''The Secret of Red Gate Farm'' is the sixth 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. There are 175 novels — plus 34 revised stories — that were published between 1930 and ...

series, written under the pseudonym

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 ...

, It was first published in 1931.''The Secret of Red Gate Farm''
at

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Front Flyleaf

There is no front flyleaf for the 1989 edition of this book, which is the most recent edition.

Plot Summary - 1931 edition

Out on a leisurely shopping trip, Nancy, Bess and George encounter an odd French-

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

saleswoman, who is reluctant to sell a particular fragrance to Bess. On a return train trip to River Heights, they ponder her odd behavior and encounter the malnourished Millie (Joanne in the later versions of the book) Byrd, who is on her way to "the city" to seek employment. Millie becomes acquainted with the girls, and when Nancy accompanies her to a job interview, she uncovers a mysterious code in the office. Millie's grandmother, owner of Red Gate Farm, welcomes the trio and Millie to her farm where they plan to vacation as paid boarders, and assist with waiting on other boarders. Once on the farm, Nancy uncovers a strange group called The Black Snake Colony—a "nature

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

"—who are tenants on an outlying portion of Mrs. Byrd's farm. Accused of passing

counterfeit To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

money, Nancy shares details of the odd colony and the codes obtained in the office building with Federal agents. Nancy, Bess, George, and Millie go undercover disguised in the white robes and hoods worn by the cult members, and join them in their cave hideaway. This volume also serves to further develop the Bess and George characters, and their affectionate yet sometimes antagonistic relationship.

1961 revision

For the 1961 version of the book, the plot elements did not change much. Millie's name is now Joanne. George is bitten by a snake, and one of the federal agents is the son of a boarder at Red Gate Farm. Al Sniggs, gruff right-hand man of Maurice Hale, is now named Al Snead.

Artwork

The original cover art and four illustrations were executed by R.H. Tandy. He updated his own frontispiece to pen and ink in 1943. In 1950, Bill Gillies introduced new art which was prominently featured in promotions and advertisements, as well as on one-half of Rudy Nappi's endpaper design, introduced in 1953. The iconic image is of Nancy spying on a cave from behind a tree. Because the story is nearly the same as the original version, the art was retained when the 1961 revision was introduced. It was never revised again, and remains in print as of 2009. Various editions have come under criticism from adult collectors, mainly because the costumes worn by the Colony members resemble KKK apparel.

References

External links

* * 1931 American novels 1931 children's books 1961 American novels 1961 children's books Children's mystery novels Grosset & Dunlap books Nancy Drew books {{1960s-child-novel-stub