After author Thomas Pynchon graduated from Cornell University, he got a job with Boeing and started on V., a novel considered one of the best of the last half of the 20th century. Working for Boeing inspired Yoyodyne, a recurring company both in the novel and in Pynchon’s future works. The 1963 book, Pynchon’s first, follows around the Whole Sick Crew in search of the true identity of a woman named V. The book set the stage for later critically acclaimed Pynchon novels, including The Crying of Lot 49 and Gravity’s Rainbow.