Allen Chapman was a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate as author of several series of children's books. Founded in 1904 by Edward Stratemeyer, the Stratemeyer Syndicate was a group of authors sworn to secrecy, who collaborated to write a number of serial mystery and adventure books for children and youth. The Syndicate was the first book packager to have its books aimed at children, rather than adults and was very successful; at one time it was believed that the overwhelming majority of the books children read in the USA were Stratemeyer Syndicate books, based on a 1922 study of over 36,000 children country-wide.