Three Investigators
Encyclopedia
The Three Investigators is an American juvenile
detective
book series
first published as "Alfred Hitchcock
and the Three Investigators" but also expanded in Germany. It was created by Robert Arthur, Jr., who believed using a famous figure such as movie director Hitchcock would attract attention. Random House
, which is owned by Bertelsmann AG, is the U.S. publisher and still holds some of the rights to the books. Other rights are held by the heirs to Robert Arthur, Jr. and the German publisher Kosmos. The "three investigators" are: Jupiter Jones (German name: Justus Jonas), Pete Crenshaw (German: Peter Shaw) and Bob Andrews. The names have been changed again for publishing the books in other cultures, such as in India, where Jupe is "Ganga", Pete is "Ranga" and Bob is named "Shirazi".
Most of the mysteries
involved investigation of baffling phenomena (e.g. an ancient Egyptian
mummy
that apparently whispered and a human skull that seemed to talk).
, who also sketched out ideas for a few of the other stories. Arthur had been an editor
for several Hitchcock book
collections
. The other author
s were William Arden
(Dennis Lynds
), Nick West (Kin Platt), Mary Virginia Carey and Marc Brandel (born Marcus Beresford). All of the authors wrote their own introductions
and epilogue
s, which purportedly were dictated by Hitchcock and later in the series by "Hector Sebastian". The illustrators in the series began with Harry Kane and Ed Vebell and include Jack Hearne, Herb Mott, Stephen Marchesi, Robert Adragna and William A. ("Bill") Dodge
.
In the original series, the specific ages of the investigators were never revealed, but contextual information indicates that they were likely 13 or 14 years old. They were not old enough to drive a car, but were said to be just a few years younger than their nemesis Skinny Norris, who had a driver's license from a state where the required age for a license was lower. On one occasion it was mentioned that Pete was on the high-school wrestling
team. In the later Crimebusters series, it was stated once that the Three Investigators firm was founded when the boys were 13.
The investigators were typically introduced to a mystery
through a client or by accidentally stumbling upon something unusual in their scrapyard of Uncle Titus Jones and Aunt Mathilda, who run a salvage business. The boys encountered baffling, sometimes misleading clues and danger before finally solving the mystery. The series was organised around one major theme: however strange, mystical, or even supernatural
a particular phenomenon may appear at first, it is capable of being traced to human agency with the determined application of reason
and logic
. Most mysteries were invariably solved by Jupiter Jones, a supreme logician who implicitly deployed the Occam's Razor
principle: that the simplest and most rational explanation should be preferred to an explanation which requires additional assumptions. The boys were able to solve their mysteries with relatively few resources: they generally could get by with little more than a telephone, bicycles, access to a library and - in a nod to the peripheral Hollywood setting of the series - a chauffer-driven vehicle. The last chapter of each book was an epilogue in which the investigators sat with Alfred Hitchcock
(and later, "Hector Sebastian"), reviewing the mystery and revealing the deduction
s through the clues shown earlier in the book.
In 1989, Random House
revamped the series, calling it The 3 Investigators — Crimebusters Series. The investigators were now 17 years old, could drive cars and were far more independent. The stories continued to contain an abundance of detecting, but with the addition of more action. The series was well-received, but was halted in 1990, when legal disagreements between Random House and the heirs to the Arthur estate could not be resolved. By 2005, the disagreements were still not settled.
At least eleven novels were published in the CrimeBusters series, which was launched by one of the series' favorite authors, William Arden, pseudonym
of Dennis Lynds, who wrote the Dan Fortune mystery series for adults under the pen name of Michael Collins. The other authors were: Megan Stine and husband H. William Stine, G.H. Stone (Gayle Lynds
), William MacCay, Marc Brandel and Peter Lerangis
.
Random House has reprinted several of the original books in two paperback
reprint series, partly to assure their legal rights.
. They are known there as the Die drei ??? (Die drei Fragezeichen, meaning "The Three Question Marks"). While American authors' novels in the series have been published there, German writers have added more, contributing about six new novels per year, with the count being 152 books in 2010. Taped radio dramas (Hörspiele) of the novels have been special favorites in Germany. Many fans
listened to them as children and rediscovered them as grown-ups. Of the first 138 titles, 29 won Platinum and another 49 won Gold. When the radio actors, who have been narrating the plays since 1979, toured the country, entire stadium
s in major cities like Hamburg
were packed.
