Edward Stratemeyer

Edward Stratemeyer (born October 4, 1862 in Elizabeth , New Jersey , † May 10, 1930 in Newark , New Jersey) was an American publicist and children's book writer. He created the children's book series about the Hardy Boys , the Bobbsey Twins , Nancy Drew , the Rover Boys , Tom Swift , Bomba, the Jungle Boy and many others.

Stratemeyer invented the technique of creating long-running, consistent series of novels with the help of freelance writers. The authors wrote standardized novellas that subsequently appeared under a pseudonym that belonged to his company. This Stratemeyer Syndicate produced short storylines that were sent to several writers who formulated these stories, within a given number of pages and chapters. Each book began with an introduction to the characters and was interrupted at the first cliffhanger for a brief summary of the previous books in the series.

Stratemeyer's series were innovative because they were intended to be purely entertaining reading, with no moral lessons or educational intentions found in most other popular novels of the early 20th century. Instead, he produced straightforward action or mystery stories with idealized heroes and heroines.

Stratemeyer is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Hillside , New Jersey.