Mr. Pizza's Hardy Boys Forum

Hardy Boys Casefiles Discussion => Hardy Boys Casefiles => Topic started by: tomswift2002 on January 25, 2017, 06:28:22 AM

Title: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on January 25, 2017, 06:28:22 AM
I'm currently re-reading "Dead On Target", and is the book ever packed with action.  The current Adventures series really pale in terms of the amount of action that occurs in the books.  A lot of times the boys are "Let's go here and talk to...", but in "Dead On Target", it's "Our only clue is London, so let's head there". 

It's to bad S&S wouldn't scrap the Adventures and bring back the Casefiles.  Hate to say it, but as the most successful spin-off, the Casefiles are still kicking the other spin-offs, even though December 2017 is the 20th anniversary of the last new Casefile.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on January 25, 2017, 02:16:35 PM
I love The Hardy Boys in general and the Casefiles is certainly one of my favorite series. However, it's important to remember one thing with this, as I'm sure you already know- these books were written for a teenage audience instead of a children's audience, like the original series and all the continuations thereof were and are. (I don't know if the Undercover Brothers or Adventures or the Clues Brothers, Secret Files and Clue Books should be considered continuations or spin-offs, but the point is that all of them are written for children of various ages.)
        So I think the Casefiles could get away with a lot more things that the Digests, UB, Adventures, etc. haven't been able to do as well.
While I do enjoy the Digests and I am glad for those continuing the original series' continuity, I'm not so much of a fan of more recent efforts like UB and Adventures. (Though the Clues Brothers books are great! It's sad that I found myself raving over a Clues Brothers book a while back and loved it much more than a UB book I had also read recently at the time.)
         And I certainly love the Casefiles and the 1988 Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Supermysteries series. I would gladly read more of either of those series. Those series, along with Nancy Drew Files and the Tom Swift IV series, are all set in the same continuity universe and it's nice to read those books that maintain the same continuity. The Hardy Boys and Tom Swift Ultra Thriller books are in that category too and I also enjoy those. I have had copies of them for a long time but never got to reading them until recently, long after I'd read the entire Casefiles series and Supermysteries series. (I've read a Tom Swift book before; I like him okay, but he's not really my favorite.) Thus, I had kind of put off reading the Ultra Thrillers for last, but I'm glad I read them- it was a nice blast back to the Casefiles universe. And I definitely still enjoy rereading them from time to time.
           But who knows what the future holds as to further Hardy Boys adventures (or Adventures)? Speaking of anniversaries, this year is the 30th. anniversary of the start of the Casefiles series itself. :) 8)
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on January 26, 2017, 07:40:06 AM
I would disagree, especially with the Originals-Digests.  Recently as I've been re-reading the revised texts, I've found that the amount of violence in the books was pretty high.  I was surprised at the number of times the Hardy's even handled guns in the revised texts, which is something you more relate to the Casefiles.

But even when I compare a later-Digest to the Adventure series, the plots seemed more sophisticated.  With the recent Adventure "Bound For Danger", it felt like I was reading a plot that would've worked just fine in the Clues Brother or Secret Files series, but was really being "puffed" out to work at the level that the book was being aimed at, and was very unsophisticated.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on January 27, 2017, 10:48:56 AM
QuoteI would disagree, especially with the Originals-Digests.  Recently as I've been re-reading the revised texts, I've found that the amount of violence in the books was pretty high.  I was surprised at the number of times the Hardy's even handled guns in the revised texts, which is something you more relate to the Casefiles.
Hmm- that's an interesting analysis. Of course, it's been a long while since I've read the original series, so I'm sure my memory may well be off. I would still argue that the violence level is at least a bit amped up in the Casefiles. (For instance, compare the Casefiles to the Digests- particularly the later ones- and I think you'll see some differences. [outside of outliers like #150]) As to Frank and Joe handling guns in the originals and revised text books, I think there was more of an expectation at the time period for boys to be capable with such things. (i.e. learning how to shoot a rifle for hunting purposes.) It does feel like sometimes the Hardy Boys of the original series are truly hardy boys- much more so than the stereotypical image of today's youth.
           That's a really interesting comparison of the Adventures and Clues Brothers/Secret Files books. Wow- that's just a sad statement on the books today. Maybe it's also just about the culture of the times and the audience level. Or maybe the writing staff is just not as invested in the series anymore.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on January 28, 2017, 09:52:41 AM
I was just looking at some of the early Digests that were printed by both Wanderer and Minstrel, and I noticed that on the Minstrel editions for, just #'s 59 - 66, the Reading Level for those books range from a 5.5 on the "Stone Idol", all the way up to a 7.1 on "Night Of The Werewolf".  Basically what that means is that someone about half-way through Grade 5 could understand Idol, but for Werewolf they would need a level of someone who had been in Grade 7 for 1 month.  Just for comparison with the Casefiles, I looked at "The Skyfire Puzzle, and it had a Reading Level of 7.0 on it.  And for most of the Stratemyer Syndicate Digests (59-83) the average reading level is right around 6.8, so you would have to be close to finishing Grade 6 to understand the books, and even the early Simon &  Schuster Digests (86-91) were averaging around the 6.7-6.9 range.  When I looked at later Minstrel books, such as 141-145, the range was was between 4.8 and 6.4. 

