THE BOY INVENTORS SERIES
By Richard BonnerNotes
Titles
"Watch boys, and you will notice their minds naturally turn to mechanism. In these delightful stories, the boys try their genius in new inventions. Read the books and see what they accomplish through skill and ingenuity." -- Hurst advertisement Tooling about the countryside in the Flying Road Racer, endearingly depicted in the illustrations as a Model T Ford with a large balloon on top and a propeller welded to the rear bumper, the boys battle potential patent thieves, rescue the helpless, and weather knockout blows to the head, kidnapping, and imprisonment in burning buildings with all of the aplomb series book readers have come to expect from their heroes. This series also wins the prize for "Character Whose Name Sounds Most Like A Porn Star", the circus clown Dick Dangler in book #2. Comparisons with the Tom Swift series are inescapable. Published by Hurst originally, and reprinted by Donohue.
From The Boy Inventors and the Vanishing Gun:
"Jack Chadwick is the wide-awake, good-looking son of a man well known for his achievements in science. The name of Chester Chadwick was one of the best-known in the world along the lines of his chosen field of endeavor. Tom Jesson, almost as bright a lad as his chum and cousin, was -- like Jack -- motherless. His father, Jasper Jesson, Mr. Chadwick's brother-in-law, lived at High Towers, the remainder of which establishment was composed of Mrs. Jarley, a motherly old housekeeper, two under-servants, and Jupe, a colored man of all work. The most interesting features of the place were a big lake, and a group of sheds, workshops, and laboratories in which Professor Chadwick and his son and nephew worked over their inventions, for Jack and Tom were more like chums to Professor Chadwick than his son and nephew. Together the three had devised the Flying Road Racer, the Chadwick Gas Gun, and many other remarkable devices. From his patents, Professor Chadwick had amassed a considerable fortune, thus disproving the popular idea that inventors are of necessity shiftless and needy."
THE BOY INVENTORS' WIRELESS TRIUMPH -- "Blest with natural curiosity, -- sometimes called the instinct of investigation, -- favored with golden opportunity, and gifted with creative ability, the Boy Inventors meet emergencies and contrive mechanical wonders that interest and convince the reader because they always "work" when put to the test." -- 1912, Hurst; 1929, Donohue.
THE BOY INVENTORS AND THE VANISHING GUN -- "A thought, a belief, an experiment; discouragement, hope, effort and final success. This too is the history of the daring Boy Inventors." -- 1912, Hurst; 1929, Donohue.
THE BOY INVENTORS' DIVING TORPEDO BOAT -- "As in the previous stories of the Boy Inventors, new and interesting triumphs of mechanisms are produced which become immediately valuable, and the stage for their prowling and testings again the water. On the surface and below it, the boys have jolly and contagious fun." -- 1912, Hurst; 1929, Donohue.
THE BOY INVENTORS' FLYING SHIP -- "A Boston newspaper reporter, -- a young fellow with a camera slung over his shoulders, -- wanders into this story at the very beginning. He finds himself an aerial stowaway and finally part of a South American exploring party. How this happens is an absorbing tale in itself. " -- illustrated by Charles L. Wrenn. 1913, Hurst; 1929, Donohue.
THE BOY INVENTORS' ELECTRIC HYDROAEROPLANE -- "The restless, inventive spirit of Jack Chadwick and the persistent enthusiasm of his cousin, Tom Jesson, once more clamor for a new expression, and this book describes the unique result of their labors and the use to which it is opportunely put." -- 1914, Hurst; 1929, Donohue.
THE BOY INVENTORS' RADIO-TELEPHONE -- "The determination to adopt, adapt and improve the latest means of communication give a fresh impulse to the ambition of the Boy Inventors." -- 1915, Hurst; 1929, Donohue.
(1) is also advertised by Hurst as The Boy Inventors' Wireless Telegraph. (2) is advertised as The Boy Inventors' Vanishing Gun.
Source:
Hurst advertisement
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