Betty Gordon/Ruth Fielding Poll Results

Here are the results to the Betty Gordon/Ruth Fielding poll:

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Do you like Betty Gordon or Ruth Fielding better?

Betty Gordon (have read only Betty Gordon) - 0 votes - 0%

Betty Gordon (have read both series) - 8 votes - 33.3%

Ruth Fielding (have read only Ruth Fielding) - 13 votes - 54.2%

Ruth Fielding (have read both series) - 3 votes - 12.5%

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Since the Betty Gordan and Ruth Fielding series were cross-promoted and are generally collected by the same group of people, this poll's purpose was to determine whether people prefer one series over the other.

I can draw several conclusions. First, more people collect Ruth Fielding than Betty Gordon. This is probably because the Ruth Fielding books are much easier to find and because Mildred Wirt Benson wrote some of the Ruth Fielding books, making them popular among Nancy Drew collectors.

Second, most people have only read the Ruth Fielding books, probably for the above reasons.

Third, of the 11 respondents who have read both series, 72.7% like Betty Gordon better and 27.3% like Ruth Fielding better. What this means to me is that the Betty Gordon series probably is a little better overall than the Ruth Fielding series since people seem to prefer it when they have read both series.

I have read both series, and I like the Betty Gordon series better. I do have to admit, though, that the last five to ten Ruth Fielding books are about as good as the Betty Gordon series. The reason I do not like the Ruth Fielding series better is because the first half of the Ruth Fielding series is kind of bland. Those books are worth reading in order to get the full story of the Ruth Fielding series, but they are a bit boring at times.

Ruth Fielding and Her Crowning Victory

Often when a series ends, there are more volumes in preparation. For instance, the last Judy Bolton book, The Secret at the Sand Castle, mentions the next title, The Strange Likeness, which was never published since the series was abruptly canceled. As I finished reading the last Ruth Fielding book, Ruth Fielding and Her Crowning Victory, I have to conclude that Mildred Wirt knew that it was to be the final title.

On page 202, Ruth reflects upon everything that has ever happened to her:

At her chum's words, Ruth's fancy took a panoramic sweep back over the many exciting adventures that had been her lot since she had left the Red Mill so many years ago. There had been war days, though not so exciting as her experiences in Bellogia; thrilling weeks on Legend Island and in foreign countries, with glorious vacations spent at ranches, plantations and summer resorts. By her own efforts she had raised herself to a commanding position in the motion picture world. Yet Helen was undoubtedly right. No honor she had ever received could compare with this surpassing achievement—her crowning victory.

And the very last paragraph of the book on page 210 reads:

"But now I really mean it. If there are any more adventures in our little family, they will be passed on to June!"

It is always sad to read the final pages of the final volume in any good series. However, it is nice that the series did not end with any obvious loose ends. One thing I hate about how the Beverly Gray series ended is that we never did get to see for certain who Lenora would marry. I have always wondered which man Clair Blank would have had Lenora choose.

I now have two choices for the next series to read: the Barbara Ann series by Ruth Grosby and the Betty Gordon series by Alice B. Emerson. While I am very eager to read the Barbara Ann series, I believe I will choose the Betty Gordon series, simply because it was "written" by Alice B. Emerson, just like the Ruth Fielding series. The Ruth Fielding and Betty Gordon series are like sister series, with the titles in both series listed on the copyright pages of all of the books in each series.

More Thoughts on Ruth Fielding

I am now about halfway through volume 30. I have finished all of my Ruth Fielding summaries for my website. I normally write the summary for a book before I finish the book. I try to be vague about the ending, and it helps when I don't even know for sure how a book will end. Actually, I do know how #30 ends simply because I have read the summary of it that appears in the Girls' Series Companion. But even so, I don't know the entire story.

My favorite groups of books in the Ruth Fielding series are the World War I books, #13-15; all of the books written by Elizabeth M. Duffield Ward, #20-22; and all of the books written by Mildred A. Wirt Benson, #23-30. In these groupings of books, my very favorite two volumes are #20 Ruth Fielding in the Far North and #29 Ruth Fielding and Her Greatest Triumph. I like #20 because of the Blythe Girls phenomenon (see my post from December 29), and I like #29 because it reads so much like a Beverly Gray book.