In the booklet of the German audio play "The Mystery of the Invisible Dog", the episode upon which it was based is erroneously credited to Nick West. Moreover, in Germany there are different revised editions of "The Mystery of the Scar-faced Beggar": one using Alfred Hitchcock as their patron, one using Alfred Hitchcock and Hector Sebastian, and another one using only Hector Sebastian.
Jupiter Jones was renamed as "Justus Jonas", a German adaption of his original name, while Pete Crenshaw is called "Peter Shaw". Bob Andrews retained his original name.
(by Siedmiorog), where they were recently still very popular.
where the books are published by Mlade Leta. 60 books were translated, but not in order of original release.
and other juvenile sleuths' adventures. The cover author for the Three Investigators books was always Alfred Hitchcock, whereas the inner copyright notice correctly reported the real author (although saying "Text by ..."). No other publications of the novels are known.
In 2003, a Three Investigators movie was announced. The first was The Secret of Skeleton Island, which was released in Europe in 2007 and the following year in the U.S. A second movie, The Three Investigators and the Secret of Terror Castle, was released in 2009.
New English-language Three Investigators titles were released in 2005 for the first time since 1990. The German 'American-English' series saw the release of Poisoned E-Mail and The Curse of the Cell Phone. As of May 2008, a total of seven German stories have been translated and published in this format, and an eighth title was planned for publication in October 2008.
, as "Teen nanhay suraghrasaan" since the 1980s by the "Ferozesons" publications. They have also been published in the monthly "Taleem-o Tarbiat" magazine for children. The names of the characters are "Umber" (Jupiter Jones), "Naseem" (Pete) and "Aaqib" (Bob). The name of their Mercedes driver is Allahdad. They live in Karimabad. Umber is tall and lanky as opposed to Jupiter's character, who is stocky. Naseem, like Pete, is the most athletic of all. The translators are Saleem Ahmed Siddiqui and Maqbool Jahangir. They have done an excellent job in adapting the stories to match the Pakistani culture and geography.
as Teen Goenda
(meaning: Three Investigators) since the 1980s and became very popular among Bangladeshi juvenile readers. In the Bengali editions, Jupiter Jones is known as Kishor Pasha (a Bangladeshi American). The other two are named as Musa Aman(African American) and Robin Milford(Irish American). Sometimes Gina and Rafian (Gina's pet dog) join them. The chauffeur's name is Hanson. Hitchcock in the American publication is replaced by Davis Christopher, who is also a famous movie director. The character "Skinny Norris" appears as "Shutki Terry" and the famous French thief appears as "Shopa". The character Victor Simon in the Bangladeshi edition appears in the place of "Hector Sebastian". The series shaped the way of life of many Bangladeshi juveniles. The main context is in American society, as it would be very difficult to set up the same plot in Bangladeshi locations. It was translated by Rakib Hasan.
Similarly, all British Armada paperback editions of the title "The Mystery of the Moaning Cave" are erroneously credited to Robert Arthur. Moreover, the British series reversed the order of #42 and #43, meaning that the Armada original series ends with "Wreckers' Rock".
There were 43 published books in the original series, and one The Mystery of the Ghost Train that was never finished. There are four books in the Choose Your Own Fate books that feature The Three Investigators. Random House
created the Three Investigators Crime Buster series between 1989 and 1990.
German editions of the Three Investigators
As a result of the series remaining popular in Germany
, German publisher Kosmos started in 1993 to publish new books written by German authors. These books, along with the American ones, are the basis for the German radio drama
s, which are more popular than the books. As of August 2009, 94 books would have been published in German, of which 73 books have been produced as radio dramas. All in all, this would result in a canon of 149 books and 140 radio dramas published up to May 2010.
, starring Chancellor Miller
as Jupiter, Nick Price as Pete, and Cameron Monaghan
as Bob. It was followed in 2009 by The Three Investigators and the Secret of Terror Castle.
