The Spirit of St. Louis (book)

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The Spirit of St. Louis is Charles A. Lindbergh’s autobiography about his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis. It was published on September 14, 1953, by Charles Scribner’s Sons and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1954. The book covers events from September 1926 to May 1927 and is divided into two parts: The Craft and New York to Paris.

In The Craft, Lindbergh explains how he planned and built the plane, raised money, and faced many challenges while others raced to win the Orteig Prize. In New York to Paris, he provides an hour-by-hour account of the 33-hour flight from Roosevelt Field in New York to Le Bourget Field in Paris, describing navigation problems, storms, fuel calculations, and the fatigue of flying alone. Interwoven are memories from his childhood, his aviation career, mentors, friends who helped him, and his family, especially his father.

The book includes an Afterword and a lengthy Appendix with a flight log, maps, photos, engineering data, and other materials. It is Lindbergh’s third book-length account of the flight, following WE (1927) and Of Flight and Life. He spent 14 years writing the manuscript, with editor John Hall Wheelock trimming away some early-life flashbacks to keep the focus on the flight. He dedicated the book to his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

The Spirit of St. Louis was a bestseller and received widespread praise. It helped that The Book of the Month Club named it a main selection, and a serialization in The Saturday Evening Post (“33 Hours to Paris”) boosted sales. A 1957 film adaptation directed by Billy Wilder starred James Stewart as Lindbergh. Later editions appeared, including a 1993 edition with an introduction by Reeve Lindbergh. A copy of the book even flew into space aboard SpaceShipOne in 2004, linking it to the same spirit of exploration that inspired the original flight.