Danish Nancy Drews

DENMARK

MARTIN aka MARTINS FORLAG - Copenhagen - 1958-1982

This is one of the earliest and longest-standing foreign language reprint agreements for the Nancy Drew series, a phenomenon which seems to be common in the Scandinavian countries. In the children's literary journal The Lion and the Unicorn (vol. 18, No.1, June 1994), Kari Skjønsberg indicates the first title was printed in 1958.

Unlike some of the other Scandinavians, the Danish apparently had no difficulty pronouncing "Nancy," and therefore did not feel the need to change our heroine's first name. However, they do not like the idea of George having a boy's name, so she becomes Georgia; also Mrs. Gruen loses an "h" and becomes Hanna (fairly common among the Scandinavian translations).

Nancy is marketed under the nickname of "Frøken Detektiv," which is loosely translated as "girl detective." However, this moniker is not used in the titles as it is in the Norwegian editions.

Cover artwork for the Martin books is original, though sometimes it reflects similarities to the U.S. version (e.g. Crossword Cipher, shown to the right).

Digest size hardback; matte finish - 8" H x 5" W, yellow spine with black text "Carolyn Keene:" in script, title, black silhouette of Nancy's head and magnifying glass, "Martin" in capitals. Volume number is on back of cover.

Den hemmelige kode (The Clue in the Crossword Cipher). Artwork unattributed, copyright © 1969 by Martins Forlag, Copenhagen.

This "Frøken Detektiv" logo was on the back of the books, along with the following teaser for the series:
Nancy Drew er datter af en sagfører; det er måske derfor, hun er lidt af en privatdetektiv. Og slet ikke så lidt endda. Hun bruger nemlig sit kvikke hoved på en overmåde forstandig måde og har virkelig ofte held til at løse spændende og vanskelige detektivopgaver, som falder på hendes vej. Hun finder ud af, hvor et testamente er gemt, og hun redder dermed arven for de retmæssige arvinger; hun opklarer, hvem der på mystisk vis vil forjage et par gamle damer fra deres hus - og meget, meget andet.

Danish Title	U.S. Title	Translation	Year	Danish No.
Det gamle ur's hemmelighed	Old Clock	The Secret of the Old Watch	1958, 1961, 1970	1
Den hemmelige trappe	Hidden Staircase	The Secret Stairs	1958, 1960, 1961, 1964	2
Den mystiske bungalow	Bungalow	The Mysterious Bungalow	1959, 1960, 1968	3
Mysteriet i Syren-Kroen*	Lilac Inn	Mystery at Lilac Inn	1959, 1960	4
Den hviskende statue	Whispering Statue	The Whispering Statue	1960	5
Smykkeskrinets gaade	Jewel Box	The Adornment Box Riddle	1960, 1968	6
Fløjlsmasken	Velvet Mask	Velvet Mask	1961	7
De røde balletsko	Scarlet Slipper	The Red Ballet Shoes	1961, 1964	8
Skihoppet	Ski Jump	The Ski Jump	1961, 1968	9
Den mystiske kuffert	Brass Bound Trunk	The Mysterious Trunk	1961	10
De snoede lys	Twisted Candles	The Twisting Candle	1962, 1968	11
Den mystiske klokke	Tolling Bell	The Mysterious Bell	1962	12
Det gamle eg's hemmelighed	Hollow Oak	The Old Oak's Secret	1962, 1968	13
Det forsvundne kort	Missing Map	The Missing Map	1963, 1970	14
Spøgelspet på Blackwood Hall	Blackwood Hall	The Ghost of Blackwood Hall	1963	15
Spøgelsesbroen	Haunted Bridge	The Haunted Bridge	1963	16
De klaprende hæle	Tapping Heels	The Rattling Heels	1964	17
Den dansende dukke	Dancing Puppet	The Dancing Doll	1964	18
Det gamle albums gåde	Old Album	The Riddle of the Old Album	1964	19
De sorte nøgler	Black Keys	The Black Keys	1964	20
Månestensslottet	Moonstone Castle	The Moonstone Castle	1965	21
Mysteriet om ilddragen	Fire Dragon	Mystery of the Fire-dragon	1965	22
Sækkepibemysteriet	Whistling Bagpipes	The Bagpipe Mystery	1965	23
Det skjulte vindue	Hidden Window	The Hidden Window	1965	24
Hvad det gamle loft gemte	Old Attic	What Was Hidden in the Old Attic	1966	25
Dagsbogens hemmelighed	Clue in Diary	The Diary's Secret	1966	26
Det mystiske brev	Mysterious Letter	The Mysterious Letter	1966	27
Spøgelsesturen	Crumbling Wall	The Ghost Ride	1966	28
Den mystiske gallionsfigur	Wooden Lady	The Mysterious Shiphead	1967	29
Spøgeriet på teaterbåden	Haunted Showboat	Haunting on the Theater-boat	1967	30
Den gamle diligences hemmelighed	Old Stagecoach	The Old Stagecoach's Secret	1967	31
De 99 (nioghalvfems) trins	99 Steps	The 99 Steps	1967	32
Nancy forsvinder	Brass Bound Trunk (revised text? - not until 1976)	Nancy Disappears	1968	33
En rædselsnat	Shadow Ranch	One Terrifying Night	1968	34
Honnør for Nancy	Larkspur Lane	Salute to Nancy	1968	35
En uindbuden gæst	Witch Tree Symbol	One Uninvited Guest	1968	36
Det mystiske elfenbenssmykke	Ivory Charm	The Mysterious Elephant Jewelry	1969	37
Cirkusmysteriet	Ringmaster's Secret	The Circus Mystery	1969	38
Den hemmelige kode	Crossword Cipher	The Secret Code	1969	39
Edderkoppen i ædelstenen	Spider Sapphire	The Spider in the Jewelry	1970	40
Nancy på spøgelsesjagt	Invisible Intruder	Nancy on a Ghost Chase	1970	41
Mysteriet i det mosgroede hus	Moss-Covered Mansion	Mystery in the Moss-green House	1970	42
Medaillonens hemmelighed	Broken Locket	The Medallion's Secret	1971	43
Den glynde pavillons hemmelighed	Golden Pavilion	The Secret of the Golden Pavilion	1971	44
Mysteriet om den hældende skorsten	Leaning Chimney	The Mystery of the Leaning Chimney	1972	45
Sorte Slange Kolonien	Red Gate Farm	The Black Snake Colony	1972	46
Det snoede trappegelaender	Crooked Bannister	The Twisted Staircase	1973	47
Den mystiske mannequin	Mysterious Mannequin	The Mysterious Mannequin	1973	48
Mystiske varsler	Double Jinx	Mysterious Warnings	1974	49
Spejbugtens hemmelighed	Mirror Bay	The Secret of Mirror Bay	1974	50
Den trettende perle	Thirteenth Pearl	The Thirteenth Pearl	1981
Den gamle kniplings hemmelighed	Old Lace	The Old Lace Secret	1981
Det glødende øje	Glowing Eye	The Glowing Eye	1982
Den glymte bys hemmelighed	Forgotten City	The Forgotten City's Secret	1982

