Antoine de Saint Exupery's WIND, SAND AND STARS tells the story of a number of his more remarkable experiences as a pilot for the French Air Post, Aeropostale. He tells the stories of the other pilots of the Aeropostale and seeks to instill in the reader the same awe in them that he felt flying among their ranks. Along with the stories of the men he admires, Antoine tells the stories of his own travels to places far and different from anywhere he has ever been and his own battles with danger.

The book begins just as he career began, walking the reader as if he is an aspiring pilot into the old hangars, getting in on the instructional lectures about which level of the clouds it is safe to fly at and at what altitude death waits. He shares conversations among the young pilots about...