Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson (July 10, 1905 – May 28, 2002) was an American journalist and writer of children's books. She wrote some of the earliest

Nancy Drew Nancy Drew is a Fictional character, fictional character appearing in several Mystery fiction, mystery book series, movies, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwriter, ghostwritten by a number of authors and published ...

mysteries and created the detective's adventurous personality. Benson wrote under the

Stratemeyer Syndicate The Stratemeyer Syndicate was a publishing company that produced a number of mystery book series for children, including Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, the various Tom Swift series, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and others. They published and ...

pen name,

Carolyn Keene Carolyn Keene is the pseudonym of the authors of the Nancy Drew mystery stories and The Dana Girls mystery stories, both produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. In addition, the Keene pen name is credited with the Nancy Drew spin-off, ''River H ...

, from 1929 to 1947 and contributed to 23 of the first 30 Nancy Drew mysteries, which were bestsellers.

Early life

Mildred Benson was born Mildred Augustine on July 10, 1905, in

Ladora, Iowa Ladora is a city in Iowa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 229 at the time of the 2020 census. History Ladora was platted in 1867 and incorporated in 1879. Geography Ladora is located at (41.754903, -92.183925). According to the ...

, to Lillian and Dr. J. L. Augustine. Benson earned her degree in English from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

in 1925 in just three years. She later returned to the university, and in 1927, became the first student there to earn a master's degree in journalism.

Writing career

Benson began her career selling short stories to magazines such as ''

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

'' and ''Lutheran Young Folks''. During her college years, she worked at ''

The Daily Iowan ''The Daily Iowan'' is an independent, 6,500-circulation student newspaper serving Iowa City and the University of Iowa community. During the 2020–2021 academic year ''The Daily Iowan'' transitioned from printing daily to producing a print edi ...

'' under editor

George Gallup George Horace Gallup (November 18, 1901 – July 26, 1984) was an American pioneer of survey sampling techniques and inventor of the Gallup poll, a successful statistical method of survey sampling for measuring public opinion. Life and career ...

, and after receiving her undergraduate degree, for the society pages of the ''

Clinton Herald The ''Clinton Herald'' is a six-day (Monday through Saturday) daily newspaper published in Clinton, Iowa, and covering Clinton and Jackson counties in Iowa, and Carroll and Whiteside counties in Illinois. Overview It is owned by Community Newsp ...

''. In addition to her work with the

, Benson also wrote many other series both in her name and under other pseudonyms from the 1930s to the 1950s. She ultimately wrote under a dozen names and published more than 130 books. In 1930 and 1931, Benson wrote the Ruth Darrow series. Taking flying lessons and flying her own aircraft, Ruth wins a national cross-country race, lands on an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

, helps the Forest Service in fighting forest fires, and alerts the

Coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

of an immigrant-smuggling scheme. The series has been highlighted as unusual for its time, for both its generally authentic aeronautical lore, and the consistent and outspoken advocacy of women's abilities and mechanical competence. From 1939 to 1947, Benson wrote the Penny Parker books which were published under her own name. Parker was the daughter of a newspaper editor who sought to become a reporter herself, often becoming involved in mysteries and dangerous situations. Parker was modeled after both the Nancy Drew character and Benson herself, but also gave Benson creative control of the character and her stories that she did not have for the Nancy Drew series. Benson would later cite Parker as her favorite of the characters she wrote, and considered her to be "a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is." Benson began working at the ''

Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issue o ...

'' in 1944, and continued there for 58 years. After the death of her second husband in 1959, Benson focused on journalism. In the 1990s, she began writing a weekly column for the ''Toledo Blade'' titled "On the Go". She continued this and writing

obituaries An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...

full-time until a few months before her death.

Stratemeyer Syndicate

In the spring of 1926, literary publisher

Edward Stratemeyer Edward L. Stratemeyer (; October 4, 1862 – May 10, 1930) was an American publisher, writer of children's fiction, and founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. He was one of the most prolific writers in the world, producing in excess of 1,300 ...

wrote an ad looking for

ghostwriters A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...

for the

. Benson applied with mentioning that she had plans to move to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

where Stratemeyer's offices were located. At his request, Benson sent Stratemeyer some of her work with which he was impressed. While vacationing, she met Stratemeyer in New York in July and was offered to undertake the

Ruth Fielding The Ruth Fielding books were an early Stratemeyer Syndicate series, published between 1913 and 1934 under the pseudonym Alice B. Emerson. Ruth Fielding begins the series as an orphan who comes to live with her miserly uncle and, in later titles, g ...

series. Under the pseudonym of

Alice B. Emerson Alice B. Emerson is a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for the Betty Gordon and Ruth FieldingEmerson, Alice B. Ruth ''Fielding in the Red Cross: Or, Doing Her Best for Uncle Sam''. New York: Cupples & Leon Co, 1918. series of children ...

