Tom Swift Cover Art Tom Swift Cover Art Tom Swift Cover Art
The Tom Swift Saga

Tom Swift was first released in 1910 and has to date spawned 114 volumes in six series and one spinoff with the Hardy Boys, in addition to a pilot TV show in the 80s and a short lived CW series starting in May 2022.

    Books in the Tom Swift saga.
  1. Tom Swift Sr.: 38 volumes + 2 Better Little Books
  2. Tom Swift Jr.: 33 volumes + Activity Book
  3. Tom Swift III: 11 volumes
  4. Tom Swift IV: 13 volumes
  5. Hardy Boys-Tom Swift Ultra Thriller: 2 volumes
  6. Tom Swift Young Inventor: 6 volumes
  7. Tom Swift Inventors' Academy: 8 volumes

Created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, Tom Swift Sr. is the eponymous hero in the Tom Swift series published by Grosset & Dunlap and Whitman. The stories are basically adventure tales with Tom's latest invention being heavily involved in the plot.

Tom Swift Jr. is the son of Tom Sr. & Mary Nestor Swift. Tom Swift Sr. is now the head of Swift Enterprises, the sprawling facility in Shopton, NY where inventions are dreamed up and manufactured. Tom Jr. is now the primary genius of the family and shares his all adventures with his pal, Bud Barclay. This series prompted Parker Bros. to make a limited edition Tom Swift board game.

The eleven volume third Swift series was scifi based and Tom spent his time flying around outer space.

The fourth Swift series Tom Swift Jr. is the son of Tom Swift Sr. and Mary Nestor. The series is set mostly on Earth, with occasional space trips to the Moon. Swift Enterprises is now located in California. The stories are adventures with science fiction driven plots.

The six volume fifth series finds a younger Tom Swift back in Shopton, New York, once again the son of Tom Swift and Mary Nestor.

The eight volume sixth series again finds a younger Tom Swift and his adventures at his dad's Inventors' Academy.

Cultural influence

The Tom Swift books have been credited with assisting the success of American science fiction and with establishing the edisonade (stories focusing on brilliant scientists and inventors) as a basic cultural myth. Tom Swift's adventures have been popular since the character's inception in 1910: by 1914, 150,000 copies a year were being sold. By 2009, Tom Swift books had sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. The success of Tom Swift also paved the way for other Stratemeyer Syndicate creations, such as The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. The series' writing style, which was sometimes adverb heavy, suggested a name for a type of adverbial pun promulgated during the 1950s and 1960s, a type of wellerism known as "Tom Swifties". Originally this kind of pun was called a "Tom Swiftly" in reference to the adverbial usage, but over time has come to be called a "Tom Swifty". Some examples are: "'I lost my crutches,' said Tom lamely" and "'I'll take the prisoner downstairs', said Tom condescendingly."

Tom Swift's fictional inventions have apparently inspired several actual inventions, among them Lee Felsenstein's "Tom Swift Terminal", which "drove the creation of an early personal computer known as the Sol", and the taser. The name "taser" was originally "TSER", for "Tom Swift Electric Rifle". The invention was named for the central device in the story Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle (1911); according to inventor Jack Cover, "an 'A' was added because we got tired of answering the phone 'TSER'."

A number of scientists, inventors, and science fiction writers have also credited Tom Swift with inspiring them, including Ray Kurzweil, Robert A. Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell was also known to have read the first series as a child. The Tom Swift Jr. series was also a source of inspiration to many. Scientist and television presenter Bill Nye said the books helped "make me who I am", and inspired him to launch his own young adult series. Microsoft founders Paul Allen and Bill Gates also read the books as children, as did co-founder of competing company Apple, Steve Wozniak. Wozniak, who cited the series as his inspiration to become a scientist, said the books made him feel "that engineers can save the world from all sorts of conflict and evil".

Tom Swift Inventors' Academy Cover Art Tom Swift Inventors' Academy Cover Art Tom Swift Inventors' Academy Cover Art

Tom Swift Cover Art

Tom Swift Sr.
Cover Art, Plot Summaries, Author & Artist Information.

A product of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, Tom Swift is the eponymous hero in the 38 volume Tom Swift series published by Grosset & Dunlap from 1910 to 1935 and two Whitman Better Little Books published 1938 to 1941. The stories are basically adventure tales with Tom's latest invention being heavily involved in the plot.

Tom Swift lives in Shopton, NY, near Lake Carlopa. He is the son of Barton Swift, inventor and founder of the Swift Construction Company. Tom's mother is deceased and housekeeper Mrs. Baggert functions as his surrogate mother. Tom is accompanied on his adventures by his close friend Ned Newton. Regular characters include Mr. Wakefield Damon, Mary Nestor, Eradicate "Rad" Sampson & his mule Boomerang, and the Patagonian giant Koku. Tom's main antagonists in the early stories were Andy Foger and his crony Sam Snedecker.

