In 1930, in the South Seas, the yacht Dolphin was wrecked in a storm and washed up on an uncharted island. The sole survivor was young Johnny Jones, and with him he had 743 books from every corner of the world. Ten years passed. Johnny lived on hand-caught small game, so grew extremely quick and cunning. He read all of those books multiple times. One night a ship passed close by, and to draw its attention, Johnny reluctantly burned the heap of books. Johnny was rescued and ended up in New York City, where he was befriended by some actors, who set him up in business as the Answer Man, selling answers to questions for ten cents apiece. He soon constructed a portable laboratory in the back of an old convertible, and travelled the country, solving problems.
