Nancy Drew is a fictional character in a
mystery fiction series created by publisher
Edward Stratemeyer. The character first appeared in the year 1930; the books have been
ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published under the collective
pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Over the decades the character has evolved in response to changes in US culture and tastes. The books were extensively revised and shortened, beginning in 1959, in part to lower printing costs and to eliminate
racist stereotypes, with arguable success. In the revision process, the heroine's original character was changed to be less assertive and more feminine. In the 1980s an older and more professional Nancy emerged in a new series,
The Nancy Drew Files, that included romantic subplots for the sleuth. In 2004 the original
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, begun in 1930, was ended and a new series,
Girl Detective, was launched, in which the title character drives a
hybrid electric vehicle and uses a cell phone. In 2013 the
Girl Detective series was ended and a new series called
Nancy Drew Diaries was launched. Illustrations of the character have evolved over time to reflect contemporary styles. The character has proved continuously popular worldwide: at least 80 million copies of the books have been sold, and the books have been translated into over 45 languages. Nancy Drew has featured in five films, two television shows, and a number of popular computer games; she also appears in a variety of merchandise sold over the world.