#5 in the Tom Swift Jr. series. Grosset and Dunlap hardcover publication. Copyright 1954. Print year estimated at 1960, based on ##16 Cosmic Astronauts (1960) being the last title listed on rear dust jacket flap and the internal book list. Author "Victor Appleton II." Victor Appleton the first was the Stratemeyer Syndicate pen name for the initial Tom Swift series. Very nice blue tweed book with sturdy spine and hinges. Blue and white space lab endpapers. "100100" designation on upper right corner of dust jacket front flap. Spine is somewhat sunned. No writing/markings. Good to fair wrap-around dust jacket with significant damage only at top front, where there's a closed tear and edge chipping, and chipping at the spine top and bottom. Chip at top front jacket corner. Sticker removal scar just below the title on the front of the jacket. In this one, Tom and his crew go to the South Pole with his latest invention, the atomic earth blaster, which is an automatic tunneling device. At first, the blaster mechanically chops rocks, but he improves it to a machine that uses atomic energy to vaporize rocks, and it can also drill down into rock layers! Note to New York state residents: an 8.75% sales tax is applicable. (TSC5)