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1Tom Swift and the Visitor From Planet X

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift Jr. and his associates at Swift Enterprises wait breathlessly for what may well be the most important scientific event in history—the arrival of the visitor from Planet X—a visitor in the form of energy. But there are factions at work determined to snatch the energy, which Tom has named Exman, from the young scientist-inventor's grasp. First, a series of unexplainable, devastating earthquakes threaten to destroy a good portion of the earth, and Tom suspects the Brungarian rebels who obviously would like to capture Exman and use the space visitor to further their own evil purposes. With the security of Enterprises and Exman at stake, Tom creates two of his greatest inventions—a Quakelizor to counteract the simulated earth tremors, and a container or "body" to house the energy from outer space. If the earthquakes cannot be stopped, the entire world will be threatened by destruction, and the Brungarian forces will conquer the earth. How Tom utilizes all his scientific knowledge to produce swift-action results and outwit the Brungarians makes one of the most exciting Tom Swift adventures to date. (original book jacket from Gutenberg text)

2Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship, or, the Naval Terror of the Seas

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift is an inventor, and these are his adventures. The locale is the little town of Shopton in upstate New York, near Lake Carlopa. While some of Tom's inventions are not well-founded in a scientific sense, others elaborated developments in the news and in popular magazines aimed at young science and invention enthusiasts. Presenting themselves as a forecast of future possibilities, they now and then hit close to the mark. Some predicted inventions that came true include "photo telephones", vertical takeoff aircraft, aerial warships, giant cannons, and "wizard" cameras. However some other devices, such as magnetic silencers for motors, have not appeared yet. -adapted from Wikipedia by Karen Merline

3Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift is the young protagonist in a series of juvenile adventure novels which began in the early twentieth century and continue to the present. Tom Swift is a genius inventor whose breakthroughs in technology (especially transport technology) drive the plots of the novels, placing them in a genre sometimes called "invention fiction" or "Edisonade". This book is the 20th in the original series published from 1910 -1942, written by a ghost writer using the name of Victor Appleton. This adventure takes Tom and his cohorts to Honduras in search of a Mayan idol of gold. (K. McAsh adapted from information found on Wikipedia)

4Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift enters an upcoming race with his specially-designed prototype electric race car. But as he makes the final preparations and adjustments, days before the race, he discovers a plot that would bankrupt not only his family, but also everyone else that relies on the local bank (which is the target of a nefarious bank-run scheme). Tom must solve the mystery and stop the criminals behind the plot before he'll test himself on a 500 mile race against some of the best electric cars and skilled drivers in the United States. Listeners are forewarned that some elements and characters included in Tom Swift books portray certain ethnic groups in a very dated manner that modern readers, and listeners, may find offensive. Despite the racially stereotyped behavior and pronunciation in the books, the Reader believes it makes sense to read what's written in order to be faithful to the author's intent.<br><br>Summary from Wikipedia and modified by the Reader

5Tom Swift and His War Tank

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift, that prolific youthful inventor, is engaged in trying to help the Allies win WWI. After reading newspaper accounts of the British tanks, Tom takes a sheet of paper and sets out to design a better one from scratch. And fortunately, he can throw the whole family business behind his venture.<br><br>He has two problems: First, his friends and acquaintances are questioning his patriotism because he hasn't enlisted as a rifleman for the front lines. Even his girl is worried his blood isn't true-blue. But that's because he is developing his tank in secret, and they don't know he's concentrating on winning the war the American way, with machines.<br><br>The second problem is that the German spies have penetrated the secret of what is being built in the high-security shop on the Swift property. And they will stop at nothing to steal its design - not kidnapping Tom, and not kidnapping the tank itself, complete with crew.<br><br>Tom and his buddies had better work fast, or the American riflemen are going to find the Kaiser's soldiers using American-designed tanks against them! (Summary by Mark F. Smith)

6Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel

By Victor Appleton

The Titus Brothers Contractors company have won a government contract in Peru to blast a tunnel through a mountain and connect two isolated railroad lines. The deadline is approaching, and the contractors have hit a literal wall: excessively hard rock which defies conventional blasting techniques. The company is under pressure to finish, or else the contract will default to their rivals, Blakeson & Grinder. Mr. Job Titus has heard of Tom Swift and Tom's giant cannon, which is used in protecting the Panama Canal, and wants to hire Tom to develop a special blasting powder to help them finish the excavation.<br><br> Mr. Damon, Tom's very good friend, arrives in the middle of this conversation, and is unaware of the situation. By coincidence, Mr. Damon is invested in a business which procures cinchona bark from Peru, but production has all but ceased, prompting Mr. Damon to invite Tom to accompany him to Peru and discover the source of the problem.<br><br> Tom, Mr. Damon and Mr. Titus (along with Koku, Tom's giant) embark for Peru. On the way, they encounter Professor Swyington Bumper, who is on a life-long quest to locate the lost city of Pelone. Professor Bumper returns to Peru each season, and has thus far been unsuccessful. When Professor Bumper discovers that Tom is headed to the same general area, Rimac, Professor Bumper decides to join the company. (Introduction by Wikipedia)

7Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung

By Victor Appleton

The US Government is very smartly letting Tom Swift Jr. handle the recovery of its probe to Jupiter. But a mystery missile suddenly intercepts the probe and splashes it in the South Atlantic.<br><br>Faced with a huge search task to find the probe on the ocean bottom, Tom soon realizes that the same shadowy group that attacked the probe is competing to find it, and no holds are barred: kidnap, coercion, and lethal force are all in play.<br><br>Under such circumstances, what can Tom do? What he does every time, of course! He invents some utterly cool device to get the job done! And his Electronic Hydrolung is just the beginning!

