One of Edward Stratemeyer’s most successful partnerships was with the New York publishing house of Grosset & Dunlap.  As part of this publishing agreement, for each 50c book sold, the Stratemeyer Syndicate received 2c in royalties (increased to 2.5c in July 1932).  In the 1920s & early 30s, Grosset & Dunlap issued royalty statements to the Stratemeyer Syndicate indicating exactly how many copies of each title were sold, how many were received from the bindery and how many remained in stock.  Initially, these statements were issued bi-annually, but later when Harriet Stratemeyer Adams took over from her father, these statements were issued quarterly.

For so long, collectors have measured rarity on the subjective assessments and collective opinions of many.  Here is an opportunity to review the actual sales data from the original royalty statements of the time and gain a clearer picture of exactly how many books were produced.  Of course, speculation will continue as to the attrition rate of many of these books over the decades and the affects of such events as the paper drives during the last World War, but here for the first time we have a firm starting point to expand upon.  Let me leave you with some data on three of the more popular series:  Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and Ted Scott during a small window of time – the 1930s.