The Amusement Park is a rich, anecdotal history that begins nine centuries ago with the pleasure gardens of Europe and England, and ends with the rise and fall and rise again of some of the most elaborate modern parks in the world. It’s a history told largely through the stories of the colorful, sometimes nefarious characters who built them — showmen like Joseph and Nicholas Schenck and Marcus Loew, railroad barons such as Andrew Mellon and Henry E. Huntington — and those who ultimately destroyed them, including Robert Moses and Fred Trump. The many gifted artisans and craftspeople who brought these parks and their rides to life are also featured, along with a jaw-dropping cast of supporting players, from Al Capone to Annie Oakley. Parks featured include the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Coney Island, Chicago’s Riverview, Cleveland’s Euclid Beach, Sandusky’s Cedar Point, New Jersey’s Palisades Park, San Francisco’s Playland, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Tivoli, Europa-Park, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Dollywood, Sea World, Six Flags, Universal, the various Disney Worlds and Lands, and many more.
Nonfiction
The Amusement Park: 900 Years of Thrills and Spills, and the Dreamers and Schemers Who Built Them
- From the Publisher
January 1, 2013
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