*This title is often listed as "Mysteriet i Kroen" - which is the title on the front cover; however, "Mysteriet i Syren-kroen" is indicated on the title page.

There are two Danish titles listed for Brass Bound Trunk. While these may reflect original vs. revised text of this stories, it is more likely that this is an error in the database of the library I used for research.

PENNY - 1984

These are reprints of some of the Martins-Forlag titles, and seem to have produced in conjunction with that publisher. Not only are the titles the same, but so is the illustration on the cover and the "Frøken Detektiv" logo. Dimensions on the book are also roughly the same as the Martins.

This is a paperback format with the cover being a heavy-duty cardboard that folds back on itself to form a flap both in front and in back. The "Penny klubben" logo (see right) is on the front flap, and this seems to indicate that the books might have been offered through some sort of book club.

Danish Title

U.S. Title

Den mystiske bungalow

Bungalow Mystery

Skihoppet

Ski Jump

Cirkusmysteriet

Ringmaster's Secret

WANGELS FORLAG - Copenhagen - 1989

This appears to be a one-time book club offering of a Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys SuperMystery; issued through the Junior Bogklubben, sponsored by Wangels Forlag. There is no information about other books offered through the club.

Interestingly, the spine is very similiar to the book club edition offered in Sweden by Richters Disney's Ungdombokklobb. Another coincidence is that Wahlströms of Sweden also published a version of this title in 1989.

Digest size hardback; glossy finish - 8 1/2" H x 5" W, white spine with black text "Carolyn Keene" in capitals, title in orange italics; "Junior Bogklubben" logo at top of spine, 3 sets of horizontal red and blue stripes spaced at intervals

Danish Title

U.S. Title

Translation

Farligt krydstogt

Double Crossing

Dangerous Crusade

BORGEN - Valby - 2007 Pigedetektiv No this isn't a porcine version of our favorite detective - "pige" translates to "girl" in Danish. 3 titles from the at-the-time new Girl Detective series were published. The covers recycle the UK "Pop Art" Nancy figure which is the same over all the covers, only the color scheme changes. Nancy has a thought bubble telling us about the mystery - maybe this is advertising that this series is told from the first person point of view.
Digest size paperback; glossy finish, multicolor spines - 7 1/2" H x 5" W
	Kapløb med tiden (A Race Against Time). Artwork unattributed, copyright © 2006 by Simon & Schuster UK, London.

Danish Title	U.S. Title	Translation
Sporløst	Without a Trace	Track resolved?
Kapløb med tiden	A Race Against Time	Race Against Time
Uaerligt Spil	False Notes	The watches game

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Last updated 14 April 2016