America takes wing in dishy social history of commercial air travel
Jet Set
By William Stadiem
Hardcover, 368 pages, $28 (Ballantine Books)
Fly the friendly skies in this rip-roaring social history of America taking wing in the late 1950s and early ’60s, as commercial airline travel became a commodity for “ordinary” people along with movie stars, moguls and glamorous, globetrotting trendsetters. Smart, sexy and full of dishy detail, it’s like a real-life Mad Men in the air, peopled with characters from all walks of history and pop culture, including eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes, hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, budget-travel icon Arthur Frommer, and dozens of others who helped create the irresistible allure of the “jet set.”
—Neil Pond, American Profile Magazine
The Media Tourist 