An account of an odd boyhood in New Mexico and California. Pop was a character; he was not lazy- he drove himself and others when interested in a project, until he got bored or had a new idea. His junk pile was famous; his rehabilitation of ancient engines played its part in swamp reclamation, mining, bootlegging. The story is unpretentious refashioning of remembered incidents and personalities, often funny, often original- but not as individual as Mauldin's other books.