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John McPhee, The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973) Reissued in paperback by Noonday Press in 1992. There aren't many writers who could carry off a tale about repeated and failed attempts to develop an obscure, pumpkin seed-shaped flying machine with such panache, but then again, John McPhee is no ordinary writer. In his 1973 classic, written as a serial for The New Yorker, McPhee spends over a year intently observing an obscure New Jersey aviation's group's attempt to develop a workhorse of the skies, which would shuttle goods across oceans and continents with minimal cost. In this reader's opinion, the story of the development of the Aeron flying vessel on a tarmack in New Jersey isn't McPhee's best, (it's no Meadowlands) but then again, it's still a fascinating account of aviation development, with a few keenly sketched characters, including an evangelist aviation junkie, a wizened salt of the earth mechanic, and a German physicist. A quick Google search reveals that among flight aficianados, the book is still a cult classic - and still shows up on aviation discussion boards. But cultish or no, it still makes for a good read, and by its end, it almost feels poignant. MORE: McPhee's Website |
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