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Tom Swift and His...

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…oh dear! What do you say about the bizarre and profound cultural phenomenon that is Tom Swift. Long before Harry Potter picked up his first magic wand, Tom Swift was off…well…inventing things. He was the first fictional character I’d encountered whose life seemed to revolve around BIG Science. If Captain Kirk kissed a green woman in the most recent rerun of Star Trek…Tom Swift was probably the guy who invented the universal translator (though it probably had a more lurid name, such as: electromegadigital voicelator. If Dr. McCoy had to give Captain Kirk a shot of something to clear up whatever he’d caught from kissing green woman of the week, then Tom Swift (in another medium all together) probably invented the protein synthesizer, or even something more simple than that, though—yeah—he would have called it the: super-antipathogenic extremohelmet…which is just Tom Swiftian for condom. I suppose, that is what comes to mind whenever Tom Swift comes to mind. As a character, this kid has been around since the very early 1900s. In his first incarnation, he was, essentially, a normal guy who just so happened to be very smart. Modeled on the self-made millionaires of his time, he didn’t attend college, but he possessed intelligence, drive, curiosity, and a curious absence of libido. As US-American culture went through changes, so did Tom Swift, though he remained pragmatic, smart, and in many ways, prosaic. He was never a super-hero; he didn’t possess magic, and many of the young boys who enjoyed reading Tom Swift novels went on to become scientists, science fiction writers, or both…many also became engineers, and…career military personnel. I suspect in many ways, young boys who read Tom Swift novels also entered into the pharmaceutical business, which probably explains drug nomenclature. NOT the trade names, but the actual names for whatever fixes what ails you. I found a bunch of Tom Swift novels (Second Series) in a bookstore window on Belmont Avenue. The bookstore in question is a wonderful nook. It smells of oxidizing paper and dust, but the guy who runs it isn’t exactly the most friendly creature on the face of the planet, and his prices are likely to drive him out of business. Ah, but he has Tom Swift novels. Many Tom Swift novels…the ones with the most lurid title and the most pulp-fictioni-ish covers. In short: gems. I’d gained new respect for Tom Swift (not that I’d ever lost respect for him when I learned that the law enforcement aid, commonly recognized as the TASER is a Tom Swift-inspired creation. That’s the thing about the Tom Swift character and mythos: all of his inventions and stories either mirror or inspire true bits and pieces of technology, and the TASER is the most flagrant example of that. Those ugly, yellow stun guns clipped to the belts of police officers (and often misused) are, quite literally Tom Alexander Swift’s Electric Rifle(s). The invention of this quasi weapon also reveals (for the first time) Tom Swift’s middle name. After all, TSER just doesn’t work. There’s so much more to say about Tom Swift, but I suspect this image can probably reveal al lot more than I can, and so I’m going to stop here and simply let this image say a few things on its own. As always, however, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great week. My week is in the process of improving as Chicago will have visitors by the time many of you read this! Two special visitors! How cool is that!?!?! I can’t wait.

Comments (21)


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bimm3d

11:42PM | Wed, 28 September 2011

wonderful photo and great info!!

West_coaster07

11:56PM | Wed, 28 September 2011

Excellent work!

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blinkings

12:10AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

The colour of the books looks great, but I'm equally impressed that I'm finally getting a chance to say the name 'Dick Butkus'!!!!!

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RodS

1:21AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

Dang, you find the coolest stuff, Chip! This is just priceless (unlike the specimens in this window, I'm sure...)! And the juxtaposition of Tom Swift next to Dick Butkus is rather interesting as well..... :-D

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durleybeachbum

1:46AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

SO interesting, Chip! I hadn't heard of him before and wish I had. Enjoy the royal visit!! I wish I was with you!

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helanker

2:39AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

OH WOW! SO pitty these books were not translated to Danish, when my youngest brother and I were kids. I am sure we would have loved them. My brother was reading alot science fictions and as I told you before, we were playing alot of invented games about it together. I like this shot very much. Thanks for the good memories you woke up. :)

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kgb224

4:54AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

Stunning find and capture my friend. God Bless.

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icerian

6:42AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

Tom Swift is someone unknown for me, maybe I should give him more attention. Romantic corner.

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wrpspeed

7:06AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

i remember some of the tom swift books but i was a big fan of the hardy boys.

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Crabbycabby

8:21AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

Very interesting narrative.

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MrsRatbag

9:10AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

I remember the name "Tom Swift" but never read any of the books...wish I had, I probably would have loved them. What a great capture of this display!

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Sea_Dog

9:17AM | Thu, 29 September 2011

Great shot, Chip. We don't have many of these independent books stores left here. Mostly just mega-stores in malls or stand-alones in shopping centers. A find like this is a real treasure. As usual your narrative adds so much depth and context to the image. Well done.

belasebok

3:11PM | Thu, 29 September 2011

Excellent photo!

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sandra46

4:58PM | Thu, 29 September 2011

PERFECT HEAVEN FOR A READER

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flavia49

6:28PM | Thu, 29 September 2011

amazing capture

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auntietk

6:38PM | Thu, 29 September 2011

We're here! :D (I'm SO excited to see you! You and Corey should be here any minute!) :D Great photo, and I love the narrative! I had NO idea about the TASER being named after this character, and had never heard of Tom Swift to begin with. Fascinating stuff! I know many people who would love him, having spent nearly 20 years in the electronics manufacturing field. Those covers are superb. Great presentation!

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bmac62

6:44PM | Thu, 29 September 2011

Just did a quick read to catch up on one of way too many of your masterful pieces that I've missed. Would you believe that Tom Swift was even before my time? But my father talked of him numerous times. I meant to read a few of his featured novels but Buffalo Bill Cody and Ivanhoe always seemed to get in my way. Great job Chip...

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jac204

7:24PM | Thu, 29 September 2011

Like some others, I missed something by not reading Tom Swift. Some people I know, however, would not appreciate his inspiration of the TASER.

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delaorden_ojeda

5:49PM | Fri, 30 September 2011

it is a great collection , I like it a lot , great capture and info , thanks so much for your comments !

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Orinoor

10:30AM | Sat, 01 October 2011

What a lovely display, I truly do love books and have not read a bit of the Tom Swift stories.

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beachzz

12:15AM | Mon, 03 October 2011

this guy was very busy!!


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ISO Speed200
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