Wind sand and stars author

It was extremely hazardous, for the aeroplanes were unreliable, precise meteorology was in its infancy, radio communication and maps were relatively primitive and new, long routes were being pioneered over dangerous terrain of all kinds – across the Sahara, over the Andes, even just across the Mediterranean.

These courageous pilots took their life in their hands each time they set out to deliver the mail. First published in 1939, it documents Saint-Exupéry’s life as a pilot in the pioneering days of long-distance flying and in particular his experiences as a pilot transporting mail across countries, across continents. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is known universally for the gentle charm of Le Petit Prince, but it is this book, Land of Men – known originally in English as Wind, Sand and Stars – which is his masterpiece.