Here are my recent treasures from three separate trips to Half Price Books. You'll notice many vintage Nancy Drew books to add to my collection! I now have 24 of the original 56 Nancy Drew books. Normally I'm not a fan of collecting things. I view collecting as less of a hobby; and more about consuming and blindly spending money. There is a Douglas Coupland quote about people "confusing buying things with creativity." In this case, however, I am making an exception to my "no collecting" rule. Nancy Drew was such a part of my childhood. I fully intend to re-read every one of the original 56 books, and hope to share them with my niece, Mary, someday (and any future nieces that might come along.) My vintage Nancy Drew books are all from the same approximate publishing period. There are newer, shinier Nancy Drew books, but I don't want those, because they don't look, feel or smell the same as the ones from my childhood. My vintage Nancy Drew books from Half Price Books cost between $2.48 and $4.98 each. When I originally bought the books back in the day with my allowance, they were $2.95 each. That vintage status adds to the price tag, but also makes them exponentially cooler and more personally meaningful.