Even though many of the earlier books are not quite as interesting as the later books, I feel like it is very necessary to have read all of the earlier books in order to fully appreciate the later books. The past history of the characters is important. The Ruth Fielding series tells a story, and that story begins with volume 1. It is a series that is best read in order and without skipping a volume. Sometimes, the events of one book lead into the next book, so in a few cases, the books would be hard to follow if the previous volume had been skipped.

Ruth Fielding Titles

Yesterday I posted a message in which I mentioned my dissatisfaction with the Ruth Fielding titles. While I feel like most of the titles could have been better, there are a few scattered titles which I feel are sorely lacking.

In keeping with the format of the existing titles, I would change volume 29 Ruth Fielding and Her Greatest Triumph to Ruth Fielding at Legend Island. Legend Island is the setting for volume 29, and it sounds so much more interesting than Greatest Triumph. How many greatest triumphs and victories can Ruth possibly have?

I would also change volume 16 from Ruth Fielding Down East to Ruth Fielding in Maine. I have difficulty in comprehending Maine as "down east" since I live in the south central United States. To me, Ruth Fielding in the East would have made more sense.

Finally, I would change volume 20 from Ruth Fielding in the Far North to Ruth Fielding in the Yukon. By changing Far North to Yukon, it makes the location sound different from that of volume 22 Ruth Fielding in Alaska.

I have not read any of volume 30 Ruth Fielding and Her Crowning Victory yet, but since I know what the setting is, I would probably change the title to Ruth Fielding Travels Abroad.

By the way, volume 29 Ruth Fielding and Her Greatest Triumph reads a lot like many of the Beverly Gray books. Ruth is on Legend Island in the Pacific Ocean, and the island is inhabited by crazy, superstitious natives who think that Ruth is bringing evil to the island. Since Beverly Gray is one of my all-time favorite series, I'm really enjoying Ruth Fielding and Her Greatest Triumph.

What Ruth Fielding Deserved

I have just finished reading volume 28 in the Ruth Fielding series. I am close enough to the end that I can reflect on what I think of this series. As I have stated previously, I was very unsure about whether I should collect this series but reasoned that any series with 30 volumes must be worthwhile. Since I was able to purchase all of the books relatively inexpensively, I decided to build an entire set before reading any of the books.

It did turn out to be worth it. For those who have read my blog post in which I rate how much I like the different series books, I give the Ruth Fielding series a 3. This means that I feel that it is a very good series and worth reading. There were a few books that dragged for me, but the good books far outnumber the lackluster ones.

I do have to say that I would feel more strongly about the series if the dust jackets were nicer and the titles more descriptive. These were the reasons that I was reluctant to purchase the books, and I have to say that the outward appearance of the books still shades my opinion to a degree, even though I have now read the books. They could have been packaged better.

Many people have wondered why the Nancy Drew series has had a success that has far exceeded any of the other Stratemeyer Syndicate books. I personally feel that the packaging of the Nancy Drew books was far nicer than that of any other series books. The early Russell Tandy cover art for the Nancy Drew books is exquisite, and I believe that it is a huge factor in why the Nancy Drew books sold so well. The Ruth Fielding books were apparently a bestseller during their run, but if the books would have had beautifully painted individual cover art like the Nancy Drew books, the series may not have gone out of print during the early 1930s. Perhaps Ruth Fielding would have had the same staying power as Nancy Drew. The last seven Ruth Fielding books are in every way comparable to the early Nancy Drew books, so I feel that the packaging of the Ruth Fielding series is a factor in why it did not last.

Not only are the dust jackets boring, but the titles are boring as well. They are only slightly better than the boring nondescript titles of the Nancy Drew Files. Take the two books Ruth Fielding in the Far North and Ruth Fielding in Alaska. These two titles could easily refer to the same location. There is really nothing that distinguishes them.

I have had to laugh as I have read the later books in the Ruth Fielding series. I feel like they must have been running out of ideas for titles. Chapter 25 of Ruth Fielding Clearing Her Name is entitled “Ruth’s Great Triumph.” But then volume 29 is entitled Ruth Fielding and Her Greatest Triumph. Additionally, Chapter 25 of Ruth Fielding’s Crowning Victory is entitled “Ruth’s Crowning Triumph.” Oh, the superlatives!

In closing, I like Ruth Fielding, but she was denied what she richly deserved—descriptive, interesting titles and nice dust jackets with individualized cover art.

Ruth Fielding: Scenario Writer and Detective!

