Figure 1.--"The Bobbsey Twins in A Great City" was first published in 1927. This is a 1937 edition. The same illustration was used for other titles. Note that it has nothing to do with the title. It was revised at its copyright renewed in the 1940s. We do not know who the illustrator was. |
The Bobbsy Twins are one of the best known series in American's children's literature. The author Laura Lee Hope, only there was really no such person. The real author was Edward Stratemeyer who wrote the first book in 1904. Actually it may have been the only one of the series that he actually did write. Stratemeyer was believed to have written the first three books. He then began hiring ghost writers to write the rest of the books published in the Bobbsey Twin series. He prepared notes for the actual writers to follow. There were eventually 72 books published. When Stratemeyer died in 1930, his daughter Harriet Stratemeyer Adams began managing the Stratemeyer Syndicate.
The Bobbsy Twins are one of the best known series in American's children's literature. There were eventually 72 books published.
The author Laura Lee Hope, only there was really no such person. The real author was Edward Stratemeyer (1863-1930) who wrote the first book in 1904. Actually it may have been the only one of the series that he actually did write. Stratemeyer was believed to have written the first three books. He then began hiring ghost writers to write the rest of the books published in the Bobbsey Twin series. He prepared notes for the actual writers to follow.
Stratemeyer was also associated with many of the other important series of American children's literature. The first was the Rover Boys (1899-1926). The other series were Tom Swift (1910-41), the Hardy Boys (1927-85), and Nancy Drew (1930-85). When Stratemeyer died in 1930, his daughter Harriet Stratemeyer Adams began managing the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Writers of the Bobbsey books included Howard R. Garis (1913-35), Harriet S. Adams, Andrew E. Svenson, June M. Dunn), Grace Grote, and Nancy S. Axelrad.
We are not sure who the illustrators were for the books. The early books had an illustration on the front cover. That same illustration was used on several different titles. Covers in the 1930s-50s had minimal illustrations.
The Bobbsey Twins are actually two sets of raternal boy-girl twins. Bert and Nan are the older set of twins. Flossie and Freddie are the younger twins. Bert and Nan had dark brown hair and brown eyes. Flossie and Freddie had light hair and blue eyes. The Bobbsey Twins live in, only we don't know just where Lakeport is located. We think it is in the Northeast because some of the stories involve a good bit of snow. Their father is lumber merchant and the family very prosprous. Their mother stays home and takes care of the children. There were servants to help out. The family is usually described in detail in chapter two of each book. The Bobbsey family is about as wholseome a family as you can get. There were friends Nellie, Charlie and Dannie and of course their dog Snap. Nothing that might seem controversial ever appears in a Bobbsey book. There is one eception here. The family has two black servants: Dinah and Sam. The dialog was originally written with Dinah and Sam speaking in dialect. This went on through the 1920s. By the 1930s this changed and revisions of the early books were revised so that Dinah nd Sam spoke normally.
The first Bobbsey Twin books were first published in 1904. In that book Bert and Nan were about 8 years old. Freddie and Flossie were about 4 years old. The books at first were written with a chronological sence. The first book The Bobbsey Twins ( Merry Days Indoors and Out), is set during the school year. The next book follows on with the summer vacation, The Bobbsey Twins in the Country. Summer vacation finishes off with The Bobbsey Twins
at the Seashore. Then of course they are back at school with The Bobbsey Twins at School. This of course meant that the twins were now 9 and 5 years old. As the series had proven successful, the publisher clearly planned futher additions. A simple look at the math, however, meant that the Bobbsey Twins would soon be grown up. As a result, the aging process was put on hold. Evenually the twins leveled off at about 12 and 6 years of age. For some reason Bert and Nan got a bit older than their younger siblings. The twins, however, after this stayed at this approximate age through the 1970s.
While the Twins do not grow much older, they do change with the times. The books begin in 1904 with the horse and buggy days and sound very much like turn of the century books. Then graduallt cars and trucks appear. There is, however, no recognition of major events like the two World Wars and the Great Depression that may have brought unhappiness to Lakeport. The comfortable world of the Bobbsey changes little. The Bobbseys in the 1970s declined significanty in popularity. Modern children apparenly wanted more excitement thn earlier children demanded. There was some effort to update them, such as investigating water pollution. The modern books in the 1960s and 70s, however, lacked the charming sweetness and innosence of the early books.
The first Bobbsey book was written in 1904. The last book in the series was published in 1979. That was a incredible press run, we believe the longest of any childrn's book. There were several diiferent publishers over that time. Not onlywere new books written, but some of the earlier books were also repritten. This was in part to renew the copyright. When this was done, the books were sometimes, but not always updated. Grosset and Dunlap were the principal publisher and they carried out a major updating of the series in the 1950s. Even some of the titles were updated, often adding the word mystery.
The Twins wear contemporary fashions, but given the press run we notice a range of fahions including Eton collars, sailor suits, and tunic suits. The sailor suits were normally short panrs suits, but ther ere long pants sailor uits as well. Headwear includes flap caps and broad-brimmed sailor hats. We also notice a range of hair styles. Freddie has quite long hair when we first see him. A Bobbsey Twin paper doll book featured Freddie in a blue sailor suit.
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