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ⓘ About Victor Appleton
Victor Appleton is the house pen name that was used by the production house of Stratemeyer Syndicate as well as its successors. This name is most famously associated with the books of the Tom Swift series. Under the pseudonym, a number of Tom Swift books and its sequel have been written and published. The ghostwriters included for writing these books were Howard Garis, Debra Doyle, Robert Vardeman, James Lawrence, James Macdonald, Bert Foster, Gwynplaine MacIntyre, etc. One among these writers is the American author named Howard R. Garis. He was particularly popular for writing the Uncle Wiggly series. This series typically featured the gentleman rabbit that had long floppy ears and wore a hat and a top coat.
All Book Series by Victor Appleton
Don Sturdy on the Desert of Mystery / Autoing in the Land of Caravans
Series opener · book 1 of 15 · published 1925
Don Sturdy with the Big Snake Hunters / Lost in the Jungles of the Amazon
Book 2 of 15 · published 1925
Don Sturdy in the Tombs of Gold / The Old Egyptian's Great Secret
Book 3 of 15 · published 1925
Don Sturdy Across the North Pole / Cast Away in the Land of Ice
Book 4 of 15 · published 1925
Don Sturdy in the Land of Volcanoes / The Trail of the Ten Thousand Smokes
Book 5 of 15 · published 1925
Don Sturdy in the Port of Lost Ships / Adrift in the Sargasso Sea
Book 6 of 15 · published 1926
Don Sturdy Among the Gorillas / Adrift in the Great Jungle
Book 7 of 15 · published 1927
Don Sturdy Captured by Head Hunters / Adrift in the Wilds of Borneo
Book 8 of 15 · published 1928
Don Sturdy in Lion Land / The Strange Clearing in the Jungle
Book 9 of 15 · published 1929
Don Sturdy in the Land of Giants / Captives of the Savage Patagonians
Book 10 of 15 · published 1930
Don Sturdy on the Ocean Bottom / The Strange Cruise of the Phantom
Book 11 of 15 · published 1931
Don Sturdy in the Temples of Fear / Destined for a Strange Sacrifice
Book 12 of 15 · published 1932
Don Sturdy Lost in Glacier Bay / The Mystery of the Moving Totem Poles
Book 13 of 15 · published 1933
Don Sturdy Trapped in the Flaming Wilderness / Unearthing Secrets in Central Asia
Book 14 of 15 · published 1934
Don Sturdy with the Harpoon Hunters / The Strange Cruise of the Whaling Ship
Latest in the series · book 15 of 15 · published 1935
The Moving Picture Boys in the Jungle
Series opener · book 1 of 9 · published 1913
The Moving Picture Boys on the French Battlefields
Latest in the series · book 9 of 9 · published 1919
Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle / Fun and Adventure on the Road
Series opener · book 1 of 40 · published 1910
Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat / The Rivals of Lake Carlopa
Book 2 of 40 · published 1910
Tom Swift and His Airship / The Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud
Book 3 of 40 · published 1910
Tom Swift and His Submarine Boat / Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure
Book 4 of 40 · published 1910
Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout / The Speediest Car on the Road
Book 5 of 40 · published 1910
Tom Swift and His Wireless Message / The Castaways of Earthquake Island
Book 6 of 40 · published 1911
Tom Swift Among the Diamond Makers / The Secret of Phantom Mountain
Book 7 of 40 · published 1911
Tom Swift and His Sky Racer / The Quickest Flight on Record
Book 8 of 40 · published 1911
Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle / Daring Adventures in Elephant Island
Book 9 of 40 · published 1911
Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice / The Wreck of the Airship
Book 10 of 40 · published 1911
Tom Swift in the City of Gold / Marvelous Adventures Underground
Book 11 of 40 · published 1912
Tom Swift and His Air Glider / Seeking the Platinum Treasure
Book 12 of 40 · published 1912
Tom Swift in Captivity / A Daring Escape by Airship
Book 13 of 40 · published 1912
Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera / Thrilling Adventures While Taking Moving Pictures
Book 14 of 40 · published 1912
Tom Swift and His Great Search Light / On the Border for Uncle Sam
Book 15 of 40 · published 1912
Tom Swift and His Giant Cannon / The Longest Shots on Record
Book 16 of 40 · published 1913
Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone / The Picture That Saved a Fortune
Book 17 of 40 · published 1914
Tom Swift and His Aerial Warship / The Naval Terror of the Seas
Book 18 of 40 · published 1915
Tom Swift and His Big Tunnel / The Hidden City of the Andes
Book 19 of 40 · published 1916
Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders / The Underground Search for the Idol of Gold
Book 20 of 40 · published 1917
Tom Swift and His War Tank / Doing His Bit for Uncle Sam
Book 21 of 40 · published 1918
