THE HARDY BOYS AND NANCY DREW Marvin Heiferman and Carole Kismaric are the authors of The Mysterious Case of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys (Fireside), a campy new book about the teen detectives, their massive multigenerational following, and the American youth culture that inspired and was inspired by intrepid boys and elegant, whip-smart girls. Sixty-odd years after their births, all three of them are still virgins. On one level, it's creepy. But, as Heiferman explains, that's the fascination. "Why such a strong reaction from kids, and then in the adults kids become! It isn't nostalgia. We're talking long-term emotional commitment."-Bethany Schneider

OUT: Your book is gorgeous. Weirdly gorgeous: all those old illustrations of teenagers in the jaws of death.

MARVIN HEIFERMAN: They're pictures of crisis. That's what kids were starving for mysteries span the inver. . . the American teenager. . . pendent kids who not only adventures, but handled themselves with grace under fire.

OUT: What was it like going, back to the books as an adult

HEIFERMAN: I noticed how often the Hardy Boys are naked, there they are in their under wear in the car again! But seriously. Some of those books are really good. I was in tears over one Hardy. The brother thing, the camaraderie...

OUT: There's a huge gay following, you know.

HEIFERMAN: There are subtexts, especially in the early books. Romance isn't so important. Nancy's practically disdainful of her boyfriend, and the Hardys are scared of women. In the '60s, that started to change. Dates, dances...

OUT: More heterosexuality.

HEIFERMAN: In the present series for older kids, there are actually gay characters. But most people prefer the earlier books. They were transgressive. Think about it. Nancy tore around in her own convertible from the very beginning. That's profound!