In 2011 the book "De Tribus Investigatoribus et Fato Draconis" became a bestseller among Latin students.
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
book series
Book series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
first published as "Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
and the Three Investigators" but also expanded in Germany. It was created by Robert Arthur, Jr., who believed using a famous figure such as movie director Hitchcock would attract attention. Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, which is owned by Bertelsmann AG, is the U.S. publisher and still holds some of the rights to the books. Other rights are held by the heirs to Robert Arthur, Jr. and the German publisher Kosmos. The "three investigators" are: Jupiter Jones (German name: Justus Jonas), Pete Crenshaw (German: Peter Shaw) and Bob Andrews. The names have been changed again for publishing the books in other cultures, such as in India, where Jupe is "Ganga", Pete is "Ranga" and Bob is named "Shirazi".
Most of the mysteries
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
involved investigation of baffling phenomena (e.g. an ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
that apparently whispered and a human skull that seemed to talk).
Introduction and history
The original series ran from 1964 to 1987 and comprised 43 books. Books number 1 to 9 and 11 were written by the creator, Robert ArthurRobert Arthur (writer)
Robert Jay Arthur, Jr. was a mystery writer known for The Mysterious Traveler radio series and his Three Investigators series of novels...
, who also sketched out ideas for a few of the other stories. Arthur had been an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
for several Hitchcock book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
collections
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
. The other author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
s were William Arden
Michael Collins (author)
Michael Collins is the best-known pseudonym of Dennis Lynds , an American author who primarily wrote mystery fiction....
(Dennis Lynds
Michael Collins (author)
Michael Collins is the best-known pseudonym of Dennis Lynds , an American author who primarily wrote mystery fiction....
), Nick West (Kin Platt), Mary Virginia Carey and Marc Brandel (born Marcus Beresford). All of the authors wrote their own introductions
Foreword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
and epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
s, which purportedly were dictated by Hitchcock and later in the series by "Hector Sebastian". The illustrators in the series began with Harry Kane and Ed Vebell and include Jack Hearne, Herb Mott, Stephen Marchesi, Robert Adragna and William A. ("Bill") Dodge
William A. Dodge
-History:Illustrator "."-References:-External links:...
.
In the original series, the specific ages of the investigators were never revealed, but contextual information indicates that they were likely 13 or 14 years old. They were not old enough to drive a car, but were said to be just a few years younger than their nemesis Skinny Norris, who had a driver's license from a state where the required age for a license was lower. On one occasion it was mentioned that Pete was on the high-school wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
team. In the later Crimebusters series, it was stated once that the Three Investigators firm was founded when the boys were 13.
The investigators were typically introduced to a mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
through a client or by accidentally stumbling upon something unusual in their scrapyard of Uncle Titus Jones and Aunt Mathilda, who run a salvage business. The boys encountered baffling, sometimes misleading clues and danger before finally solving the mystery. The series was organised around one major theme: however strange, mystical, or even supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
a particular phenomenon may appear at first, it is capable of being traced to human agency with the determined application of reason
Reason
Reason is a term that refers to the capacity human beings have to make sense of things, to establish and verify facts, and to change or justify practices, institutions, and beliefs. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, ...
and logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
. Most mysteries were invariably solved by Jupiter Jones, a supreme logician who implicitly deployed the Occam's Razor
Occam's razor
Occam's razor, also known as Ockham's razor, and sometimes expressed in Latin as lex parsimoniae , is a principle that generally recommends from among competing hypotheses selecting the one that makes the fewest new assumptions.-Overview:The principle is often summarized as "simpler explanations...
principle: that the simplest and most rational explanation should be preferred to an explanation which requires additional assumptions. The boys were able to solve their mysteries with relatively few resources: they generally could get by with little more than a telephone, bicycles, access to a library and - in a nod to the peripheral Hollywood setting of the series - a chauffer-driven vehicle. The last chapter of each book was an epilogue in which the investigators sat with Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
(and later, "Hector Sebastian"), reviewing the mystery and revealing the deduction
Deduction
Deduction may refer to:in logic:* Deductive reasoning, inference in which the conclusion is of no greater generality than the premises...
s through the clues shown earlier in the book.
