"From one of the most decorated pilots in Air Force history comes a masterful account of Lindbergh's death-defying nonstop transatlantic flight in Spirit of St. Louis. On the rainy morning of May 20, 1927, a little-known American pilot named Charles A. Lindbergh climbed into his single-engine monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis, and prepared to take off from a small airfield on Long Island, New York. Despite his inexperience he was determined to win the $25,000 Orteig Prize promised to the first pilot to fly nonstop between New York and Paris, a terrifying adventure that had already claimed six men's lives. Ahead of him lay a 3,600-mile solo journey across the vast north Atlantic and into the unknown; his survival rested on his skill, courage, and an unassuming little aircraft with no front window. Thirty-three and a half hours later, the audacious young American touched down in Paris, having acheived the seemingly impossible. Acclaimed aviation historian Dan Hampton draws on his unique perspective to bring alive the danger, uncertainty, and heroic accomplishment of Lindbergh's crossing. Hampton's deeply researched telling also incorporates a trove of primary sources, including Lindbergh's own personal diary and writings, as well as family letters and untapped aviation archives that fill out this legendary story as never before."-- Provided by publisher.

The first hours --Hope -- Hour five -- Doorway to the Atlantic -- Innocence lost : snapshots of a decade -- The empire of the night -- Phantoms in the mist -- Crossing the bridge -- Dreams -- A new reality.