This is, as the title makes clear, a 'social history', more about the passengers than the aircraft. Best on the early years of passenger air travel and lacking in coverage of the past 30+ years as the book was published in 1979 - time for an update?! ( )

I can just barely remember the days when one got dressed up in Sunday best, with GLOVES, to travel by airplane (1960!) and - considering the vast social changes in air travel that have taken place since then - I have often wondered what it was like for air passengers in the pre-1960 past. Here it all is, in detail, told in fascinating prose with a multitude of pictures (among the most surprising: Heathrow airport check-in facilities housed in tents!). It's great! Admittedly, having absorbed the information in the text, I have replaced the book with a Pinterest board. ( )

Hudson's prediction for Concord was, as we now know, not far off the mark on two accounts: Beautiful: yes. As for sustaining an economic transatlantic service to no more than a small elite, then no. Consequently and deservedly so, it only takes up half a page.

Well-written, thoughtful and very interesting.
I hope the TV series sees the light of day through release on DVD.