Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #20 - The Clue in the Jewel Box

Without a doubt, this Nancy Drew books holds a considerable amount of references to actual history.  In fact, there was enough for Pamela Hancock to write not one, not two, but THREE lengthy articles in The Sleuth about just this one book!  (And for those who don't know, The Sleuth is a Nancy Drew fanzine - Pam's articles can be found in issues 76 - Mar/Apr 2019, 80 - Nov/Dec 2019, and 82 - Spring 2020, and these issues can be purchased at The Sleuth website, The Sleuth.)  Because of the great detail set forth in those articles regarding how this particular book draws many elements of the real life events surrounding Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family, I'm not going to address those elements of the story in this post - if you want to truly learn the wealth of information and documentation about that part of the tale, check out those articles in The Sleuth.  No, this article is going to look at the many other elements of the story that stood out to me as I was reading the book.

The Clue in the Jewel Box is the twentieth book in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, originally published back in 1943.  The book was written by Mildred Wirt Benson, based on an outline provided by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, and the cover art was painted by Russell H. Tandy.  The story features two mysteries that Nancy is trying to solve simultaneously - one involves a pickpocket that seems to be terrorizing River Heights and escaping capture by the police, while the other involves an elderly woman who is hoping to one day find her lost grandson.  The elderly woman turns out to be Madam Marie Alexandra, who is royalty from an unnamed European country.  The only image she has of her grandson is a small photo of him as a young boy in a sailor's suit (p. 4).  When visiting her home, Nancy is shown a number of expensive items, including a pink enamel Easter egg (p. 6) that contains a nightingale that sings a very odd song (p. 30).  Ultimately, the bird's song leads Nancy to a clue in a jewel box owned by Mrs. Alexandra, which in turn leads to the true identity of her grandson!

 

But the backstory behind that part of the mystery can be found in Pam's articles.  It is the other mystery in this book to which we turn our attention here - the one about the pickpocket.  This mystery comes into play in the very first chapter, right after Nancy helps Mrs. Alexandra home and meets the antique dealer, Mr. Faber.  Nancy happens to see a man running away (p. 8), and it turns out he was a pickpocket, having just stolen a man's wallet.  What is truly interesting about the victim is his name: Francis Baum.  Now, anyone with any love of books will automatically recognize that name as belonging to a very famous author.  Yes, that's right - one L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), author of the famous Oz series of books.  Whether this name was in the outline provided by Adams, or whether it was a creation of Benson, we will likely never know, but it's clear that one of them wanted to give a nod to the author of children's books.  Of course, this is not the only name in the book that pays homage to real people.

 

Getting back to the pickpocket, though - while Nancy did not actually witness this first theft, it is unusual how many thefts she witnesses after this.  She spies the man lifting another wallet on a ferry (p. 20), but can't get to him before he escapes.  She is then nearby when a woman has her purse stolen (p. 66), and then Nancy herself is a victim when the pickpocket steals a hair ornament from her (pp. 74-75).  Later, while riding a ferris wheel with Ned, she sees yet another man get his wallet lifted (p. 82).  Later still, she arrives at Mr. Faber's store just seconds after he is robbed by the same pickpocket (p. 127).  At the fashion show where Nancy is modeling a dress (yes, just go with it), she hears a woman scream that her pocketbook has been stolen (p. 143).  I'm surprised the police did not suspect Nancy, since she seemed to be at so many of the crime scenes!  Actually, what I'm more surprised about is that Nancy takes so longer to figure out the fact there are two pickpockets who are working in concert to keep Nancy, and the police fooled.  Of course, she does eventually figure it out, and (shock of all shocks!) she provides the police with the information so they can capture the crooks!

Now, getting back to those names in this book, the name of one of the two pickpockets is David Dorrance.  A quick search online reveals that there was a man named David W. Dorrance who died in the early 1940s.  Born in Ohio, the real Dorrance lost an arm and ultimately invented the artificial arm, since he was dissatisfied with the mechanics that science had to offer at the time.  I found this a bit of a funny coincidence that a pickpocket, who must use his arm skillfully to commit the crimes, is named for a man who invented an artificial arm.  Again, we don't know whether this was in Adams' outline or if it was a name Benson chose, but it certainly fit the character well.

Another name is that of the artist who becomes infatuated with the designer whose dress Nancy is modeling.  His name is R.H. Ellington (pp. 111-12).  This is an interesting coincidence since, at the time this book was published, Russell H. Tandy was the artist providing the covers and internal illustrations for the Nancy Drew mysteries!  Perhaps Adams or Benson thought that would be a nice nod to all of the wonderful art Tandy had provided up until that point in the series.

