Judy Bolton Titles

(For my Thanks, notes on the points, and for extra help ...)

1. The Vanishing Shadow 1932 First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 3 JB titles on front flap.

Characters Introduced: Judy Bolton; Horace, her brother (nicknamed 'sister' by his co-workers at the Farringdon Daily Herald, where he's a reporter); their grandparents, Grandma & Grandpa Smeed; their parents, Dr. H.H. Bolton and Stella Bolton, Peter Dobbs, who lives with his grandparents in Roulsville, Blackberry, the kitten, who is a present from Peter to Judy

Notes: This title went through two major revisions, by the author, in 1964 and 1967. (The 4 different covers used for these books can be viewed on the Judy Sales page -- note that the last one is a Tempo paperback, Only the 1st four titles were issued in paperback, all in revised editions. Plot: Judy is spending the sumer with her grandparents in Dry Brook Hollow. She discovers that the Roulsville Dam was not built very well, but is constrained by her promise to keep a secret. Her timid brother Horace saves the town, but the Bolton family looses their home.

2. The Haunted Attic
1932 First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 3 JB titles on front flap. Point: This is the only printing to note Judy's birthday as Oct. 31st, on p.160.

Plot: The Bolton family moves to 1365 Grove Street, on the dividing line between the upper and lower class sections of Faringdon. Their attic is reputedly haunted by the ghost of fence Vine Thompson. Judy debunks the haunting, and starts the classes socializing with each other.

Notes: While this is the 2nd book of the series, I always feel that this is where the Judy chronicles really start -- almost as though Vanishing Shadow were a preface. Here in Farringdon, we're first introduced to Judy's sense of social justice, which is such an integral part of her personality. Characters Introduced: Lois Farringdon- Pett, who befriends Judy; Arthur, her handsome & wealthy brother, Lorraine Lee, the spoiled, pretty blonde who is Judy's rival for Arthur's affections; Kay Vincent, Judy's nemesis; Irene Lang, a millworker from the 'wrong' side of the dividing line.

3. The Invisible Chimes
1932 First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 3 JB titles on front flap.

Plot: Mysterious chimes are the clue that solves a robbery at an antique shop -- but is Judy's new friend, Rose Vincenzo, part of the gang of robbers?

Notes: We learn in this book that Honey has a thumbprint whorl in the shape of a heart. Arthur's car, The Bluebird, is wrecked in a crash, and is replaced by The Pigeon. Characters Introduced: Grace 'Honey' Dobbs; Donald Carter, Lois' pet beau; Pauline Faulkner, daughter of N.Y. doctor, who assists Judy with some long-distance sleuthing.

4. Seven Strange Clues
1932 First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 4 JB titles on front flap.

Plot: Honey believes Judy stole her prize-winning entry to the poster contest, but are all the posters lost when Farringdon Girls' High burns down? Nefarious doings by Kay Vincent and her brother Dickie.

Notes: The Pelagie Doane dj on this one is classic, with flowingly draped clothes, bright pastels, and shadows galore. Introduced: "Ghostie" the cat, whom Judy gives to Irene.

5. The Ghost Parade
1933 First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 5 JB titles on front flap.

Plot: Driving to a vacation in the Thousand Islands, Judy and her friends stop at an auction and pick up some old Indian masks. Are the masks possessed by ghostly spirits? And what is up with Lorraine? Even Lois is getting upset with her friend's petulant attitude lately.

Characters: Lorraine's personality is really fleshed out in this one; the real, fragile girl emerges from the haughty heiress facade she's shown so far. Judy has to grow, too, as she learns how to befriend her. Notes: This is one of my all-time favorite Judy books -- it has everything: mystery, adventure, Indian spirits, and a villian named 'Slippery McQuirk'! Most importantly, though, here we really see the character development that makes this series so worthwhile -- in this instance, through the romantic rivalry of Judy and Lorraine for Arthur's affections.

#6. The Yellow Phantom
1933 First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 6 JB titles on front flap.

