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Mad Scientists' Club: The Books

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Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books

#21

Post by wduquette »

mindcrime wrote: post #10

I loved these books as a kid back in the 80's. I'm sure they played a key role in shaping my interests and worldview. These, along with the "Encyclopedia Brown" books, the "The Three Investigators" series, the "Tom Swift Jr" series, and "The Great Brain", plus the original Doyle canon of Sherlock Holmes stories, were constant companions in my youth. Oh, and those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. Those were great. E…

Heh. I loved these back in the 70's, and remember them fondly. Along with Encyclopedia Brown, many of the Three Investigators books, and all of the Great Brain stories. Never got into Tom Swift particular, but I did read the Danny Dunn novels (Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine got me interested in computers) and The Many Inventions of Alvin Fernald.

Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books

#24

Post by mindcrime »

wduquette wrote: post #21
mindcrime wrote: post #10

I loved these books as a kid back in the 80's. I'm sure they played a key role in shaping my interests and worldview. These, along with the "Encyclopedia Brown" books, the "The Three Investigators" series, the "Tom Swift Jr" series, and "The Great Brain", plus the original Doyle canon of Sherlock Holmes stories, were constant companions in my youth. Oh, and those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. Those were great. E…

Heh. I loved these back in the 70's, and remember them fondly. Along with Encyclopedia Brown, many of the Three Investigators books, and all of the Great Brain stories. Never got into Tom Swift particular, but I did read the Danny Dunn novels (Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine got me interested in computers) and The Many Inventions of Alvin Fernald.

> but I did read the Danny Dunn novels (Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine got me interested in computers)

Amazing. These[1] sound exactly like something that would have been up my alley, but I'd never even heard of this series until right now. I might just have to find some of them and go back and read them now. Wonder how they hold up for reading by an adult in our times?

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn

Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books

#25

Post by aaron695 »

I'm not sure how I've missed the two extra books were released. Maybe I read them on the Kindle. I've followed it pretty religiously getting books at second hand shops to gift when I could.

Books - https://booko.us/search?query_type=1&q=Bertrand+R.+Brinley

"No Coins, Please" if you liked "The Great Brian" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Coins,_Please

A common theme of kids being independent to adults and doing original stuff and not having to be being detectives.

Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books

#26

Post by mindcrime »

at_a_remove wrote: post #19
mindcrime wrote: post #10

I loved these books as a kid back in the 80's. I'm sure they played a key role in shaping my interests and worldview. These, along with the "Encyclopedia Brown" books, the "The Three Investigators" series, the "Tom Swift Jr" series, and "The Great Brain", plus the original Doyle canon of Sherlock Holmes stories, were constant companions in my youth. Oh, and those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. Those were great. E…

We must have had very similar reading lists, although I think I subbed in Trixie Belden (an odd choice for a boy) for the Three Investigators.

> although I think I subbed in Trixie Belden

I never read any of those, but that reminds me, I left off the "The Hardy Boys" and "Nancy Drew" stories from my original list. Those were also frequently read in my home as a kid. :-)

Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books

#27

Post by troupe »

I've read these as a kid and they were some of the books I made sure I had in our house to read to my children. It seems like these would make a great TV series.

Brinley also wrote a book about creating model rockets that I read as a kid. I didn't realize he was the author of the Mad Scientist Club books until I was an adult. https://archive.org/details/RocketManualForAmateursByCapt.Be...

Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books

#28

Post by JKCalhoun »

troupe wrote: post #27

I've read these as a kid and they were some of the books I made sure I had in our house to read to my children. It seems like these would make a great TV series. Brinley also wrote a book about creating model rockets that I read as a kid. I didn't realize he was the author of the Mad Scientist Club books until I was an adult. https://archive.org/details/RocketManualForAmateursByCapt.Be...

Yeah, "Rocket Manual For Amateurs", the book that inspired Homer "Rocket Boys" Hickam.

EDIT: Wow, ha ha, I just remembered that 15 or so years ago I was in a bidding war on eBay over a copy of "Rocket Manual For Amateurs". When I realized that I was bidding against Homer Hickam (I think his username was pretty obvious — like 'hhickam') I stopped bidding and let him have it.

When I just recounted the story to my wife she says, "I thought you won it and he was mad at you." That's not how I remember it.

Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books

#29

Post by JKCalhoun »

BarbaryCoast wrote: post #8

I read these as a child in the 60's. When Purple House Press re-issued them, I snapped them up. They've also re-issued some other favorites, like the Alvin Fernald series. I like to buy direct from them, so they don't have to share the money with amazon. Now if someone would re-issue the Miss Pickerel series...

Like you I picked up the hardcover reprints.

Now I find there was a 4th Mad Scientist's book published posthumously that came and went (The Big Chunk of Ice). Off to eBay....

Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books

#30

Post by dekhn »

mindcrime wrote: post #24
wduquette wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heh. I loved these back in the 70's, and remember them fondly. Along with Encyclopedia Brown, many of the Three Investigators books, and all of the Great Brain stories. Never got into Tom Swift particular, but I did read the Danny Dunn novels (Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine got me interested in computers) and The Many Inventions of Alvin Fernald.

> but I did read the Danny Dunn novels (Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine got me interested in computers) Amazing. These[1] sound exactly like something that would have been up my alley, but I'd never even heard of this series until right now. I might just have to find some of them and go back and read them now. Wonder how they hold up for reading by an adult in our times? [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_D…

I just went back and skimmed "Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint", I think it's worth reading that one, but it would be a lot more fun to read to a kid than to read on your own (the writing level is clearly for kids).

It's archived: https://archive.org/details/dannydunnantigra0000jayw/page/n1...

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