8Tom Swift in Captivity

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift is approached by Mr. Preston, the owner of a circus, and begins to tell the story of Jake Poddington, Mr. Preston's most skilled hunter. As it turns out, Jake went missing just after sending word to Preston that Jake was on the trail of a tribe of giants, somewhere in South Africa. That was the last Preston has heard of Jake Poddington. Preston would like Tom to use one of his airships to search for Poddington, and if possible, bring back a giant for the circus. Listeners are forewarned that some elements and characters included in Tom Swift books portray certain ethnic groups in a very dated manner that modern readers, and listeners, may find offensive. Despite the racially stereotyped behavior and pronunciation in the books, the Reader believes it makes sense to read what’s written in order to be faithful to the author’s intent.(Introduction by Wikipedia and Tom Weiss)

9Tom Swift and his Airship

By Victor Appleton

In Tom Swift and His Airship, Tom Swift has finished his latest invention- the Red Cloud, a fast and innovative airship. Tom is anxious for a cross-country trial, but just before he and his friends take off, the Shopton bank is robbed. No sooner is Tom in the air than he is blamed for the robbery. Suddenly, he's a wanted fugitive but doesn't know why until he's half-way across the country. With no safe harbor or friend on the land below, Tom must race back to Shopton to clear his name before he's shot out of the sky. (Summary by Wikipedia)

10Tom Swift and His Sky Racer

By Victor Appleton

A $10,000 prize lures Tom into competing at a local aviation meet at Eagle Park. Tom is determined to build the fastest plane around, but his plans mysteriously disappear, which means Tom must redesign his new airplane from the beginning. (Summary by Wikipedia)

11Tom Swift and His Wireless Message

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift & friends decide to trial an experimental airship near the New Jersey coast, and are unexpectedly swept out to sea by hurricane winds. Unable to steer or navigate without tearing the airship apart, the hapless crew must simply let the storm take them wherever it will. Unfortunately, the storm proves too much for the craft and Tom makes a crash landing on the uninhabited and crumbling Earthquake Island. (Summary by Wikipedia)

12Tom Swift Among the Diamond Makers

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift flies his airship to the mountain tops of Colorado to seek for the secret of the Diamond Makers: criminal scientists who have figured out the formula of manufacturing a limitless fortune in diamonds. But these rogues will stop at nothing to keep their secret. Tom & friends are soon captured and left to die in a collapsing mountain. (Summary by Wikipedia)

13Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat

By Victor Appleton

Otherwise known as 'Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure', is Volume 4 in the original Tom Swift novel series. Tom persuades his father to use his own submarine to hunt for treasure on a sunken ship. The book follows his adventures in this pursuit. - Summary by Claire Schreuder

14Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift & friends journey to the Arctic in his custom airship to seek for the legendary Valley of Gold. When his map is stolen by his longtime nemesis, Andy Foger, who has himself built a competing airship, the race is on across frigid Alaska to see who will be the first to find the limitless fortune. (Summary from Wikipedia) This is book eight in the original Tom Swift series.

15Tom Swift and His Motorcycle

By Victor Appleton

This is the very first Tom Swift adventure. Tom Swift has a newly purchased motorcycle, which he is modifying with his own inventions. He volunteers to use his bike to carry his father's new turbine design plans to Albany, testing his motorcycle enhancements at the same time. Set upon by corporate spies out to steal his dad's plans, Tom must escape from them, recover the plans, and complete his trip! (Colleen McMahon) Listeners are forewarned that some elements and characters included in Tom Swift books portray certain ethnic groups in a very dated manner that modern readers, and listeners, may find offensive. It is Librivox policy to maintain the original language of texts.

16Tom Swift and His War Tank (Version 2)

By Victor Appleton

Tanks are a new wartime technology, and as the US enters WWI, Tom uses his skills and his family's factory to secretly design and build a bigger, better tank, able to travel at twice the speed of British models, with heavier armor plating, ability to roll over wider trenches, and other innovative improvements. As war fever sets in, many young men are enlisting, except for Tom Swift, which raises many concerns that he is a slacker. Even his girlfriend begins to doubt him, but he has to be secretive even from her, as the Germans do their best to steal his secrets. ( Michele Fry)

17Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat

By Victor Appleton

Tom Swift's father, a world-famous scientist, has been robbed of one of his greatest inventions, and it's up to Tom to bring the criminals to justice without getting himself killed in the process. Unfortunately, Tom himself quickly becomes a target of the rogues' anger when he unknowingly buys a boat in which they had hidden a stolen diamond. Tom must use every bit of his wit to keep himself ahead of the gang of hardened felons.<br><br> This is the second book in the original Tom Swift (Sr) series. (Summary from Wikipedia)