Plot: While on a visit Pauline Faulkner in NY, Irene is kidnapped and Judy helps her discover a sad but enchanting secret from her past, and Irene acquires her nickname, "Golden Girl," and a fiance, Dale Meredith, a writer. Pauline works for literary agent, Emily Grimshaw, who appears to have a little drinking problem; there's a great haunted house (with a tower), the evil Jasper Crosby trying to drive his eccentric sister insane, and just try to put this one down!

Characters Introduced: Emily Grimshaw, the literary agent and Pauline's boss --a minor but interesting character. Dale Meredith, who will marry Irene, is just perfect for her. Pauline's character is developed a bit more. Notes: The character of Irene is the focus of this book, and, given the family background of fragility and eccentricity, this is just fascinating.

#7. The Mystic Ball
1934 First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 7 JB titles on front flap.

Plot: More about Irene and Dale. Will Irene's superstitious nature have a permanent negative impact on her engagement? Even her friends are losing patience with her. Judy suspects that Madame Wanda, the crystal ball gazer who has frightened Irene, to be a fraud, but figuring out how is a problem -- should she ask Arthur or Peter to help? Arthur, she tells Sylvia, does things for her, but Peter does them with her ...

Character Introduced: We meet Sylvia Weiss, like so many of Judy's acquaintances, under a cloud of suspicion, but she helps Judy solve the mystery of the mystic ball. Quote: (Judy to Irene) "I think it's the satisfaction of having done something worth while that makes a person happy."

#8. The Voice in the Suitcase
1935 First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 8 JB titles on front flap, with sale price noted: $.50.

Plot: While Selma Brady's grandparents prepare to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary, they also meddle and muddle the mysteries of a noisy suitcase, a doll who has a chest cold, a mysterious man in a ditch, robbery, kidnapping, and forgery! Judy and her friends manage to unravel these tangled webs in this very family-oriented mystery.

Featured Characters: Three generations of the wonderfully eccentric Brady family, including Judy's friend Selma Brady and Jean 'Tag-along' Hamilton, her friend. Quote: Judy thinks, "What a nuisance, having to narrow down to just one boy when I like two so well. I suppose I'll spend the rest of my life see-sawing between Arthur and Peter and never really falling in love with either of them."

#9. The Mysterious Half Cat
1936 First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 9 JB titles on front flap. $.50

Plot: Judy tries to find her friend Scottie's family, and help Scottie's little sister Carol, who is mysteriously and very seriously ill. She also faces a gang of thieves and, in a side plot reminiscent of "Mystic Ball", debunks the supersitition of prophetic dreams. Oh, and yes, there's a note about a cat cut in half and a mysterious old beggar, and Judy has a tiff with Peter.

Character Introduced: Dora Scott, 'Scottie', an old friend of Judy's from Roulsville. Dr. Faulkner, Pauline's father, makes a cameo visit, too. Notes: Judy's friends continue the gentrification of lower Grove Street in this book. Judy graduates from high school.

We've only just begun, as you can see! Check back for details on each and every title in the series: how to identify a First Printing, plot synopses, dj picture, list of characters, and notes on which characters were introduced in each book.
Back to the List of Titles

Thanks, Notes, & Querys ...

