Secondhand Sleuth

My first job after college was as a Stagebill theater program editor and between drafts I had some down time for my own projects. I discovered girls mystery collectors’ forums and online auctions and decided to make my own website about Nancy Drew and other girls’ mysteries. So I looked at the source code of other websites and taught myself HTML.

TurtleshellBooks.com (someone else has the domain now) had a really busy background

and a lot of animated text and buttons, but essentially showcased the same things I am still interested in: mysteries, resale shopping, vintage fashion and art.

I started reading Nancy Drew mysteries when I found a used one in the window of the general store in Donovan, Illinois. (I think the store was called Pianca’s, maybe someone from Donovan can tell me.) The Secret in the Old Attic got me hooked! I started frequenting area libraries and the used bookshop The Paperback Reader in Kankakee for more. By the time of that job at Stagebill I had collected most of the 60s editions of the Nancy Drew series before discovering the older, beautiful 1930s editions with covers and illustrations by Russell H. Tandy. I’ve been using a selection from one of his illustrations as my profile icon for awhile.

In addition to Nancy Drew mysteries I collected the Penny Parker mysteries by Nancy Drew ghost writer Mildred A. Wirt and the Judy Bolton mysteries by Margaret Sutton, among others. (My mom had been a big fan of Judy Bolton.) My website featured biographical information on the authors and illustrators as well as links to forums and my online auctions. While I didn’t keep all of the various editions of the Nancy Drews, I do still have most of the more obscure series. I haven’t read them with Simon but maybe he’ll develop a sudden interest in 1930s girl detectives, or I’ll have a grandchild someday who will be interested in my vintage treasures.

I kept TurtleshellBooks.com online for many years in some form, and also called my first web design business Turtleshell Graphics. Then I began taking photography, web design and programming classes and developed the first SecondhandSleuth.com as a class project.

My professional services site is now RachelBenoit.com. Currently I have just one client, but hit me up if you need someone to create and host a simple portfolio site for you. I promise to keep the animation to a minimum.