the hardy boys have been called "a cultural touchstone all over the world". the books have been translated into over 25 languages. the books have been continuously in print since 1927. the series was an instant success: by mid-1929 over 115,000 books had been sold, and as of 2008 the books were selling over a million copies a year. the first hardy boys book, "the tower treasure", sells over 100,000 copies a year. worldwide, over 70 million copies of hardy books have been sold.