Interesting Emendations: John McPhee's Brilliant "Structure"

The “Structure” in John McPhee’s excellent new book, Draft No. 4, is not the “Structure” that appeared in the January 14, 2013, New Yorker. The book version contains three additional sections – one on the composition of “The Encircled River” (The New Yorker, May 2 & 9, 1977), one on writing leads, and one on the structuring of “Looking for a Ship” (The New Yorker, March 26 & April 2, 1990). These additions make “Structure” the longest and, for me, the richest of Draft No. 4’s eight essays. I’ll have more to say about this great piece in future posts.