With remarkable detail, warmth, and accuracy, Charles A. Lindbergh--aviator, author, scientist, and conservationist--recalls the boyhood experiences that led to his later life of international fame and significant achievement. Lindbergh introduces readers to the curly-haired boy and serious-minded youth who grew to manhood from 1902 to 1920 on a farm along the banks of the upper Mississippi River near Little Falls, Minnesota. There, long before the Spirit of St. Louis and its celebrated flight, he learned the country ways that nourished his love of the natural world and its preservation, inspired his practical knowledge of working machinery, and revealed the importance of careful observation and perseverance.

Lindbergh originally wrote the long letter that makes up this book to guide the Minnesota Historical Society in restoring the family house and farm (now the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site) in Charles A. Lindbergh State Park, named for his father, a colorful politician and U.S. congressman. More than fifty years after the fact, Lindbergh was able to sketch a vivid picture of his youth and the influences that helped to create one of the most notable personages of the twentieth century.

The narrative is accompanied by illustrations that include letters exchanged between Lindbergh and his father, entries from his boyhood diaries, and photographs from his personal albums, which are now in the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society.

In her foreword, Reeve Lindbergh describes a daughter's illuminating search for her father's beginnings and the various forces that shaped a remarkable man. A perceptive introduction by Brian Horrigan, a Lindbergh scholar, discusses Lindbergh's own chronicling of his extraordinary life.