Where's my Space Age

Now that it's getting on for 40 years since the first man on the moon, the era has a strange feeling of unreality. It augered so much for the future, which never happened. In 'Where's my Space Age?' Sean Topham looks back at the how the space program affected society at the time, and in particular how designers created a fitting end to the modernist era.

A principal part of the book is the pictures, both of the space program, and of the many aspects of design which were affected. Sometimes one feels that copyright problems have prevented a particular image from being shown, but there are plenty in the book so this doesn't matter too much. The copy I read had a bright pink cover, highlighting the sense of fun and novelty that the book is presenting.

But as well as the pictures, Topham provides an insightful commentary of some of the aspects of the era. We see the irony of the fact that although space travel appealed to children of the time, with plenty of toys reflecting the fact, the new designs for furniture and architecture were often aimed at the growing numbers of childless couples and singles in casual relationships. The author also looks at how attitudes have changed - how a white male military pilot would be seen as less of a role model today. All in all the book provides a fun reminder of a unique era in our history.