The Tower Treasure
Encyclopedia
The Tower Treasure is the first volume in the original The Hardy Boys
Mystery Stories published by Grosset & Dunlap
. The book ranks 55th on Publishers Weekly
's All-Time Bestselling Children's Book List for the United States, with 2,209,774 copies sold as of 2001. This book is one of the "Original 10", generally considered to be the best examples of the Hardy Boys, and Stratemeyer Syndicate
, writing.
This book was written for the Stratemeyer Syndicate
by Leslie McFarlane
in 1927. Between 1959 and 1973 the first 38 volumes were systematically revised as part of a project directed by Harriet Adams, Edward Stratemeyer's daughter. While some volumes only had minor changes, the original version of this book had the plot significantly rewritten in 1959 by Harriet S. Adams.
called Queen from the Hardys' friend, Chet Morton
. Due to one witness reporting that the villain had dark hair, the Hardys assume he is using a red wig
. It is learned that the thief returned to Chet's home to steal a tire, helping Frank and Joe to find Queen abandoned in a public wooded area.
The excitement of finding Queen is quickly gone when it is reported that there has been a robbery of forty thousand dollars in securities and jewels from the Tower Mansion owned by sibling
s Hurd and Adelia Applegate. Hurd Applegate is convinced that the Tower's caretaker, Henry Robinson, is the guilty party. The Hardys are especially concerned by this accusation because Henry's son, Perry, is a friend of theirs who will have to quit school to work since his father can no longer get a job as a result of Applegate's accusation. The only 'proof' of Henry Robinson's guilt is that he was suddenly able to pay off a debt, and refused to reveal where he got the money to pay off the debt.
The Hardys suspect that the red-haired man may be involved with the Tower robbery and search the place where Queen was found, finding the red wig. The Hardys' dad, detective Fenton Hardy, learns that the wig was manufactured in New York City. The three Hardys go to New York and learn of a criminal named John "Red" Jackley who is fond of using disguises. Soon, Jackley is injured in a train accident causing him to be hospitalized. About to die, Jackley confesses that he committed the Tower Mansion robbery and put the loot "in the old tower…" Jackley dies before he is able to explain further. After searches inside and outside of the Tower Mansion the stolen loot is still not found.
Frank and Joe decide to go to the railroad where Jackley used to work to find out more information. While investigating, they see two water towers nearby. The Hardys realize that Jackley was referring to the old water tower
and not the Tower Mansion. Inside the water tower they find the stolen items but are locked in the tower by a man calling himself Hobo Johnny. Johnny feels anything in the tower belongs to him. Frank and Joe break out of the water tower and return the securities and jewelry. In the original version of the book Henry admits that a man who owed him money repaid a debt to him, but he was not allowed to tell anyone in case the man's other debtors found out. This was revised in the 1959 version such that Adelia reveals that she loaned Henry Robinson the money to pay off his debt. Following the revelations and with the stolen loot returned, Hurd re-hires Henry with an increase in salary and Hurd builds a greenhouse for Henry.
released a PC
video game based on The Tower Treasure. It is titled The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft
.
The Hardy Boys
The Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional teenage brothers and amateur detectives who appear in various mystery series for children and teens....
Mystery Stories published by Grosset & Dunlap
Grosset & Dunlap
Grosset & Dunlap is a United States book publisher founded in 1898.The company was purchased by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1982 and today is part of the British publishing conglomerate, Pearson PLC through its American subsidiary Penguin Group....
. The book ranks 55th on Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
's All-Time Bestselling Children's Book List for the United States, with 2,209,774 copies sold as of 2001. This book is one of the "Original 10", generally considered to be the best examples of the Hardy Boys, and Stratemeyer Syndicate
Stratemeyer Syndicate
The Stratemeyer Syndicate was the producer of a number of mystery series for children, including Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the various Tom Swift series, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and others.- History :...
, writing.
This book was written for the Stratemeyer Syndicate
Stratemeyer Syndicate
The Stratemeyer Syndicate was the producer of a number of mystery series for children, including Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the various Tom Swift series, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and others.- History :...
by Leslie McFarlane
Leslie McFarlane
Leslie McFarlane was a Canadian journalist, novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker. McFarlane is most famous for ghostwriting many of the early books in the very successful Hardy Boys series using the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon.- Early life :The son of a school principal, McFarlane was raised in...
in 1927. Between 1959 and 1973 the first 38 volumes were systematically revised as part of a project directed by Harriet Adams, Edward Stratemeyer's daughter. While some volumes only had minor changes, the original version of this book had the plot significantly rewritten in 1959 by Harriet S. Adams.
Plot summary
The story begins with Frank and Joe Hardy barely avoiding being hit by a speeding driver with bright red hair. Later, this same red-haired driver attempts a ferryboat ticket office robbery and successfully steals a yellow jalopyJalopy
A jalopy is a decrepit car, often old and in a barely functional state. A jalopy is not a well kept antique car, but a car which is mostly rundown or beaten up. As a slang term in American English, "Jalopy" was noted in 1924 but is now slightly passé...
called Queen from the Hardys' friend, Chet Morton
Chet Morton
Chet Morton is a fictional character in the The Hardy Boys book series by Franklin W. Dixon.-Fictional history:Chet grew up with Frank and Joe Hardy and has been one of their best friends since second grade. He usually says he doesn't want to have anything to do with the Hardy boys' mysteries,...