EDIT: I was just checking a few other Digests and titles like The Lure Of The Italian Treasure get up to reading levels as high as 7.6.  Just in the 150 to 170 range I found The Crisscross Crime, The Carribean Cruise Caper, The Lure Of The Italian Treasure & Training For Trouble to have Reading Levels between 7.1 and 7.6.  With Crisscross in there, it makes me wonder if the others were recycled Casefiles that made those Digest stories get back closer to the 10-14 range for the G&D hardcovers in the same series.  But one thing that I noticed with the Digests in the 150 to 170 range was that books like 170 Kickoff To Danger, which has a 4.8 level, I remember finding that it was one of those stories where the plot wasn't as complex as Italian Tresure (which had a 7.6) and I was wondering why the Hardy's were dealing with it.

Also another thing I found is that the Secret Files/Clue Books are aimed at 6-9 year olds, which does overlap with the Adventures 8-12 range.


And the Hardy Boys Casefiles/SuperMystery'88 series have Reading levels between Grade 6 & 8.  Even the pre-1987 PC books give us an idea of who the Stratemeyer Syndicate was targeting, 10-14 year olds.  And since "The Test Case" came out in 2001, the Aladdin books have read for 8-12 year olds.  But really the Adventure series has felt aimed at just 7-8 year olds.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on January 30, 2017, 07:29:55 AM
Wow- interesting stuff. Yeah, I guess maybe the focus has changed some for The Hardy Boys books (and spinoffs) over the years. That probably comes with editorial staff changes and such like that.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: Hardy Boys UB Fan on February 01, 2017, 09:03:55 PM
If they'd just relaunch the Hardy Boys Casefiles series as ebooks, I'd be very happy! How hard would that be...seriously... ::)  They did it with Nancy Drew, like, last year!
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on February 02, 2017, 01:38:28 AM
eBooks could help The Hardy Boys Casefiles series reach a whole new audience for sure.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: Hardy Boys UB Fan on February 02, 2017, 08:17:56 AM
Quote from: MacGyver on February 02, 2017, 01:38:28 AM
eBooks could help The Hardy Boys Casefiles series reach a whole new audience for sure.

Than why don't they do it? They did it for Nancy Drew.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on February 02, 2017, 07:11:43 PM
I don't know. I thought there were some Casefiles in eBook format though?....
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: Hardy Boys UB Fan on February 02, 2017, 09:37:41 PM
Quote from: MacGyver on February 02, 2017, 07:11:43 PM
I don't know. I thought there were some Casefiles in eBook format though?....

There's not. I wish there was. :(
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on February 02, 2017, 10:35:29 PM
"Darkness Falls" has been an ebook for a decade now.

But with "Dead On Target", it's really interesting how people think that the Hardy's get their van in this book, but that's not the case.  When you read Chapter 18 the author leaves it with the Hardy's expecting a cash reward, since the Mall association has said that they would get a reward, but the type of reward is left in the air, and the Hardy's are expecting cash that they would put toward another car. 
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: Hardy Boys UB Fan on February 03, 2017, 09:51:38 AM
Quote from: tomswift2002 on February 02, 2017, 10:35:29 PM
"Darkness Falls" has been an ebook for a decade now.

