Tom Playfair
Encyclopedia
Tom Playfair; Or Making a Start is a book by a Roman Catholic priest, Fr. Francis J. Finn
S.J.
, originally published in 1890, and written for youths ages 9–12. Translated into many languages, it is a constant favourite among children of all countries.
Suffering from insomnia, Finn started writing using two of his sleepless hours every night on this story, which tells of the ordinary familiar incidents of Catholic residential school life. Finn hoped to give his readers his ideal of a genuine Catholic American boy.
version appeared in 1908, an Italian
in 1910, a Polish
in 1913, and French and Dutch
versions in 1925. Its universal appeal, manifested by the volume of sales, ranks it with the Frank Merriwell
and Tom Brown
books. Tom Playfair was always to remain Finn's favourite character, and became in the eyes of hundreds of thousands the typical American Catholic boy.
An unusual letter, which arrived at St. Marys
about 1910 attests the universal appeal this book was to have. A young Bavaria
n boy, anxious to find out if Tom Playfair really lived, addressed a letter in his native tongue to "The Very Distinguished Father President of the Jesuit College, near Pawnee River, U. S. A." The state of Kansas
was not mentioned; not even the Kaw river; the "Pawnee" was the name Finn gave in his stories to Bourbonnais creek near the college. Yet the letter arrived in due time.
Like a Catholic version of Tom Sawyer
or the Hardy Boys, this books teaches Catholic virtues through its adventurous and edifying narration. It is said that Finn's books have caused marked improvement in the behaviour, motivation and character of the young people who read them.
The story opens with 10-year-old Tom Playfair being quite a handful for his well-meaning but soft-hearted aunt. (Tom's mother has died.) Mr. Playfair decides to ship his son off to St. Maure's boarding school — an all-boys academy run by Jesuits — to shape him up, as well as to help him make a good preparation for his upcoming First Communion. Tom is less than enthusiastic, but his adventures are just about to begin: life at St. Maure's will not be dull.
Finn’s publisher, Benziger Brothers, called Tom Playfair "the most successful book for boys and girls ever published in the English language."
Francis J. Finn
Father Francis J. Finn, S.J. . wrote a series of 27 popular Catholic novels for young people. The books contain fun stories, likeable characters and themes that remain current in today's world. Each story conveys an important moral precept.-Life:The son of Irish immigrant parents, Francis J....
S.J.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, originally published in 1890, and written for youths ages 9–12. Translated into many languages, it is a constant favourite among children of all countries.
Suffering from insomnia, Finn started writing using two of his sleepless hours every night on this story, which tells of the ordinary familiar incidents of Catholic residential school life. Finn hoped to give his readers his ideal of a genuine Catholic American boy.
Synopsis and narrative style
The popularity of Percy Wynn, a story he wrote after Tom Playfair, but published before it, prepared the way for the appearance of this first and most popular novel. Idealism and deft moral teaching hid themselves in the pranks of Tom Playfair and his fellows. Hardly had the book appeared in 1890 than it came out in a German translation. That boys of all nations liked Tom Playfair can be seen from the following: besides several editions in German, a PortuguesePortuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
version appeared in 1908, an Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
in 1910, a Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
in 1913, and French and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
versions in 1925. Its universal appeal, manifested by the volume of sales, ranks it with the Frank Merriwell
Frank Merriwell
Frank Merriwell is a fictional character appearing in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish...
and Tom Brown
Tom Brown
Tom Brown may refer to:In sports:*Tom Brown , 19th-century baseball player and manager*Tom Brown , former NFL player and MLB outfielder/first baseman...
books. Tom Playfair was always to remain Finn's favourite character, and became in the eyes of hundreds of thousands the typical American Catholic boy.
An unusual letter, which arrived at St. Marys
St. Mary's College, Kansas
Saint Mary's Academy and College is a religious school of the Society of St. Pius X located in St. Marys, Kansas, 25 miles west of Topeka.- St. Mary's College :...
about 1910 attests the universal appeal this book was to have. A young Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n boy, anxious to find out if Tom Playfair really lived, addressed a letter in his native tongue to "The Very Distinguished Father President of the Jesuit College, near Pawnee River, U. S. A." The state of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
was not mentioned; not even the Kaw river; the "Pawnee" was the name Finn gave in his stories to Bourbonnais creek near the college. Yet the letter arrived in due time.
Like a Catholic version of Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer
Thomas "Tom" Sawyer is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . He appears in three other novels by Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Tom Sawyer Abroad , and Tom Sawyer, Detective .Sawyer also appears in at least three unfinished Twain works, Huck and Tom...
or the Hardy Boys, this books teaches Catholic virtues through its adventurous and edifying narration. It is said that Finn's books have caused marked improvement in the behaviour, motivation and character of the young people who read them.
The story opens with 10-year-old Tom Playfair being quite a handful for his well-meaning but soft-hearted aunt. (Tom's mother has died.) Mr. Playfair decides to ship his son off to St. Maure's boarding school — an all-boys academy run by Jesuits — to shape him up, as well as to help him make a good preparation for his upcoming First Communion. Tom is less than enthusiastic, but his adventures are just about to begin: life at St. Maure's will not be dull.
Finn’s publisher, Benziger Brothers, called Tom Playfair "the most successful book for boys and girls ever published in the English language."