. Due to one witness reporting that the villain had dark hair, the Hardys assume he is using a red wig
Wig
A wig is a head of hair made from horsehair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair, buffalo hair, or synthetic materials which is worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. The word wig is short for periwig and first...
. It is learned that the thief returned to Chet's home to steal a tire, helping Frank and Joe to find Queen abandoned in a public wooded area.
The excitement of finding Queen is quickly gone when it is reported that there has been a robbery of forty thousand dollars in securities and jewels from the Tower Mansion owned by sibling
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
s Hurd and Adelia Applegate. Hurd Applegate is convinced that the Tower's caretaker, Henry Robinson, is the guilty party. The Hardys are especially concerned by this accusation because Henry's son, Perry, is a friend of theirs who will have to quit school to work since his father can no longer get a job as a result of Applegate's accusation. The only 'proof' of Henry Robinson's guilt is that he was suddenly able to pay off a debt, and refused to reveal where he got the money to pay off the debt.
The Hardys suspect that the red-haired man may be involved with the Tower robbery and search the place where Queen was found, finding the red wig. The Hardys' dad, detective Fenton Hardy, learns that the wig was manufactured in New York City. The three Hardys go to New York and learn of a criminal named John "Red" Jackley who is fond of using disguises. Soon, Jackley is injured in a train accident causing him to be hospitalized. About to die, Jackley confesses that he committed the Tower Mansion robbery and put the loot "in the old tower…" Jackley dies before he is able to explain further. After searches inside and outside of the Tower Mansion the stolen loot is still not found.
Frank and Joe decide to go to the railroad where Jackley used to work to find out more information. While investigating, they see two water towers nearby. The Hardys realize that Jackley was referring to the old water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
and not the Tower Mansion. Inside the water tower they find the stolen items but are locked in the tower by a man calling himself Hobo Johnny. Johnny feels anything in the tower belongs to him. Frank and Joe break out of the water tower and return the securities and jewelry. In the original version of the book Henry admits that a man who owed him money repaid a debt to him, but he was not allowed to tell anyone in case the man's other debtors found out. This was revised in the 1959 version such that Adelia reveals that she loaned Henry Robinson the money to pay off his debt. Following the revelations and with the stolen loot returned, Hurd re-hires Henry with an increase in salary and Hurd builds a greenhouse for Henry.
Characters
- Adelia Applegate
- Hurd Applegate
- Henry J. Brown
- Phil Cohen
- Ezra Collig
- Jerry Gilroy
- Launcelot Gobbo
- Mike Halley
- Fenton Hardy
- Frank Hardy
- Joe Hardy
- Laura HardyLaura Hardy (Hardy Boys)Laura Hardy is the pretty and petite stay-at-home mother of Frank and Joe in the Hardy Boys novels . She is married to Fenton Hardy the private investigator and they all live in Bayport, New York with Fenton's sister, Aunt Gertrude...
- Biff Hooper
- Ike Harrity
- John ‘‘Red’’ Jackley
- Hobo Johnny
- Jake
- Kauffman
- Harold Morley
- Chet MortonChet MortonChet Morton is a fictional character in the The Hardy Boys book series by Franklin W. Dixon.-Fictional history:Chet grew up with Frank and Joe Hardy and has been one of their best friends since second grade. He usually says he doesn't want to have anything to do with the Hardy boys' mysteries,...
- Iola Morton
- Mr. Morton
- Mrs. Morton
- Tony Prito
- Con Riley
- Henry Robinson
- Mrs. Robinson
- Paula Robinson
- Perry Robinson
- Tessie Robinson
- Rocco
- Rosa
- Melvin Schuster
- Mr. Schwartz
- Callie Shaw
- Oscar Smuff
Locations
- Albany
- Bayport
- Bayport High
- Bayport Police Station
- Bayport Railroad Station
- Cherryville
- Crescent Theater
- Ducksworth
- Elm Street
- Flint’s
- Hardys’ house
- High Street
- Main Street
- Market Street
- Morton farm
- New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
- Pine Street
- Renshaw
- Rocco’s
- Ruben Street
- Schwartz’s Masquerade and Costume Shop
- Shakespearenn
- Shaw house
- Thornton
- Tower Mansion
- Willow Grove
- Willowville
Business and organizations
- Bayport & Coast Line Railroad
- Bayport Police Department
- Hamlin’s company
TV adaptation
The Tower Treasure became the basis of a serial shown on the Mickey Mouse Club in 1956-57 as "The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure", named for the descendant of the pirate who was searching for the priceless treasure. The introduction, which was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft, was as follows,Computer game
On September 30, 2008, JoWood Productions and The Adventure CompanyThe Adventure Company
The Adventure Company, is a publishing label of Nordic Games. It is formally a division of DreamCatcher Interactive but was sold to Nordic Games in 2011 following DreamCatcher's parent JoWooD Entertainment being sold after entering administration.-History:...
released a PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
video game based on The Tower Treasure. It is titled The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft
The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft
The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft is the first title in The Hardy Boys PC game series created by JoWood Productions and The Adventure Company...
.