Spirit & Creator: The Mysterious Man Behind Lindbergh's Flight to Paris (soft cover). This item is unavailable.Spirit & Creator: The Mysterious Man Behind Lindbergh's Flight to Paris (soft cover)

Donald Albert Hall was one of the 20th century's greatest aeronautical engineers and yet, most likely you've never heard of him. But I guarantee you've heard of the plane he designed, "The Spirit of St. Louis." Within the cracked and weathered exterior of an old steamer trunk, a family secret was waiting to be discovered. In 1999, grandson Nova Hall discovered a locked World War I era chest in the families' garage. This lost and forgotten collection of photographs, negatives, documents, design instruments, working models, film footage, and personal correspondence with Charles A. Lindbergh had amazingly survived years of neglect in no less than perfect condition. This book portrays the mysterious man behind the Spirit of St. Louis and his inspiring story of teamwork and dedication in the construction of the most famous airplane in history.It all began in late February 1927 when chief engineer, Donald A. Hall, first met the young aviator Charles A. Lindbergh. What Lindbergh proposed was not only controversial but seemingly impossible. All who attempted the Atlantic crossing by air were lost or died on the runway. Nevertheless, these two strangers came to trust each other. In sixty days their concept of a trans-Atlantic flight became reality, a specialized aircraft, that only Lindbergh could fly. Designed, shaped, and built in sixty days by the men and women of Ryan Airlines, this book is a tribute to the Spirit of St. Louis. Here is their tale of triumph.

Nova is recognized as one of the newest and most promising multidisciplinary visual artists of his generation. Dean Langland of ASU West says,” Nova Hall is a talented artist who is also an eloquent speaker. Mr. Hall inspired his listeners [at convocation] with his personal story and his passion and commitment to his art.” He is author of the acclaimed book, Spirit and Creator: The Mysterious Man Behind Lindbergh's Flight to Paris, a book about his grandfather, Donald A. Hall, the designer of the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927. Nova has been featured on the Learning Channel focusing on the spectacular discovery of his grandfather's lost collection as well as numerous television news interviews. Nova was recently selected to be the 2010 Student Speaker at the ASU west campus Convocation, graduating summa cum laude.