Five Classic Series That Have Endured

Tom Swift

Publishing History
The Stratemeyer Syndicate series,  written by several ghostwriters under the pen name Victor Appleton from 1910 to 1941, featured a bright young inventor named Tom Swift who experimented with such cutting-edge technologies as airships and motorboats. His son appeared in the next iteration of the series, the New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures, published from 1954 to 1971 (the author was, appropriately, Victor Appleton II). This Tom got to explore space and play with nuclear subs and supersonic jets. Some technologies predicted in the books, like photo telephones and vertical takeoff aircraft, became realities; others, such as the triphibian atomicar, thankfully did not.

On Shelves Now?
Books from the two early Tom Swift series are still printed by various publishers. There were two other Tom Swift series produced during the early eighties and nineties, and there’s the Ultra Thriller books starring Tom and the Hardy Boys. The series latest guise, Tom Swift: Young Inventor, was released in paperback starting in 2006 with updated modern lingo.

The Controversy
During the early 1900s, the series was blamed for inciting thrill-seeking teenaged boys to run away on adventures. As a result, some libraries banned the books and many bookstores refused to carry them.

Pop Culture Spinoffs
A Tom Swift board game and a short-lived television show were made.

Did You Know?
The word Taser, a brand name for the non-lethal device that police use to stun criminal assailants, is an acronym that stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle.” (The “A” is superfluous; Tom Swift was never given a middle name.)