        Thanks to The Girls' Series Companion, 1995 Edition, by the Society of Phantom Friends, for refreshing my memory about the plots, and to Laurie A. Clarke's Guide to Margaret Sutton's Judy Bolton Mystery Stories, for details about the 1st Editions. Any errors are my own, and I welcome corrections, if an error is detected.
        It's very important to realize that the notes on First Editions are NOT complete -- for the exact specifications of a first printing I strongly suggest you purchase a copy of Clarke's Guide, which is distributed by SynSine Press. It is fairly inexpensive, and very helpful to the collector or dealer.
        If you are a dealer (serious or otherwise) who is checking out this page prior to advertising a book for sale (on eBay, say), and if you really feel that you can't wait for Clarke's Guide to arrive before optimistically listing that thick green "Vanishing Shadow" as a first edition, please send me an 'e' describing your book (and dj, if present), and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible with more information about edition identification, provided, that is, that it already meets the basic criteria I've already listed for a First. To: bksleuth@garden.net
       Why would I do this, you might ask -- I would do this because it really, really upsets me when I see series books advertised (on eBay, say) as Firsts, when they are absolutely and unequivocably not Firsts. It's also upsetting to see a book advertised as a First when it is only possibly so.
        Of course this fraudulent misrepresentation hurts the buyer, but note that it also hurts the seller -- no really knowledgeable dealer or collector of series books could respect someone who shows such a lack of respect for their specialty. Also remember that the world of booksellers is really a very small one.
        (Okay, I'm off the soapbox now. Back to the top.)

1. The Vanishing Shadow 1932	First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 3 JB titles on front flap.
	Characters Introduced: Judy Bolton; Horace, her brother (nicknamed 'sister' by his co-workers at the Farringdon Daily Herald, where he's a reporter); their grandparents, Grandma & Grandpa Smeed; their parents, Dr. H.H. Bolton and Stella Bolton, Peter Dobbs, who lives with his grandparents in Roulsville, Blackberry, the kitten, who is a present from Peter to Judy
Notes: This title went through two major revisions, by the author, in 1964 and 1967. (The 4 different covers used for these books can be viewed on the Judy Sales page -- note that the last one is a Tempo paperback, Only the 1st four titles were issued in paperback, all in revised editions.	Plot: Judy is spending the sumer with her grandparents in Dry Brook Hollow. She discovers that the Roulsville Dam was not built very well, but is constrained by her promise to keep a secret. Her timid brother Horace saves the town, but the Bolton family looses their home.

2. The Haunted Attic 1932	First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 3 JB titles on front flap. Point: This is the only printing to note Judy's birthday as Oct. 31st, on p.160.
	Plot: The Bolton family moves to 1365 Grove Street, on the dividing line between the upper and lower class sections of Faringdon. Their attic is reputedly haunted by the ghost of fence Vine Thompson. Judy debunks the haunting, and starts the classes socializing with each other.
Notes: While this is the 2nd book of the series, I always feel that this is where the Judy chronicles really start -- almost as though Vanishing Shadow were a preface. Here in Farringdon, we're first introduced to Judy's sense of social justice, which is such an integral part of her personality.	Characters Introduced: Lois Farringdon- Pett, who befriends Judy; Arthur, her handsome & wealthy brother, Lorraine Lee, the spoiled, pretty blonde who is Judy's rival for Arthur's affections; Kay Vincent, Judy's nemesis; Irene Lang, a millworker from the 'wrong' side of the dividing line.

3. The Invisible Chimes 1932	First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 3 JB titles on front flap.
	Plot: Mysterious chimes are the clue that solves a robbery at an antique shop -- but is Judy's new friend, Rose Vincenzo, part of the gang of robbers?
Notes: We learn in this book that Honey has a thumbprint whorl in the shape of a heart. Arthur's car, The Bluebird, is wrecked in a crash, and is replaced by The Pigeon.	Characters Introduced: Grace 'Honey' Dobbs; Donald Carter, Lois' pet beau; Pauline Faulkner, daughter of N.Y. doctor, who assists Judy with some long-distance sleuthing.

4. Seven Strange Clues 1932	First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 4 JB titles on front flap.
	Plot: Honey believes Judy stole her prize-winning entry to the poster contest, but are all the posters lost when Farringdon Girls' High burns down? Nefarious doings by Kay Vincent and her brother Dickie.
Notes: The Pelagie Doane dj on this one is classic, with flowingly draped clothes, bright pastels, and shadows galore.	Introduced: "Ghostie" the cat, whom Judy gives to Irene.

