#4 in the series, FIRST and new Applewood edition in excellent, pristine condition, published in 1996. Copyright 1928, original, 214 pgs, written by Leslie McFarlane under the Stratemeyer Syndicate pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. In 1963, the text and art were drastically revised/condensed to 175 pages, gutted and rewritten by Alistair Hunter. Only the title and author pseudonym remained the same after 1963 - so here, through Applewood, is the opportunity to see and recapture the charm of the original. This book is part of the "super first ten" books in the series, those ten being acclaimed as the best-written of the entire series. This is a beautiful text in a vibrant, beautiful dust jacket with only the slightest shelf wear at the bottom of the dust jacket. There's a very tiny tear at the top of the dust jacket spine, of about two millimeters, probably from merchant shelf handling, since it was never sold to a retail customer. Applewood sales were not what was hoped, and these titles are now out of print. NOTE: When we ship to an address within NY state, you’re out of luck. An 8.75% sales tax must be added to your purchase. (HBA-4)