The little group in the machine shop was soon deep in the discussion of ohms, amperes, volts and currents, and, for a time, Tom almost forgot the message calling him to Philadelphia.

Taking advantage of the momentary lull in the activities of the young inventor, I will tell my readers something about him, so that those who have no previous introduction to him may feel that he is a friend.

Tom Swift lived with his father, Barton Swift, a widower, in the village of Shopton, New York.  There was also in the household Mrs. Baggert, the aged housekeeper, who looked after Tom almost like a mother.  Garret Jackson, an engineer and general helper, also lived with the Swifts.

Eradicate Sampson might also be called a retainer of the family, for though the aged colored man and his mule Boomerang did odd work about the village, they were more often employed by Tom and his father than by any one else.  Eradicate was so called because, as he said, he “eradicated” the dirt.  He did whitewashing, made gardens, and did anything else that was needed.  Boomerang was thus named by his owner, because, as Eradicate said, “yo’ nebber know jest what dat mule am goin’ t’ do next.  He may go forward or he may go backward, jest laik them Australian boomerangs.”

There was another valued friend of the family, Wakeneld Damon by name, to whom the reader will be introduced in due course.  And then there was Mary Nestor, about whom I prefer to let Tom tell you himself, for he might be jealous if I talked too much about her.

In the first book of this series, called “Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle,” there was told how he became possessed of the machine, after it had nearly killed Mr. Damon, who was learning to ride it.  Mr. Damon, who had a habit of “blessing” everything from his collar button to his shoe laces, did not “bless” the motor-cycle after it tried to climb a tree with him; and he sold it to Tom very cheaply.  Tom repaired it, invented some new attachments for it, and had a number of adventures on it.  Not the least of these was trailing after a gang of scoundrels who tried to get possession of a valuable patent model belonging to Mr. Swift.

Our second book, called “Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat,” related some exciting times following the acquisition by the young inventor of a speedy craft which the thieves of the patent model had stolen.  In the boat Tom raced with Andy Foger, a town bully, and beat him.  Tom also took out on pleasure trips his chum, Ned Newton, who worked in a Shopton bank, and the two had fine times together.  Need I also say that Mary Nestor also had trips in the motor-boat?  Besides some other stirring adventures in his speedy craft Tom rescued, from a burning balloon that fell into the lake, the aeronaut, John Sharp.  Later Mr. Sharp and Tom built an airship, called the Red cloud, in which they had some strenuous times.

Their adventures in this craft of the air form the basis for the third book of the series, entitled “Tom Swift and His Airship.”  In the Red cloud, Tom and his friends, including Mr. Damon, started to make a record flight.  They left Shopton the night when the bank vault was blown open, and seventy-five thousand dollars stolen.