I am now into the final stage of reading the Ruth Fielding books—I am reading the books that were written by Mildred Wirt Benson. While all of the books were credited to Alice B. Emerson, the actual writers were three different ghostwriters.

The first 19 books were written by W. Bert Foster. Since the first 19 books were all written by one person, there are no noticeable lapses in consistency.

What is most striking once the books are written by Ward and Wirt is that subtle changes occur in the characterizations and in the interaction between the characters. It's not something that I can easily describe here, but the way Helen Cameron acts and the way that Helen and Ruth interact definitely changes once the books are no longer written by Foster. I feel like the relationship between Ruth and Helen is more interesting for the reader during the books written by Ward, and I am not far enough into the books written by Wirt to have an opinion.

Volumes 20 through 22 were written by Elizabeth M. Duffield Ward. Except for what I have already stated above, these three stories are pretty consistent with the first 19 books. There is one thing that stands out. Ruth is suddenly disaster-prone, just like the ever unfortunate Blythe Girls. This is amusing, since Elizabeth M. Duffield Ward wrote the entire Blythe Girls series under the pseudonym of Laura Lee Hope.

Ruth Fielding in the Far North is the best example of the Blythe Girls phenomenon and is my pick for the most exciting book (of those that I have thus far read) in the Ruth Fielding series. Ruth's friends Chess and Helen have a serious car accident on page 11. On page 27, the boat upon which the friends are to sail is set afire. After repairs, Ruth and her friends depart. On page 39, the boat hits an iceberg, which rips a hole in the boat. The boat is patched, and the journey proceeds. On page 46, Helen falls overboard into the icy water. On page 58, the boat is caught in the ice, wedged in tightly where it cannot move. On page 65, the young people abandon the boat and set off across the "rubber ice" in a risky attempt to make it to land. On page 88, Ruth shoots at a polar bear that is about to attack. On page 120, the young people's boat is charged by an enraged bull walrus. On page 135, Ruth is lost in the snow, and by page 139, Ruth stumbles into a deep pit and is trapped with two bears. On page 159, Tom is knocked unconscious and falls into the icy water. Ruth plunges in to save him, and both nearly lose their lives. On page 185, the young people are lost in a blizzard and seek refuge in an abandoned igloo.

The other two Ruth Fielding books written by Elizabeth M. Duffield Ward also have more exciting events than the earlier Ruth Fielding books, but not as extreme as the ones I have mentioned.

I just finished reading volume 23, Ruth Fielding and Her Great Scenario, which is the first Ruth Fielding book that was written by Mildred Wirt Benson. In volume 23, Ruth's main interest is in working on her scenario for a contest, but in the latter part of the book, Ruth and her friends do a little detective work in regard to portions of her scenario that have been stolen. Now the detective work is not odd, since it is strongly tied into what is most important to Ruth—her career. The detective work is important because it is the first indication of the shift that occurs during the next book.

In volume 24, Ruth Fielding at Cameron Hall, Ruth loses her money in a bank robbery, and at the same time, Tom Cameron disappears. The two events seem to be related. Ruth vows to solve the mystery herself. From pages 54-55:

Ruth tried to hide her irritation. She understood Si Perkins and his methods. Obviously, if she waited for him to locate the guilty persons, she probably would never again see her forty thousand dollars. And Aunt Alvirah was depending upon her for the recovery of "the egg money!" Uncle Jabez Potter would always feel that he had lost his savings because he had followed her advice and had placed his money in the bank.

"I've sent for some city detectives," the sheriff went on, with a touch of pride. "They ought to be here some time to-day."

Ruth resisted a desire to reach out and shake the man. Did he never think for himself? "In the meantime, where will your thieves be? Miles away, of course. They won't wait around for the city detectives! Why don't you start out in cars and search the country around here? Surely, Mr. Jones knows in what direction the roadster was traveling when he saw it start away from the bank."
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Ruth turned away. Little chance Si Perkins and his posse would have of running down the gang of criminals in the blue roadster unless they showed more skill and speed than they had previously.

It was with this passage that I realized that Ruth Fielding is morphing into Nancy Drew! It reads just like one of the passages from any of the early Nancy Drew books. Ruth has the same disdain for law enforcement as Nancy and feels like she can do a better job than they can, just like Nancy.

