The Mystery of Cabin Island, The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories. Author: Franklin W. Dixon. 214 pages. Hardcover, no dust jacket. Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap, published in 1957 and copyright 1929.

Condition: The book is in excellent condition.  The covers, interior pages, and binding are in excellent condition with no writing, creased pages, or other noticeable problems.

Synopsis: In the original 1929 version of The Mystery of Cabin Island, Frank and Joe Hardy, along with their friend Chet Morton, arrange to spend part of the Christmas holidays at a lonely cabin on Cabin Island in Barmet Bay, as a reward from wealthy Elroy Jefferson, whose stolen car they had previously helped recover. During winter ice‑boating and their first visits to the island, they encounter a hostile stranger who tries to chase them away, hinting that something hidden there is worth sneaking back for. Strange events around the cabin, including missing supplies and unexplained prowling, convince the boys that someone is searching the island for a long‑lost treasure.

The underlying mystery in the original edition centers on a valuable stamp collection that once belonged to Jefferson’s late wife’s family and disappeared years earlier under suspicious circumstances. A former servant had concealed the stamps in the cabin’s chimney structure, but died before retrieving them, and his relative—Mr. Hanleigh—returns to the area, trying to gain control of the island and secretly recover the collection for himself instead of returning it. As the Hardys follow clues and local gossip about Jefferson’s past, they gradually uncover this history and piece together where the missing stamps must be hidden.

After enduring a severe winter storm and continued interference from Hanleigh and other troublemakers, the boys finally locate the hiding place when damage to the chimney exposes the concealed box containing the stamp collection. The discovery clears up misunderstandings about Jefferson’s motives in his past marriage and confirms his rightful ownership of the stamps. The criminals’ schemes collapse, and Jefferson is both vindicated and grateful, rewarding the boys for restoring his property and reputation while their holiday adventure on Cabin Island comes to a successful close.