, Benson wrote ''Ruth Fielding and Her Great Scenario''. Stratemeyer credited Benson's writing for reviving sales of the Fielding series. Syndicate ghostwriters took the outlines supplied by Stratemeyer and wrote the novel based from an outline sent to them. After her initial meeting with Stratemeyer, Benson never saw him again; the work was done through correspondence. As with all Syndicate ghostwriters, under the terms of her contract, Benson was paid a flat fee of $125 to $250 for each Stratemeyer-outlined text, the equivalent of three months' pay for a newspaper reporter at that time. Ghostwriters signed away all rights to their texts and any claim to the Syndicate pseudonym used. Writers were, however, permitted to reveal that they wrote for the Syndicate. The Syndicate protected their pseudonyms to preserve series continuity as contributors to the series came and went. In 1929, Stratemeyer developed a new series of detective novels with Benson in mind as the ghostwriter. He initially titled the heroine "Stella Strong", though upon selling the series to Grosset & Dunlap, they chose the alternative name "Nan Drew" and lengthened the name to

. While Stratemeyer supplied the outlines of the first four novels for Benson, she developed Nancy's spunky, plucky personality, and her daring, adventurous spirit. Benson sought to make the heroine an unusually liberated woman for her time. She later said about writing the initial books, "I always knew the series would be successful. I just never expected it to be the blockbuster that it has been. I'm glad that I had that much influence on people." Shortly after finishing work on ''

The Mystery at Lilac Inn ''The Mystery At Lilac Inn'' is the fourth volume in the ''Nancy Drew Mystery Stories'' series. It was first published in 1930 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Mildred Wirt Benson was the ghostwriter for the 1930 edition. In 1961, Harriet Stra ...

'', and only a few weeks after the launch of the series, Stratemeyer died. Under the terms of his will, all Syndicate ghostwriters, including Benson, were sent one-fifth of the equivalent of the royalties the Syndicate had received for each book series to which they had contributed. Stratemeyer's daughters,

Harriet Adams Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (December 12, 1892 – March 27, 1982) was an American juvenile book packager, children's novelist, and publisher who was responsible for some 200 books over her literary career. She wrote the plot outlines for many boo ...

and Edna Stratemeyer, initially attempted to sell the company as per his wishes, but were unable to find a buyer due to the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. They ultimately continued their father's work, and kept correspondence with Benson. Though Benson briefly quit the Nancy Drew series, she continued writing the Fielding books until the series was cancelled by its publisher in 1934. Upon returning to the Nancy Drew series in 1934, Adams and Stratemeyer were able to convince her to also write the

Kay Tracey The Kay Tracey Mysteries were published under the name Frances K. Judd, a house pseudonym of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book packager. The series was conceived as a response to the popularity of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories and likewise featu ...

and

Dana Girls The Dana Girls was a series of young adult mystery novels produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The title heroines, Jean and Louise Dana, are teenage sisters and amateur detectives who solve mysteries while at boarding school. The series was cr ...

series they had developed. The Dana Girls, which also used the Carolyn Keene pseudonym, had been written by

The Hardy Boys The Hardy Boys, brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional characters who appear in several mystery series for children and teens. The series revolves around teenagers who are amateur sleuths, solving cases that stumped their adult counterpa ...

ghostwriter

Leslie McFarlane Charles Leslie McFarlane (October 25, 1902 – September 6, 1977) was a Canadian journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and filmmaker, who is most famous for ghostwriting many of the early books in the very successful ''Hardy Boys'' series, using the ...

until he quit following the initial four books. Benson continued writing for the Syndicate until the early 1950s, when the Syndicate underwent management changes. Beginning in 1959, Adams began revising and updating the Nancy Drew books written by Benson. Adams also made changes to Nancy's personality that had been crafted by Benson, making her less assertive and spunky. In 1980, Grosset & Dunlap called Benson as a witness during a lawsuit against the Syndicate for contracting new titles with their competitor

