Take-off

LISTEN! THE WIND--Anne Morrow Lindbergh--Harcourt, Brace ($2.50).

The world's most popular writer on aviation is Anne Morrow Lindbergh, whose North to the Orient has sold 250,000 copies in three years, has been translated into eight languages, and is still selling at the rate of 800 a month. The disarming candor of Mrs. Lindbergh's writing is probably the biggest reason for its popularity, since she combines technical discussions of flight with humdrum, housewifely confessions of her fears while flying. Listen! The Wind has the same engaging tone as North to the Orient, includes some vivid recollections of tense hours over the Atlantic which give a better picture of transoceanic flying than any account so far.

This book deals with only ten days at the end of the Lindberghs' six-month survey flight around the North Atlantic in 1933--the days when, on their way home, they landed at the Cape Verde Islands on their way to South America, found the sea too rough to permit a takeoff, returned to Africa and waited impatiently for wind strong enough to get their heavily loaded Lockheed Sirius into the air.

The Cape Verde Islands were hot, dusty, windy, dirty, and the Lindberghs were worried about the heavy seas which threatened their plane. Bathurst, in Gambia, was pleasant and clean and the English were helpful, but at each attempted takeoff the plane struggled, spanked along on the top of the waves, could not get free. The Lindberghs threw out extra tools, clothing, oil, said good-by to their hosts every day and returned shamefacedly to try again. When they got off at last the motor sputtered from an insufficient fuel supply, and Mrs. Lindbergh thought they were finished.

If Listen! The Wind proves to be less popular than North to the Orient, it may be because it describes a more tedious journey, gives the impression that Mrs. Lindbergh enjoyed flying over the frozen North far more than over the tropics.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.