- Hardcover: 156 pages
- Publisher: Motorbooks International; illustrated edition edition (11 Sep 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0760309817
- ISBN-13: 978-0760309810
- Product Dimensions: 25.7 x 25.7 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,090,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
For more than a century, amusement parks from Brooklyn's Coney Island to Disneyland in Anaheim and today's "chain parks" like Six Flags have been among the most popular destinations for countiess Americans in search of fun, thrills and forgetting their troubles. This marvelous photographic retrospective distills more than 100 years of the sights, sounds, smells and vertigo-inducing thrills associated with the American amusement park. Nostalgic archival photography from private collections, period print advertisements and exclusive modern color photographs illustrate the stories behind thrill rides, arcades, architecture, park food, pavillion entertainment, fun houses, tunnels of love and much more. Special focus is given to the roller coaster, while sidebars highlight specific parks and rides whose influence on the development of amusement parks in general is undeniable.
About the Author
Samuelson's photographs and articles have been featured in At The Park, a glossy trade magazine and RollerCoaster! the official magazine of the American Coaster Enthusiasts.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The quest for amusement is undoubtedly as old as humankind itself, and almost every form of entertainment that has been tried appears in some form, with varying success, in the amusement park. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The quest for amusement is undoubtedly as old as humankind itself, and almost every form of entertainment that has been tried appears in some form, with varying success, in the amusement park. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Similar in quality and style to Scott Rutherford's excellent and authoritative "The American Roller Coaster", The American Amusement Park offers an extensive insight into how amusement parks have developed over not just decades, but centuries, tracing their roots back to pleasure gardens and World's Fair-type exhibitions.
The book details some of the curious attractions of the past; such as a simulator ride at Coney Island called "A Trip to The Moon", which, according to the author, actually convinced some of its passengers, they had been on a space flight! It is the descriptions of specific, rather than general, rides that makes this book a fascinating read. Specific examples of big wheels, carousels, fun houses and the mysterious "dark rides" are also covered.
The king of the amusement park is arguably the roller coaster so, appropriately, they are extensively covered in this book. In fact, the author manages to offer a lot of priceless pictures. There are many photos of the long-gone amusement piers with huge wooden coasters rising from them, plus glimpses of the ornate and elaborate "scenic railways" and the side-friction coasters that followed them. And no book or chapter on roller coasters would be complete without a look at the legendary Coney Island Cyclone! There is also a magnificent aerial photograph of a shuttle coaster looming 125ft from a New Jersey Pier.
Happily, The American Amusement Park gives examples of modern parks that have continued the traditional spirit, such as Kennywood and Cedar Point: places that offer older attractions alongside ultra modern ones.
I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in amusement parks, as an involving and enjoyable read.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful Book!
12 May 2002
Format:Hardcover
This book is packed full of beautiful photographs and nostaligic postcards. Various chapters showcase the origin of amusement parks, and the different styles and hybrids from the "traditional" and "theme" to the Storybook Lands and Santa Villages. There's even a chapter on flat rides. The graphics and layout are great. The author also knows his material. This is a great companion to that other great BMI book, "The American Roller Coaster".
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Stunning photos and engaging text
19 Sep 2002
Format:Hardcover
In the thrill seekers genre of books and videos, this fits right in. Although most of it is indeed a rehash, the layout is fabulous. No one can have enough photos of carousel horses or stories about old parks. The nostalgia factor in this book raises the bar. Unlike a few of the other books, this one is more rounded in that it covers the whole park instead of just the coasters. Be advised that these kinds of books are historical in nature and don't necessarily point to what's coming next at the World's of thrills.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Lots of nostalgia and excitement!
18 Jan 2003
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Loved this book! Great info on amusement park history and behind the scenes secrets. I'm ready to go ride!
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