Charles Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh is the chief subject of the book. He was an aviation pioneer, author, conservationist, and businessman. He is perhaps best known for being the first man to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Paris, in May 1927. Lindbergh, then twenty-five, designed his own plane for the trip, The Spirit of St. Louis.

Lindbergh was rebellious and independent. From an early age, he was much more interested in toying with machines in the garage than in schoolwork. He had a knack for machinery, and he was gifted with terrific eyesight, courage, and other attributes that made him an ideal pilot.

Lindbergh came to resent his worldwide celebrity and the intense scrutiny the press treated him with. He and his wife, Anne, had to travel in disguises to try not to be noticed and photographed. Press attention would crescendo with the kidnapping...