THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS SERIES
By Ralph
Marlow

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Notes

Titles

"It is doubtful whether a more entertaining lot of boys ever appeared in a story than the 'Big Five,' who figure in the pages of these volumes. From cover to cover the reader will be thrilled and delighted with the accounts of their many adventures." -- Burt advertisement,

 

The adventures of five young men from Ohio traveling around the country on their motorcycles. The bikes were given to them by recluse Amos Tucker, whom they had rescued from a flood. The five boys are Rod Bradley, the "natural leader" who is every Boy Scout virtue personified; Elmer Overton, a transplanted (and, um, unreconstructed) Southerner; Hanky Panky Jucklin, an aspiring magician whose skills with ventriloquism often come in handy when the boys are up against the inevitable series book scoundrels and blackguards; Rooster Boggs, the klutz; and Josh Whitcomb, who is temperamental and impulsive. The boys' adventures are fairly entertaining, but the constant references to "worm-infested poor white trash", Southern "crackers" and "pickaninnies" are very jarring to a modern day reader.

The Big Five Motorcycle Boys in Tennessee Wilds is available online.

  1. THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS' SWIFT ROAD CHASE; or, Surprising the Bank Robbers -- "It is doubtful whether a more entertaining lot of boys ever before appeared in a story than the 'Big Five,' who figure in the pages of this volume -- Red Bradley; 'Hanky Panky' Jucklin; Josh Whitcomb; Elmer Overton; and last, but far from least, 'Rooster' Boggs. From cover to cover the reader will be thrilled and delighted with the accounts of how luckily they came by their motorcycles; and what splendid use they make of the machines in recovering the funds of the robbed Garland bank." -- 1914. A.L. Burt.

  2. THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS IN TENNESSEE WILDS; or, The Secret of Walnut Ridge -- "In this story the boys with the 'flying wheels' take a trip through Kentucky, and into Dixie Land. The wonderful adventures, and amusing ones as well, that were their portion on this glorious spin, have been set down by the author in a way that will be most pleasing to the boy reader who delights in tales of action. There is not a single dry chapter in the book; and when the end is finally reached, the happy possessor will count himself lucky to have it handy in his library, where, later on, he may read it over and over again."  -- 1914. A.L. Burt. Read it online!

  3. THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS THROUGH BY WIRELESS; or, A Strange Message from the Air -- "Even in a quiet Ohio town remarkable things may sometimes happen calculated to create the most intense excitement. The five motorcycle boys were put in touch with just such an event through a message that came to their wireless station while many miles away from home. What the 'voice from the air' told them, and how gallantly they responded to the call for action, you will be delighted to learn in the third volume of this intensely interesting series." -- 1914. A.L. Burt.

  4. THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS ON FLORIDA TRAILS; or, Adventures among the Saw Palmetto Crackers -- "Once more, a kind fortune allows Rod Bradley and his four 'happy-go-lucky' comrades a chance to visit new fields. Down in the Land of Sunshine and Oranges the Motorcycle Boys experience some of the most remarkable perils and adventures of their whole career. The writer spent many years along the far-famed Indian River, and he has drawn upon his vast knowledge of the country in describing what befell the chums there. If there could be any choice, then this book is certainly the best of the whole series; and you will put it down with regret, only hoping to meet these favorite characters again in new fields." -- 1914. A.L. Burt.

  5. THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS UNDER FIRE; or, With the Allies in France -- 1915. A.L. Burt.

  6. THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS AT THE FRONT; or, Carrying Dispatches through Belgium -- 1915. A.L. Burt.

  7. THE BIG FIVE MOTORCYCLE BOYS ON THE BATTLE LINE; or, With the Allies in France -- 1916. A.L. Burt.

Source:

WorldCat Holdings
Burt advertisement in The Campfire Girls Solve a Mystery by Hildegard G. Frey.
Burt advertisement in Navy Boys Cruise to the Bahamas.

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