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

. Benson's testimony revealed her identity to the public as a contributor to the Nancy Drew mystery stories. After the death of her sister in 1973, Adams claimed she had written the series since her father's passing; she had received considerable publicity for this especially since both The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew were adapted for television in the late 1970s. Since the revelation and subsequent research into Syndicate files, Benson has been acknowledged the creator of the original Nancy Drew along with Edward Stratemeyer. In 2001, Benson received a Special

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

for her contributions to the Nancy Drew series. Benson's favorite Nancy Drew story was ''

The Hidden Staircase ''The Hidden Staircase'' is the second volume in the ''Nancy Drew Mystery Stories'' series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, published in 1930 and revised in 1959. The original text was written by Mildred Wirt Benson, and she has said th ...

'', the second mystery in the series. Whenever asked, she would gladly autograph copies of the Nancy Drew books, but only the titles she actually wrote.

Personal life

In 1928, she married Asa Wirt, a correspondent for the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

. The couple had a daughter, Margaret "Peggy" Wirt, who was born in 1936. Asa Wirt died in 1947, following a long illness during which Mildred took care of him. In 1950, she married George A. Benson, her editor at the ''

'' newspaper. He died in 1959. Benson was also known as a great adventurer. She made numerous trips to Central America, witnessing

archaeological excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

and visiting

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

sites. After her second husband's death, Benson obtained her pilot's license, and continued flying for several years. Benson died in Toledo at the age of 96 on May 28, 2002.

Selected bibliography

Non-series

As Mildred A. Wirt or Mildred Benson: * ''Sky Racers'', 1935 * ''Carolina Castle'', historical fiction within a

frame story A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

* ''Courageous Wings'', 1937 * ''Linda'', 1940 * ''Pirate Brig'', historical fiction, published 1950 by

Scribners Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan Rawli ...

but written earlier. * ''Dangerous Deadline'', published by Dodd, Mead & Co. in 1950, a winner of the Boys' Life—Dodd, Mead Prize Competition, and reprinted by Scholastic Book Services. * ''Quarry Ghost'' 1959, UK edition, 1960, ''Kristie at College''

A Mystery Book/Story for Girls series,
Cupples & Leon Cupples & Leon was an American publishing company founded in 1902 by Victor I. Cupples (1864–1941) and Arthur T. Leon (1867–1943). They published juvenile fiction and children's books but are mainly remembered today as the major publi ...
, as Mildred A. Wirt

* ''The Twin Ring Mystery'', 1935 * ''The Clue at Crooked Lane'', 1936 * ''The Hollow Wall Mystery'', 1936 * ''The Shadow Stone'', 1937 * ''The Wooden Shoe Mystery'', 1938 * ''Through the Moon-Gate Door'', 1938 * ''Ghost Gables'', 1939 * ''Painted Shield'', 1939

Stratemeyer Syndicate The Stratemeyer Syndicate was a publishing company that produced a number of mystery book series for children, including Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, the various Tom Swift series, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and others. They published and ...
Series

Nancy Drew (as Carolyn Keene)

*1. ''

The Secret of the Old Clock ''The Secret of the Old Clock'' is the first volume in the ''Nancy Drew Mystery Stories'' series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was first published on April 28, 1930, and rewritten in 1959 by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Nancy Drew ...

'', 1930 *2. ''

'', 1930 *3. ''

The Bungalow Mystery ''The Bungalow Mystery'' is the third volume in the ''Nancy Drew Mystery Stories'' series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. It was the last of three books in the "breeder set" trilogy, released in 1930, to test-market the series. It was ...

'', 1930 *4. ''

'', 1930 *5. ''

The Secret at Shadow Ranch ''The Secret at Shadow Ranch'' is the fifth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1931 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, and was ghostwritten by Mildred Wirt Benson. This book, as of 2001, ranks 50 on the ...

'', 1931 *6. ''

The Secret of Red Gate Farm ''The Secret of Red Gate Farm'' is the sixth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, It was first published in 1931.The Clue in the Diary ''The Clue in the Diary'' is the seventh volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, and was first published in 1932 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Its text was revised in 1962. This is the last manuscript Mildred Wirt Benson wrote in ...