Tom Swift and His Air Scout / Uncle Sam's Mastery of the Sky
Book 22 of 40 · published 1919
Tom Swift and His Undersea Search / The Treasure on the Floor of the Atlantic
Book 23 of 40 · published 1920
Tom Swift Among the Fire Fighters / Battling with Flames in the Air / Tom Swift and the Flaming Air Battle
Book 24 of 40 · published 1921
Tom Swift and His Electric Locomotive / Two Miles a Minute on the Rails
Book 25 of 40 · published 1922
Tom Swift and His Flying Boat / Castaways of the Giant Iceberg
Book 26 of 40 · published 1923
Tom Swift and His Great Oil Gusher / The Treasure of Goby Farm
Book 27 of 40 · published 1924
Tom Swift and His Chest of Secrets / Tracing the Stolen Inventions
Book 28 of 40 · published 1925
Tom Swift and His Airline Express / From Ocean to Ocean by Daylight
Book 29 of 40 · published 1926
Tom Swift Circling the Globe / The Daring Cruise of the Air Monarch
Book 30 of 40 · published 1927
Tom Swift and His Talking Pictures / The Greatest Invention on Record
Book 31 of 40 · published 1928
Tom Swift and His House on Wheels / A Trip Around the Mountain of Mystery
Book 32 of 40 · published 1929
Tom Swift and His Big Dirigible / Adventures Over the Forest of Fire
Book 33 of 40 · published 1930
Tom Swift and His Sky Train / Overland Through the Clouds
Book 34 of 40 · published 1931
Tom Swift and His Giant Magnet / Bringing Up the Lost Submarine
Book 35 of 40 · published 1932
Tom Swift and His Television Detector / Trailing the Secret Plotters
Book 36 of 40 · published 1933
Tom Swift and His Ocean Airport / Foiling the Haargolanders
Book 37 of 40 · published 1934
Tom Swift and His Planet Stone / Discovering the Secret of Another World
Book 38 of 40 · published 1935
Tom Swift and His Magnetic Silencer
Latest in the series · book 40 of 40 · published 1941
Tom Swift and His Outpost in Space / Tom Swift and His Sky Wheel
Book 6 of 32 · published 1955
Tom Swift and His Electronic Retroscope / Tom Swift in the Jungle of the Mayas
Book 14 of 32 · published 1959
Tom Swift and His Spectromarine Selector / Tom Swift and the City of Gold
Book 15 of 32 · published 1959
Tom Swift and His Cosmotron Express
Latest in the series · book 32 of 32 · published 1970
Tom Swift and His EnvirOzone Revivicator
Series opener · book 1 of 29 · published 2010
Tom Swift and His Tectonic Interrupter
Book 14 of 29 · published 2014 Anthology · Thomas Hudson
Tom Swift and the AntiInferno Suppressor
Book 15 of 29 · published 2014 Anthology · Thomas Hudson
Tom Swift and the Martian Moon Re-Placement
Book 22 of 29 · published 2018 Co-authored · Thomas Hudson
Tom Swift and the Venusian InvulnoSuit
Book 23 of 29 · published 2018 Co-authored · Thomas Hudson
Tom Swift and the HoverCity
Book 24 of 29 · published 2018 Co-authored · Thomas Hudson
Tom Swift and the SubNeptunian Circumnavigation
Book 25 of 29 · published 2019 Co-authored · Thomas Hudson
Tom Swift and the Marianas Aquanoids
Book 26 of 29 · published 2019 Co-authored · Thomas Hudson,T. Edward Fox
Tom Swift and His Hypersonic SpacePlane
Book 27 of 29 · published 2019 Co-authored · Thomas Hudson,T. Edward Fox
Tom Swift and His Flying RaceYacht
Latest in the series · book 29 of 29 · published 2023
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Victor Appleton?
Victor Appleton is the house pen name that was used by the production house of Stratemeyer Syndicate as well as its successors. This name is most famously associated with the books of the Tom Swift series. Under the pseudonym, a number of Tom Swift books and its sequel have been written and published.
Which Victor Appleton series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Tom Swift I series, the earliest of Victor Appleton's multi-book series: it opens with Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle / Fun and Adventure on the Road (1910) and runs to 40 books across 1910–1941, ending with Tom Swift and His Magnetic Silencer (1941). Victor Appleton's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Victor Appleton written?
Victor Appleton has 163 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1910 and 2023. Every one of them sits in one of 9 named series — the largest being the Tom Swift I series with 40 books.
In what order should Victor Appleton's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Victor Appleton's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Tom Swift I (1910–1941, 40 books), The Moving Picture Boys (1913–1919, 9 books) and Don Sturdy (1925–1935, 15 books), plus 6 more.
How are Victor Appleton's books organised into series?
This guide splits Victor Appleton's 163 books into 9 named series, with no standalone titles: Tom Swift I (40 books, 1910–1941); Tom Swift Jr. (32 books, 1954–1970); Tom Swift Invention (29 books, 2010–2023); Don Sturdy (15 books, 1925–1935); Tom Swift IV (13 books, 1991–1993), plus 4 further series.