Clive Irving

Despite the the title, the real story of the development of the Boeing 747 “jumbo jet” doesn’t really start until page 195 and to be honest is the least interesting part of this volume.

Where it really shines is as an engrossing tale of Boeing’s evolution from a smaller isolated company dependent on military contracts into the innovative leader of the US commercial airliner industry.

By focusing on the small group of enigmatic, risk taking engineers and managers who would literally bet the company on a single decision, it tells a human story to shine a spotlight on a period of industrial and technological foresight that we probably won’t see again.… (altro)

What a disappointment. I have been looking for a biography of Queen Elizabeth II to read in honor of her platinum Jubilee and when I started this book, I thought I had found it, however, as it progressed I realized that the author was more interested in showing off his connections to the Royal Family than tell the story of her life.

There were frequent personal notes and comments, political remarks, attacks toward members of the Royal Family, and frequently it went off topic to whine on and on about the monarchy but not the monarch.… (altro)