Dec 10, 2013 2 min read

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) – Typewriters and a desk from the home of the original author of the Nancy Drew mystery books, along with a book detailing how the series was created, were auctioned in Ohio on Sunday.

The items were among a lifetime of keepsakes, including autographed posters and writing awards, belonging to Mildred Wirt Benson that sold at an auction in Toledo, where she was a newspaper reporter and columnist for nearly 60 years before her death a decade ago.

Benson wrote more than 130 books.

Most scholars credit Benson with developing the character of Nancy Drew, who wore stylish cardigan sweater sets while climbing through attics and haunted mansions in search of clues and catching jewel thieves and kidnappers.

Dozens of ghost writers followed Benson, also writing under the Keene name. Harriet Adams, Stratemeyer’s daughter, took over and directed writers in the 1950s to make the stories shorter and faster-paced. The books are still in publication, though the main character has evolved with the times since her debut in 1930.

Benson was bound by an agreement with the publisher not to publicly reveal her identity as the series’ original author, but it became known in 1980 when she testified in a court case involving Nancy Drew’s publisher.