Tom Swift and His Air Glider

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Tom Swift and His Air Glider
Tom Swift and His Air Glider (book cover).jpg
Author Victor Appleton
Original titleTom Swift and His Air Glider, or, Seeking the Platinum Treasure
LanguageEnglish
Series Tom Swift
Genre Young adult novel Adventure novel
Publisher Grosset & Dunlap
Publication date
1912
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages200+ pp
Preceded by Tom Swift in the City of Gold  
Followed by Tom Swift in Captivity  

Tom Swift and His Air Glider, or, Seeking the Platinum Treasure, is Volume 12 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

Contents

Plot summary

While testing out one of his many airships, Tom needs to make emergency landing for repairs. He complains of the poor quality platinum used for his magneto, and is overheard by an escaped Russian exile. The man tells Tom of a secret platinum mine, deep in Siberia. The man also explains that his brother is still in exile, and will be more useful in locating the mine. Tom organizes an expedition to save the exile and find the platinum mine.

It is to note that the Russian revolutionaries in the book are referred to as the Nihilist movement. However, given the time in which the book takes place, the author would more likely have been referring to Bolsheviks.

Inventions & Innovation

For this adventure, Tom needs to build the Vulture, a special glider that can withstand the high-velocity winds in the vicinity of the mine.

Also, to transport the glider and his friends over the Atlantic, across Europe, and into Siberia, Tom builds his largest airship yet, the Falcon.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Swift</span> Fictional literary character

Tom Swift is the main character of six series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention, and technology. Inaugurated in 1910, the sequence of series comprises more than 100 volumes. The first Tom Swift – later, Tom Swift Sr. – 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 later ones, the main character is "Tom Swift Jr." New titles have been published again from 2019 after a gap of about ten years, roughly the time that has passed before every resumption. Most of the 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.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1902:

This is a list of aviation-related events during the 19th century :

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early flying machines</span> Aircraft developed before the modern aeroplane

Early flying machines include all forms of aircraft studied or constructed before the development of the modern aeroplane by 1910. The story of modern flight begins more than a century before the first successful manned aeroplane, and the earliest aircraft thousands of years before.

<i>The War in the Air</i> 1908 science fiction novel by H. G. Wells

The War in the Air: And Particularly How Mr. Bert Smallways Fared While It Lasted is a military science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells and published in 1908.

Frank Reade was the protagonist of a series of dime novels published primarily for boys. The first novel, Frank Reade and His Steam Man of the Plains, an imitation of Edward Ellis's The Steam Man of the Prairies (1868), was written by Harry Enton and serialized in the Frank Tousey juvenile magazine Boys of New York, February 28 through April 24, 1876. The four Frank Reade stories concerned adventures with the character's inventions, various robot-like mechanisms powered by steam.

"God Sees the Truth, But Waits" is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1872. The story, about a man sent to prison for a murder he did not commit, takes the form of a parable of forgiveness. English translations were also published under titles "The Confessed Crime", "Exiled to Siberia", and "The Long Exile". The concept of the story of a man wrongfully accused of murder and banished to Siberia also appears in one of Tolstoy's previous works, War and Peace, during a philosophical discussion between two characters who relate the story and argue how the protagonist of their story deals with injustice and fate. Along with his story The Prisoner of the Caucasus, Tolstoy personally considered this work to be his only great artistic achievement.

<i>Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice</i>

Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice, or, The Wreck of the Airship, is Volume 8 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Tom Swift and His Wireless Message</i>

Tom Swift and His Wireless Message, or, The Castaways of Earthquake Island, is Volume 6 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Tom Swift and His Airship</i>

Tom Swift and His Airship, or, The Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud, is Volume 3 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle</i> Young adult novel in the "Tom Swift" series of the early 1900s

Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle; or, Daring Adventures in Elephant Land is a young adult novel published in 1911, written by Stratemeyer Syndicate writers using the pen name Victor Appleton. It is Volume 10 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. The novel is notable for inspiring the name of the Taser.

<i>Tom Swift in the City of Gold</i>

Tom Swift in the City of Gold, or, or, Marvelous Adventures Underground, is Volume 11 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Tom Swift in Captivity</i>

Tom Swift in Captivity, or, A Daring Escape by Airship, is Volume 13 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap. The work was also published under the title Tom Swift in Giant Land or, A Daring Escape From Captivity.

<i>Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera</i>

Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera, or, Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures, is Volume 14 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight</i>

Tom Swift and His Great Searchlight, or, On the Border For Uncle Sam, is Volume 15 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon</i>

Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon, or, The Longest Shots on Record, is Volume 16 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship</i>

Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship, or, The Naval Terror of the Seas, is Volume 18 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Tom Swift and His Air Scout</i>

Tom Swift and His Air Scout, Or, Uncle Sam's Mastery of the Sky, is Volume 22 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters</i> Book by Victor Appleton

Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters, Or, Battling Flames From the Air, is Volume 24 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Hour of the Wolf</i> (novel) 2013 novel written by Andrius Tapinas

Hour of the Wolf is a steampunk novel written by Andrius Tapinas. It was released in February 2013 in Lithuania as a hardcover book. Hour of the Wolf was the first steampunk book written in Lithuanian and spent 20 weeks in the Top 10 of the best-selling fiction books in Lithuania. The novel was swiftly translated to English and was released on Amazon as e-book on September 3, 2013.

References