I’m reading my kids Hardy Boys 1 “The Tower Treasure” - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - I’m reading my kids Hardy Boys 1 “The Tower Treasure” (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 2/11/2020 9:49:29 PM EDT

I googled it first and the Hardy Boys were ghost written on contracts through a middle man. Some of them had some racist (for the times) parts and have been rewritten.

Anyway they're kids books but in the first chapter the boys are delivering some paperwork for their dad by riding motorcycles to the next town. Even in my lifetime that's something that's gone from unremarkable-I wouldn't have thought twice about running errands for my dad on my motorcycle when I was 19; that would sound odd now to some people. I don't think I'd send my kids off on Hondas if they were in high school.

Some nut speeds by them twice in a car and then they find his car crashed and the plates removed. *Now they'd be derailed for a chapter posting videos complaining about the driver on YouTube,bitching to the cops and putting photos of the crashed car on Instagram. But no iPhones in 1927 so they just go to Chet's house.

They arrive to find out someone stole Chet's car (some serious douchey writing about how Chet "is obviously gay" which is like claiming he's obviously a satanist-dude's fat not gay) so fuck it, no calling the cops over this either. They jump on their motorcycles with Chet riding bitch and figure in bikes they can catch the car thief. No waaaah calling the cops, they're off to get their buddy's car back and hand out some knuckle sandwiches.

God bless America

*my son was interested in the whole removing the plates to throw off the cops thing. I'm not sure when VIN numbers ruined that trick

Posted: 2/11/2020 9:54:14 PM EDT

[#1]

Both the originals and the “modern” series were what turned me into a voracious reader. I read the entire series ( modern and originals - like ALL of them) between 3rd and 6th grade. With many, many more books in between.

I was an early millennial, so they resonated a lot more with me than my younger brother, who never saw the analog age.

Posted: 2/11/2020 9:57:57 PM EDT

[#2]

This is totally giving me a clue

Posted: 2/11/2020 9:58:36 PM EDT

[#3]

The Hardy Boys sparked my love of reading. I still have my childhood collection.

In 1988 I got a BA in English.

In 1993 I got an MA in English.

No kiddingmy love of reading started with The Hardy Boys.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:01:05 PM EDT

[#4]

As a lad I was obsessed with the Hardy Boys, and Tom Swift. I had to have it as soon as a new book was released.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:09:17 PM EDT

[#5]

I’ve got my grandfather’s 1927 first edition of that hanging around

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:09:30 PM EDT

[#6]

Attached File

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:11:42 PM EDT

[#7]

Hardy Boys rock.

Good on you for being a dad.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:17:14 PM EDT

[#8]

I got my son the first 20 books and we've been reading them. He loves them and actively tries to solve the mystery before we get to the end of the book.

I read all of them as a kid, so I'm enjoying them again.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:19:53 PM EDT

[#9]

I still have mine and my dad's old Hardy boys.

I dont remember the title, but my favorite was the one where they were searching for Confederate gold.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:20:09 PM EDT

[#10]

I read all of them in elementary school and then read all the Nancy Drew books.

Good on you for reading to the kids.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:21:48 PM EDT

[#11]

Why can't you be a normal dad and just pop in the Seasons 1 and 2 DVDs of Scooby Doo and go back to surfing Arfcom?

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:23:08 PM EDT

[#12]

Amazing things here, 1st-good book, 2nd and the MOST amazing, YOU are READING to your kids. 5 Gold Stars for you. Keep it up, great job

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:24:47 PM EDT

[#13]

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I knew this would be on page ine

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:26:11 PM EDT

[#14]

Attached File

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:28:34 PM EDT

[#15]

Encyclopedia Brown is a good follow up series.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:29:26 PM EDT

[#16]

It's amazing how simple and genuine life seemed when you were disconnected from the world of random anonymous asshattery 99% of the day.

I'm not saying I don't enjoy it, but I'm not convinced it's healthy.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:31:29 PM EDT

[#17]

I used to be obsessed with those books. Couldn’t describe anything from any of them today...

