Mildred Benson
Encyclopedia
Mildred Wirt Benson was an American author of children's books, in particular several Nancy Drew
mysteries. Writing under Stratemeyer Syndicate
pen name Carolyn Keene
from 1929 to 1947, she contributed to 23 of the first 25 originally published Nancy Drew mysteries. She was one of 28 individuals who helped produce the Syndicate's Nancy Drew mystery books from 1929 to 1984. Edward Stratemeyer hired Mildred Benson in 1926 to assist in expanding his roughly-drafted stories with Syndicate directed, juvenile text in order to satisfy increasing demand for his series.
Benson was born Mildred Augustine in Ladora, Iowa
, and was married to Asa Wirt and, after Wirt's death, to George Benson, editor of the Toledo Blade newspaper
of Toledo, Ohio
. She was a graduate in journalism
from the University of Iowa
. She worked for 58 years as a journalist and was still writing a weekly column for the Toledo Blade at 96 at the time of her death from lung cancer.
Published book rights were owned by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and are currently owned by Simon & Schuster
. As with all Syndicate ghostwriter
s, Benson was paid a flat fee of $125 to $250 for each Stratemeyer outline text; the equivalent of three month's pay for a newspaper reporter at that time. At Edward Stratemeyer's death, under the terms of his will, all Syndicate ghostwriters, including Benson, were sent one fifth of the equivalent of the royalties the Syndicate had received for each book series to which they had contributed.
As with all Syndicate ghostwriters, under the terms of her contract Benson signed away all rights to her texts and any claim to the Syndicate pen name
, Carolyn Keene. She was, however, permitted to reveal that she wrote for the Syndicate. This was required as the stories were owned and written by the Stratemeyers, and they had to protect their Syndicate pen names and preserve series continuity as contributors to the series came and went. Simon & Schuster currently maintain the same system.
However, in 1980 Mildred Benson's testimony, which she offered in a court case involving the publishers, revealed her identity to the public as a contributor to the Nancy Drew mystery stories. With only this, and without access to the Stratemeyer Syndicate archives now held at the New York Public Library
, the public presumed that she had a primary authorship claim to the Nancy Drew stories and pen name, Carolyn Keene, who also "wrote" the Dana Girls
series.
The character of Nancy Drew was conceived by Edward Stratemeyer
who provided Mildred Wirt with index card thumbnail sketches. Mildred Wirt Benson was the first ghostwriter to expand Edward's roughly-drafted Nancy Drew plots, writing the first five books. Texts were then edited and rewritten as required, and the Syndicate approved and had all final books published under the Syndicate's name. Subsequent Nancy Drew stories (with some exceptions), for which Benson provided text, were all re-written by Edna Stratemeyer Squier and, primarily, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, after their father's death in 1930.
In 2001, Benson received a Special Edgar Award
from the Mystery Writers of America
for her contributions to the Nancy Drew series.
Benson's favorite Nancy Drew story was The Hidden Staircase
, the second mystery in the series. Benson also wrote many other series, including the Penny Parker
books, which were published under her own name.
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a fictional young amateur detective in various mystery series for all ages. She was created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate book packaging firm. The character first appeared in 1930. The books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published...
mysteries. Writing under Stratemeyer Syndicate
Stratemeyer Syndicate
The Stratemeyer Syndicate was the producer of a number of mystery series for children, including Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the various Tom Swift series, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and others.- History :...
pen name Carolyn Keene
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...
from 1929 to 1947, she contributed to 23 of the first 25 originally published Nancy Drew mysteries. She was one of 28 individuals who helped produce the Syndicate's Nancy Drew mystery books from 1929 to 1984. Edward Stratemeyer hired Mildred Benson in 1926 to assist in expanding his roughly-drafted stories with Syndicate directed, juvenile text in order to satisfy increasing demand for his series.
Benson was born Mildred Augustine in Ladora, Iowa
Ladora, Iowa
Ladora is a city in Iowa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 287 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ladora is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, and was married to Asa Wirt and, after Wirt's death, to George Benson, editor of the Toledo Blade newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
of Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. She was a graduate in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. She worked for 58 years as a journalist and was still writing a weekly column for the Toledo Blade at 96 at the time of her death from lung cancer.
Published book rights were owned by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and are currently owned by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. As with all Syndicate ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
s, Benson was paid a flat fee of $125 to $250 for each Stratemeyer outline text; the equivalent of three month's pay for a newspaper reporter at that time. At Edward Stratemeyer's death, under the terms of his will, all Syndicate ghostwriters, including Benson, were sent one fifth of the equivalent of the royalties the Syndicate had received for each book series to which they had contributed.
As with all Syndicate ghostwriters, under the terms of her contract Benson signed away all rights to her texts and any claim to the Syndicate pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
, Carolyn Keene. She was, however, permitted to reveal that she wrote for the Syndicate. This was required as the stories were owned and written by the Stratemeyers, and they had to protect their Syndicate pen names and preserve series continuity as contributors to the series came and went. Simon & Schuster currently maintain the same system.
However, in 1980 Mildred Benson's testimony, which she offered in a court case involving the publishers, revealed her identity to the public as a contributor to the Nancy Drew mystery stories. With only this, and without access to the Stratemeyer Syndicate archives now held at the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
, the public presumed that she had a primary authorship claim to the Nancy Drew stories and pen name, Carolyn Keene, who also "wrote" the Dana Girls
The Dana Girls
The Dana Girls was a series of young adult mystery novels produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The title heroines, Jean and Louise Dana, are teenage sisters and amateur detectives who solve mysteries while at boarding school...
series.
The character of Nancy Drew was conceived by Edward Stratemeyer
Edward Stratemeyer
Edward Stratemeyer was an American publisher and writer of books for children.He is one of the most prolific writers in the world, producing in excess of 1300 books himself, selling in excess of 500 million copies, and created the well-known fictional book series for juveniles including The Rover...
who provided Mildred Wirt with index card thumbnail sketches. Mildred Wirt Benson was the first ghostwriter to expand Edward's roughly-drafted Nancy Drew plots, writing the first five books. Texts were then edited and rewritten as required, and the Syndicate approved and had all final books published under the Syndicate's name. Subsequent Nancy Drew stories (with some exceptions), for which Benson provided text, were all re-written by Edna Stratemeyer Squier and, primarily, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, after their father's death in 1930.
In 2001, Benson received a Special Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
from the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
for her contributions to the Nancy Drew series.
Benson's favorite Nancy Drew story was The Hidden Staircase
The Hidden Staircase
The Hidden Staircase is the second volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, and published in 1930...
, the second mystery in the series. Benson also wrote many other series, including the Penny Parker
Penny Parker
Penny Parker was a series of 17 books written by Mildred A. Wirt Benson and published from 1939 through 1947. Penny was a high school sleuth who also occasionally moonlighted as a reporter for her father's newspaper....
books, which were published under her own name.
External links
- The Mildred Wirt Benson Collection: digitized scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs and other artifacts donated by Benson to The University of Iowa Libraries.
- Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
articles:- Who was Carolyn Keene? An interview with Mildred Wirt Benson, the original ghostwriter for the Nancy Drew mystery novels. (October 1999)
- The case of the girl detective With the passing of Nancy Drew's first author, the mystery of the teenage sleuth's true identity only deepens. (June 2002)
- The Storied Life of Millie Benson at WGTE-TVWGTE-TVWGTE is a Public Broadcasting Service member public televisiontelevision station serving the Toledo, Ohio area. It broadcasts digitally on UHF channel 29 and is carried on Buckeye Cablesystem channel 9 in addition to other cable systems in Ohio and Michigan...