The Tower Treasure, which introduced the teenage brothers and erstwhile amateur sleuths, was the first of three Hardy Boys books published in 1927 by the Stratemeyer publishing syndicate, which developed many other well-known series, including Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, and the Bobbsey Twins.
Frank and Joe, the sons of famous detective Fenton Hardy, want to follow in their father’s footsteps. Their first chance to solve a mystery comes when jewels and securities are stolen from the safe of the local Applegate mansion. To make matters worse, the father of one of their good friends has been charged with the crime. The lads help their father identify the thief, but the location of the stolen items remains unknown. Frank and Joe use their budding investigative skills to solve the mystery and clear the innocent man.
The next two books in the Hardy Boys series, The House On The Cliff and The Secret of the Old Mill, were published simultaneously with The Tower Treasure as a market test to see if the books found an audience. Clearly, that audience was found, as the Hardy Boys are still uncovering clues and solving mysteries nearly a century later. And the books are still being authored by the prolific Franklin W. Dixon, actually, a pseudonym used by a number of different authors over the years.
