation of a rival company, which seems to be manufacturing silk cloth using his patented methods. In the meantime, the girls are all planning to attend an Emerson College dance, except for Nancy; Ned doesn't seem to be interested. Could Diane Dight, rich daughter of the owner of the Dight firm, which Nancy is investigating, have turned Ned's head? And what is Bushy Trott, manic scientist, doing at the Dight plant?

Nancy continues trying to solve both mysteries, discovering hidden songs in the process. All the while, she tries unsuccessfully to shed few tears over Ned, who seems frequently to be in the company of the snobbish socialite Diane. The resolution of both cases and her romantic plight are quite climactic.

1970 revision

The revised version, still in print, is a condensed version of the original story. It is shorter by five chapters, and includes Diane Dight, but not the romantic subplot of the original edition.

Artwork

Collectors of the series seem to greatly enjoy the original art by Russell H. Tandy, which depicts Nancy among highly Gothic elements, by candlelight, in the old attic. In 1962, Rudy Nappi gave Nancy a modern flip hairstyle and changed the color to red, and altered her shirtwaist wrap dress to a generic red sailor-style dress for the cover art. In 1970, Nappi updated his art, employing a shadowy apple green color motif and Gothic elements, including the skeletal hand, to showcase Nancy, looking very much like Barbara Eden in a coatfront shift, with a candle. This cover plays heavily on the spooky elements popular during the "Dark Shadows" era.

References

The Secret in the Old Attic Wikipedia