h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A543827

The Tom swift books are among the most popular childrens books produced in the USA during the 20th Century. Here's an entry on them.
Peace,
Stephen

What a nice article
I loved reading Tom Swift Jr. books when I was a kid. My friend and I used to get them from the library van, when we were in primary school, here in Scotland. I loved them, but have never seen them since. I should try hunting for them here in the UK again. Thanks for reminding me how wonderful they were.
B-17

This is a nice article nicely presented. I, too, read and collected the Tom Swift Jr. books. Pleasant memories.

Since 'series' is a plural noun, ending in 's' no less, you would be wise to simply refer to 'several different series' rather than try to coin a plural form for it. But if you must try. how about 'serieae'

This one already looks, 'mostly harmless.'

Barton

Hello,

Is this where we get "tom swiftly" jokes? For those not familiar, these are joking sentences where the adverb matches some other part of the sentence. Some examples:

"I think I've twisted my ankle," said Tom lamely.
"I love camping holidays, don't you? asked Tom with intent.
The bank doesn't want me as a customer," said Tom unaccountably.
"Anyone for Chinese food?," asked Tom wantonly.

Actually, several websites seem to suggest it is. But I'd better check. You can find more examples by searching for "Tom Swiftly" or "Tom Swiftie" on the web.

Yours,
Jake

I haven't seen any definite evidence as to the origin of tom swifties. It's possible the name could come from the books. I'll check on it.
I am going to modify the plural of series in a moment; that was causing problems in my brain.
Peace,
Stephen

How appropriate! Barton Swift was Tom Sr.'s father! Thanks for the grammatical advice.
Peace,
Stephen

You weren't supposed to bring that up. Now everyone will think I'm just being a typical grandfather being partial to his grandson's achievemnet. Well, he *is* a good boy!

Barton

That would make you about 120 years old- worthy of an entry yourself.
Peace,
Stephen

Wait - my math was off. If Tom was in his teens in 1910, then he was born in the 1890's, which puts Barton Swift back to the 1870's, assuming Tom was born immediately after his marriage.I'll call the Guinness people (the world record folks, not the brewery) and find out how old the oldest person in the world is...Unless you were kidding.
Peace,
Stephen

I take it that you never read, "Barton Swift and His Incredible Time Machine." Oh, that's right, I told that Wells fellow to use a phoney name.

Barton

And so he did - his name wasn't Wells at all; it was Victor Appleton!'
Peace,
Stephen

Barton

An intriguing little entry.

It seems to cover the bases quite well - basic structure, key characters, some idea of its appeal. I'd love to know more, but I'm greedy - it's not necessary.

A couple of questions:
> Were the books aimed mainly at boys? They just sound from your description like they must have been.
> Has Tom been in trouble down the years for his portrayal of minorities and foreigners? Is that why he is more "collectible" than Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, who would certainly get better name recognition in the UK today?

Still, very nice. Not, "Oh, wow, I must pick that straight away" (speaking as someone who hasn't read the books), but nothing much wrong with it.

GVI

PS (Warning - grammatical pedant approaching!)
Series is a singular noun, but the plural is also series.
There's no need for apostrophes, which are only ever added to nouns ending in "s" to indicate a genetive (possessive) form; and even then, not so often as you'd think.
As for "seriae" - that might be the plural of the singular "seria". If such a word existed.

While I'm being pedantic, I'd better get things right myself . Serieae would be the plural of seriea - which sounds to me more like an Italian football league!

Let me tackle your points seriatim: (is there another way? I ask myself)
The Tom Swift books were mainly for boys. The Stratemeyer Syndicate targeted their audience carefully - younger children might read the Bobbsey Twins, or Honey Bunch (who is a little girl, if you were in doubt), older girls would read Nancy Drew. Boys seemed to hold the lion's share of the market.
The greater popularity of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew may come from their greater exposure; both have been made in television series, and there were a number of Nancy Drew films made back in the late 1930's. Why Tom never went Hollywood is unclear: the Tom Sr. books might have already begun to show their age by the time anyone thought of it. I wonder why no one has tried it yet.
Thanks for the advice on plurals and such; my knowledge of grammar has a few holes yet to fill.
Stephen

I've made a few alterations to the entry; nothing major, just trying to straighten out the grammar and such.
Stephen

Hey! If we're going to coin a word for a series of series then we can make it what ever we want.

Several series would indeed be series, but that doesn't carry the meaning, necessarily, of a series of series, rather it would be a collection of series. And, since it, too, would be a plural noun, it seems perfectly appropriate to me to coin or coign the term, seriae. Now, let's get an entry on it and make it official.

By the way, what does urgency have to do with whether an entry is ready to be sent up for sub-editing or not? Do these things come with expiration notices in the margins? I'll have to look more closely.

Barton

Hello,

What's all this about urgency? Here at the Guide, we learn to do everyhing slower than a turtle in molasses.

Yours,
Jake

What kind of turtle in what kind of molasses?

I was thinking it was more like a snail moving up a pile of tacks.

Or porcupines making love.



Barton

Hello,

I'll get you the answer on that one in 3 weeks. Okay?

Yours,
Jake