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A review by wslockard
Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone or the Picture That Saved a Fortune (Dodo Press) by Victor II Appleton
2.0
Here's the cover of the version I received! It was a sort of novelty gift from a used book store.
What a trip into mass-market boys' adventure books, created in 1914. Yes,1914!!! This was during the years when young lads said, "Now, see here!" And they had to pardon their slang when they said "Nothing doing" instead of No.
Young Tom Swift is a highly successful inventor who lives with his father. Swift has a best friend named Ned, who is a banker, and he has a neighbor who is also an inventor, named Mr. Damon.
Throughout the chapters in this book, Tom and Ned are constantly referred to as "chums" as they experiment with Tom's latest invention and as they take breaks from their work and go on outings via motorboat or biplane or airship. They encounter an enemy who antagonizes poor Mr. Damon, who always "blesses" things. "Bless my buttons! Bless my watch chain!" Boy howdy.
But here's the real kicker. Tom invents a photo telephone that takes pictures and transmits them over a wire and wow, the quotes from the story just speak for themselves.
" If a certain person talks to me over the wire, I can turn my switch, and get a picture of him here at my apparatus connected with my telephone. To do that I'll merely need a sending apparatus at the other end of the telephone line . . ."
"Could you arrange it so the person who was talking to you would have his picture taken whether he wanted it or not?" asked Ned.
Wow, what a brilliant way to capture un-American activities, Mr. Narc! Yes, let's make this possible. What a smashing idea these two chums have concocted. Makes me want to caper about and perform boyish "stunts." Just like in the book. See here:
Tom Swift has dozens of adventures available in the public domain. Y'all are welcome to go look for 'em. But readers need a strong stomach or acute tunnel vision to get through the appearances of Tom's personal servant, a black man oddly named Eradicate who says shit like "massa" and shocks himself on Tom's invention because he doesn't understand how electricity works. He's depicted as being on the same social level of a half-wit "giant" named Koku, who likes to smash things. Those types of characters are a hurtful addition to an otherwise amusing franchise. The author of this book pandered to a bunch of narcs workin for the "man," stepping all over those without power or education. Booo, I say!
I mean, yeah, Tom and his "chum" caught the bad guy who had bad intentions, but the story perpetuates the stupid stereotype that wealthy caucasian fellas always save the day, gee whiz. Bleh.
I'm gonna stay away from the rest of this series. Gonna go see if Walmart sells those new-fangled photo telephones. Gonna find out if Skype has a privacy agreement . . .
What a trip into mass-market boys' adventure books, created in 1914. Yes,1914!!! This was during the years when young lads said, "Now, see here!" And they had to pardon their slang when they said "Nothing doing" instead of No.
Young Tom Swift is a highly successful inventor who lives with his father. Swift has a best friend named Ned, who is a banker, and he has a neighbor who is also an inventor, named Mr. Damon.
Throughout the chapters in this book, Tom and Ned are constantly referred to as "chums" as they experiment with Tom's latest invention and as they take breaks from their work and go on outings via motorboat or biplane or airship. They encounter an enemy who antagonizes poor Mr. Damon, who always "blesses" things. "Bless my buttons! Bless my watch chain!" Boy howdy.
But here's the real kicker. Tom invents a photo telephone that takes pictures and transmits them over a wire and wow, the quotes from the story just speak for themselves.
" If a certain person talks to me over the wire, I can turn my switch, and get a picture of him here at my apparatus connected with my telephone. To do that I'll merely need a sending apparatus at the other end of the telephone line . . ."
"Could you arrange it so the person who was talking to you would have his picture taken whether he wanted it or not?" asked Ned.
Wow, what a brilliant way to capture un-American activities, Mr. Narc! Yes, let's make this possible. What a smashing idea these two chums have concocted. Makes me want to caper about and perform boyish "stunts." Just like in the book. See here:
Tom Swift has dozens of adventures available in the public domain. Y'all are welcome to go look for 'em. But readers need a strong stomach or acute tunnel vision to get through the appearances of Tom's personal servant, a black man oddly named Eradicate who says shit like "massa" and shocks himself on Tom's invention because he doesn't understand how electricity works. He's depicted as being on the same social level of a half-wit "giant" named Koku, who likes to smash things. Those types of characters are a hurtful addition to an otherwise amusing franchise. The author of this book pandered to a bunch of narcs workin for the "man," stepping all over those without power or education. Booo, I say!
I mean, yeah, Tom and his "chum" caught the bad guy who had bad intentions, but the story perpetuates the stupid stereotype that wealthy caucasian fellas always save the day, gee whiz. Bleh.
I'm gonna stay away from the rest of this series. Gonna go see if Walmart sells those new-fangled photo telephones. Gonna find out if Skype has a privacy agreement . . .