Wilber DeWolf is yet another name that could have been taken from a real person.  DeWolf, in the story, is a professional designer (p. 164) who is announcing the prizes at the fashion show.  In the real world, Elsie De Wolfe was considered to be America's first interior designer, who started her business in 1905 - which means she would have been well on her way to success by the time this book was written.  Perhaps Adams or Benson decided to honor her by giving the designer in this story the same surname.

Apart from all of the names, there is another aspect of this book that I found unique.  In a standard Nancy Drew mystery, there is usually a mention of previous mysteries solved, and at the end of the story, a quick mention of the next mystery.  Rarely, though, does the author cite to the mystery being solved in the book itself (although it does happen once in a while).  In this book, however, the phrase "Clue in the Jewel Box" is used repeatedly throughout the story, being used no less than six times in the span of 200+ pages!  I found that odd, since the use of the phrase does not read naturally at times, and feels very contrived in its placement.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not take note of a quick reference Nancy made to her family.  Everyone knows that her father is Carson Drew and that her unnamed mother died when she was just a small child.  Next to nothing is mentioned of Nancy's extended family, except for her maternal great-grandmother who is featured in The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes.  I honestly thought there were no other references, but this book proved me wrong.  In just a passing statement, when Nancy is looking over Mrs. Alexandra's jewel box, trying to find a way to open it, she tells the older woman, "When I was a little girl my grandmother gave me a very old music box..." (p. 160).  We are not told whether this is Nancy's maternal or paternal grandmother, but it does indicate Nancy knew at least some of her extended family, even if she never talks about them.  I wonder whatever happened to that music box her grandmother gave her...

Something else that I cannot forget to mention is the trip Nancy and her friends take to Star Island (p. 106).  This is the first reference to this island, and it's quite a coincidence because just one year prior, in 1942, Whitman published a book titled Bonita Granville and the Mystery of Star Island (you can find my review of this particular book here: Star Island).  True fans of Nancy Drew will immediately recognize Bonita Granville as the actress who portrayed Nancy Drew in four films that came out in the 1930s.  Surely it is more than just a "coincidence" that Star Island, the focus of a mystery starring Bonita Granville, suddenly pops up in a Nancy Drew mystery just one year later.  Again, who knows whether this was in the outline from Adams or an idea used by Benson when writing the book, but it does give the reader pause to wonder.

 

Before I sign off, I have to highlight a rather humorous exchange that takes place between Nancy and the landlady of a boarding house where Francis Baum is residing.  When Nancy tries to obtain information about Baum, the following exchange takes place:

"...He hasn't phoned a girl once since he came here," she smirked.  "He's kind of queer, anyhow."

"You say he is rather queer?" Nancy pursued the matter.  "In what way?"

...

"Does Mr. Baum have many callers?"

"A friend once in awhile - never any girl friends," the landlady replied.

(p. 45, The Clue in the Jewel Box).

Obviously, reading this dialogue today, the words take on a completely different connotation than they likely did back in 1943; however, a quick search online does reveal that the term "queer" has been used to refer to homosexuality for as far back as the late 19th century and into the early 20th century.  This leaves the reader to wonder if perhaps Benson was poking a little fun at Baum, perhaps intimating that this character was actually gay (specifically considering the emphasis placed by the landlady on the fact that Baum had no girls visit and never once called a girl!).

There truly is a plethora of things to discuss when looking at this book.  Obviously, I haven't touched on any of the Russian royalty references; but there is also the discussion of the "Kohinoor diamond" (p. 40), which is obviously taken from the real life Koh-i-noor diamond; the reference to Hotel "Claymore" (p. 68), as Claymore seems to be a go-to for Benson in many of her series books; the appearance of the "Red Lion Inn" (p. 166-67), which is a real Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; and the sub-plot involving the recreation center for the Boys Club (p. 22), which is left hanging without any resolution; and the fact that, while never actually mentioning the war, it is clear the story takes place under wartime conditions, as Nancy and her friends travel most places by walking or bicycle, and Nancy is not freely spending money as she usually does in the books.

While there is quite a bit that goes on in this book, I must say this is definitely one of the better written stories from these original texts - a must-read for every Nancy Drew fan!

RATING:  10 four-poster mahogany beds with carved swans on the headboard out of 10 for integrating history and the real world so seamlessly into this fictional mystery story!