''By the Light of the Study Lamp'' is the 1934 debut first novel in The Dana Girls mystery series. Published by the same pen as Nancy Drew.
The story follows teenage sisters Jean and Louise Dana, who are students at the Starhurst boarding school. The girls are gifted a valuable antique study lamp by their Uncle Ned, but it is stolen before they can take it to school.
Once back at school, they track down and repurchase the lamp from a local secondhand shop, sparking a rivalry with their wealthy, jealous classmate Lettie Briggs. The sisters soon discover that their financially struggling friend, Evelyn Starr, may lose her place at the school. Unbeknownst to everyone, the key to saving Evelyn's family fortune is hidden right inside the base of the stolen lamp.
