The High and the Mighty - Report by John P. Marquand - A novel about the air

Sep 28, 2026

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A book announcement and critical review for Ernest K. Gann’s novel The High and the Mighty, highlighting its suspense and technical vividness. The editorial board is listed, and the review describes the flight of commercial plane 420 from Honolulu toward the mainland, where a loose propeller and a gashing fuel tank create a crisis. The narrative focus centers on the captain, co-pilot, navigator, third pilot, and stewardess, with human judgment threatened as the ditching decision is challenged.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Announcing the May selection

Editorial board and publication details

Review summary: flight crisis and suspense

Character focus and critical assessment

Additional author remarks

100 воок-ое-тне-момтн сиив ОТеws A P RIL 1953 Announcing the May selection The High and the Mighty A NOVEL BY ERNEST K·GANN EDITORIAL BOARDHenry Seidel CanbyCHAIRMANClifton FadimanAmy LovemanJohn P.MarquandChristopher Morley PRICE 350 A novel about the air,with the sameunusual quality of excitement thatmade The Caine Mutiny so popular REPORT BY John P.MarquandHAVE MADE the fight twice from Honolulu to SanFrancisco,and each time it was my good fortune tospend some hours on the flight deck with the planecrew and to observe what went on there with the embarrassed reticence of anon-mechanically-minded stranger.As I watched the crew and the night outside, I.wished that I might translate the whole scene into fiction,but I knew that mybest effort would be painfully superficial. With Mr.Ernest K.Gann it is different,because he has lived with the impon-derables of air and space and is able to write of them with eloquence and superbprecision.His novel,The High aind the Mighty,which begins with the routinedetails of a flight from Honolulu to the mainland and ends in crisis that touchesdisaster and dissolution,is essentially an airman's story and one of the best thathave yet been written. Mr.Gann takes us aboard the commercial passenger plane 420 as it standsready to taxi down the Honolulu runway for its flight over the Pacific and also into the minds and emotions of its crew and passengers.We see Sullivan,thecaptain—a confident and finely trained flyer—assume the grim mantle of hisresponsibilities.We see Dan Roman,the co-pilot,a man in his early ffties,whohas spent his life flying,in war and peace,and does not want to stop;and Wilby,the middle-aged navigator,to whom the stars and the planets are open books;and Hobie Wheeler,the slick third pilot,too young to understand ever-present danger;and Miss Spalding,the beautifuland disciplined stewardess.We watch themcheck and double-check before the takeoffto avoid the possibility of human error,although they know that flight is a com-bination of human minds.We watch MissSpalding hang up the ladies'mink coatsand adjust her passengers'seat belts.Thencrew and passengers are air-borne,climb-ing to nine thousand feet in fine weather,each absorbed in his own thoughts but allbound together by the accident of flight.Everything is well ordered and routine except for a slight unevenness in vibration which worries Sullivan but which hecannot trace.They pass the point-of-no-return and then the propeller of number-one motor works loose,gashing the fuel tank in the wing.Suddenly fear is every-where,the creeping sort of fear that threatens sound judgment.With the leakingfuel tank there is the immediate question of whether there will be enough fuel leftto reach the mainland.It is either land or ditching in the rough Pacific.HowCaptain Sullivan and Co-pilot Roman and everyone else aboard face this problemis the central point of The High and the Mighty.Only a few minutes out of SanFrancisco,with the tanks theoretically empty,Sullivan gives the order to ditch.Then Dan Roman refuses to obey."The years had somehow been wiped away inthe space of a second,and it was the young Dan Roman who leaned far across theseparation of their seats.The palm of his hand flashed outward with incredible swiftness.There were two plainly audiblesmacks as his open hand struck both sidesof Sullivan's face....'Get hold of your-self,you yellow son-of-a-bitch!'” The constantly mounting suspense in this novel,withits question reiterated with rising emphasis of whetherplane 420 can ever reach land,is skilfully handled by Mr.Gann.His explanations are so clear and the illusion he creates is so devas-tatingly real that time and again you forget it is a book that you are reading.Instead you are aboard the faltering 420 while Mr.Gann deftly leads you fromplace to place.You are in the cockpit sweating it out with Sullivan.You are insideDan Roman's mind,immersed in his deep knowledge and experience.You are withNa

FAQs

What is the central premise of The High and the Mighty described in the review?

The story follows a commercial flight where an engine propeller problem damages the fuel system, forcing the crew to face a looming choice between reaching land or ditching in the Pacific.

Which crew members are emphasized as key figures?

Captain Sullivan, co-pilot Dan Roman, navigator Wilby, third pilot Hobie Wheeler, and stewardess Miss Spalding are singled out as the people who really count in the narrative.

How does the review evaluate the novel’s storytelling technique?

It praises the mounting suspense, the clarity of the explanations, and the realism of the illusion created—so vivid that readers feel they are aboard the faltering plane and inside the characters’ minds.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo