els . ▁ ▁The ▁Hard y ▁Boys ▁ ▁This ▁led ▁to ▁his ▁invol vement ▁with ▁the ▁Hard y ▁Boys , ▁a ▁project ▁on ▁which ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁large ▁contrib utor , ▁writing ▁ 1 9 ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁ 2 5 ▁books ▁between ▁ 1 9 2 7 ▁and ▁ 1 9 4 6 , ▁and ▁ 2 1 ▁overall . ▁He ▁also ▁wrote ▁books ▁in ▁several ▁other ▁ju ven ile ▁series , ▁published ▁in ▁pul p ▁mag az ines , ▁nov ell as ▁or ▁nov els ▁over ▁his ▁fifty - year ▁career , ▁at ▁one ▁point ▁writing ▁six ▁nov els ▁in ▁one ▁year . ▁Mc F ar lane ▁earned ▁as ▁little ▁as ▁$ 8 5 ▁per ▁book ▁during ▁the ▁Great ▁De pression , ▁yet ▁he ▁continued ▁because ▁he ▁had ▁a ▁growing ▁family . ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁his ▁son , ▁Mc F ar lane ▁regarded ▁the ▁Hard y ▁Boys ▁books ▁as ▁a ▁n uis ance . ▁" In ▁his ▁di aries , ▁my ▁father ▁tal ks ▁about ▁having ▁to ▁write ▁another ▁of ▁those ▁n uis ent ▁books , ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁ear n ▁another ▁$ 8 5 ▁to ▁buy ▁coal ▁for ▁the ▁furn ace . ▁And ▁he ▁never ▁read ▁them ▁over ▁after ward . ▁It ▁was ▁only ▁much ▁later ▁that ▁he ▁accepted ▁pla ud its ▁for ▁the ▁work ." ▁ ▁His ▁daughter , ▁Nor ah ▁Mc F ar lane ▁Pere z , ▁said ▁in ▁an ▁interview ▁that ▁" They ' d ▁give ▁him ▁an ▁outline , ▁but ▁to ▁make ▁it ▁pal atable ,