Just dusted off a pdf copy of this essay which evaluates Pynchon's use of source material and also provides a valuable glossary of many of the Maltese people, places and events referred to in the novel: 'Pynchon, _V._, and the Malta Connection' by Arnold Cassola. _Journal of Modern Literature_ 12.2, 1985, pp. 311-331. An oldie but a goodie. best