Description
The Spirit of St. Louis, inscribed by Charles A. Lindbergh to Apollo Astronaut, Buzz Aldrin.
Octavo, xii, [2], 562pp, [1]. Blue cloth, silver title on spine, illustration of plane on cover. The second printing, lacking the Scribner’s [A] on the copyright page. Top edge dyed light blue. Light sunning to spine, splash mark along foredge of text block, with a dampstain to the lower quarter of the final chapter. In the publisher’s dust jacket, $5.00 retail price, light wear at edges, bright illustrations. Housed in custom black morocco clamshell, title in gilt on label affixed to the spine. Address of Charles Lindbergh written in pencil, in Aldrin’s hand, on the half-title. This copy is inscribed to the recent West Point Graduate, U.S. Air Force pilot, and future Apollo astronaut, Lt. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., on the title page: “To Lt. Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. / With best wishes from / Charles A. Lindbergh / 1953.” An exceptional association copy. (Provenance: Heritage Auctions, Lot 47230, March 2025)
The relationship between Charles Lindbergh and Buzz Aldrin goes beyond their days as pioneers in aviation. The connection began in the 1920’s with Aldrin’s father, Edwin E. Aldrin Sr., an executive at Standard Oil’s aviation division. Aldrin Sr. was friends with Charles Lindbergh and worked with him during the 1920s and 1930s to promote long-distance flight and fuel logistics. Both men supported the work of Robert H. Goddard, the father of modern rocketry, with Lindbergh and Aldrin Sr. helping to secure Guggenheim Foundation funding for Goddard’s rocket propulsion experiments.
