Family Squabble

The McCormick Reaper Legend: The True Story of a Great Invention, by Norbert Lyons. 217 pp. New York: Exposition Press. $4.00

The evidence collected by Mr. Lyons would indicate that the reaping machine, which really marked the beginning of mechanized farming, was invented by Robert McCormick, who “gave” the invention to his son, Cyrus. The portrayal of the conditions under which such machines were made and marketed a century and more ago is of mild interest, but the iterated denunciations of Cyrus make the reader feel that he has somehow blundered into a family squabble. R. P. O.

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The McCormick Reaper Legend: The True Story of a Great Invention, by Norbert Lyons. 217 pp. New York: Exposition Press. $4.00

The evidence collected by Mr. Lyons would indicate that the reaping machine, which really marked the beginning of mechanized farming, was invented by Robert McCormick, who “gave” the invention to his son, Cyrus. The portrayal of the conditions under which such machines were made and marketed a century and more ago is of mild interest, but the iterated denunciations of Cyrus make the reader feel that he has somehow blundered into a family squabble. R. P. O.