I can see why they wanted to update and condense them, because it rejuvenated the series for a whole new generation, was cheaper to print, and made them bucketloads of money. But I agree, many of the changes seem completely pointless and really ruin both characters and story, for me. I was lucky, in that when I was first reading these books in the 1970's, both versions were easily available in libraries, so I had exposure to both Nancys. I always preferred her original incarnation.