Burt M. (Burt Morton) McConnell

Burt M. McConnell (Burt Morton McConnell, 1888–1960) was an American author whose work covered several very different corners of public life. He is now most often remembered for Tales of the Air Mail Pilots, a lively account of the dangers and heroics of the early United States Air Mail Service.

The surviving record also shows a wider career than that one title suggests. A review of his 1939 book Mexico at the Bar of Public Opinion notes that he had been a member of The Literary Digest staff from 1919 to 1929, and library and rights records connect him with later books written with Jane Tompkins McConnell, including The White House; a History with Pictures.

That mix of subjects helps explain his appeal as a nonfiction writer: he could turn from aviation to politics, history, and national institutions without losing a clear, readable style. Although detailed biographical information is limited online, his bibliography shows a writer deeply interested in how modern America was being shaped and remembered.