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Tom Swift is the main character of five series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention and technology. First published in 1910, the series total more than 100 volumes. The character was created by Edward Stratemeyer, the founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging firm. Tom's adventures have been written by various ghostwriters, beginning with Howard Garis. Most of the books are credited to the collective pseudonym "Victor Appleton". The 33 volumes of the second series use the pseudonym Victor Appleton II for the author. For this series, and some of the later series, the main character is "Tom Swift, Jr." New titles have been published as recently as 2007. Most of the various series emphasized Tom's inventions. The books generally describe the effects of science and technology as wholly beneficial, and the role of the inventor in society as admirable and heroic. Translated into many languages, the books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Tom Swift has also been the subject of a board game and a television series. Several famous people, including Steve Wozniak and Isaac Asimov, have cited "Tom Swift" as an inspiration. Several inventions, including the Taser, have been inspired allegedly by Swift's fictional inventions. "TASER" is said to be an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle." == Inventions == In his various incarnations, Tom Swift, usually a teenager, is inventive and science minded, "Swift by name and swift by nature."〔Prager (1976).〕 Tom is portrayed as a natural genius. In the earlier series, he is said to have had little formal education, the character modeled originally after such inventors as Henry Ford,〔Burt (2004), 322.〕 Thomas Edison,〔Dizer (1982), 35.〕 and aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss.〔 For most of the five series, each book concerns Tom's latest invention, and its role either in solving a problem or mystery, or in assisting Tom in feats of exploration or rescue. Often Tom must protect his new invention from villains "intent on stealing Tom's thunder or preventing his success,"〔 but Tom is always successful in the end. Many of Tom Swift's fictional inventions described actual technological developments. ''Tom Swift Among the Diamond Makers'' (1911) was based on Charles Parsons's attempts to synthesize diamonds using electric current.〔Hazen (1999), 30.〕 ''Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone'' was published in 1912. One source claims the process for sending photographs by telephone was not developed until 1925.〔 However, the first commercial wired telefax service was established in 1865, more than a decade before the invention of the telephone. ''Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera'' (1912) features a portable movie camera, not invented until 1923 according to one source.〔Pyle (1991).〕 However, many early movie cameras were portable by one man, and a hand-held home movie camera for semi-professional work was designed in 1921 by Emanuel Goldberg. One source〔"Tom Swift, Master Inventor" (1956).〕 mentions ''Tom Swift and His Electric Locomotive'' (1922) was published two years before the Central Railroad of New Jersey began using the first diesel electric locomotive; however, the book refers to a purely electrical locomotive powered from overhead lines, of the sort which began regular service during the late 19th century. The house on wheels that Tom invents for 1929's ''Tom Swift and His House on Wheels'' pre-dated the first house trailer by a year,〔 but post-dates the widespread use of Romany caravans for living by about a century. ''Tom Swift and His Diving Seacopter'' (1952) features a flying submarine similar to one planned by the United States Department of Defense four years later in 1956,〔 but this book was published more than a decade after the Soviet flying submarine project began and nearly 50 years after Jules Verne's 1904 novel Master of the World featured a flying submarine. Other inventions of Tom's have not happened, such as the device for silencing airplane engines that he invents in ''Tom Swift and His Magnetic Silencer'' (1941).〔 In any case, technical ideas are often described speculatively by newspapers and magazines for many years prior to commercial realization. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tom Swift」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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