As I stated in my plans for the year, I wanted to buy up the smaller book collections that I’d read as a teenager. Series of six to twelve, they’re easier to find, but a little on the expensive side for me. And I’d prefer to buy whole sets to make it easier. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case and the set needs to be made up of multiple purchases. But here we go with some of the smaller sets I’ve collected since last year.

Many a decade ago, the ’80s, that is, it wasn’t just Nancy, Trixie, Danas and the Hardy boys that I was reading. I read all kind of American series, Caitlyn, Class of ’88 and ’89, Sweet Valley, Sweet Dreams, etc, etc, etc… 

But I also read the Linda Craig Mysteries, a series of girl detective mysteries with a western theme.

Sixteen-year-old Linda is an orphan who lives with her eighteen-year-old brother, Bob, and Grandma and Grandpa Mallory on their ranch, the Rancho del Sol, in California. Linda has a palomino called Chica d’Oro (Golden Girl in Spanish), who she solves mysteries with.

I’ve started with the omnibus editions while trying to find the series in full sets. The Armada editions seem to be the most popular for Aus. There are two older sets that I’m looking into collecting, but the current junior version I’ll leave. These three cost me $93.22.

Next up was the Kay Tracy series. As you can see, the Armada covers were all alike for the ’80s teen girl books, whether Nancy, Linda, or Kay. Colourful and mass market sized, they released seven books in this format. These seven cost me $113.35.

I researched for other formats and found these Bantam print editions. Six books only, this set is a little faded on the spines, which I didn’t know from the images, but they were sold as a set and I bought them. There are two more sets I’d like to collect. This set cost me $128.70.

Connie Blair. These three were released in this format in 1978 by Tempo, and I had the red one from about twenty years ago and found it in a second hand shop. The two blue ones I’ve bought recently. I haven’t read them, although I did read a few chapters of The Clue in Blue. The red cost me $2, and the two blues $26.03.

There are two other format sets I’d like to collect, the 1960s Tempo paperback set of twelve, and the original hardcover dust jacket editions.

I’ve set up a board for these collections on my Pinterest page. You can see it here.

What book series have you taken up buying?