In 1989, Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
revamped the series, calling it The 3 Investigators — Crimebusters Series. The investigators were now 17 years old, could drive cars and were far more independent. The stories continued to contain an abundance of detecting, but with the addition of more action. The series was well-received, but was halted in 1990, when legal disagreements between Random House and the heirs to the Arthur estate could not be resolved. By 2005, the disagreements were still not settled.
At least eleven novels were published in the CrimeBusters series, which was launched by one of the series' favorite authors, William Arden, pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Dennis Lynds, who wrote the Dan Fortune mystery series for adults under the pen name of Michael Collins. The other authors were: Megan Stine and husband H. William Stine, G.H. Stone (Gayle Lynds
Gayle Lynds
Gayle Lynds is an American author. A member of the U.S. Association for Intelligence Officers, she is known for being a bestselling novelist in the male-dominated genre of spy fiction or spy thrillers...
), William MacCay, Marc Brandel and Peter Lerangis
Peter Lerangis
Peter Lerangis is an author of children's and young-adult fiction.-Career:Lerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the New York Times–bestselling children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf,...
.
Random House has reprinted several of the original books in two paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
reprint series, partly to assure their legal rights.
Germany
The Three Investigators books have always been very popular in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. They are known there as the Die drei ??? (Die drei Fragezeichen, meaning "The Three Question Marks"). While American authors' novels in the series have been published there, German writers have added more, contributing about six new novels per year, with the count being 152 books in 2010. Taped radio dramas (Hörspiele) of the novels have been special favorites in Germany. Many fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
listened to them as children and rediscovered them as grown-ups. Of the first 138 titles, 29 won Platinum and another 49 won Gold. When the radio actors, who have been narrating the plays since 1979, toured the country, entire stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
s in major cities like Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
were packed.
In the booklet of the German audio play "The Mystery of the Invisible Dog", the episode upon which it was based is erroneously credited to Nick West. Moreover, in Germany there are different revised editions of "The Mystery of the Scar-faced Beggar": one using Alfred Hitchcock as their patron, one using Alfred Hitchcock and Hector Sebastian, and another one using only Hector Sebastian.
Jupiter Jones was renamed as "Justus Jonas", a German adaption of his original name, while Pete Crenshaw is called "Peter Shaw". Bob Andrews retained his original name.
Poland
Sixty-one original stories (including Crimebusters) have been published in PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(by Siedmiorog), where they were recently still very popular.
Slovakia
The books have also been very popular among children and grown-ups in SlovakiaSlovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
where the books are published by Mlade Leta. 60 books were translated, but not in order of original release.
Italy
In Italy, the Three Investigators novels have been published in paperback by Mondadori, in the 1970s and 1980s, within their "Giallo per ragazzi" series, which included the Hardy Boys, Nancy DrewNancy 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...
and other juvenile sleuths' adventures. The cover author for the Three Investigators books was always Alfred Hitchcock, whereas the inner copyright notice correctly reported the real author (although saying "Text by ..."). No other publications of the novels are known.
France
In France, the original nine books were published in the 1970s by the Bibliothèque Verte collection of books for young readers under the title "Trois Jeunes Détectives" ("Three young detectives"). In that version, Jupiter was rechristened as Hannibal, nicknamed as "Babal". As in Italy, Hitchcock was touted as sole author.In 2003, a Three Investigators movie was announced. The first was The Secret of Skeleton Island, which was released in Europe in 2007 and the following year in the U.S. A second movie, The Three Investigators and the Secret of Terror Castle, was released in 2009.
New English-language Three Investigators titles were released in 2005 for the first time since 1990. The German 'American-English' series saw the release of Poisoned E-Mail and The Curse of the Cell Phone. As of May 2008, a total of seven German stories have been translated and published in this format, and an eighth title was planned for publication in October 2008.
