Antoine de Saint-Exupery · 1939 · global

Antoine de Saint-Exupery's 1939 memoir of his years as a pioneer airmail pilot, when flying was young and the routes ran over deserts and mountains by the light of the stars. He recalls the lonely Saharan mail run, his friend Guillaumet's walk out of the Andes after a crash, and his own near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert, where days of thirst ended only when a Bedouin appeared with water, a book that won the National Book Award and inspired The Little Prince.

1. 1
   Toulouse

   The young pilot joins the Aeropostale and learns the mail line that runs south over the mountains.

2. 2
   Cape Juby

   The lonely Saharan outpost on the edge of the desert, flying the mail and rescuing downed comrades.

3. 3
   Dakar

   The far end of the mail line, on the West African coast.

4. 4
   The Andes

   And across the ocean to the perilous South American routes, where his friend Guillaumet walked out of the high Andes after a crash.

5. 5
   The Libyan Desert

   And the 1935 crash in the sand, the days of thirst, and the Bedouin whose water saved his life.