Edward Stratmeyer first thought of the Hardy Boys idea in 1926 and passed it along to famed author, Franklin W. Dixion. (Stratmeyer was also responsible for the creation of the Nancy Drew series.) The Hardy Boys book series was first introduced in the United States in 1927.

    One of the very first Hardy Boys books was the Mystery of The Missing Floor. Some other important books in the series are The Haunted Fort, The Twisted Claw, and The Clue In The Embers.

    Joe and Frank are the two Hardy Boys created by Franklin W. Dixion. Frank Hardy is probably the more serious of the two brothers. He is also extremely smart and a very good athlete. Joe Hardy is also a star athlete and is the younger of the two. Fenton Hardy is the father of the Hardy boys and is a New York Police Department (or NYPD) detective and constantly helps
the boys in their mysteries. The Hardy family lives in Bayport, a city on the East Coast. There seem to be many murders and mysteries in the town.

    Other than Joe and Frank, the Hardy Boys have some other friends helping them with their mysteries, like Allen "Biff" Hopper and Tony Prito.

    The Hardy Boys was also a very popular TV show in the 70's on ABC.  Joe and Frank were also continued into the "Clues
Brothers" a modern version of the 1900's Hardy Boys. They have their own cartoon series, toys, and board games.

    The Hardy Boys book series is a classic mystery story and for a very long time will still be one of the best mystery series for young readers.