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:31:45 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
The Hardy Boys sparked my love of reading. I still have my childhood collection.

In 1988 I got a BA in English.

In 1993 I got an MA in English.

No kiddingmy love of reading started with The Hardy Boys.

View Quote

I had Tom Swift

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:32:46 PM EDT

[#19]

I loved those books when I was a kid. In retrospect it's amazing the adventures they got into. All manner of counterfeiters, smugglers, international jewel thieves, and so forth just happened to find their way to the tiny town of Bayport

Even though Frank and Joe were only in their early teens, Dad was happy to let them get involved in serious crime investigations. I lost track of how many times they were kidnapped, tied up, threatened, etc. And Chet has a new hobby in every book, and it just happens to help with the case

When I'm in antique shops I look for the original books rather than the rewrites that started in 1959. Some of the rewrites are completely different stories. All the below are the old ones

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:33:00 PM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
As a lad I was obsessed with the Hardy Boys, and Tom Swift. I had to have it as soon as a new book was released.

View Quote

Tom Swift, Jr. for me.
Tom Swift and His Diving SeaCopter was the one that fired me up on the series. Jr. High (which for me was in the mid-60s).

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:35:05 PM EDT

[#21]

I'm going to have to get these for my boys.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:35:40 PM EDT

[#22]

I read all or most of them when I was young. I still have them stashed away for my kids.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:35:52 PM EDT

[#23]

I didn't read The Hardy boys, but I enjoyed The Three Investigators

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:41:54 PM EDT

[#24]

Quote History

Quoted:
The Hardy Boys sparked my love of reading. I still have my childhood collection.

In 1988 I got a BA in English.

In 1993 I got an MA in English.

No kiddingmy love of reading started with The Hardy Boys.

View Quote

I read all those books as a kid. Am really curious what “racism” they’ve had to edit out.

How did you handle the Leftist nonsense in university English departments?

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:42:46 PM EDT

[#25]

Quote History

Quoted:
I loved those books when I was a kid. In retrospect it's amazing the adventures they got into. All manner of counterfeiters, smugglers, international jewel thieves, and so forth just happened to find their way to the tiny town of Bayport

Even though Frank and Joe were only in their early teens, Dad was happy to let them get involved in serious crime investigations. I lost track of how many times they were kidnapped, tied up, threatened, etc. And Chet has a new hobby in every book, and it just happens to help with the case

When I'm in antique shops I look for the original books rather than the rewrites that started in 1959. Some of the rewrites are completely different stories. All the below are the old ones

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/203250/20200211_211425-1272920.jpg

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/203250/20200211_211508-1272922.jpg

View Quote

Those blue binder ones on the left are what I remember.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:45:16 PM EDT

[#26]

Attached File

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:45:48 PM EDT

[#27]

I freakin loved those books growing up.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:47:26 PM EDT

[#28]

I own most of them from my childhood in the 70s.

I treasure them because each of them came from my now deceased parents.

Hunting for Hidden Gold and The Secret of the Old Mill are my favorites.

Bonus points for anyone who can tell me in what title Chief Ezra Collig had to cap a motherfucker...

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:48:23 PM EDT

[#29]

Wut.

I had a stroke reading that

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:50:09 PM EDT

[#30]

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When I read that one as a kid I had to go look up faggots. Because the authors use of the term in the book was completely at odds with my understanding of it.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:50:26 PM EDT

[#31]

Read a bunch of those as a kid.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:59:29 PM EDT

[#32]

I read most of them when I was a kid and loved them.

Don't really remember many but my favorite was one where they found an old jeep in a barn and fixed it up and got it running.

Don't remember what happened after that.

