"Ugly" Editions

The fifth edition published by Whitman are known as the thin hardbacks or "uglies" because of the illustrations on the covers, which does not say a lot for the talents of illustrator, Larry Frederick.

This edition was first published in 1970, but my collection of books 9 to fifteen have imprint pages that show dates in Roman Numerals of 1971.   However, number sixteen was published in 1970.  There are a number of features that change throughout my collection and this is due to two different editions being released - one thick and one thin. 

There was only one new title in this series: The Mystery of the Missing Heiress, which is the last title in this edition.

1.    The Secret of the Mansion            9.    The Happy Valley Mystery
2.    The Red Trailer Mystery              10.   The Marshland Mystery
3.    The Gatehouse Mystery               11.   The Mystery at Bob-White Cave
4.    The Mysterious Visitor                12.   The Mystery of the Blinking Eye
5.    The Mystery Off Glen Road        13.  The Mystery on Cobbett's Island
6.    The Mystery in Arizona               14.  The Mystery of the Emeralds
7.    The Mysterious Code                   15.  The Mystery on the Mississippi
8.    The Black Jacket Mystery             16.  The Mystery of the Missing Heiress

There were also several titles published in paperback and they are extremely rare.

The information provided here covers the books from my own collection and is not representative of all the books produced at this time.

Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Julie Campbell            1970                                  238 pages           1524

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie and Honey.  
In this edition, the inside cover has Trixie on the right and the page is glued to the board.  However, writing shows through that reads: 
Trixie Belden
Secret of the Mansion
Front Pastedown
The back is identical, except it reads back pastedown.  This does not occur in every book in this series, or perhaps only in different print runs.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled one and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.
There is no end matter.

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Trixie Belden and the Red Trailer Mystery

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Julie Campbell            1970                                  238 pages           1525

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie and Honey.  
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled two and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen and this was not present in my edition  of book one.
There is no end matter.

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Trixie Belden and the Gatehouse Mystery

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Julie Campbell            1970                                  238 pages           1526

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian and Mart.  
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled three and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.
There is no end matter.

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Trixie Belden and the Mysterious Visitor

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Julie Campbell            1970                                  238 pages           1532

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  
In this edition, the inside cover has Trixie on the right and the page is glued to the board.  However, writing shows through that reads: 
Trixie Belden
Mysterious Visitor
Front Pastedown
The back is identical, except it reads back pastedown.  This does not occur in every book in this series, or perhaps only in different print runs.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled four and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  
There is no end matter.

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Trixie Belden and the Mystery off Glen Road

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Julie Campbell            1970                                  238 pages           1534

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  
The title page is missing the "W" logo of Whitman on its title page.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled five and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.
There is no end matter.

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Trixie Belden and the Mystery in Arizona

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Julie Campbell            1970                                  238 pages           1533

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  
In this edition, the inside cover has Trixie on the right and the page is glued to the board.  However, writing shows through that reads: 
Trixie Belden
Mystery in Arizona
Front Pastedown
The back is identical, except it reads back pastedown.  This does not occur in every book in this series, or perhaps only in different print runs.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled six and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  
The story runs two pages shorter than the previous books and Whitman have included two pages of advertising for other Whitman series'.

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Trixie Belden and the Mysterious Code

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1970                                  238 pages           1540

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  
The title page is missing the "W" logo of Whitman on its title page.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled seven and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.
There is no end matter.

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Trixie Belden and the Black Jacket Mystery

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1970                                  238 pages           1541

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  Dan was introduced in this story and becomes a member of the Bob-Whites but is not included in character illustrations.
The title page is missing the "W" logo of Whitman on its title page.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled eight and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.
There is no end matter.

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Trixie Belden and the Happy Valley Mystery

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1971                                  214 pages           1577

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  Dan is still missing.
This book is considerably shorter than the others and the font is smaller.  This trait continues for the next five books and could be unique to the print run or typical of all runs printed.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled nine and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.
There is no end matter.

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Trixie Belden and the Marshland Mystery

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1970                                  214 pages           1578

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  Dan is still missing.
This book is considerably shorter than the others and the font is smaller.  The title page is missing the "W" logo of Whitman on its title page.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled ten and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.
There is no end matter.
 

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Trixie Belden and the Mystery at Bob-White Cave

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1971                                  214 pages           1586

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  Dan is still missing.
This book is considerably shorter than the others and the font is smaller.  There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled eleven and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  
There is no end matter.
 

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Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Blinking Eye

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1971                                  214 pages           1587

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  Dan is still missing.
This book is considerably shorter than the others and the font is smaller.  There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The spine is labelled twelve and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  
There is no end matter.

Up

Trixie Belden and the Mystery on Cobbett's Island

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1971                                  238 pages           1521

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  Dan is still missing.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The font is still of the smaller size of the past three books but the extent runs to the same length of the first nine.
The spine is labelled thirteen and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.
The story runs two pages shorter than the previous books and Whitman have included two pages of advertising for other Whitman series'.

Up

Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Emeralds

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1971                                  238 pages           1522

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  Dan is still missing.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The font is still of the smaller size of the past three books but the extent runs to the same length of the first nine.
The spine is labelled fourteen and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.
There is no end matter.

Up

Trixie Belden and the Mystery on the Mississippi

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1971                                  238 pages           1523

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  Dan is still missing.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The font returns to the same size as the first nine books and runs to the longer extent.
The spine is labelled fifteen and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.
The story runs two pages shorter than the previous books and Whitman have included two pages of advertising for other Whitman series'.

Up

Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Missing Heiress

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1970                                  238 pages           1542

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
End pages features line drawings of Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Di.  Dan is still missing.
There are no illustrations throughout the book.
The font is the same size as the first nine books and runs to the longer extent.
The imprint page lists the date in numerals, not Roman Numerals as all the others are.
The title page is missing the "W" logo of Whitman on its title page.
The spine is labelled sixteen and the features the emblem "Whitman Mystery".
There is no series listing in the front of this book.  It normally appears opposite the title page, but in this case it is blank.
There are no end pages.

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Ugly Paperback Editions

In 1971, at least three of "ugly" or plain editions of which 16 hardback editions were published, were also published in a soft cover format.  There are varying reports of whether numbers 8-11 or only 9-11 were published in this format, but I own #10 and 11 in this edition and haven't been able to find any others.

Trixie Belden and the Marshland Mystery

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1971                                  214 pages           P 1578

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
The spine features the code P 1578, identical to the hardback version except for the P.
The cover also contains the same code and the price: 75c.
The book opens with the inside cover bare and the first page reading: The Marshland Mystery.  This title page does not occur in the hardback edition.
The next pages contain the line drawings of the characters, minus Dan.  These drawings are also repeated in the last two pages of the book.
The book listing is identical to the hardcopy version.

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Trixie Belden and the Mystery at Bob-White Cave

Author :                        Published :                     Extent:                Spine No. :
Kathryn Kenny            1971                                  214 pages           P 1586

Cover illustrations by Larry Frederick.

Unique features:   
The spine features the code P 1578, identical to the hardback version except for the P.
The cover also contains the same code and the price: 75c.
The book opens with the inside cover bare and the first page reading: The Mystery at Bob-White Cave.  This title page does not occur in the hardback edition.
The next pages contain the line drawings of the characters, minus Dan.  These drawings are also repeated in the last two pages of the book.
Book listing appears in the front of the book as "Your Trixie Belden Library Available now with a brand -new look" and lists to sixteen, all numbered and in correct order.  The word "New" appears in brackets next to number sixteen.  This is different to the hardback edition that I own.

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