Review by Choice Review
By the time Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic in 1927, fliers in several airplanes and a dirigible had already accomplished the same feat. Writers still puzzle over the intense fascination that continues to surround this legendary airman and his legendary life. Pisano and van der Linden (both, Smithsonian) offer a marvelously written narrative that manages to cover a remarkably broad range of topics, accomplish the task brilliantly, pack in dozens of fascinating illustrations (many in color), and package the whole job in a compact, high-quality publication. The authors provide a colorful summary of Lindbergh's early years as an indifferent student, his flying career as barnstormer and mail carrier, and his good fortune to locate backers to fund his transatlantic flight. Following descriptions of the plane, its builders, and a review of the historic flight, the book effectively assesses public response in terms of popular culture and various interpretations adopted in subsequent biographies. Lindbergh's curious flirtation with Nazi figures in the 1930s is objectively discussed; his environmental concerns in later life are noted. The book closes with an engaging description of the Spirit of St. Louis as a Smithsonian artifact. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty. R. E. Bilstein emeritus, University of Houston--Clear Lake
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
May 20^-21, 2002, is the seventy-fifth anniversary of then 25-year-old Charles Lindbergh's nonstop solo flight from New York to Paris in a specially built monoplane dubbed Spirit of St. Louis by one of the feat's Missouri-based financial supporters. In this lovely book, dozens of photographs of the pilot, the plane, the event, and its aftermath accompany intelligent summaries of Lindbergh's early life, the making of the plane, the flight, and Lindbergh's subsequent life as the twentieth-century American hero. The flight's basics are probably still common knowledge, but lesser-known aspects--such as New York restaurateur Raymond Orteig's promise of $25,000 for the flier who first crossed the Atlantic or the 48-state tour Lindbergh and the Spirit flew during the summer of 1927--may be news to many. The authors downplay the Lindbergh-baby kidnapping and murder, seemingly in favor of discussing Lindbergh's opposition to U.S. entry into World War II (unfortunately, with more political correctness than understanding), his postwar criticism of the aviation industry, and his late-life environmentalism. A top-flight commemorative. --Ray Olson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