5. The Ghost Parade 1933	First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 5 JB titles on front flap.
	Plot: Driving to a vacation in the Thousand Islands, Judy and her friends stop at an auction and pick up some old Indian masks. Are the masks possessed by ghostly spirits? And what is up with Lorraine? Even Lois is getting upset with her friend's petulant attitude lately.
Characters: Lorraine's personality is really fleshed out in this one; the real, fragile girl emerges from the haughty heiress facade she's shown so far. Judy has to grow, too, as she learns how to befriend her.	Notes: This is one of my all-time favorite Judy books -- it has everything: mystery, adventure, Indian spirits, and a villian named 'Slippery McQuirk'! Most importantly, though, here we really see the character development that makes this series so worthwhile -- in this instance, through the romantic rivalry of Judy and Lorraine for Arthur's affections.

#6. The Yellow Phantom 1933	First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 6 JB titles on front flap.
	Plot: While on a visit Pauline Faulkner in NY, Irene is kidnapped and Judy helps her discover a sad but enchanting secret from her past, and Irene acquires her nickname, "Golden Girl," and a fiance, Dale Meredith, a writer. Pauline works for literary agent, Emily Grimshaw, who appears to have a little drinking problem; there's a great haunted house (with a tower), the evil Jasper Crosby trying to drive his eccentric sister insane, and just try to put this one down!
Characters Introduced: Emily Grimshaw, the literary agent and Pauline's boss --a minor but interesting character. Dale Meredith, who will marry Irene, is just perfect for her. Pauline's character is developed a bit more.	Notes: The character of Irene is the focus of this book, and, given the family background of fragility and eccentricity, this is just fascinating.

#7. The Mystic Ball 1934	First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 7 JB titles on front flap.
	Plot: More about Irene and Dale. Will Irene's superstitious nature have a permanent negative impact on her engagement? Even her friends are losing patience with her. Judy suspects that Madame Wanda, the crystal ball gazer who has frightened Irene, to be a fraud, but figuring out how is a problem -- should she ask Arthur or Peter to help? Arthur, she tells Sylvia, does things for her, but Peter does them with her ...
Character Introduced: We meet Sylvia Weiss, like so many of Judy's acquaintances, under a cloud of suspicion, but she helps Judy solve the mystery of the mystic ball.	Quote: (Judy to Irene) "I think it's the satisfaction of having done something worth while that makes a person happy."

#8. The Voice in the Suitcase 1935	First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 8 JB titles on front flap, with sale price noted: $.50.
	Plot: While Selma Brady's grandparents prepare to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary, they also meddle and muddle the mysteries of a noisy suitcase, a doll who has a chest cold, a mysterious man in a ditch, robbery, kidnapping, and forgery! Judy and her friends manage to unravel these tangled webs in this very family-oriented mystery.
Featured Characters: Three generations of the wonderfully eccentric Brady family, including Judy's friend Selma Brady and Jean 'Tag-along' Hamilton, her friend.	Quote: Judy thinks, "What a nuisance, having to narrow down to just one boy when I like two so well. I suppose I'll spend the rest of my life see-sawing between Arthur and Peter and never really falling in love with either of them."

#9. The Mysterious Half Cat 1936	First Printing: Thick green 'chain-weave' cloth book, purple lettering, orchid pictorial end papers, 4 glossy illustrations, white spine dj, listing 9 JB titles on front flap. $.50
	Plot: Judy tries to find her friend Scottie's family, and help Scottie's little sister Carol, who is mysteriously and very seriously ill. She also faces a gang of thieves and, in a side plot reminiscent of "Mystic Ball", debunks the supersitition of prophetic dreams. Oh, and yes, there's a note about a cat cut in half and a mysterious old beggar, and Judy has a tiff with Peter.
Character Introduced: Dora Scott, 'Scottie', an old friend of Judy's from Roulsville. Dr. Faulkner, Pauline's father, makes a cameo visit, too.	Notes: Judy's friends continue the gentrification of lower Grove Street in this book. Judy graduates from high school.