Doctorow works his magic in tale of blue bloods who died in squalor (The Buffalo News)

In the 62 years since crowds gathered to marvel at the massive piles of debris pulled from the once-grand Harlem brownstone of reclusive bachelor brothers Homer and Langley Collyer -- ranging from floor-to-ceiling stacks of newspapers to the chassis of a Model T--the disorder that ultimately killed them has become better understood.