Jet set : the people, the planes, the glamour, and the romance in aviation's glory years
(Book)

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Published
New York : Ballantine Books, [2014].
ISBN
9780345536952, 0345536959
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LocationCall NumberStatus
Batavia Public Library District - Adult Nonfiction387.742 STAOn Shelf
Downers Grove Public Library - 2nd Floor - Adult387.742 STAOn Shelf
Indian Prairie Public Library District - 1st Floor387.7 STADIEMOn Shelf
Itasca Community Library - Nonfiction387.742 STAOn Shelf
Oak Park Public Library Main Branch - 3rd Floor387.742 STAOn Shelf
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Published
New York : Ballantine Books, [2014].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xiii, 368 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780345536952, 0345536959

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 349-352) and index.
Description
"In October 1958, Pan American World Airways began making regularly scheduled flights between New York and Paris, courtesy of its newly minted wonder jet, the Boeing 707. Almost overnight, the moneyed celebrities of the era made Europe their playground. At the same time, the dream of international travel came true for thousands of ordinary Americans who longed to emulate the "jet set" lifestyle. Bestselling author and Vanity Fair contributor William Stadiem brings that Jet Age dream to life again in the first-ever book about the glamorous decade when Americans took to the skies in massive numbers as never before, with the rich and famous elbowing their way to the front of the line. Dishy anecdotes and finely rendered character sketches re-create the world of luxurious airplanes, exclusive destinations, and beautiful, wealthy trendsetters who turned transatlantic travel into an inalienable right. It was the age of Camelot and "Come Fly with Me," Grace Kelly at the Prince's Palace in Monaco, and Mary Quant miniskirts on the streets of Swinging London. Men still wore hats, stewardesses showed plenty of leg, and the beach at Saint-Tropez was just a seven-hour flight away. Jet Set reads like a who's who of the fabulous and well connected, from the swashbuckling "skycoons" who launched the jet fleet to the playboys, moguls, and financiers who kept it flying. Among the bold-face names on the passenger manifest: Juan Trippe, the Yale-educated WASP with the Spanish-sounding name who parlayed his fraternity contacts into a tiny airmail route that became the world's largest airline, Pan Am; couturier to the stars Oleg Cassini, the Kennedy administration's "Secretary of Style," and his social climbing brother Igor, who became the most powerful gossip columnist in America--then lost it all in one of the juiciest scandals of the century; Temple Fielding, the high-rolling high priest of travel guides, and his budget-conscious rival Arthur Frommer; Conrad Hilton, the New Mexico cowboy who built the most powerful luxury hotel chain on earth; and Mary Wells Lawrence, the queen bee of Madison Avenue whose suggestive ads for Braniff and other airlines brought sex appeal to the skies. Like a superfueled episode of Mad Men, Jet Set evokes a time long gone but still vibrant in American memory. This is a rollicking, sexy romp through the ring-a-ding glory years of air travel, when escape was the ultimate aphrodisiac and the smiles were as wide as the aisles. Advance praise for Jet Set "An interesting, entertaining read, full of colorful characters and the author's thoughtful contemplation of the world of aviation."--Publishers Weekly "What a book! The Kennedys, the Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra himself, and early financiers like Eddie Gilbert are dealt with in depth. It was the beginning of the frenetic, desperate world we now seem to be living in. I lived intimately through it all in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, and I have yet to find a mistake in William Stadiem's amazing book. All the players are here: Bobby Kennedy, as a menace to much of the fun; Joe Kennedy, his father, having young ladies procured for him; lawyers making millions getting 'socialites' out of hot water. And the changes: the creation of disco and rock and roll, the rise of Great Britain's popular music and fashion appeal, plus New York as the so-called 'Four Hundred' became the four million, and on and on."--Liz Smith, gossip columnist"--,Provided by publisher.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Stadiem, W. (2014). Jet set: the people, the planes, the glamour, and the romance in aviation's glory years (First edition.). Ballantine Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Stadiem, William. 2014. Jet Set: The People, the Planes, the Glamour, and the Romance in Aviation's Glory Years. Ballantine Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Stadiem, William. Jet Set: The People, the Planes, the Glamour, and the Romance in Aviation's Glory Years Ballantine Books, 2014.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Stadiem, William. Jet Set: The People, the Planes, the Glamour, and the Romance in Aviation's Glory Years First edition., Ballantine Books, 2014.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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