India
The Three Invesigators books have been published in India, in addition to the original American versions, under the name of "Bal Secret Agent 555 Ranga, Ganga & Shirazi". Ranga is Pete, Ganga is Jupe and Shirazi is Bob. These were published by Khel Khiladi Prakashan, West Patel Nagar, Delhi in the 1970s.Pakistan
The Three Investigators have been published in Pakistan, in UrduUrdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, as "Teen nanhay suraghrasaan" since the 1980s by the "Ferozesons" publications. They have also been published in the monthly "Taleem-o Tarbiat" magazine for children. The names of the characters are "Umber" (Jupiter Jones), "Naseem" (Pete) and "Aaqib" (Bob). The name of their Mercedes driver is Allahdad. They live in Karimabad. Umber is tall and lanky as opposed to Jupiter's character, who is stocky. Naseem, like Pete, is the most athletic of all. The translators are Saleem Ahmed Siddiqui and Maqbool Jahangir. They have done an excellent job in adapting the stories to match the Pakistani culture and geography.
Bangladesh
The Three Investigators have also been published in Bangladesh by Sheba ProkashoniSheba Prokashoni
Sheba Prokashoni is a well-known publishing house in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was founded by Qazi Anwar Hussain. Sheba's books have enjoyed great popularity among young Bangladeshi readers, and it is particularly notable for its accessible translations of Western literary classics into the Bengali...
as Teen Goenda
Teen Goenda
Tin Goyenda is a very popular and one of the most famous series of juvenile detective novels published in Bangladesh by Sheba Prokashoni. It is actually a Bengali remake of the famous English series The Three Investigators by Robert Arthur. Rakib Hassan started this famous series and later...
(meaning: Three Investigators) since the 1980s and became very popular among Bangladeshi juvenile readers. In the Bengali editions, Jupiter Jones is known as Kishor Pasha (a Bangladeshi American). The other two are named as Musa Aman(African American) and Robin Milford(Irish American). Sometimes Gina and Rafian (Gina's pet dog) join them. The chauffeur's name is Hanson. Hitchcock in the American publication is replaced by Davis Christopher, who is also a famous movie director. The character "Skinny Norris" appears as "Shutki Terry" and the famous French thief appears as "Shopa". The character Victor Simon in the Bangladeshi edition appears in the place of "Hector Sebastian". The series shaped the way of life of many Bangladeshi juveniles. The main context is in American society, as it would be very difficult to set up the same plot in Bangladeshi locations. It was translated by Rakib Hasan.
South East Asia
In the French, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian and Italian version of the series, the books were at one point published with Alfred Hitchcock listed as their author. The same error was made in some German paperback editions published at the beginning of the 1980s.Similarly, all British Armada paperback editions of the title "The Mystery of the Moaning Cave" are erroneously credited to Robert Arthur. Moreover, the British series reversed the order of #42 and #43, meaning that the Armada original series ends with "Wreckers' Rock".
Spain
In Spain, "The Mystery of the Moaning Cave", "The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow", "The Secret of the Crooked Cat", "The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon", "The Mystery of Monster Mountain" as well as "The Mystery of the Headless Horse" are erroneously credited to Robert Arthur. The new Latin-American edition takes the name of "Los tres detectives" instead of "Los Tres Investigadores", which was used in Spain for earlier editions.Indonesia
The Three Invesigators books have been published in Indonesia under the name of "Trio Detektif". These were published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama (the biggest book publisher in Indonesia), Jakarta from the 1980s to 1990s.The Three Investigators
- Jupiter "Jupe" Jones, First Investigator - A former child actorChild actorThe term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
named "Baby Fatso", he hates when people bring it up. Jupiter is intelligent, stocky and has a remarkable memoryMemoryIn psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
and deductive skills. Jupiter's parents (professional ballroom dancers) died in a car crash when he was four years old, so now he lives with Uncle Titus Jones and Aunt Mathilda, who run a salvage business.
Jupiter is not very fit and a bit plump. Jupiter's past acting ability benefits him frequently in mysteries because he can act older than he is, perform imitations of people when necessary and act less intelligent to extract information from potential suspects.
Jupiter is a prolific reader and inventor and frequently invents a device that is necessary to make solving a mystery easier. Jupiter has a knack for usually seeing clues at the right angle to solve an unsolvable mystery. He also likes to play pranks on the other two investigators. Because of his intellectual side, Jupe is adept at using big words and frequently uses them to his advantage, particularly to seem older, annoy Pete, and startle adults. Jupe hates to let go of a mystery, which frequently means that he drags Bob and Pete along for the ride.
