In 1967 Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones published a bestselling book called "Coffee Tea or Me?: The Uninhibited Memoirs of Two Airline Stewardesses". This, and its sequels "The Coffee Tea or Me Girls Lay it on the Line", and "The Coffee Tea or Me Girls' 'Round-the-World Diary" reported on the freewheeling sex life of airline hostesses. This was in the days when airline work was considered glamorous, and when airlines were allowed to dictate gender, height, weight, hairstyle, and academic qualifications of their air host staff (the first stewardesses were nurses). Air hostesses were pretty, well groomed, and trained to please passengers. This was the pre-AIDS era when women and men were free to indulge their sexual urges as they wished. In those days men or women might have a hundred lifetime sex partners if they chose, an idea that shocks millennials.

This was also the era of the sexy spy with James Bond, The Saint, The Barron, I Spy, The Avengers, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Sentimental Agent, and the comic spies Maxwell Smart, The President's Analyst, and many others. There were female spies Honor Blackman (The Avengers 1962-64) and Emma Peele (The Avengers 1965-68 which were broadcast in the USA), and several of the Bond girls.

Jimmy Sangster joined these themes in two books: Touchfeather (1968), and Touchfeather, Too (1970) which have been reissued by Brash Books.

Katherine Touchfeather is a beautiful, sexy and sexual woman who works as an air hostess, mostly for BOAC. She has a part-time job, though, as an agent for a secret organization run by the mysterious Mr. Blaser. When she is needed Mr Blaser sends her a flight assignment and the correct uniform for any airline Katy is supposed to be working for. She proceeds to snoop, and spy, and occasionally sleep with or kill whoever Mr. Blaster says. The sex part is her own choice, she is not a Sparrow (ref Red Sparrow 2013, 2017).

So these books were written in a particular era and in a particular style. They have been reissued intact. If all of this freewheeling sex and silly spying offends you, don't pick up the books.

I received review copies of "Touchfeather" and "Touchfeather, Too" by Jimmy Sangster (Brash) directly from the publisher. ( )