The Tom Swift Series

by Victor Appleton

The entire collection of Tom Swift books:

Tom Swift Among the Diamond Makers
Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters
Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship
Tom Swift and His Air Glider
Tom Swift and His Air Scout
Tom Swift and His Airship
Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel
Tom Swift and His Electric Locomotive
Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle
Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout
Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon
Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope
Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight
Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat
Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle
Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone
Tom Swift and His Sky Racer
Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat
Tom Swift and His Undersea Search
Tom Swift and His War Tank
Tom Swift and His Wireless Message
Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera
Tom Swift and His Electronic Hydrolung
Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X
Tom Swift in Captivity
Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice
Tom Swift in the City of Gold
Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

3293 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 23, 1999

About the author

Victor Appleton was a house pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and its successors, most famous for being associated with the Tom Swift series of books.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_...

The character of Tom Swift was conceived in 1910 by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging company. Stratemeyer invented the series to capitalize on the market for children's science adventure. The Syndicate's authors created the Tom Swift books by first preparing an outline with all the plot elements, followed by drafting and editing the detailed manuscript. The books were published under the house name of Victor Appleton. Edward Stratemeyer and Howard Garis wrote most of the volumes in the original series; Stratemeyer's daughter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, wrote the last three volumes. The first Tom Swift series ended in 1941.
In 1954, Harriet Adams created the Tom Swift, Jr., series, which was published under the name "Victor Appleton II". Most titles were outlined and plotted by Adams. The texts were written by various writers, among them William Dougherty, John Almquist, Richard Sklar, James Duncan Lawrence, Tom Mulvey and Richard McKenna. The Tom Swift, Jr., series ended in 1971.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift

Reviews

[Tim Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Books from Past

This series is a look back into the past, and I am amazed at how much foresight the writers had at glimpsing into the future. Those who comment negatively because of the portrayal of minorities are in denial of how reality was during the days when they were written.

[Paul Hanrahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Swift is a fictional character I heard about in my youth. I knew the name of the character but had no idea when or why he was popular. I recall my grandmother mentioning Tom Swift. This is fiction written for a different era (1910 - 1940), though the character does continue to be exploited in adolescent adventure stories. A quick Google search revealed that there have been five series following the original; the latest appeared in 2019. The stories revolve around a series of inventions created by Tom Swift and the positive effect the hero's inventions have on society. The stories are fun, but clearly intended for early teens.

[Joel W9NXM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a pre-teen fan of Tom Swift [and his Jet Submarine]. All these books were highly entertaining. Used it frequently to fill in gaps of time. I didn't know until after reading these that Victor Appleton was actually several contracted authors. Couldn't tell during the read.

[Mike Groseth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 9 year old son loved this book and having all the stories in 1 book was great. I grew up reading Tom Swift so I'm glad that he was able to enjoy this as well.

[Annezo · Rating 4 out of 5]

If, like me, you're a fan of "vintage" YA fiction, you may find this series of Tom Swift's and his friends' adventures as much fun as I did.

There were, naturally, passages that made me wince (modern sensibilities) but on the whole I think this kind of fiction can give a valuable insight into the past. And the stories are fun, of course!

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

part one of what turned out to be a Zombie trilogy. So SO , not really not my thing. Virulent virus on the loose that turns the infected in to Zombies. Following a man and his daughter on their attempts to escape and stay free of being contaminated.

[Amy Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good series, especially for boys. Not great works of literature, but a wholesome series for a voracious reader who keeps needing new books.

[Dandabek]

Anthology of first 25 Tom Swift books:
Finished "Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle" in late January 2016
Finished "Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat" 3 Feb 2016

[Brian Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Swift's adventures are pure fun.

This is required reading for any young boy who is to become an adventurer.

A timeless classic.

[terrence · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’d love Tom Swift as a child. I couldn’t read it this time since it seems to be dated or something. I am keeping it on the Kindle in case I wind up on a deserted island or in jail.

[Sye Keene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic fun. The stories hold up well, even today, as long as you make allowance for the difference in technology and accept the world view of years past. Makes me feel like a kid again reading under the tree in back during the summer.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonders