Far-Flung Hubbell:: Essays from the American Road

Hubbell (A Book of Bees), formerly a regular contributor to the New Yorker, deals with a variety of subjects in this collection of entertaining and informative essays previously published separately. Because she traveled widely in her three-quarter-ton pickup delivering the honey she made on her Ozark farm, several of Hubbell's pieces evoke life at truck stops and in the small towns she passed through. In ``The Great American Pie Expedition,'' she describes the mouthwatering, summer-long odyssey across the U.S. she embarked on in search of the best restaurant pies and concludes, ``Never eat pie within one mile of an interstate highway.'' In other articles, she interviews a woman who recently sighted Elvis, examines the state of five-and-dime stores, visits a magicians' convention and shares her love of the outdoors. Hubbell's ready wit is never caustic, and she reports on her country and its citizens with curiosity and respect. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Aug.)