But with "Dead On Target", it's really interesting how people think that the Hardy's get their van in this book, but that's not the case.  When you read Chapter 18 the author leaves it with the Hardy's expecting a cash reward, since the Mall association has said that they would get a reward, but the type of reward is left in the air, and the Hardy's are expecting cash that they would put toward another car.

I know that one was, and still is, the only one. Was/is Nancy Drew more popular than the Hardy Boys Casefiles? I love reading the Hardy Boys Casefiles, as I've said before, the books seem to be even more in date now.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on February 03, 2017, 12:19:51 PM
Nancy Drew books are definitely more popular than The Hardy Boys, from what I can tell. I think it's mainly reflective of the statistic that more girls tend to read than boys (unfortunately) and many girls (not necessarily all) tend to prefer heroes and heroines of their own gender, so they are apt to read Nancy Drew and maybe not as apt to read The Hardy Boys.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on February 03, 2017, 08:51:13 PM
Even as far back as 1930, Nancy Drew was more popular.  In 1927 Tom Swift was the most popular fiction series for kids.  But by 1932 Nancy Drew had taken that position.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: Hardy Boys UB Fan on February 04, 2017, 02:35:35 PM
Yeah, I thought as such. Too bad you can't read the Hardy Boys Books like you can watch stuff on Netflix. Found this stite, and I'm on the free trial right now.
https://www.scribd.com/collections/16425161/Hardy-Boys-The-Secret-Files (https://www.scribd.com/collections/16425161/Hardy-Boys-The-Secret-Files)

Might not keep it since they don't have the Casefiles on it.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on February 06, 2017, 07:05:50 AM
Scribd does indeed have a number of Hardy Boys books on it, including the Casefiles. Funny that you mentioned Netflix, as Wired Magazine has called the site "the Netflix for books". However, be aware that there are numerous books uploaded to the site that breach copyright laws.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on February 06, 2017, 08:02:31 AM
Considering that S&S hasn't released any E books of the Casefiles, aside from "Darkness Falls", any e-book versions currently out are probably pirated editions.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: Hardy Boys UB Fan on February 06, 2017, 02:13:17 PM
That's why I'm not keeping it....want to buy a real, official copy.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: THartmann9374 on February 07, 2017, 09:47:14 AM
 Tom Swift Megapack and Bobbsey Twins Megapack are on Amazon for Kindles. I wish that there is a megapack for Hardy Boys.

Like someone above said that Nancy Drew ebooks were released last year, so maybe it means that Hardy Boys ebooks will be release soon? I will not hesitate to buy the whole e-book series once they are released.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on February 07, 2017, 09:46:31 PM
The Bobbsey Twins and Tom Swift have been out since 1904 and 1910, respectively.  So for those series a large number of books were published prior to 1923, and as result they are in the Public Domain.  Plus it has been over 50 years since both Edward Stratemeyer (died 1930) and Howard R. Garis (died 1962) died, so even in the US and countries like Canada, any claims of copyright based on when the author died have since lapsed.  Those "Mega Packs" are just repackaged versions of the various Public Domain files that are online. 
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: THartmann9374 on February 08, 2017, 01:11:58 AM
That is correct. I forgot that Tom Swift and Bobbsey Twins are in a public domain which was why they were "sold" at Amazon for very cheap. It has to be 70 years for books to be in a pubic domain, right? When would Hardy Boys be available for public domain? I know that originals were written back in 1920s, but Grosset Dunlap revised them later in 1960s/1970s. So, it means that original without revision should be in public domain, but ones with Grosset Dunlap won't be available until some time later.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on February 08, 2017, 09:15:05 PM
In the US for books like Tom Swift and the Hardy Boys they are copyrighted under what is known as "Works For Hire", and in the states, since 1998, have carried a 95 year coverage, while before 1998 it was 75.  This why you've heard the phrase "anything before 1923 is Public Domain" as the last year under the old law was 1922, which lapsed in 1997.  But starting next year, a number of books and films will enter the US's PD as 2018 is 95 years after 1923.

