the 1930 edition, Nancy uses racial stereotyping to describe potential replacement housekeepers whom she has rejected (they are black, Irish, and Scottish, respectively). Mary Mason, the antagonist, is described as an "impudent," "dark-complexioned" girl that Nancy only realizes is involved in the crime after seeing her at an exclusive, upscale dress shop that Nancy frequents, where she comments "Surely a girl in her circumstances cannot afford to buy dresses at such a place as this." Artwork The book was printed with a navy jacket and four glossy illustrations, all by artist Russell H. Tandy. In 1950, the cover art was updated with work by artist Bill Gillies. The text was completely rewritten by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams in 1961. The cover art was changed again to reflect the new story, this time by artist Rudy Nappi, and internal plain paper illustrations were added. Only the first two printings of this volume were available in a dust jacket. The book's text and artwork remained the same when the publisher switched to picture-cover illustrated binding editions in 1962. R.H. Tandy illustrated Nancy spying on the criminals in the original cover art, along with a frontispiece and three internal illustrations showing various elements of the story. He updated the frontispiece in 1943. In 1950, the dust jacket art was changed to show an updated version of Nancy with the crooks behind her. This art was not retained for the story revision in 1961, as the scene is eliminated by a completely different story. Rudy Nappi illustrates a ghostly picture of two girls illuminated by glowing lights in the cuff of their long-sleeved gowns. (The 1961 cover art appears to feature both Nancy, facing, and a mysterious dark-haired girl. In actuality, Nancy has her back to the reader, and is the dark-haired girl in the foreground; the other girl is actually Nancy's impostor.) Adaptations The 12th installment in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive, named Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock, is loosely based on the novel and also incorporate elements from The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase, and The Bungalow Mystery. In the Nancy Drew television series, The Lilac Inn was renovated by Tiffany Hudson before her death. References External links 1931 American novels 1931 children's books 1961 American novels 1961 children's books Children's mystery novels Grosset & Dunlap books Nancy Drew books Novels adapted into