In Germany, Jupiter Jones is called Justus Jonas. In Pakistan he is known as "Umber". In Bangladesh he is known as "Kishor Pasha". - Peter "Pete" Crenshaw, Second Investigator - Pete is an athletic youth who dislikes dangerous situations, but is nonetheless reliable as the "action member" of the team. Pete loves and cares for animals, and is fond of uttering the exclamation "Gleeps!". His father is a special effects man in Hollywood.
Pete is a frequent companion of Jupiter on stake-outs and other field trips, particularly in the earlier mysteries, when Bob is unavailable. While he may not have the intellectual ability of Jupiter, Pete is nonetheless viewed as an equal in the stories and is able to point out Jupiter's own shortcomings (usually in a comical fashion). He is also capable of making deductions and sometimes serves as the clue-bearer instead of Bob. He has an excellent sense of direction, as in The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot.
In Germany, Pete Crenshaw is known simply as Peter Shaw. In Pakistan he is known as "Naseem". In Bangladesh he is known as "Musa Aman". - Robert "Bob" Andrews, Records and Research - Bob is studious, meticulous and wears glasses. His father is a newspaperNewspaperA 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...
man and occasionally gives Bob helpful hints.
Early in the series, Bob is hampered physically by a leg brace he wore, due to multiple fractures inflicted when he rolled down a hill. This handicap relegated him to a more studious and less physical approach to investigation. Bob works part-time in the local libraryLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, suiting his role as data collector. Bob also serves as the clue-bearer for many of the adventures, because of his research at the library. Bob's leg brace is removed between the end of "Whispering Mummy" and the beginning of "Green Ghost".
In Pakistan, Bob is known as "Aaqib". In Bangladesh, he is known as "Robin Milford".
The Headquarters
The Headquarters is the office of the Three Investigators. It is a house trailer, hidden among the piles of scrap in the salvage yard. It has many secret entrances and a telephone.The books
The American series of The Three InvestigatorsThe American series of The Three Investigators
Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in... # The Secret of Terror Castle # The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot...
There were 43 published books in the original series, and one The Mystery of the Ghost Train that was never finished. There are four books in the Choose Your Own Fate books that feature The Three Investigators. Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
created the Three Investigators Crime Buster series between 1989 and 1990.
German editions of the Three Investigators
German editions of the Three Investigators
Although the German version of The Three Investigators starts with The Secret of Terror Castle, it continues through The Mystery of the Cranky Collector, then picks up with the "Crimebusters" series and continues on with German-language originals from there . The German-language originals started...
As a result of the series remaining popular in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, German publisher Kosmos started in 1993 to publish new books written by German authors. These books, along with the American ones, are the basis for the German radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
s, which are more popular than the books. As of August 2009, 94 books would have been published in German, of which 73 books have been produced as radio dramas. All in all, this would result in a canon of 149 books and 140 radio dramas published up to May 2010.
The movies
In 2007, a Three Investigators movie, The Three Investigators and the Secret of Skeleton Island, was released in AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, starring Chancellor Miller
Chancellor Miller
Aaron Chancellor Miller is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jupiter Jones in the Three Investigators.-External links:...
as Jupiter, Nick Price as Pete, and Cameron Monaghan
Cameron Monaghan
Cameron Riley Monaghan is an American actor. He first appeared as Winthrop Paroo in the 2003 TV movie, The Music Man and appeared opposite Adam Sandler in the 2006 movie Click as Kevin O'Doyle. He made a few guest appearances on Malcolm in the Middle as Dewey's classmate Chad...
as Bob. It was followed in 2009 by The Three Investigators and the Secret of Terror Castle.
As German schoolbook
The German love for the adventures of The Three Investigators has produced another unforeseen offshoot. Ulrich Krauße translated a novel into Latin (EAN 9783981389203) with three German Latin teachers working as the publisher's readers.In 2011 the book "De Tribus Investigatoribus et Fato Draconis" became a bestseller among Latin students.
External links
- The Life and Art of Three Investigators artist Harry Kane
- The Art of Three Investigators artist Robert Adragna
- Rocky-Beach.com - German fansite about the series Die Drei Fragezeichen