Hardy Boys Adventures 3-in-1 paperback

[MacGyver]

Well, this is new. It seems Simon & Schuster is releasing a 3-in-1 paperback book of the first three titles in the Hardy Boys Adventures series!
They've done a box set before for the first four titles, but not an omnibus release like this. (Like the ones that the UK publishers seem to be so fond of doing. i.e. Check hardyboys.co.uk for numerous examples, with the original and Casefiles series, etc.)
       It releases June 7, 2016 for a price of $8.99 - just thought I'd let the fellow fans know. I'm not too worried about getting such things like this, but it makes a nice introductory gift for a fan new to the series.
         

[Hardy Sleuth]

Interesting! You'd think it would be just the first two books instead of including The Vanishing Game which is a two part story with Into Thin Air. I guess Simon & Schuster's hoping that will make people buy #4.

[MacGyver]

Huh- didn't realize that #3 and #4 formed a two-part story. That's cool to know. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to reading all of The Hardy Boys Adventures- lol. I want to at least read the first one anyway. I've been busy reading a lot of other books and just haven't read a Hardy Boys book in a while (though I've been keeping up with my collection of the Adventures series for the most part.)
For that matter, I'd like to get at least the first book in The Hardy Boys Clue Book series too and give it a read.
   Yeah- I don't know what the deal is with the 3-in-1 book though- just kinda random. Maybe it's a push for summer reading though; but yeah- they really should have considered putting Into Thin Air in the mix to make it a 4-in-1.....but yeah- leaving the book set ending on a cliff-hanger (sometimes literally in The Hardy Boys' case ) is usually a great way to get people to buy the next book in the series.

[tomswift2002]

This isn't the first time that Simon & Schuster/Stratemeyer Syndicate has released a 3-in-1 in North America.  Back in 1970 Grosset & Dunalp issued Meet The Hardy Boys which contained the revised texts of books 1, 2, & 3.

In 1987 Grosset & Dunlap released a 2-in-1 of the revised texts of books 1 & 2, and as far as I know it is still available.  This book was published with one book up-side down to the next title, and the two covers making up both covers (with the UPC on the cover of The House Of The Cliff.

1999 saw the release of a 3-in-1 by Smithmark Publishing, licensed from Grosset & Dunlap.  It contains the revised texts of #'s 1-3, with a second volume being planned to contain #'s 4-6, but was cancelled due to Smithmark going bankrupt.

2004 saw the release of 2 Classic Collections, with #'s 1, 3 & 44 being in Volume 1, and #'s 2, 37 & 58 in the 2nd volume.

1978 also saw the release of the 9 volume 2-in-1 collection that contained 2 stories per book, with #'s 1-18 being printed in this format.

In 2001 Simon & Schuster released a 3-in-1 to celebrate the Hardy Boys 75th Anniversary featuring #'s 154, 159 & 164 in the Mystery Stories series.  This 3-in-1 was later, in 2005, re-released in hardcover format for select stores.

From May 1998 to January 1999 Simon & Schuster released the Hardy Boys Casefiles Collector's Edition series.  Vol. 1 featured #'s 38, 39 & 40, while Vol. 2 contained #'s 48, 51 & 52, with Vol. 3 containing #'s 55, 58, & 59.  In 2005 Simon & Schuster released to select stores Vol. 2 from this series in a hardcover format that reused the current "File Folder" cover art of the then current Mystery Stories, with the artwork from #152 of the Mystery Stories being featured. 

Since 2002, no "new" 3-in-1's have been published in the US.  Also in the mid-90's, as a test, Simon & Schuster allowed the import of the Diamond Books omnibuses into the American market, but from what I've heard most of these ended up in remainder bins and did not sell well.

Also I've been surprised that, since 2005, no Casefiles have been reprinted in a 3-in-1 under the Undercover Brothers banner, or the Adventures banner, considering, aside from what was done in the UK, I found a 3-in-1 for the first 3 Nancy Drew Files,using the Nancy Drew Girl Detective moniker that had been published in the US for the Borders book chain. 

[MacGyver]

Thanks for the publishing history reminder.
I'm familiar with most all of these, but I wasn't aware of this one-

Since 2002, no "new" 3-in-1's have been published in the US.  Also in the mid-90's, as a test, Simon & Schuster allowed the import of the Diamond Books omnibuses into the American market, but from what I've heard most of these ended up in remainder bins and did not sell well.

I don't know that it was the Diamond omnibuses- more likely the Armada ones- but that's where I first read some of The Hardy Boys books. I specifically remember The Mystery of the Chinese Junk as the first Hardy Boys book I read as a child. But I do recall first reading The Mystery of the Disappearing Floor in one of those omnibus books. I didn't know the Diamond Books ones were imported into the American market though- that's cool to know.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

How is #3 and #4 a two part storyline?

[tomswift2002]

How is #3 and #4 a two part storyline?

The events of #3 directly setup the events of #4.  And #3 ends on a cliff-hanger.

I don't know that it was the Diamond omnibuses- more likely the Armada ones- but that's where I first read some of The Hardy Boys books. I specifically remember The Mystery of the Chinese Junk as the first Hardy Boys book I read as a child. But I do recall first reading The Mystery of the Disappearing Floor in one of those omnibus books. I didn't know the Diamond Books ones were imported into the American market though- that's cool to know.

I know that one of the creators of the Hardy Boys UK website is a member on this forums, plus I remember years ago in another Hardy Boys forum getting knowledge that for a short time the Diamond omnibuses were available in North America, even though this seemed absurd, since Grosset & Dunlap has held both the American and Canadian publishing rights to the first 58 books, plus the DH, since 1927.  And since then, while there have been different distributors with different agreements (such as General Publishing and Paperjacks) allowing for the modification of the covers to allow for a Maple Leaf to indicate Canadian publishing or the distributor's name on the cover of a book, the Canadian rights have ultimately been held by the American publisher and their Canadian arm.  But apparently S&S had decided to test the waters and felt that, instead of printing one or two themselves or getting Grosset & Dunlap to do it, importing a few would be better for the test.

http://www.hardyboys.co.uk/history/minor.php

[MacGyver]

Ah, okay- makes sense. I either missed that earlier or just forgot it- when I saw the website link, it does seem like I had read it before. Thanks.

[MacGyver]

I ran across some of these 3-in-1 paperbacks at Wal-Mart today- both Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys ones were there. Nice to see Hardy Boys books at Wal-Mart again. I think the last time I saw that was back in the mid-to-late '90s when the Casefiles were still being sold there.

[tomswift2002]

I see that later this year (December 27, 2016) Simon & Schuster is planning a 3-in-1 containing the first 3 stories of the new "Clue" books.

[MacGyver]

That's cool- maybe the 3-in-1 thing is a new trend for them.