by James Salter
First published 2009
This anthology collects a century of aviation writing, beginning with letters and memoirs from Wilbur and Orville Wright and Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The collection includes Amelia Earhart's diary entries and Antoine de Saint-Exupery's heroic accounts. Roald Dahl contributes his darkly magical stories, while James Salter offers spare, elegiac prose. Contemporary writers Erica Jong, Mary Gaitskill, Thomas Beller, Mike Albo, Maxine Swann, and David Sedaris explore modern air travel through varied lenses. Their stories examine mile-high encounters, cramped cabin etiquette, and racial profiling after September 11th. The writings capture both primal fear and detached observation that emerge when viewing the world from altitude. These pieces transform airplane journeys into snapshots of modern existence, offering entertainment for regular travelers and inspiration for armchair dreamers.
Genres: 20th-century, adventure, non-fiction, 21st-century, aviation
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: snapshot-of-modern-life, varied-perspectives
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
550 pages · Paperback · Grove Press, Open City Books