Tom Swift Books In Order

Publication Order of Tom Swift I Books

Publication Order of Tom Swift Jr. Books

Publication Order of Tom Swift III Books

Publication Order of Tom Swift IV Books

Publication Order of Tom Swift, Young Inventor Books

Publication Order of Tom Swift Invention Books

Publication Order of Tom Swift: Inventors' Academy Books

Tom Swift is the name of the title character in the 5 exciting series of children’s adventure and science fiction from America. The series specifically emphasizes on invention, science, and technology. There are more than 100 volumes published in the series featuring the chief character Tom Swift, which was first started in the year 2010. It was author Edward Stratemeyer, who created the Tom’s character for the first time. Stratemeyer is also the founder of the popular book packaging firm known as the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The adventures of Tom Swift in the Tom Swift series have been penned down by numerous ghostwriters as a part of the Syndicate. The first one to come out and contribute to the series under the Syndicate was author Howard Garis. Except for a few books, all the others are credited to have been written under the collective pen name of Victor Appleton. The first series is comprised of around 40 volumes which was mainly written by Howard Garis and Edward Stratemeyer. For the second series of books of Tom Swift, there are 33 volumes which were written with the use of the pen name Victor Appleton II as the author. Most books in this series and some more in the next series, the lead character is depicted as Tom Swift Jr. The newest titles in the five series combination were released as recently as the year 2007. Major portions of the all the series lay emphasis on the inventions of Tom Swift and his father.

The novels generally depict the effects of science & technology as fully beneficial. They also show the roles of the dedicated inventors in the society as heroic, brave, and admirable. The book series went on to sell over 30 million printed copies all over the world and was also translated into numerous foreign languages for the non-English readers of the world. Other than the novel series, Tom Swift’s character has also made appearances in a few TV series and board games. A few noteworthy personalities like Steve Wozniak, Isaac Asimov, etc., have labeled the series and character as an inspiration to many. Many inventions over the years have been allegedly inspired by the fictional inventions of Tom Swift, such as the Taser. In his numerous incarnations throughout the series, Tom Swift is shown as a science-minded and inventive person, though he is mainly depicted as a teenager. Being praised as swift by nature and Swift by name, Tom is described as a natural genius. During the initial parts of the series, he is shown as having received formal education. The authors originally modeled the character after famous inventors like Thomas Alva Edison, Henry Ford, etc., and the aviation genius Glenn Curtiss. In almost all the books of the 5 series, the main concern is set on the latest invention of Tom Swift. It also deals with the role of that invention in either solving a mystery or problem, or helping Tom Swift in his activities of rescue operations or explorations.

Very often in the series, Tom is shown trying to protect his inventions from the villains. Many villains intend to steal his inventions or try to prevent him getting successful with the help of those inventions. However, in the end Tom is the only one who emerges victorious every time. A number of the fictional inventions described by the authors in the series went on to become actual developments in the technological field. The longest running book series among the five series featuring the chief protagonist Tom is the first one which contains 40 volumes. For the next three series comprising of 33, 11, and 13 books respectively, the lead characters is Tom Swift Jr. Along with being published in the United States, the books of this series have also been extensively published in the United Kingdom and have been translated into Icelandic, Norwegian, Finnish, and French languages. In the first series, Tom is depicted as living in the fictional town of Shopton, New York. His father is Barton Swift, who is shown as the founder of the construction company called Swift Constructions. In the place of his deceased mother, a housekeeper named Mrs. Baggert serves as a mother figure to Tom. On many occasions, Tom is shown sharing his adventures with one of his close friends named Newton, who later becomes the financial manager in his father’s construction company. In most parts of the series, Tom is shown dating a girl named Mary Nestor, whom he marries eventually. The other characters appearing regularly in the series include an old man named Wakefield Damon. Tom is said to have not received any further education after his high school education. At first, the inventions of Tom do appear to be innovative, but as the series progresses, he also progresses with his inventions. At times, he is shown being unsure about his works, which makes him take the help of his elders. In the later parts of the series, the authors have shown that Tom becomes an independent genius as he goes on to develop devices such as photo telephone, electric rifle, etc.

One of the books written in the original Tom Swift series is titled as ‘Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout’. The book is also known by the name The Speediest Car on the Road. The starting scene of this book shows tom Swift entering into an upcoming car race with a specially designed racing car of the electric prototype. But, when he is busy making the final adjustments and preparations for the race a few days before, he finds a plot that he fears would bankrupt his family as well as all the people who rely on the bank in the city. It appears that the bank has plotted a nefarious scheme. Therefore, Tom decides to solve the plot’s mystery and put the criminals involved in it behind the bars. Only after getting done with this he can have a free mind to test his new invention in the 500 mile race against the skilled drivers and some well designed cars in America. Another exciting novel published in the series is titled as ‘Tom Swift and His Wireless Message’. This book was released as the sixth one in the original series and is also known by the name ‘The Castaways of Earthquake Island’. In the beginning sequence of the book, Tom is shown trying out his experimental airship along with his friends near the coast of New Jersey. During the course of the trial, they are swept away by the strong winds in the sea. As they are unable to navigate or steer the airship, they are left with no other option than letting themselves taken by the storm to an unknown place. Eventually, Tom makes a crash landing on a crumbling and uninhabited island called the Earthquake Island.

One Response to “Tom Swift”

1. Lisa H: 5 years ago

   My son found this list very helpful! And don’t forget about Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle (1911) which is an exciting African safari story.

   Reply