'', 1932 *11. ''

The Clue of the Broken Locket ''The Clue of the Broken Locket'' is the eleventh volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1934 and was written by Mildred Benson under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene Carolyn Keene is the pseudonym of the aut ...

'', 1934 *12. ''

The Message in the Hollow Oak ''The Message in the Hollow Oak'' is the twelfth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene Carolyn Keene is the pseudonym of the authors of the Nancy Drew mystery stories and The Dana ...

'', 1935 *13. ''

The Mystery of the Ivory Charm ''The Mystery of the Ivory Charm'' is the thirteenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1936 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson. As agreed in 1993, an ...

'', 1936 *14. ''

The Whispering Statue ''The Whispering Statue'' is the fourteenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was written by Mildred Wirt Benson, whom many readers and scholars consider the "truest" of the numerous Carolyn Keene ghostwriters, following an outl ...

'', 1937 *15. ''

The Haunted Bridge ''The Haunted Bridge'' is the fifteenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was originally published by Grosset & Dunlap Grosset & Dunlap is a New York City-based publishing house founded in 1898. The company was purchased ...

'', 1937 *16. ''

The Clue of the Tapping Heels ''The Clue of the Tapping Heels'' is the 16th volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories The ''Nancy Drew Mystery Stories'' is the long-running "main" series of the ''Nancy Drew'' franchise, which was published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. ...

'', 1939 *17. '' The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk'', 1940 *18. '' The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion'', 1941 *19. '' The Quest of the Missing Map'', 1942 *20. ''

The Clue in the Jewel Box Nancy Drew is a fictional character appearing in several mystery book series, movies, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Cre ...

'', 1943 *21. ''

The Secret in the Old Attic ''The Secret in the Old Attic'' is the twenty-first volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1944 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson. Plot Summary- 1944 e ...

'', 1944 *22. ''

The Clue in the Crumbling Wall ''The Clue in the Crumbling Wall'' is the twenty-second volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1945 under Carolyn Keene, a pseudonym of the ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson. Plot Nancy and her friends work to f ...

'', 1945 *23. ''

The Mystery of the Tolling Bell ''The Mystery of the Tolling Bell'' is the twenty-third volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1946 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The actual author was ghostwriter Mildred Wirt Benson. Plot summary Na ...

'', 1946 *24. ''

The Clue in the Old Album ''The Clue in the Old Album'' is the twenty-fourth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1947 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene.The Ghost of Blackwood Hall ''The Ghost of Blackwood Hall'' is the twenty-fifth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1948 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene.

'', 1948 *30. ''

The Clue of the Velvet Mask ''The Clue of the Velvet Mask'' is the thirtieth volume in the original ''Nancy Drew Mystery Stories'' series. It was Mildred Benson's final ghostwrite for the series. The plot and story take place largely in Nancy's hometown of River Heights. N ...

'', 1953

Kay Tracey (as Frances K. Judd)

*3. ''The Mystery of the Swaying Curtains'', 1935 *4. ''The Shadow on the Door'', 1935 *5. ''The Six-Fingered Glove Mystery'', 1936 *6. ''The Green Cameo Mystery'', 1936 *7. ''The Secret at the Windmill'', 1937 *8. ''Beneath the Crimson Briar Bush'', 1937 *9. ''The Message in the Sand Dunes'', 1938 *10. ''The Murmuring Portrait'', 1938 *11. ''When the Key Turned'', 1939 *12. ''In the Sunken Garden'', 1939 *14. ''The Sacred Feather'', 1940

Penny Parker (as Mildred A. Wirt)

*1. ''Tale of the Witch Doll'', 1939 *2. ''The Vanishing Houseboat'', 1939 *3. ''Danger at the Drawbridge'', 1940 *4. ''Behind the Green Door'', 1940 *5. ''Clue of the Silken Ladder'', 1941 *6. ''The Secret Pact'', 1941 *7. ''The Clock Strikes Thirteen'', 1942 *8. ''The Wishing Well'', 1942 *9. ''Saboteurs on the River'', 1943 *10. ''Ghost Beyond the Gate'', 1943 *11. ''Hoofbeats on the Turnpike'', 1944 *12. ''Voice from the Cave'', 1944 *13. ''Guilt of the Brass Thieves'', 1945 *14. ''Signal in the Dark'', 1946 *15. ''Whispering Walls'', 1946 *16. ''Swamp Island'', 1947 *17. ''The Cry at Midnight'', 1947 *18. ''Unpublished Title'', would have been 1948

