Irons in the Fire
by McPhee, John
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Near Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0374177260
- ISBN 13
- 9780374177263
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
The title piece of this seven piece collection formed from a conversation in which a friend of John’s told him that he had recently been to Nevada and had seen at a remote crossroads, a white vehicle with red and blue lights and the Nevada state seal on the door. Above the door, instead of the words State Police, he saw the words Brand Inspector. He had thought of McPhee and what a reporter might learn if they spent a few weeks in that vehicle. The same day the author departed from New Jersey to Nevada. The contents of this book perfectly reflect the variety in the span of John Mcphee’s work - pieces that have in common essentially the fact that they are about real people and real places. The longest piece, titled “ The Gravel Page' ', is about forensic geology. Formed from insights in science, and how they are used to solve major crimes and puzzles on an even greater scale. The shortest piece, titled “ Rinard Manheim '', is an experimental story on an auction of exotic cars, in which the interviewee takes over the narrative while McPhee is confined to brackets. Unlikely items such as the virgin forest in central New Jersey, a blind writer-professor working at a computer and a mountain of forty-four million scrap tires in California shape the scenes of other pieces. “ Travels of the Rock' ' ends the book, describing a day in which the State of Massachusetts had to call a mason to repair the nation’s most hallowed lithic relic. McPhee stood in the pit with the mason and watched the public leaning on the railings above.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Carnegie Hill Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 014343
- Title
- Irons in the Fire
- Author
- McPhee, John
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0374177260
- ISBN 13
- 9780374177263
- Publisher
- Farrar Straus & Giroux
- Place of Publication
- NY
- Date Published
- 1997
- Keywords
- American Natural History Writing Essays Nevada
Terms of Sale
Carnegie Hill Books
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About the Seller
Carnegie Hill Books
About Carnegie Hill Books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Jacket
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- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...