Thanks to authors Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett (and archivist Joe Rainone) I discovered Frank Reade Jr., the fictional 19th Century version of Tom Swift. I can only say, "Wow! Where has this been all my life?"
Frank Reade Magazine kicked off with an 1892 story (a reprint of a story written in 1868) about a Steam Man (above) of the Prairie. Some people say American science fiction began with this story.
Apparently the idea for a robot powered steam car came from a real idea (above) that was actually patented in 1870.
Is this (above) a doctored photo or is it real? I can't always tell.
I have to admit that, judging from the excerpts I've read so far, the prose in those stories wasn't very good. That's okay. The ideas were terrific.
Anyway, the stories were popular. Reade came up with a trackless horseless carriage (above) that really caught the public's imagination. It's interesting that the carriage wasn't a single-person conveyance, but rather something a group would ride, with an idealistic captain at the helm, a la Jules Verne.
I forgot to mention that the prairie robot was eventually replaced by a free-standing semi-intelligent robot: "Boilerplate."
Later Frank Reade took to the air in a series of ever-changing airships. Reade's character lived in a time when believers in heavier-than-air flight were divided. Some thought airships would only work if they had flappable wings like a bird (above). Others favored Da Vinci's helicopter.
Reade tried both but favored the DaVinci copter (above), which was similar to Verne's design in "Rubor the Conqueror."
Interesting, eh?
