Sunday, April 10, 2011

Paperback 402: No Highway / Nevil Shute (Dell 516)

Paperback 402: Dell 516 (No ptg info, 1951)

Title: No Highway
Author: Nevil Shute
Cover artist: photo

Yours for: $10

Dell516.NoHighway

Best things about this cover:
  • "And then you fold this last part like so, and, long story short, we're all going to die in a massive fireball."
  • Flying used to require fancy dress. Though I never knew those days, I kind of miss those days...
  • ...though I'd rather not think about how many animals had to die so that Ms. Dietrich could cross the Atlantic in style.
  • I like how literal the title is: "How are we getting from London to New York? Highway?" "No. No Highway. Airplane."

Dell516bc.Highway_0002

Best things about this back cover:
  • Mapback attack!
  • More Canadian geography than I have ever seen on a mapback. By a longshot.
  • Love the tweaked-globe layout of the map. And, of course, the majestic Gander Airport

Page 123~

"Oh. Are you aware, Dr. Scott, that B.O.A.C. have refused to carry this man in their aircraft, on the grounds that the mental instability from which he suffers makes him a danger to the safety of the other passengers? Are you aware of that?"

I colored hotly at his tone.

I really love that last sentence.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

7 comments:

That Hank said...

Nevil Shute also wrote On the Beach, one of my favorite nuclear war/armageddon novels. Is this one any good?

Citizen Dain said...

"DOCTOR SCOTT!"

"BRAD!"

"JANET!"

"ROCCCKY!!!"

"DOCTOR SCOTT!"

DemetriosX said...

There's a nice review/discussion of this book here. Shute was an aircraft engineer, so he knew what he was talking about.

Are you sure that's a photo? It looks more like a drawing made from a photo to me. The hands especially look more drawn.

borky said...

Jimmy Stewart, (doing his usual bumbling, burbling, distracted, suddenly mesmerised, nerdy schoolboy schtick): "Now, you see...(aviation jargonese this)...(technical jibber-jabber-gibberish the other)...strange...(jibber-jabber-jibber)...supposed to be explaining danger we're in...(jibber-jabber-jibber)...yet for some strange reason suddenly somehow fascinated by your hair...your...(jibber-jabber-jibber)...skin...your eyes...your nose...your lips...strange compulsion to crash object in my hand into the fur clad mountain slopes that're your breasts...to pound its nose...over and over again...into the folds of your beaver...skin...coat...until the contents of my fuel tanks finally explode...landing everywhere...in your hair...your eyelashes...down the slopes of your..."

Marlene Dietrich, (to herself): Is he coming onto me...? Oh, my god, he is, he's coming onto me! They say he's crazy, that he's a bit of a pencil dick - a stubby one, at that - but, hell, they also say he's worth millions! "Jimmy, if this's your charming backwoods way of asking can you taxi your aircraft straight up my runway and park it in my main hangar, then the answer's yes!"

Deb said...

Coincidently, this movie was just on TCM a week or so ago, titled "No Highway in the Sky." We started watching it because nothing else was on and then got interested in it. Jimmy Stewart's "um..um..um..." got on my nerves, but Marlene was divine and Glynnis Johns was marvelous. An amusing moment was when Johns describes Stewart's character as being "old school."

(SPOILER) The ending came abruptly when Stewart, a supposed genius of an engineer, realized he had forgotten to factor ambient temperature into his calculations for metal fatigue.

CYNTHIA said...

Oh my gosh, just discovered this blog (longtime reader and admirer of the crossword blog). So, so funny. Really made my day.

JennyA said...

This actually isn't a bad book. It's not as good as On the Beach or A Town Like Alice, but worth reading.