However, here in Canada there is no limit like the US, since while Canadian Copyright does allow for "Works For Hire", where you as the producer, while you may not have written the book, you still own the copyright.  But that's where the similarities end.  The major difference is that Canada has a "Life plus 50" policy.  So as long as the author or partner lives, then the book is under copyright, plus 50 years past their death.  And once the 50 years are up the books are in the Public Domain.  This how Sherlock Holmes and James Bond are PUBLIC DOMAIN in Canada.   

This also raises a few interesting scenarios, as with Nancy Drew, the "Old Clock" revised will  enter the Canada   PD in 2032, 50 years after Harriet Stratemeyer died in 1982, but the original text won't enter till  2052, 50 years after Mildred Benson died in 2002




Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: THartmann9374 on February 09, 2017, 05:02:35 AM
Thanks for correcting me about how many years before a book can be in public domain. For some reason, I though it was 70 years.

Books that ghost writers wrote will be based 95 years after their deaths? Not Edward Stratemeyer aka the original Franklin Dixon?
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on February 09, 2017, 06:38:51 AM
No, not 95 after the ghost writer's death.  It is 95 years after publication. In the US.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on April 14, 2017, 12:41:51 PM
I was just thinking about this book.  Of course it's due to the fact that I originally bought "Dead On Target" on Easter Saturday 1995 (which from what I see online, was Saturday, April 15, 1995) and started to read it, even though over the previous year I had read "Cold Sweat" and the "Operation:Phoenix" trilogy.  So that was 22 years ago from tomorrow.  It's funny how Easter and the Hardy's go hand-in-hand with me, as it was just Easter 1994 when I was reading one of the best Hardy's ever, the 1944 version of "The Melted Coins" (plus in 1994 my birthday fell on Good Friday and I got the flashlight editions of #'s 2-5).

And I remember that for Easter 1998 I was reading for the first time the Hardy Boys/Tom Swift Ultra Thriller The Alien Factor that I had got in on inter-library loan.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on April 14, 2017, 03:16:42 PM
For a lot of people, Good Friday and/or Easter Monday are holidays they get from school (the length may vary depending on when and where you went to school)- and that's a good time to have some leisure time to read more. But since today actually is Good Friday and the topic's been raised- Happy Easter to everyone! Jesus lives! :) 8) (And because He lives, we can live also.)
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: tomswift2002 on July 17, 2019, 05:36:06 PM
This kind of slipped under the radar, but on June 4, 2019 "Dead On Target" was released as an e-book from "Simon & Schuster!  It is available on Kobo, Kindle, Apple Bboks.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Dead-on-Target/Franklin-W-Dixon/Hardy-Boys-Casefiles/9781534456297
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: Hardy Boys UB Fan on April 12, 2020, 09:19:58 PM
Have you ever heard of this guy's reviews? I love his take on the series.

https://youtu.be/wmnqX4Op22o
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on April 13, 2020, 03:33:36 AM
I think I had noticed them on YouTube but never really listened to them until now. I don't care much about reviews of books I've already read and love- and I really don't care for the snarky ones too much. Thanks for the link though. I noticed he used the wallpaper from this site for the Dead on Target review video.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: Hardy Boys UB Fan on April 13, 2020, 10:45:44 AM
Quote from: MacGyver on April 13, 2020, 03:33:36 AM
I think I had noticed them on YouTube but never really listened to them until now. I don't care much about reviews of books I've already read and love- and I really don't care for the snarky ones too much. Thanks for the link though. I noticed he used the wallpaper from this site for the Dead on Target review video.

He's used several wallpapers I noticed. I do like his take on the series, at times. Very few reviews are like his.
Title: Re: #1 Dead On Target
Post by: MacGyver on April 14, 2020, 01:00:55 PM
Here's another review (http://inallseries-ousness.blogspot.com/2012/12/dead-on-target-hardy-boys-casefiles-1.html?m=1) from a Young Adult librarian. I can appreciate some measure of humour in reviews too but if I was looking for a review of a book to see if I want to read it, this is a bit more serious look that I would probably find of more interest. But it's good to have many styles of reviews as well as multiple reviews, in order to get a better more well-rounded perspective.