Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor: Botts Abroad, Vol. 2
Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor: Botts Abroad, Vol. 2
ITEM 251AP
By William Hazlett Upson
Botts Begins won gold for the 2021 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award in Humor!
The world’s best tractor salesman is back in this second installment of Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor. In this series of humorous short stories, Botts and his new bride travel to Europe on a special assignment to bring the solid, American-made machines to the Old World! Nicknamed “Gadget” because of her usefulness, Mrs. Botts proves to be as resourceful as her husband in cleverly closing deals in ancient cities previously thought to have no market for crawler tractors.
Alexander Botts was created in 1927 by author William Hazlett Upson, and the stories are based on Upson’s work as a factory assembler and sales demonstrator for the Caterpillar Tractor Company. For almost half a century, Botts was beloved by The Saturday Evening Post readers in more than 100 short stories. This book includes the original illustrations that appeared with the stories in TheSaturday Evening Post, and is part of a series that will be the first to present the entire collection.
Alexander Botts and his Earthworm Tractor will charm readers young and old and entertain with innocent mayhem, timeless humor, and twists of fate.
Paperback, 262 Pages
Welcome to the delightful fictional world of Alexander Botts, salesman extraordinaire for the Earthworm tractor. In his Forward to Volume 1, Lee Klancher notes his short stories, first published in the Saturday Evening Post and starting in April 1927, take the reader back to a time when “motorized equipment was one of the wonders of the era, transforming people’s daily lives and physically reshaping the world around them.” The stories’ charm for today, he adds, is their account of the bumbling and usually self-aggrandizing Alexander Botts whose efforts ultimately lead to “results that benefit the honest and the underprivileged.”
Author Upson knew the tractor business well, having worked for the Caterpillar Tractor Co. Volume 1 features the first 12 short stories that begin with Botts’ employment in 1920. Reflecting the primary means of communication that existed in the 1920s, Upson recounts Botts’ exploits via letters and telegrams. The original illustrations by artist Tony Sarg add visual appeal. Volume 2 features Botts’ triumphs over self-inflicted difficulties in 12 more stories set aboard ships with visits to France, Italy, the U.S.S.R., and Germany. Octane Press intends to publish the entire collection of the more than 100 Alexander Botts short stories. I cannot wait.
Book Review by Robert Gabrick
