''Tunnel Through Time'' is a 1966 science fiction novel written by Paul W. Fairman under American science fiction and fantasy author Lester del Rey's byline. It is a children's

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

adventure.

Plot summary

The novel tells the story of a teen named Bob Miller whose scientist father, Sam Miller, has invented a "time ring", a circular device that allows time travel. Bob and his friend Pete travel through time in search of Pete's father ("Doc Tom", a

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

) who has disappeared while traveling alone. Beginning in the

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceo ...

Era, Tom's planned destination, the story depicts various adventures while the travelers jump from point to point in Earth's prehistory; although they are able to locate the missing Dr. Tom Miller almost immediately upon arriving in the Mesozoic era, the time machine is unexpectedly damaged when a dinosaur runs into it. As a result, the three are unable to immediately travel directly forward through time to their present, and instead are forced to "hop" through different eras of prehistory until they finally arrive home.

Literary significance and reception

This book was used in many elementary and

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

classrooms for reading and literature classes, and gained a notable popularity with its straightforward, dramatic writing style.

Publishing history

The book was originally published in hardcover by Westminster Press in May 1966 and in paperback by

Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

. It was reprinted several times, most recently in 1974.''Tunnel Through Time'' at Fantastic Fiction
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References

{{Reflist 1966 American novels 1966 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Children's novels about dinosaurs Children's science fiction novels Novels about time travel Novels by Lester del Rey Works published under a pseudonym

Plot summary

Literary significance and reception

Publishing history

See also

References