Dana Girls (as Carolyn Keene)

*5. ''The Secret at the Hermitage'', 1936 *6. ''The Circle of Footprints'', 1937 *7. ''The Mystery of the Locked Room'', 1938 *8. ''The Clue in the Cobweb'', 1939 *9. ''The Secret at the Gatehouse'', 1940 *10. ''The Mysterious Fireplace'', 1941 *11. ''The Clue of the Rusty Key'', 1942 *12. ''The Portrait in the Sand'', 1943 *14. ''The Clue in the Ivy'', 1952 *15. ''The Secret of the Jade Ring'', 1953 *16. ''Mystery at the Crossroads'', 1954

Penny Nichols (as Joan Clark)

*1. ''Penny Nichols Finds a Clue'', 1937 *2. ''Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key'', 1936 *3. ''Penny Nichols and the Black Imp'', 1936 *4. ''Penny Nichols and the Knob Hill Mystery'', 1939

Connie Carl (as Joan Clark)

*1. ''Connie Carl at Rainbow Ranch'', 1939 *2. ''Connie Carl on Skis'', would have been 1939 (made into Penny Parker #4) *3. ''Untitled Third volume'', would have been 1939The end of the manuscript of ''Connie Carl on Skis'' hints at another adventure for Connie when she wins the contest, which is a modeling job. No further information on the title is available.

Madge Sterling (as Ann Wirt)

*1. ''The Missing Formula'', 1932 *2. ''The Deserted Yacht'', 1932 *3. ''The Secret of the Sundial'', 1932

Ruth Darrow (as Mildred A. Wirt)

*1 Ruth Darrow in the Air Derby, 1930 *2 Ruth Darrow in the Fire Patrol, 1930 *3. Ruth Darrow in Yucatán, 1931 *4. Ruth Darrow in the Coast Guard, 1931

Dan Carter Cub Scout (as Mildred A. Wirt)

*1. ''Dan Carter Cub Scout'', 1949 *2. ''Dan Carter and the River Camp'', 1949 *3. ''Dan Carter and the Money Box'', 1950 *4. ''Dan Carter and the Haunted Castle'', 1951 *5. ''Dan Carter and the Great Carved Face'', 1952 *6. ''Dan Carter and the Cub Honor'', 1953

Ruth Fielding (as Alice B. Emerson), a 30-book series

*23. ''Ruth Fielding and her Great Scenario'', 1927 *24. ''Ruth Fielding at Cameron Hall'', 1928 *25. ''Ruth Fielding Clearing Her Name'', 1929 *26. ''Ruth Fielding in Talking Pictures'', 1930 *27. ''Ruth Fielding and Baby June'', 1931 *28. ''Ruth Fielding and Her Double'', 1932 *29. ''Ruth Fielding and Her Greatest Triumph'', 1933 *30. ''Ruth Fielding and Her Crowning Victory'', 1934

Doris Force (as Julia K. Duncan), a four-book series

*1. ''Doris Force at Locked Gates'', 1931 *2. ''Doris Force at Cloudy Cove'', 1931

References

External links

Guide to the Mildred Wirt Collection.
Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
The Mildred Wirt Benson Collection
(archived): digitized scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs and other artifacts donated by Benson to The University of Iowa Libraries.

biography, book lists, photographs and more, at the NancyDrewSleuth.com archive.
Who was Carolyn Keene?
An interview with Mildred Wirt Benson, the original ghostwriter for the Nancy Drew mystery novels. (October 1999)
The case of the girl detective
With the passing of Nancy Drew's first author, the mystery of the teenage sleuth's true identity only deepens. (June 2002)
The Storied Life of Millie Benson
at

WGTE-TV WGTE-TV (channel 30) is a PBS member television station in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is owned by the Public Broadcasting Foundation of Northwest Ohio alongside NPR member WGTE-FM (91.3). The two stations share studios on South Detroit Avenue ...

Electronic editions

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Mildred 1905 births 2002 deaths Agatha Award winners American children's writers American women children's writers 20th-century American women journalists Deaths from lung cancer in Ohio Edgar Award winners Journalists from Ohio People from Iowa County, Iowa Stratemeyer Syndicate University of Iowa alumni Women mystery writers Writers from Iowa Writers from Toledo, Ohio 20th-century American journalists