WEST WITH THE NIGHT appeared on 13 bestseller lists on first publication in 1942 It tells the spellbinding story of Beryl Markham -- aviator racehorse trainer fascinating beauty -and her life in the Kenya of the 1920s & 30s Markham was taken to Kenya at the age of four As an adult she was befriended by Denys Finch-Hatton the big-game hunter of OUT OF AFRICA fame who took her flying in his airplane Thrilled by the experience Markham went on to become the first woman in Kenya to receive a commercial pilot's license In 1936 she determined to fly solo across the Atlantic -- without stopping When Charles Lindbergh did the same he had the wind behind him Markham by contrast had a strong headwind against her & a plane that only flew up to 163 mph On 4 September she took off Several days later she crash-landed in Nova Scotia & became an instant celebrity