AutoFlick: A Study of Whales and Cigarettes That Became a Novel

In 1968, Isaac Yardley did not know what he was getting into when he and his father started chasing after people who threw cigarettes from cars. He did not know their “research” project would lead to getting gassed in the war on poverty, befriended by an eccentric entrepreneur, running naked through the woods in Bucks County, a windfall at a race track and the New York City premiere of “Magical Mystery Tour.”

But he might have expected something. His father was born a Quaker, became an atheist, joined the Dick Mobius society of Herman Melville enthusiasts, married a beauty-pageant contestant and settled into a career as a small town newspaper reporter. He was also too good a swimmer for his own good.

Along the way, more than 60 cigarettes are observed being flicked to the road. Or to other places.