Tom Swift Jr. Cover Art

Tom Swift Jr.
Cover Art, Plot Summaries, Artist & Author Information.

The 33 volume Tom Swift Jr. series, again a product of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, was published by Grosset & Dunlap from 1954 to 1971 with a Tom Swift Jr. Activity Book published in 1978 by the Elephant Books division of Grosset & Dunlap.

Tom Swift Jr. is the son of Tom Sr. & Mary Nestor Swift. Tom Swift Sr. is now the head of Swift Enterprises, the sprawling facility in Shopton, NY where inventions are dreamed up and manufactured. Tom Jr. is now the primary genius of the family and shares his all adventures with his pal, Bud Barclay. Regular characters include Tom Sr, Mary Nestor, Bud, Ned Newton & his daughter Phyllis, Tom's sister Sandra and Charles "Chow" Winkler. Appearing throughout the series are Swift Enterprises employees Harlan Ames, Phil Radnor, Hank Sterling, Arvid Hanson, Slim Davis, George Dilling, Art Wiltessa, and Miss Trent.

Tom Swift III Cover Art

Tom Swift III
Cover Art, Plot Summaries, Author & Artist Information.

The 11 volume Tom Swift III was published from 1981 to 1984 by the Wanderer Books division of Simon & Schuster in paperback and hardcover with dustjacket. Two unpublished manuscripts ("Chaos On Earth" & "The Micro World") were later printed in paperback by Tom Swift enthusiasts.

This series is set primarily in outer space. Tom is 18 and is the son of Tom Swift but it's unclear if it is Senior or Junior. Swift Enterprises is now located in Shopton, New Mexico. Tom Swift cruises the galaxies in the starship Exedra, using a faster-than-light drive. He is aided by his best friend and co-pilot, Benjamin Franklin Walking Eagle, a computer wizard. Regular characters include technician Anita Thorwald, a technician whose right leg has been rebuilt to contain a miniature computer, and Tom's robot, Aristotle.

Tom Swift IV Cover Art

Tom Swift IV
Cover Art, Plot Summaries and Artist Information.

The 13 volume Tom Swift IV series was published by the Archway division of Simon & Schuster in paperback from 1991 to 1993.

Tom Swift Jr. is the son of Tom Swift Sr. and Mary Nestor. The series is set mostly on Earth, with occasional space trips to the Moon. Swift Enterprises is now located in California. The stories are adventures with science fiction driven plots. Tom's inventions at times have unexpected results.

Tom joins forces with Hardy Boys in the 2 volume spin-off Ultra Thriller series (1992 to 1993) which also has science fiction based plots.

Tom Swift Young Inventor Cover Art

Tom Swift Young Inventor (Tom Swift V)
Cover Art, Plot Summaries and Artist Information.

Published from 2006 to 2007 by Simon & Schuster's Alladin Books division, this six volume series, finds a younger Tom Swift back in Shopton, New York, once again the son of Tom Swift and Mary Nestor. His friends are Bud Barclay and Yolanda "Yo" Aponte. In some books, Tom's antagonist is The Road Back (TRB), an anti-technology terrorist organization. Tom's nemesis is Andy Foger, teenage son of his father's former tormentor who now owns a shady competing high-tech company. The series features inventions that are close to current technology. The stories are written in 1st person with Tom as the narrator.

Tom Swift Inventors' Academy Cover Art

Tom Swift Inventors' Academy (Tom Swift VI)
Cover Art, Plot Summaries and Artist Information.

An eight volume series beginning in 2019 and ending in 2022.
When your dad funds the Swift Academy of Science and Technology, you're bound to have a bunch of tech at your disposal. With his three best friends and the world of science at his fingertips, Tom gets into all sorts of hijinks and escapades as a student at the Swift Academy. And at this school, it's normal to see robots and other contraptions weaving through the halls with students! The stories are written in 1st person with Tom as the narrator.

Tom Swift TV Show Promo Photo

Tom Swift On Television

Tom appeared in the pilot episode of "The Tom Swift & Linda Craig Mystery Hour" in the 1980s and in 2022 there was a short lived Tom Swift series on The CW network.

Tom Swift Cover Art

Tom Swift Fan Fiction
Cover Art and Plot Summaries.

Published fan fiction stories Thomas Hudson, Leo Levesque, T. Edward Fox and others.
Available from Amazon in paperback and for the Kindle Reader

Since 1996, The Tom Swift Unofficial Home Page has been the premier spot on the web for adult collectors and fans of the Tom Swift books. Here you'll find detailed information on all the various Tom Swift series, such as authors, illustrators and much more. There are also full color images of all the cover art for all the series, in addition to various social media groups for fans to get together and swap information, look for books, etc.

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