Evelyn's Mystery Books

  The Trixie Belden book that found me today in the charity shop. I found this somewhat tattered Trixie Belden book in a charity shop in Mount Isa, Australia, today. I went into the shop quickly to browse for a book to read during my ten days in the field for my geology work, and this book caught my eye when I was browsing the bookshelves.  I already own a copy or two of this book, but this somewhat worn copy was destined to come with me into the field. I don't have to worry about damaging it during my travels, and it's the perfect Trixie Belden book to read in late October close to Halloween. Do you ever feel that a book finds you at just the right time to read it? Well, I think that's what happened with this book today.

Gifts from my mom! A few weeks ago my mom sent us a box of gifts, mostly some clothes, toys, and books for my 2 1/2 year old son. However, she also included a few items for me: two beautiful skeins of purple yarn, a fun panda-shaped cleaning cloth for my phone, and -- very excitingly -- two Trixie Belden books and a DVD of the latest Nancy Drew movie. The two Trixie Belden books are stunning -- they are "Deluxe Edition" books and are in wonderful condition. I already had a copy of "Mystery of the Blinking Eye", but it was the Golden Press version. The new book is the Whitman version. I actually ordered these two books off of US ebay, and my mom was kind enough to ship them to me here in Australia. My mom found the DVD for a dollar at a charity shop -- she's always on the lookout for items for me at those shops. I really should complete my collection of the Deluxe Edition books -- they are very beautiful books! The movie will be fun to watch. I saw t...

My new Trixie book... it's very special to have this one in a hardcover copy. Merry Christmas, everyone! I haven't blogged in some time. I was very busy with work and also finishing up an economics course for my masters degree studies. However, I now have a few days off from work... and thus have some time for blogging. Today, I'm sharing a few pictures of a Christmas gift that I bought myself: a Goldencraft hardcover library binding edition of Trixie Belden #37 - "The Pet Show Mystery". I saw the book for sale on US ebay a couple of months ago, and I couldn't resist. I ordered the book and had it sent to my parents' house (in the US), and then they included it in the Christmas package that they sent to Australia. It was a nice treat to see the book for the first time on Christmas day. The book is in fairly good condition overall - the corners are somewhat worn. The ebay seller included a lovely note and then a lovely crocheted bookmark that was ...

Two square paperback Trixie books. The back covers of the books. I am collecting the square paperback versions of the Trixie Belden books as I see them come up for sale at good prices. These books were published for just a couple of years in the 1980s. I'm working toward obtaining a full set of these, but alas many of the Trixie books were never published in this version. Apparently only 24 of the 39 titles were published as square paperbacks. Anyway, I recently received the two books above: #26 and #29. The books are in generally good condition except that the spines are somewhat faded. I've noticed that fading of the spine is somewhat common for these versions. Here's a picture of the fading: Photo showing fading on the spines of the books. Overall, I'm quite happy with these books -- they are a welcome addition to my Trixie collection.

Two Trixie books from a charity shop. The backs of the books. Earlier this week I visited a secondhand charity shop (or "Op Shop", as they call them here), and as always I looked for the series books that I collect. I found two Trixie Belden books and paid $3.00 AUD for both. The first book is nothing special. It is a somewhat worn oval softcover book. It will make a good reading copy. The second book is more interesting. It is a "Trixie Belden presents..." book that is not a Trixie story at all but is rather a story "recommended" by Trixie. These "Trixie Belden presents..." books seem to have been released only in Australia and New Zealand. I've seen a few of them come up on Australian ebay but wasn't sure what to make of them. I thought they were strange-looking and was skeptical that they were really associated with the Trixie from the mystery series. Now that I have a copy of one, I can see that the books are d...

New Trixie books! The backs of the books. I have obtained two more Trixie Belden books in the new Random House editions: #1 and #9. This is the third copy that I have of #1 but #9 was missing from my collection. I bought the pair of books for just under $20 AUD. The books are in good condition, and I don't mind having another extra copy of book #1. Perhaps I'll pass it on to a friend one day. Or maybe I'll eventually sell some of the "extra" books that I have.  I'm keeping my eyes out for the remaining Random House edition books. I still need #7, #8, #11, #12, and #13... and I also want to try to find a better copy of #6. 

Mount Isa Trixie find. I'm currently visiting Mount Isa, a mining town in rural Queensland, Australia. I'm here on a work trip and was in meetings for most of the day. However, I went out for a quick walk at lunchtime and wandered across a charity shop or "opportunity shop" or "op shop" as they call them here. I found one Trixie Belden book in the new Random House edition. Fittingly, the book was "Mystery in Arizona"... perfect for Mount Isa, which reminds me of the western USA in many ways. The book is not perfect - it has some fading/discoloration (the cover should be orange but is pink at the edges), and there is a small tear in the spine. However, it was only $2 AUD, and I don't have this book in my collection yet. At some point, I'll buy a nicer copy of this book for my collection. However, I think that I'll keep this copy to remind me of my Mount Isa trip. Also, it's nice to have imperfect copies of books that I can c...

The lot of books I received today. I received a lot of the new Random House edition Trixie Belden books in the mail today. I bought the lot for $50 AUD, including shipping, and the books are in reasonably good condition. Three of the books have names written in them and two are ex library books. I already had books #1 and #3, but that's okay. The new copy of #3 from this lot is in better shape. Overall, I'm quite happy with the lot.  I cleaned up the books some this evening and put them on my bookshelf. Now I have to find the remaining titles to complete my collection: #6, #7, #8, #9, #11, #12, and #13. I'm loving the new cover art on these editions. The pictures are quite fun! Here are some more pictures of the books: The front covers of the 8 books I received. The back covers of the books. Closer view #1. Closer view #2. Closer view #3. Closer view #4.

Trixie Belden #1: The Secret of the Mansion. Random House edition published in 2003. First of all, welcome to my blog! This is my first post. For more information about me and this blog, please see the About This Blog  page. I am going to start this blog with a picture of a book that I acquired about a year ago, when I was visiting my parents in New Hampshire. This is the first book of the Trixie Belden series in the new (2000s era) Random House edition. I bought this book for about $5 in a secondhand bookstore. I was quite surprised to find it, as I did not realize that the Trixie Belden books had been republished. I've since learned that the first 15 books were re-released in the new Random House editions, with new cover artwork. I really like the new Random House edition books. The cover art has been updated without taking away, in my opinion, from the spirit of Trixie and her fellow Bob-Whites. The books are glossy and sturdy and contain reproductions of original illu...