Trixie Belden [Series title]

Trixie Belden [Series title]

Mystery on the Mississippi
Mystery of the Missing Heiress
Mystery of the Uninvited Guest
Mystery of the Castaway Children

Kathryn Kenny, book's author

New York: Western Publishing Co.

1965, 1970, 1977, 1985

1st editions: 1970, 1977, 1985

Megan Lepak researched and wrote the event description in 2018.

For a description of the book, please click on the image of the event label/description or scroll to the bottom of the page for the section entitled "Text" for a transcription of the attached document.

Literature / Children's Literature

THESE BOOKS ARE NOT YET CATALOGED.

English, book's contents
English, event description

To see these books on November 15, 2018 in the "Event Photographs" Collection, please go here [Photograph of Books] IMG_0582.

Transcription of event description:

TRIXIE BELDEN: Mystery on the Mississippi and Mystery of the Missing Heiress and Mystery of the Uninvited Guest and Mystery of the Castaway Children | KATHRYN KENNY | NEW YORK: WESTERN PUBLISHING CO. | 1965, 1970 1ST ED., 1977 1ST ED., 1985 1ST ED.

1965: The cover art, illustrated by Paul Frame, appears to have been created by using a colored pencil, but it and all the illustrations and the endpapers are actually lithographs. The cover uses blank space so the bright yellow covers can shine and provide space for the title. The endpapers are pink with illustrations of Trixie’s and Honey’s heads. There is also an illustration on the frontispiece rendered in grayscale with blue accents, which is repeated on several other illustrations throughout, with the rest in color. The clothing illustrated is typical of the 1960’s, such as comfortable loafers, A-line skirts, and short sleeve dress shirts on the boys.

1970: The full color cover of this volume was designed by Larry Frederick, and is known as the “Uglies Edition.” Trixie’s portrait sports a hairstyle popular in the 1970s, and is located in the foreground while a scene from the mystery is behind her. The cover design is known as a wrap-around from front to back in a loose style similar to the book from 1965. The endpapers on this hardback book feature illustrations of Trixie and her friends. These illustrations are simply drawn sketches in blue ink. Overall, the book feels less formal than the earlier example.

1977: This book’s cover art was created by Jack Wacker and exhibits a much cleaner and polished look than the two previous editions shown. This can be attributed to the unified/consistent style and border, which gives the eye a clear focal point. We are particularly fond of this wash or watercolor style illustration. The color scheme of this paperback edition used complementary green and beige. The font used for Trixie Belden’s name on the title page is similar to that used in the earlier version, implying that when Western Publishing Co. reprinted, all they changed were the covers.

1985: This edition represents another drastic change from the 1970s editions. Cover design still features a prominent Trixie, using an art form that resembles markers or paint. This book continued with the stylistic choice of a thick colorful border. However, the illustrator seems to have employed the color a bit excessively, sacrificing the unifying effect that is seen on the book from 1977.

These books were donated to Special Collections in 2018 by alumnus Erin Miller, class of 2018. They came to her from her grandmother.

Book / Unpublished Print Document