Nancy Drew is a fictional character. She is the main character in a series of chapter books called Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. Her books were written in the 1930s by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The first writings in The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories were written by Mildred A. Wirt Benson, and changed by Harriet Adams, Edward's daughter. Nancy Drew's birth year is 1914 and she is 18 years old in the books. 

Nancy Drew lives in the fictional River Heights with her father, Carson Drew. Their housekeeper, Hannah Gruen, has acted like a mother to Nancy, ever since Nancy's mother died when she was three years old. Nancy has a few close friends that appear in the book series and some of them in the computer games. When the book series first begins, Nancy's best friend is Helen Corning, who is a few years older than Nancy. A few books later, some new friends are introduced. Nancy's two best friends in the later books are Bess Marvin and George Fayne, the latter two being cousins. Ned Nickerson, Nancy's boyfriend, first appears in the book, The Clue in the Diary. Bess, George, and Ned all appear in the computer games and Helen Corning is never mentioned.

The Book Series 
The books were originally written in the 1930s. Through the years, the books have been changed slightly. There are currently 54 books documenting the teen's fictional mysteries.
Secret of the Old Clock (1930)
Hidden Staircase (1930)
Bungalow Mystery (1930)
Mystery at Lilac Inn, the (1930)
Secret of Shadow Ranch, the (1931)
Secret of Red Gate Farm, the (1931)
Nancy's Mysterious Letter (1932)
Clue in the Diary, the (1932)
Sign of the Twisted Candles, the (1933)
Password to Larkspur Lane, the (1933)
Clue of the Broken Locket, the (1934)
Message in the Hollow Oak, the (1935)
Mystery of the Ivory Charm, the (1936)
Whispering Statue, the (1937)
Haunted Bridge, the (1937)
Clue of the Tapping Heels, the (1939)
Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk (1940)
Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion, the (1941)
Quest of the Missing Map, the (1942)
Clue in the Jewel Box, the (1943)
Secret in the Old Attic, the (1944)
Clue in the Crumbling Wall, the (1945)
Mystery of the Tolling Bell, the (1946)
Clue in the Old Album, the (1947)
Ghost of Blackwood Hall, the (1948)
Clue of the Leaning Chimney, the (1949)
Secret of the Wooden Lady, the (1950)
Clue of the Black Keys, the (1951)
Mystery at the Ski Jump, the (1952)
Clue of the Velvet Mask, the (1953)
Ringmaster's Secret, the (1953)
Scarlet Slipper Mystery, the (1954)
Witch Tree Symbol, the (1955)
Hidden Window Mystery, the (1956)
Haunted Showboat, the (1957)
Secret of the Golden Pavilion, the (1959)
Clue in the Old Stagecoach, the (1960)
Mystery of the Fire Dragon, the (1961)
Clue of the Dancing Puppet, the (1962)
Moonstone Castle Mystery, the (1963)
Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes, the (1964)
Phantom of Pine Hill, the (1965)
Mystery of the 99 Steps, the (1966)
Clue in the Crossword Cipher, the (1967)
Spider Sapphire Mystery, the (1968)
Invisible Intruder, the (1969)
Mysterious Mannequin, the (1970)
Crooked Bannister, the (1971)
Secret of Mirror Bay, the (1972)
Double Jinx Mystery, the (1973)
Mystery of the Glowing Eye, the (1974)
Secret of the Forgotten City, the (1975)
Phantom of Venice, the (1975)
Sky Phantom, the (1976)
Strange Message in the Parchment, the (1977)
Mystery of Crocodile Island (1978)
Thirteenth Pearl, the (1979)

Nancy Drew Games
These are the Nancy Drew Games that were made by Her Interactive. The games are rated "E" (Everyone) by the ESRB.

Secrets Can Kill (1998)
Stay Tuned for Danger (1999)
Message in a Haunted Mansion (2000)
Treasure in the Royal Tower (2001)
The Final Scene (2001)
Secret of the Scarlet Hand (2002)
Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (2002)
The Haunted Carousel (2003)
Danger on Deception Island (2003)The Secret of Shadow Ranch (2004)Curse of Blackmoor Manor (2004)Secret of the Old Clock (2005)Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (2005)Danger By Design (2006)The Creature of Kapu Cave (2006)White Wolf of Icicle Creek (2007)Legend of the Crystal Skull (2007)The Phantom of Venice (2008)The Haunting of Castle Malloy (2008)Ransom of the Seven Ships (2009)Warnings at Waverly Academy (2009)Trail of the Twister (2010)Shadow at the Water's Edge (2010)Secrets Can Kill (Remastered) (2010)The Captive Curse (2011)Alibi In Ashes (2011)Tomb of the Lost Queen (2012)The Deadly Device (2012)The Ghost of Thornton Hall (2013)The Silent Spy (2013)The Shattered Medallion (2014)Labyrinth of Lies (2014)Sea of Darkness (2015)Midnight in Salem (Spring 2019, tentatively)

Film and Television Versions
There have been various film and television versions made about Nancy Drew.

In June 2007, Nancy Drew was released.  It was rated PG and starred Emma Roberts as Nancy Drew and Nick Palatas as Nancy's brother Greg Drew.
In 2002, Nancy Drew was released as a made-for-TV movie.  It starred Maggie Lawson as Drew.
In 1996, a TV series titled Nancy Drew came out.  It was made in France and ran for 13 episodes.
From 1977 to 1979, the television series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'' ran. For season one and part of season two, Nancy Drew was played by Pamela Sue Martin and, for the other part of season two, by Janet Louise Johnson.

Other websites 
Her Interactive  - Official site of the one who makes the computer games
Internet Book List  - List of published Nancy Drew Mystery Stories

Characters in written fiction
Series of books
Fiction books