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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780448089195
ISBN number: 044808919X
Label: Grosset & Dunlap
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 192
Printing Date: May 01, 1940
Publishing house: Grosset & Dunlap
Age index: Ages 9-12
Sale Popularity Level: 22520
Studio: Grosset & Dunlap
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
The original Hardy Boys -Just as You Remember Them! Number 19 in Applewood Books's series of facsimile reprints.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
There was a fascination in the 30s with science fiction. The original Hardy Boys book which was revised into this book was originally written in the early half of the last century, as you can tell by the improbably gadgets described in this story.
This mystery is one of the most bizarre of the early Hardy Boys' books. There are supposed ghosts, a mysterious death, secret passages, missing documents, and a host of other unusual circumstances, including an eccentric scientist, missing diamonds, and a possible source of amethysts.
One of the most difficult aspects of this book is its complexity. Numerous elements are woven together from the very beginning of the book that leaves you hanging until near the end. As one example, there is a floor that seems to come and go and for a good portion of the book the Hardy boys have a difficult time knowing whether the disappearing floor actually exists.
I found the eccentric scientist and his gadgets humorous. While his devices might have seemed possible when this book was written in 1940, we are reasonably certain yesterday that some of the devices described are unlikely to exist. However, I found it enjoyable to think back to an era when anything seemed possible.
The complexity of the story does make it a bit difficult to follow. This Hardy Boys' book would benefit from an expansion of the story, or a revision to eliminate some of the elements. I found myself re-reading portions of the book because I missed a detail. However, at the end the author does explain all the details to clarify what happened.
As complex as this story is, I enjoyed it. Much of the story is so incredible that it throws the story into another reality that allows you to ignore the dire danger that the Hardys find themselves in. This other reality also allows you to overlook the coincidences and the complexity of the story. This book is one of my favorites in this series.
Though the Hardy Boys series is written in a relatively archaic fashion, as reading material for an increasingly younger audience they are excellent. The stories were once recommended for children ages 10 to 14. As children are exposed to more violence and seem to require greater levels of stimulation, the recommended age range has move to 9 to 12. I think any child capable of reading some of the challenging words in these books will enjoy them, regardless of how tame most of the action may be. Once a child has reached age 12 or so the stories may be of less interest, but given the combination of mystery and action, these books remain good safe choices for parents who want to know what their children are reading.
Rated by buyers -
Published in 1940, the original "Disappearing Floor" is without a doubt the "worst written" book among the original 58. Anyone who has read this book will agree. It is totally disjointed, one chapter does not quite follow the other in places, crooks appear and are never mentioned again. One is renamed and unbelievable things occur - such as Mr. Hardy's sudden appearance in a cave in the woods with the Hardys. What are the odds??? In this regard - the book was horrible. Having said that - As a child I could not put this book down. It drew me from page to page and it was among my favorites. It has always crossed my mind that these books are geared primarily toward children and youth and perhaps therin lies some genious at work. While an adult can pick the book to shreds, it fascinates it's intended target audience. Anyone who has read the volume will tell you how horrible it is in one breath and then tell you they loved it in the next. I am no different. It is full of imagination, creativity and brings to the table all the elements associated with a Hardy Boys book: Ghosts, Haunted House and a graveyard. No other book among the very first 58 can make this claim! So it is horrible in one respect and brilliant in another. I rate it a weak 4 star. RATED B
REVISION: The 1964 - Don't even compare it to the original. In places it was better - in places it was worse. Strangely it made more sense - but lacked the "punch" of the original. A good book certainly worth reading.
Rated by buyers -
Personally, I enjoyed this book. It was pretty exciting. There are many exciting things that happen, like a car chase, a smoke screen, a dying man, mysterious robberies, a hidden tunnel, an errie ghost, a disappearing floor, a plane crash, a sabotaged boat, and a strange message. All in all it was a pretty good book.
Rated by buyers 
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This review concerns the revised 1964 edition. Mr. Hardy gets Frank and Joe to help him track down a gang of jewel thieves. The trail leads Frank and Joe to the old Perth mansion on the outskirts of Bayport and into another mystery: what caused the death of Clarence Perth, who died in the mansion shortly after inheriting it from his uncle. This book wasn't bad, but with its appealing title and spooky mansion, I expected it to be better than what it was; although, most often, the books with the very appealing sounding titles don't live up to my expectations. This book is average; the mystery is interesting enough, there is a moderate amount of action and at least this edition wasn't confusing, unlike the original edition which was hard to follow at times. Some fans, like myself, might feel that this book wasn't as good as they had expected, but I don't think that any Hardy Boys fans would be bored reading the book.
Rated by buyers -
This review concerns the original 1940 edition. Frank and Joe help their father track down a gang of vicious bank robbers and stumble upon a crazy man's mysterious, old mansion filled with his strange inventions. This is easily the most imaginative of all of the Hardy Boys books, with all of the interesting gadgets that the author included in the book; however, it is not a very well written book. There are a number of cases of people meeting in the most unlikely of areas, plot points that are totally irrelevant to the book and never explained (Frank and Joe find an envelope with a $100 bill in it at the beginning of the book, it is never mentioned again until the end of the book and it is never explained to whom the money belongs) and, at one point, Frank, Joe and Chet are at the mansion, Chet becomes frightened, runs off and is not mentioned again until Frank and Joe return to Bayport. The whole side of the book that concerns the mansion is not that important to the story, even though it is the most interesting part. It seems as though the author had a great idea for this weird house and then had to write in the bank robbers to provide bad guys for the story, because the very first 80, or so, pages, until Frank and Joe very first arrive at the mansion, drag on a bit. From that point on the book is pretty good. If nothing else, though, the book is interesting enough because of the strange gadgets and most Hardy Boy's fans would not think the book a waste of their time.
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