Anne Morrow Lindbergh: First Lady of the Air [Hardcover]

Kathleen C. C. Winters (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1403969329 | ISBN-13: 978-1403969323 | Publication Date: October 31, 2006

Few people know that Anne Morrow Lindbergh was an accomplished and innovative pilot in her own right. In fact, she was one of the defining figures of American aviation, a bright and adventurous woman who helped to pioneer air routes, traveled around the world, and came to be adored by the American public. In this revealing biography, author and pilot Kathleen C. Winters vividly recreates the adventure and excitement of many of Anne's early flights, including never-before-revealed flight details from the Lindbergh archives. An intimate portrayal of a remarkable woman, Anne Morrow Lindbergh also offers a dazzling picture of the exciting and dangerous early years of aviation's Golden Age.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This biography focuses on Lindbergh's flying career, which she embarked upon after her 1929 marriage to Charles Lindbergh, already a hero for his historic nonstop transatlantic flight two years earlier. Drawing on an admirable array of research, aviation historian Winters documents how Charles trained his young wife to serve as copilot, navigator and radio operator on their long pioneering flights. In their new plane, Sirius, the Lindberghs set a speed record for flying from coast to coast. Winters details their flight to China and a five-month global survey flight that would advance commercial air travel, adventures that Anne (1906–2001) wrote about in North to the Orient and Listen, the Wind. It's clear that Anne fell in love with flying as well as with her husband, a driven, demanding man. Charles insisted that she fly while pregnant and argued for greater aviation challenges as their family grew. Though this is not a comprehensive biography, Winters deals briefly with the well-known aspects of Anne's life including the kidnapping and murder of the Lindberghs' first son and Charles's flirtation with Nazism. Anne's important role in early aviation has not been treated as extensively elsewhere. B&w photos, maps. (Nov.)
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From Booklist

Although numerous books have been written about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Winters rightfully asserts that none has addressed her aviation achievements. With the assistance of Lindbergh's family, Winters is determined to show that Anne's contribution to her husband's aviation exploits was noteworthy in its own right and wrongfully eclipsed by his greater fame. She was one of the earliest female pilots, as well as the first American female glider pilot, and a radio operator who achieved numerous accolades for her service during the couple's long-distance flights. Winters shows in great detail that Lindbergh accomplished this under the glare of an unremitting spotlight, and in the company of an often-demanding spouse. That the author is able to bring something new to the Lindbergh story is impressive, and she does it through both technical explanations of Lindbergh's accomplishments and Anne's own words about her flying exploits, marriage, and writing. In Winters' beautifully written biography, Anne Morrow Lindbergh emerges as a more complete and relatable character then ever before, and an aviator long overdue for respect. Colleen Mondor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403969329
• ISBN-13: 978-1403969323
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,956,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( L ) > Lindbergh, Charles

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Daring Young Woman In a Flying Machine, December 17, 2006

By 

Donna M. Justen (Lillian, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anne Morrow Lindbergh: First Lady of the Air (Hardcover)

Kathleen Winters has written fascinating book of Anne Morrow Lindbergh from both a historical and a feminine point of view. Taking her cue from Anne's own diaries and journals, she reveals that Anne was a person in her own right. She is not merely a follower of Charles, she is his right-hand woman,fearless in a world that has yet to be conquered. Aviation was in its infancy when she and Charles undertook the mission to discover possible routes to the far corners of the earth. Traveling over the Arctic Circle with them you can almost feel the bone-chilling cold experienced in their frail craft and you can feel the excitement as they are welcomed in exotic places. The maps themselves tell the incredible story of their journeys. I felt almost as though I were experiencing the cold of the Arctic and the fear that anything could happen as they were so out of touch with those on the ground. Anne's mastery of the Morse code was an invaluable asset as they crisscrossed the Atlantic, traveling to places we consider a normal journey now. The book opened my eyes to what a daring person she was. Factual and Fascinating!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A woman, a wife, an aviator, an author, December 17, 2006

By 

DrRichard (St. Paul MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anne Morrow Lindbergh: First Lady of the Air (Hardcover)

This book works on several levels. It is a character study of the young Anne Morrow as she grows into a woman, marries a man the world worships, shares his adventures, and discovers her own voice through writing.

Simultaneously it is a graphic description of her flying career. Using the Lindberghs' logs, which previous authors ignored, Winters creates a picture of how aviation forged a deep bond between them. The author, a professional pilot, draws on her knowledge to vividly portray this neglected side of Anne Morrow's life.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh may be better known as an author, and the wife of Charles, than as an adventurous pilot. Other books cover her later work in much more depth. But it is flying that gave her the subject matter to begin her professional writing, and underpinned the rest of her life. The author tells this part of her story, and tells it well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Unassuming but Great Anne Morrow Lindbergh, December 29, 2006

By 

Leon Zeug - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anne Morrow Lindbergh: First Lady of the Air (Hardcover)

This biography is an enlightened and fun read about an unassuming woman who flew when civil aviation was in its infancy, with air routes nonexistent until charted by pioneers like Anne and her husband Charles Lindbergh. Flying their single-engine plane, the Lindberghs traveled across oceans to five continents during the 1930s. They understood that aviation was more than dangerous attempts at setting records, but instead could provide reliable, speedy, and safe travel--except for hazardous weather conditions. Foul weather was a demon they struggled with throughout their flights, writes Kathleen Winters. She describes a leg on their Atlantic survey: "The flight would become another battle in rain, fog, and low ceilings--lasting nearly four hours. . . . Anne, meanwhile, desperately radioed for weather conditions." Winters, a pilot herself, uses her own aviation background to bring to life the book's many flying scenes. Also depicted are the conflicts Anne endured because of long absences from her family while flying as a committed partner with Charles. Ambitious and adventurous, Anne became a bestselling author after she ended her flying career. I found this biography entertaining and a page turner, moving quickly from one chapter to the next.