Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout [Paperback]

Victor Appleton (Author)

Book Description

Book number 5 in the original Tom Swift series.

Tom Swift has gone through four series and through generations of the Tom Swift family. Quiet Vision has republished the first twenty five titles in the original Tom Swift series. The original Tom Swift series is referred to as Tom Swift Sr.

Quiet Vision tracks Tom Swift from "His Motor Cycle" to "His Electric Locomotive." Many characters reoccur through the series including: Mary Nestor, who Tom eventually marries, Mr. Damon who is always blessing almost everything, Eradicate Sampson and his mule Boomerang who is braver and more intelligent than assumed and many others.

Called an inventor, Tom Swift is more of a talented mechanic with a special love for airships and airplanes.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This book is a standard print version using a minimum of 10 point type in a 6 by 9 inch size and perfect bound - a paperback. As with all Quiet Vision print books, it use a high grade, acid free paper for long life.

From AudioFile

The young inventor, Tom Swift, re-enters the lives of a whole new generation. The airship, the electric automobile, the moving picture camera--the tools of Tom's adventures--may seem tame for a Star Wars generation, but a 7-year-old can believably assume Tom's role and is riveted as each escapade unfolds. Patrick Treadway employs a collection of zany voices. Much of the text is narrated in a clear, straightforward way, which allows the young listener to follow the encounters of the colorful participants. Treadway delivers the slightly stilted speech and racial/cultural stereotypes with a gentle tongue-in-cheek tone that mitigates offense. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 116 pages
• Publisher: Quiet Vision Pub (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576462056
• ISBN-13: 978-1576462058
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,364,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Old time muscular fiction for boys, February 25, 2005

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout (Paperback)

In this sequel to Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat, Tom Swift hears about an electric car competition, and decides that he can make the best. But, life is rarely easy for young Tom, and before he knows it, he is facing his old rival Andy Foger. But, there is more going on than just Andy trying to keep Tom out of the race. Andy's father is starting a rival bank to the one that Tom's father uses, and will stop at nothing to bankrupt it. But, there's no stopping Tom Swift, especially now that he has the fastest electric car there is!

This book is listed as being written by "Victor Appleton", but that is really a pseudonym. In truth, the Tom Swift books were the fruit of the collaboration of Howard R. Garis (1873-1962), author of the Uncle Wiggily books, and Edward T. Stratemeyer (1862-1930), author of the Bomba the Jungle Boy books and the Hardy Boys mysteries. Yep, that's quite a team.

This is muscular fiction such as boys used to grow up on, filled with adventure, danger and bravery. Tom Swift himself is clean-cut, reverent and respectful, and the sort of boy that every parent in the country wished they could have. My one complaint is that the disrespectfully drawn character of Eradicate Sampson is back, and is (at least in the 1910 edition) referred to twice as a "darkey." Yes, I do realize that you can't expect modern thinking from people of yesteryear, but it was very disappointing.

But, that said, this was an interesting story that I highly enjoyed. (By the way, this book begins with a synopsis of what first four books of the series.) Overall, I enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to you.