Planes, Trains and Automobiles

If you’re in the mood for a book about transportation, Faded Page has a variety of books about planes, trains, and automobiles for you to try.

Fans of the Hardy Boys may wish to try a Ted Scott Flying Story. This series was produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate from 1927 to 1943 and was written under the Franklin W. Dixon pseudonym. The hero is a daring young aviator very much in the style of Charles Lindbergh, and the books are illustrated with pictures of those classic wooden-frame biplanes that marked the early days of aviation. Faded Page currently has three of the Ted Scott stories on offer: Across the Pacific, Over the Rockies with the Air Mail, and Lost at the South Pole.

If a mystery set on a train (particularly the ever-so-romantic steam train) is more your speed, Faded Page has some mysteries from the Golden Age of detective fiction that might be of interest. Miles Burton’s Death in the Tunnel is one such example. Sir Wilfred Saxonby is travelling alone in a locked compartment on the 5 o’clock train. The train enters a tunnel, and by the time the train exits the tunnel, Saxonby is dead—shot through the heart. Was it suicide? Or was it murder?

Automobile enthusiasts who want a fun children’s story, meanwhile, need look no further than Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This is the classic story by Ian Fleming about a magical car that can drive by itself, fly, and even float, and is the vehicle by which Caractacus Potts and his family have a wide range of adventures. If you’ve seen the movie and want to read the original book, now’s your chance.

If you like these books and want to see more transportation-related stories on Faded Page, come join us and proofread a few pages. For more information about how to volunteer, check out our companion site, Distributed Proofreaders Canada.