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McPhee, a New Jersey native and the author of 26 books, yesterday brought his insatiable interest in all things American to a small gathering at the Princeton Public Library. The guest of honor was appearing at the invitation of the New Jersey Library Association, which chose McPhee's 1967 geographic profile, "The Pine Barrens," as the centerpiece of its second annual "One Book New Jersey" reading and literacy program.

"This year we made a conscious decision to keep a New Jersey focus," says Dan Weiss, chairman of the One Book New Jersey Committee and the director of Fanwood Memorial Library. "Towards that end, we offered "The Pine Barrens" (among several other possibilities) ... and the New Jersey library community voted."

McPhee had never visited the Pine Barrens until he decided to write about them more than 35 years ago. The Pine Barrens covers about 650,000 acres of South Jersey, an area that McPhee writes is almost identical in size with Grand Canyon National Park. It's approximately 1,800 square miles, with only a few thousand inhabitants, and is the largest, essentially untouched wilderness east of the Mississippi.

'I thought it was amazing," McPhee says about the selection of his book. "After all it was more than a quarter century old. But the Pinelands are still here, and fortunately so am I."

Last year, One Book New Jersey featured Ray Bradbury's futuristic novel, "Fahrenheit 451," and, according to One Book Jersey program manager, Stephen Maynard, "the programming associated with that book, and the three others, was an unqualified success."

"From the library participation perspective," he says, "there were 643 distinct events at more than 350 libraries," including a number of discussion and debate sessions held at several high schools around the state.

This year, like last, One Book New Jersey has selected three additional books for younger readers: For young adult readers, the novel, "The Body of Christopher Creed," by Carol Plum-Ucci, concerns the mysterious disappearance of a student regarded by his classmates, who now must find him, as an oddball and an outsider.

For middle readers, "Because of Winn-Dixie," by Kate DiCamillo, is the story of a lonely girl who adopts a dog that has been thrown out of the local supermarket.

And for young readers and listeners, "How the Cat Swallowed Thunder," by Lloyd Alexander, tells the tale of the antics and accidents that follow a feline that has been left home alone.

For Weiss, One Book New Jersey, modeled after dozens of other similar programs all across the country, is a way to "publicize New Jersey's libraries, as well as literacy and reading."

For McPhee -- who is currently in the middle of writing a series of "transportation" profiles for the New Yorker about people who haul freight -- revisiting "The Pine Barrens" through the new statewide reading program, has presented him with a rare opportunity.

'One of the things in my work," he says, "is that you have to move on to the next thing. But I have a lot of nostalgia for the things I write about."

It has been a couple of years since McPhee has been back to the Pine Barrens, where he likes to hike and canoe. Happily, he says, the area has stayed relatively unchanged in the years since he wrote the book.

As for his next adventure, McPhee remains unconcerned. 'I don't know where I'm going next," he says. "But I better go somewhere. I have to keep on moving."

For more information on what One Book New Jersey activities are taking place near you, visit www.onebooknewjersey.org. If you have any questions, you can send an e-mail to: [email protected]