The Clue of the Tapping Heels
Encyclopedia
The Clue of the Tapping Heels is the sixteenth volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories
series. It was first published in 1939. An updated, revised, and largely different story was published under the same title in 1970. The 1939 version is published as a facsimile edition by Applewood Books
. , this title is still in print.
In a controversial turn, Nancy and George are drugged by inhalants at a downtown restaurant. In the climax, Nancy is captured, and left bound inside the cabin of a large boat. She taps morse code with her high-heeled oxfords to seek aid, before revealing the mystery's solution. It is this scene which is illustrated in the book's frontispiece.
cover art shows Nancy, Bess, and George investigating a ladder at Nancy's house, by moonlight. The revised cover artwork by Rudy Nappi for the 1962 picture cover, shows the same scene, corrected to match the actual text. Nancy, alone, walks by a ladder outside her home at night. For the 1969 revised edition, the cover art is very vivid and somewhat psychedelic, with images of Nancy tap-dancing, and a head shot underneath a giant Persian cat head, all on a sunflower-yellow background. This version was also painted by Nappi.
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories
The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories was the long-running "main" Nancy Drew series, published between 1930 and 2003. Initially, titles were published by Grosset & Dunlap, but with #57 publication switched to Simon & Schuster. Most people consider these first 56 to be the original series and consider the...
series. It was first published in 1939. An updated, revised, and largely different story was published under the same title in 1970. The 1939 version is published as a facsimile edition by Applewood Books
Applewood Books
Applewood Books is a book publishing company founded by Phil Zuckerman in 1976. They specialize in publishing exacting recreations of historic books, including complex reprints of children's art and pop-up books and other books published by methods which duplicate antique publishing techniques. ...
. , this title is still in print.
Plot summary, 1939 edition
Nancy, Bess, and George have become tap-dance enthusiasts. Nancy meets an eccentric retired actress, Miss Carter, who owns a large number of cats. Nancy attempts to solve a strange tapping sound at the woman's house. Miss Carter's finances are in a poor state, due mostly to the manipulations of a crook. Meanwhile, Nancy seeks to restore a former suitor of Miss Carter to favor. The story outline was completed by Edna Stratemeyer Squire, and was written by Mildred Wirt Benson, the series' primary ghostwriter. Mrs. Squire is noted to have unusual tastes in plot devices, and this is evident in the unusual action, chapter climaxes, and various other events in the book.In a controversial turn, Nancy and George are drugged by inhalants at a downtown restaurant. In the climax, Nancy is captured, and left bound inside the cabin of a large boat. She taps morse code with her high-heeled oxfords to seek aid, before revealing the mystery's solution. It is this scene which is illustrated in the book's frontispiece.
1969 revision
Nancy is appearing as a tap dancer in a charity show, all the while with chums Bess and George, investigating strange tapping sounds at the elderly Mrs. Purdy's home. Purdy, like the character of the same name in the original version, is a cat enthusiast, only this time she owns mostly valuable breeding stock. Nancy determines there is a hoax going on, there are attacks at the charity show, and the mysterious tapping sounds are Morse code. . . .Artwork
The original Russell H. TandyRussell H. Tandy
Russell H. Tandy was an American illustrator, best known for his cover art for early editions of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series.Tandy was a friend of Edward Stratemeyer, whose syndicate created several series of books for young readers...
cover art shows Nancy, Bess, and George investigating a ladder at Nancy's house, by moonlight. The revised cover artwork by Rudy Nappi for the 1962 picture cover, shows the same scene, corrected to match the actual text. Nancy, alone, walks by a ladder outside her home at night. For the 1969 revised edition, the cover art is very vivid and somewhat psychedelic, with images of Nancy tap-dancing, and a head shot underneath a giant Persian cat head, all on a sunflower-yellow background. This version was also painted by Nappi.