Rick Brant was the protagonist of a series of boy's adventure books from the 1950s called the Spindrift Books, so named after the fictional island that was his home. Rick was the son of a quintessential 1950s 'famous scientist,' Dr. Brant (naturally) and had a very understanding if forceful mother who ran the house.

The Spindrift novels were a cross between the Tom Swift books and the Hardy Boys Adventures, in that they usually involved intrigue along with a focus on a cool-in-the-1950s scientific principle. Two that I can remember off the top of my head involved a plant to collect minerals (precious ones as well) from seawater through electrolysis, and an expedition to Tibet (or maybe Nepal) to allow an experimental radio transmission link between Spindrift Island and the other side of the world - bounced off of the moon.

Rick had an annoying younger sister, and a typical best pal (named Scotty, IIRC) who was an ex-Marine. Scotty had a bit of a love affair with his rifle like any good jarhead, and acted as the slightly-slow-but-lovable-heavy.

When I was young, I recall wanting to be Rick Brant because he lived on a neat-o private island off the coast of New Jersey where there were laboratories, his house, an airstrip, machine shops, a marina, etc. He had a Piper Cub which he used in most of the books (he was a licensed pilot) and a snazzy speedboat for local ferry trips.

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