Skygirls: A Photographic History of Airline Stewardesses

Clearly stating their case at the outset%E2%80%94this is a coffee table book devoted to the stylish, romanticized image of the stewardess, not the business-like flight attendants of today%E2%80%94 pilots and journalists McAllister (DC 3: A Legend in Her Time) and Wilkinson (The Gold-Plated Porsche: How I Spent a Small Fortune on a Used Car) recount very different times, from the era when stewardesses were expected to weigh passengers and baggage, and help refuel the plane in addition to providing typical in-flight service to the age when their gender became the sole requirement of the job, a period that reached its nadir in 1965. Packed with photos, the book recounts the history of air travel and the changing perceptions of flight attendants, all accompanied by nostalgic images, including a shot of Ellen Church, the world's first stewardess (hired in 1930), uniforms, as well as the planes themselves. Equal parts trivia and history, the book often strays. This is destined for many coffee tables owned by current and former airline industry workers; the book is a sweet slice of an era when air travel was considered a luxury. (Sept.)