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Jennifer Fisher is a Nancy Drew consultant and author. Her book, Clues for Real Life: The Classic Wit & Wisdom of Nancy Drew was published in 2007 and she is currently writing a biography on famous Toledo resident Mildred Wirt Benson (1905-2002), the first Carolyn Keene to write the Nancy Drew series, who was a real-life Nancy Drew herself.
Fisher is also President of the Nancy Drew fan group, The Nancy Drew Sleuths, and plans their annual conventions and handles the officially licensed Nancy Drew merchandising lines.
In 2019, Fisher donated her 5,000+ piece Nancy Drew collection to the Toledo Public Library and it is housed in The Mystery Room located in the 2nd floor children’s section of the downtown main library.
She chose Toledo because Mildred lived in the Old Orchards neighborhood for several decades until her death in 2002. She wrote many of the stories at her house, known locally as the Millie Benson House.
Jennifer is kindly chatting with me from her home in sunny Phoenix, Arizona.
1.) How/when/why did you get into collecting?
I was born in Texas and grew up in Texas and New Mexico – family are all native Texans. As a kid growing up, I read the book. But when I was in law school and went antiquing, I found a vintage Nancy Drew from the 1930s and was clueless as to what it was. I discovered then that Nancy Drew went back to 1930 and began collecting vintage editions. This was around the late 1990s.
2.) The Jennifer Fisher Nancy Drew Collection at TLCPL is the world’s largest collection of Nancy Drew memorabilia, is that correct?
Yes, the largest collection of its type in a public forum. It’s almost like a museum. I donated over 5000 items in 2019 – books, collectibles, historical items, and ephemera. Since then, I have made donations of over 500 more items, some very historic.
3.) Please describe your collection in detail. Can you list the sub-collections and anything else you want people to know?
My collection consists of over 600 books published since 1930 – various series and spin-offs. I have one of each and then multiple formats over the years of some of them – thousands of books. I also collect other types of books – library editions, foreign editions and book club editions. Hundreds of items spanning multiple eras are in the collection. There are also historical items related to the history behind the series.
I have a secondary collection at home of childhood books, signed books, at least 1 of each of the books published since 1930 and some collectible items that are duplicates plus original Nancy Drew cover art.
4.) What are your top 5-10 rarest, scarcest, and/or favorite items in your collection and why?
I have books 1-7 in first printings from 1930-1932 in the original format in the original dust jacket – all very difficult to acquire – with the signature of the original ghostwriter, Mildred Wirt Benson.
I have the Nancy Drew – My Datebook and Homework Planner, a 1970s Sears Pamela Sue Martin/Nancy Drew TV Show t-shirt, original cover art for The Hidden Staircase by Rudy Nappi, a Nancy Drew 70s TV Show watch, and original Carolyn Keene fan letters from the Stratemeyer Syndicate – all of these items are quite scarce.
5.) Are you still actively collecting? If so, what are you currently collecting? Still chasing any holy grails?
Yes, once a collector, always a collector! I still collect for the Jennifer Fisher Nancy Drew Collection in Toledo – it wasn’t fully complete as to rare or scarce items plus library and foreign editions, so I still actively search for things I don’t already have.
I also collect for my secondary home collection – duplicates that interest me of what’s in Toledo plus each of the over 600 books published since 1930.
6.) How and where did you locate most of your items?
I’d say at least 85% or more came from eBay, the rest locally – used books stores, antique malls or other collectors. I’ve been collecting since around 1997.
7.) What are your top favorite Nancy Drew books to read?
My two favorites are The Hidden Staircase and The Secret in the Old Attic. Very suspenseful and in the old gothic mystery style.
8.) Millie Benson, who wrote 23 of the first 30 ND, lived in Toledo. Do you know where? Any fun factoids about Millie?
She lived for many decades in the Old Orchard area. She wrote books 17-25 and 30 in Toledo. Previously books 1-7, 11-16 were written in Cleveland and a couple of those written in Ladora, Iowa while home visiting family. She was like a real-life Nancy Drew. I am currently writing a biography about her adventurous life.
9.) Hobbies?
Writing, gardening, party planning, reading, history, sleuthing.
10.) Any other fun facts or interesting tidbits about Jenn?
I’m an attorney, though I have never practiced law. I’m also president of the Nancy Drew Sleuths, a Nancy Drew fan club of fans, collectors, scholars and writers who collect Nancy Drew and similar series books.
11.) What is your philosophy of collecting? Why is collecting important to you personally and why is collecting important for society?
My philosophy of collecting is to collect what makes you happy – it has a lot to do with nostalgia and capturing that youthful charm. Collecting also reconnects us to history and helps us preserve history for future generations. My Jennifer Fisher Nancy Drew Collection will hopefully inspire generations of Nancy Drew fans to remember Nancy Drew, focus on collecting and also inspire scholars to learn more about the history behind Nancy Drew. Ultimately, it helps today’s generation discover these wonderful books, and that’s very rewarding.
12.) Anything else we should include?
There’s also www.nancydrewfans.com which is our Nancy Drew Sleuths fan group that I’m president of – we have annual Nancy Drew conventions and people can find information about that, our zine, The Sleuth, joining NDS, and our merch at that link.
Nancy Drew Sleuths (fan group)
Jennifer Fisher Collection at the Toledo Library
Contact Jennifer: nancydrewsleuth@aol.com
