The Bobbsey Twins Series by Laura Lee Hope 1904-1979

The Bobbsey Twins series was published by Grosset and Dunlap from 1908 until 1979. The original Bobbsey Twins series lasted for 72 titles. The series was written by several authors under the pseudonym of Laura Lee Hope. The first publishers of the Bobbsey Twins were Mershon and Chatterton-Peck before Grosset and Dunlap took over in 1908. In 1979, new titles were published in softcover under the Wanderer imprint by Simon and Schuster. This page does not cover the Simon and Schuster titles. The original copyright date is listed below for each volume. Many of the books were revised during the 1960s, and the titles were changed. The 1960s titles are also indicated in the below list.List of titles 1. The Bobbsey Twins, or Merry Days Indoors and Out, 1904 The Bobbsey Twins of Lakeport, 1961 2. The Bobbsey Twins in the Country, 1907 The Bobbsey Twins' Adventure in the Country, 1961 3. The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore, 1907 The Bobbsey Twins: The Secret at the Seashore, 1961 4. The Bobbsey Twins at School, 1913 The Bobbsey Twins' Mystery at School, 1962 5. The Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge, 1913 The Bobbsey Twins and the Mystery at Snow Lodge, 1960 6. The Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat, 1915 7. The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook, 1915 The Bobbsey Twins' Mystery at Meadow Brook, 1963 8. The Bobbsey Twins at Home, 1916 The Bobbsey Twins' Big Adventure at Home, 1960 9. The Bobbsey Twins in a Great City, 1917 The Bobbsey Twins' Search in the Great City, 196010. The Bobbsey Twins on Blueberrry Island, 191711. The Bobbsey Twins on the Deep Blue Sea, 1918 The Bobbsey Twins' Mystery on the Deep Blue Sea, 196512. The Bobbsey Twins in Washington, 1919 The Bobbsey Twins' Adventure in Washington, 196213. The Bobbsey Twins in the Great West, 1920 The Bobbsey Twins' Visit to the Great West, 196614. The Bobbsey Twins at Cedar Camp, 1921 The Bobbsey Twins and the Cedar Camp Mystery, 196715. The Bobbsey Twins at the County Fair, 1922 The Bobbsey Twins and the County Fair Mystery, 196016. The Bobbsey Twins Camping Out, 192317. The Bobbsey Twins and Baby May, 1924 The Bobbsey Twins' Adventures with Baby May, 196818. The Bobbsey Twins Keeping House, 1925 The Bobbsey Twins and the Play House Secret, 196819. The Bobbsey Twins at Cloverbank, 1926 The Bobbsey Twins and the Four Leaf Clover Mystery, 196820. The Bobbsey Twins at Cherry Corners, 1927 The Bobbsey Twins: The Mystery at Cherry Corners, 197121. The Bobbsey Twins and their Schoolmates, 192822. The Bobbsey Twins Treasure Hunting, 1929 23. The Bobbsey Twins at Spruce Lake, 193024. The Bobbsey Twins' Wonderful Secret, 1931 The Bobbsey Twins' Wonderful Winter Secret, 196225. The Bobbsey Twins at the Circus, 1932 The Bobbsey Twins and the Circus Surprise, 196026. The Bobbsey Twins on an Airplane Trip, 1933 27. The Bobbsey Twins Solve a Mystery, 1932 28. The Bobbsey Twins on a Ranch, 1935 29. The Bobbsey Twins in Eskimo Land, 1936 30. The Bobbsey Twins in a Radio Play, 193731. The Bobbsey Twins at Windmill Cottage, 1938 32. The Bobbsey Twins at Lighthouse Point, 1939 33. The Bobbsey Twins at Indian Hollow, 1940 34. The Bobbsey Twins at the Ice Carnival, 1941 35. The Bobbsey Twins in the Land of Cotton, 1942 36. The Bobbsey Twins in Echo Valley, 194337. The Bobbsey Twins on the Pony Trail, 1944 38. The Bobbsey Twins at Mystery Mansion, 1945 39. The Bobbsey Twins at Sugar Maple Hill, 194640. The Bobbsey Twins in Mexico, 194741. The Bobbsey Twins' Toy Shop, 194842. The Bobbsey Twins in Tulip Land, 194943. The Bobbsey Twins in Rainbow Valley, 195044. The Bobbsey Twins' Own Little Railroad, 195145. The Bobbsey Twins at Whitesail Harbor, 195246. The Bobbsey Twins and the Horseshoe Riddle, 195347. The Bobbsey Twins at Big Bear Pond, 195348. The Bobbsey Twins on a Bicycle Trip, 195449. The Bobbsey Twins' Own Little Ferryboat, 195650. The Bobbsey Twins at Pilgrim Rock, 195651. The Bobbsey Twins' Forest Adventure, 