The Hardy Boys Digests and Casefiles are becoming hard to find

[MacGyver]

I wasn't knocking it- I liked that book pretty well- but I do wish they hadn't left it so open-ended. But like I said- it was something different anyway, so that's cool.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

I wasn't knocking it- I liked that book pretty well- but I do wish they hadn't left it so open-ended. But like I said- it was something different anyway, so that's cool.

Okay. I liked that one, too.

[hardygirl847]

I feel so behind...I guess I need to have a Hardy Boys reading day.

[Olivia]

I can't remember why, but #12 Trouble in Paradise is on my okay list.

It's been so long since I read a UB but I vaguely remember which ones I like and which ones are just "okay". But I now also judge the books based on the standards within the series (unless otherwise noted). Makes it easier.

(Though, the highest standard would be the Super Mystery #1 Wanted).

[Bigfootman]

A while ago, I found "Too Many Traitors" and "The Hardy Boys Casefiles Collector's Edition #3" at a Libary Used Book sale. Also, a nearby Chapters still has the Hardy Boys Digests Collector's Edition. I already have it, so I didn't buy it.

[Hardy Sleuth]

For the still-in-print paperback Mystery Stories (aka Digests), ordering them through a bookstore like Books A Million or Barnes or Noble works great.

[tomswift2002]

For the still-in-print paperback Mystery Stories (aka Digests), ordering them through a bookstore like Books A Million or Barnes or Noble works great.

Just recently I was trying to convince Paul Mular that the later original continuity books (and UB's) were still more popular than the G&D books, even though the series was discontinued.  He told me that he had asked a San Diego independent bookstore what they sold more of, they told him the G&D, but up here in Eastern Ontario the post1990 original continuity books (and the UB's) seem to be the Hardy's that take up the bookstore shelf space, while the G&D's are relegated to kiosk/Internet ordering.  And it's surprising that S&S hasn't put any of the post 1990 original continuity books that were in print 7 years ago into the out-of-print listings, along with any of the UB's.  Both those series must be selling.

[Hardy Sleuth]

Just recently I was trying to convince Paul Mular that the later original continuity books (and UB's) were still more popular than the G&D books, even though the series was discontinued.  He told me that he had asked a San Diego independent bookstore what they sold more of, they told him the G&D, but up here in Eastern Ontario the post1990 original continuity books (and the UB's) seem to be the Hardy's that take up the bookstore shelf space, while the G&D's are relegated to kiosk/Internet ordering.  And it's surprising that S&S hasn't put any of the post 1990 original continuity books that were in print 7 years ago into the out-of-print listings, along with any of the UB's.  Both those series must be selling.

I think both the paperbacks and the hardcovers with the Mystery Stories are very popular and big sellers, makes me really happy about those in print so I can get them brand new. 

[MacGyver]

The Grossett & Dunlap Original 58 stories (albeit revised versions for the first 38 titles of course) are definitely still plenty popular. At least that's what I generally see on the bookshelves of Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million in the USA. Of course, the Undercover Brothers books are still there too and sometimes I still see a few of the Digests- but that's very rare now.

[tomswift2002]

Well here in Eastern Ontario the G&D books are only stocked at Chapters four big box stores.  All the mall/small store-front Coles, Smithbooks and Book Company stores just stock the paperbacks since those are the better sellers (I remember seeing the G&D books in Coles up until about 2 years ago, but then they were never brought back in except for the gift sets at Christms).  Coles, Smithbooks and the Book Company are all part of the Chapterrs-Indigo chain, and in a number of smaller communities are the only bookstores.

[MacGyver]

Interesting how the trend seems to differ in different parts of the world. But I saw you did note that most of those stores are on a smaller scale and perhaps that's the difference. The Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million stores I've been to are definitely on a much larger scale than the store fronts in malls...

[tomswift2002]

Well in my area (from Ottawa up to North Bay) there are about 20 stores run by Chapters-Indigo, and only about 3 independents (not counting independent used book stores), and the population is around a million people.  And with the 4 Chapters big box stores being solely in Ottawa (with about 14 of the mall/small retail stores also being in Ottawa), it seems to say that in the other stores people buying the Hardy Boys are only going in for the paperbacks, whereas they can probably find the majority of the G&D books at the used bookstores, or by using the Chapters-Indigo kiosk system that is in all Chapters-Indigo stores that allow people to order right from the Chapters-Indigo website and pay for the book right there in store and have it either shipped to the store or to people's homes.

[MacGyver]

Maybe libraries help keep the Grossett & Dunlap sales alive... But most libraries usually do get the latest paperback titles too...but it just depends on how big or small the branch is- I've seen some with the G&D hardbacks and even some of the Applewood Original Text reprints, as well as the Digests and UB books (curiously though, I don't always seem to see the Casefiles- but those usually are in the young adult section separate from the children's section as they should be)... some smaller branches tend to just have some of the G&D books though...

[tomswift2002]

I was just in my local library the other day for the first time the other day and they had none of the Hardy Boys Casefiles, Nancy Drew Files or the Tom Swift (Archway Series) books, and yet when I visited the library in my heyday of visiting the library (1996-2004) they always had at least The Negative Zone from Tom Swift and about 15 or 20 Casefiles and Files (each series seperately).  But, for the paperbacks I saw more of the paperbacks from 1997 onwards than I did for the ones from 1979-1996 (of course they've got a few of the Wanderer titles in hardcover that I used to read, and those were still there), but I guess that with the majority of the paperbacks, after 20+ years they tend to fall apart and maybe get sold off.

[MacGyver]

Yeah- libraries do have to periodically weed through their collection and older paperbacks, especially ones that are falling apart and perhaps not seeing much circulation anymore, do tend to get discarded and sold, etc.
Of course, sometimes they give paperbacks a hardcover makeover and that helps the books hold up longer- I've seen that done with some of The Hardy Boys Digests and Casefiles at some places.