Posted: 2/11/2020 10:59:38 PM EDT

[#33]

Read the entire series in the 1970's great books for boys. Thinking my grandson might be receiving them for a birthday soon. What was the name of the phone relay the Hardy Boys used to send or receive information from their friends? I keep thinking ghost to ghost or some such but that might have been The Mad Scientist Club.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:01:12 PM EDT

[#34]

Quote History

Quoted:
I loved those books when I was a kid. In retrospect it's amazing the adventures they got into. All manner of counterfeiters, smugglers, international jewel thieves, and so forth just happened to find their way to the tiny town of Bayport

Even though Frank and Joe were only in their early teens, Dad was happy to let them get involved in serious crime investigations. I lost track of how many times they were kidnapped, tied up, threatened, etc. And Chet has a new hobby in every book, and it just happens to help with the case

When I'm in antique shops I look for the original books rather than the rewrites that started in 1959. Some of the rewrites are completely different stories. All the below are the old ones

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/203250/20200211_211425-1272920.jpg

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/203250/20200211_211508-1272922.jpg

View Quote

No kidding about their adventures... wonder what their modern equivalent would be? Hunting down Shia Labeuf of 4Chan? Searching for Narco subs? Finding human trafficking rings? Building 80% lowers? In a way kids these days could really up the game. Tailing kidnappers with drones and all sorts of stuff.

I wouldn’t necessarily buy any of the old editions if I ran across them but I have hung onto the copies I was given as a kid. They were pretty old then but most are in ok shape, dunno what edition they might be but it’s amazing to look at the copyright date on some. I read them all multiple times as a kid, like y’all they were a huge part in developing my love of reading. Haven’t read them in decades and at this point don’t know if I ever will again. At this point I would probably be a little disappointed, maybe it’s best to just recall them fondly.

Attached File

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:03:58 PM EDT

[#35]

Quote History

Quoted:
Both the originals and the “modern” series were what turned me into a voracious reader. I read the entire series ( modern and originals - like ALL of them) between 3rd and 6th grade. With many, many more books in between.

I was an early millennial, so they resonated a lot more with me than my younger brother, who never saw the analog age.

View Quote

Same here, born in the early 70's, I couldn't read them fast enough. For a poor kid, God bless the school and public libraries.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:04:16 PM EDT

[#36]

Yeah but you live in New Yorkski so now you have to read them some Nancy Drew for diversity and to fight the patriarchy.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:04:35 PM EDT

[#37]

Anyone read the mad scientists club?

I started with the hardy boys books as well

Attached File

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:06:47 PM EDT

[#38]

The Three Investigators were also good reads in my youth.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:08:48 PM EDT

[#39]

The newer stories do have them using modern tech, like cell phones, wireless cameras, etc.

Oh, and the tv shows from the 50's actually have them as boys, like 10 or 12. The buue spine books I read lead me to believe they had always been late teens.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:09:08 PM EDT

[#40]

Quote History

Quoted:

I read all those books as a kid. Am really curious what “racism” they’ve had to edit out.

How did you handle the Leftist nonsense in university English departments?

View Quote

Yesteryears norms became yesterday’s politically incorrect became today’s racism. I’m sure the lefties have all sorts of theory about repressed homosexual undertones and the like that they project into the Hardy boys as well.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:10:43 PM EDT

[#41]

Quote History

Quoted:
Anyone read the mad scientists club?

I started with the hardy boys books as well

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/319551/9329C80A-D8D3-47DA-8E31-8E4368D78AC0_jpe-1273004.JPG

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Yes I did.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:11:46 PM EDT

[#42]

Quote History

Quoted:
The Three Investigators were also good reads in my youth.

View Quote

These were excellent.

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:12:50 PM EDT

[#43]

Raging Clue (South Park - Hardy Boys)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcHy8xEt2QI

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:12:52 PM EDT

[#44]

Whatever Happened to TV's Nancy Drew, Pamela Sue Martin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHhuseMW6gM

Posted: 2/11/2020 11:12:55 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:

They arrive to find out someone stole Chet's car (some serious douchey writing about how Chet "is obviously gay" which is like claiming he's obviously a satanist-dude's fat not gay) so fuck it, no calling the cops over this either. They jump on their motorcycles with Chet riding bitch and figure in bikes they can catch the car thief. No waaaah calling the cops, they're off to get their buddy's car back and hand out some knuckle sandwiches.
k

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Wait, what? Do the re-writes actually say Chet is gay?