195752. The Bobbsey Twins at London Tower, 195953. The Bobbsey Twins in the Mystery Cave, 196054. The Bobbsey Twins in Volcano Land, 196155. The Bobbsey Twins and the Goldfish Mystery, 196256. The Bobbsey Twins and the Big River Mystery, 196357. The Bobbsey Twins and the Greek Hat Mystery, 196458. The Bobbsey Twins: Search for the Green Rooster, 196559. The Bobbsey Twins and Their Camel Adventure, 196660. The Bobbsey Twins: Mystery of the King's Puppet, 196761. The Bobbsey Twins and the Secret of Candy Castle, 196862. The Bobbsey Twins and the Doodlebug Mystery, 196963. The Bobbsey Twins and the Talking Fox Mystery, 197064. The Bobbsey Twins: The Red, White and Blue Mystery, 197165. The Bobbsey Twins: Dr. Funnybone's Secret, 197266. The Bobbsey Twins and the Tagalong Giraffe, 197367. The Bobbsey Twins and the Flying Clown, 197468. The Bobbsey Twins: On the Sun-Moon Cruise, 197569. The Bobbsey Twins: The Freedom Bell Mystery, 197670. The Bobbsey Twins: The Smoky Mountain Mystery, 197771. The Bobbsey Twins in a TV Mystery Show, 197872. The Bobbsey Twins: The Coral Turtle Mystery, 1979FormatsThe Bobbsey Twins books printed by Grosset and Dunlap from 1908 until 1932 have four glossy illustrations. These books are thick and have good quality paper. From 1932 through 1942, the books were printed with just a glossy frontispiece illustration. From 1942 through 1948, the books became less thick. These books each have a plain paper frontispiece illustration and have poor quality paper. From 1949 through around 1962, the books have a tweed cover. Around 1963 to 1964, the series switched to the lavender spine picture cover format. It is important to note that not all of the Bobbsey Twins books were printed in the lavender spine picture cover format during the 1960s and 1970s. It is impossible to obtain a geplete set of volumes 1 through 72 in the lavender spine format. I do not know for certain which titles were omitted, but I believe it is some of the books that were never revised, such as volumes 21 through 23 among others.For more information and pictures about the different Bobbsey Twins formats, there is an excellent website with this information. It can easily be found by searching the internet for Bobbsey Twins formats.PricesPrices are constantly changing based on supply and demand. Generally, there is not as much demand for Bobbsey Twins books as for other vintage series books. However, certain formats that are more scarce will sell for higher prices when several buyers are interested. This guide is not intended to be a price guide since it is impossible to predict what a certain book will bring at any given time.First printingsThe copyright page is the last place to look when trying to determine whether a Bobbsey Twins book is the first printing. The copyright pages were rarely updated by Grosset and Dunlap.If the book does not have a dust jacket and if it is one of the thick, earlier books with glossy illustrations, look in the back of the book after the end of the story to see if there is a list of Bobbsey Twins titles. If the book is one of the less thick books that has a plain paper frontispiece, there may be a list in the front of the book on a page other than the copyright page. Do not use any list that may appear on the copyright page. For the lavender spine books, there is a list of titles that appears on the back cover of the book.If the book has a dust jacket, look on the front flap and/or back panel for a list of Bobbsey Twins titles. Once an appropriate list of titles has been found, refer to the last title in the list. The last title listed determines the year of printing. For instance, if the dust jacket's front flap lists to The Bobbsey Twins in the Land of Cotton, then the book was printed in 1942, which is the year of publication for The Bobbsey Twins in the Land of Cotton. Or, if the dust jacket's front flap lists to The Bobbsey Twins at Pilgrim Rock, then the book was printed in 1956, which is the year of publication for The Bobbsey Twins at Pilgrim Rock.