Milded Wirt's first assignment for the Stratemeyer Syndicate was Ruth Fielding and Her Great Scenario. Edward Stratemeyer gave it to her to see what she could do with it and whether she had what he needed in a writer. She submitted the first chapters and had to make a good many changes in order to give him what he wanted, but by the time she was finished with the manuscript, he was quite pleased. Wirt wrote the rest of the Ruth Fielding books and was given the Nancy Drew series as her next assignment. The rest is history.

Ruth Fielding Revisted

I began reading the Ruth Fielding books a few months ago, and then I was sidetracked by other interests. I haven't read any series books in the last couple of months. I got started on the Ruth Fielding books again today. I finished #8 and started #9. So far, I feel like it is a good series. I can't give a firm opinion on exactly what I think about it until I get a bit further.

The Ruth Fielding section is now in progress. I have summaries for up through volume 8, but I have not yet posted them to the site. I may begin posting the summaries shortly. Usually I don't post any of them until I am done reading the entire series, but I may make an exception in this case.

After I read Ruth Fielding, I plan to read the Barbara Ann series. I recently completed my set, and I am eager to read the books. It is a four volume series, and I find that I really enjoy the obscure, short series. I'm looking forward to trying them out.

The Ruth Fielding Series

I consider Ruth Fielding and Her Double to be the hardest to find book in the Ruth Fielding series, and it is the one that I finally acquired this week. I had waited for months for a less expensive one to come up for sale. The ones that have been available online for months are far higher in price than I care to pay. Do a search at www.abebooks.com to see what I mean about the prices for this title. I finally bought one within the price range that is acceptable to me.

I am now one volume short of having a complete set of the Ruth Fielding series in dust jacket. Ruth Fielding in Talking Pictures is the last title I need. There are several copies available online, and they are much more reasonable than the ones of Ruth Fielding and Her Double. It is just a matter of deciding which to buy or whether to continue to wait for either a better condition or less expensive one to come up for sale. I may end up buying one of the available copies, simply to end my quest of Ruth Fielding books.

In around two weeks, I am finally going to have time to read again. I plan to finish reading the Susan Sand series. After Susan Sand, I will read Ruth Fielding, assuming that I have a complete set by that time. I always wait for a complete set before I begin reading any of the books in a series. I am hoping that the Ruth Fielding series will prove to be good. It is hard to judge a series without detailed information available online. I have read comments over the years that have stated that the Ruth Fielding series is good; however, I have never read specific enough of comments to give me a compelling reason to want to read the series.

I don't like all girls' series books. The Dorothy Dixon series is one example. I read the first book and part of the second, and the books bored me, so I never finished the second book. Someday I will try again. In spite of my lukewarm reaction to the Dorothy Dixon series, I do want to read Dorothy Dixon and the Double Cousin someday. One of the Judy Bolton books, The Secret of the Musical Tree, has the same plot as Dorothy Dixon and the Double Cousin.

My point is that I could read Ruth Fielding and be bored. I hope this is not the case as it has taken me more than a year to get this close to a complete set. I feel like the series must be good; it would not have stayed in print for 30 titles if it were a weak series. The 30 title duration of the series and the good, although vague, comments from various people about the series are the reasons why I chose to build a set. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

My First Post and Today's Random Thoughts

I have decided to try a blog as another means for others to contact me. I refuse to post my email address since doing so would unleash a tidal wave of spam. So, if you want to contact me, post a comment here. I’m going to try to check this page often. We'll see what happens.

I just added the Arden Blake Mystery Series to the site. I finished reading the third volume yesterday. At the end of volume three a phantom title is mentioned, The Hermit of Pirate Light, but alas . . . it does not exist. This phantom title is an odd-sounding title; somehow it sounds better as The Hermit of Pilot Light!

I now have the decision of which series to read next. I started the first Riddle Club book, but I may change my mind and read something else. There is a certain series that I have considered reviewing on my site, but I am still undecided and do not wish to mention it at this time. To me it fits, but the addition of it would surprise quite a few people. I’ll let you wonder what I mean by that. I enjoy being mysterious.

I am currently building a set of the Ruth Fielding books. This is a series that I have put off purchasing for a long time, mainly because I dislike books that all have the same exact image on each dust jacket. I have decided to buy at least one copy of each book with whichever jacket it happens to have. There are five different dust jacket formats for the Ruth Fielding series, and I doubt that I will try to complete a set of each dust jacket format. I do hope to own at least one representative dust jacket from each format. I have one format and nine titles to go.