A Coney Island of the Mind: Poems (New Directions Paperback No. 74)

Customer Reviews:

Thank You, Mr. Ferlinghetti.......2006-03-31

I first read Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem, "Constantly Risking Absurdity" when I was 26 years young. I am now 41 and I still read that poem to remind me that even though my body may be taking on the appearances of getting older, my mind, my spirit, and my soul are just as young as ever.

I believe we grow old not because of time, but what we do or don't do with our time. We let our beliefs become rigid, we let our attitudes harden, we forget what it was like to be flexible and youthful and optimistic about life.

This book opens the mind. It expands the heart. It flows through the soul like honey and lets the "imprisoned splendor" escape through the cracks of the entire psyche. I would suggest reading this book by candlelight with maybe some Lee Morgan or John Coltrane in the background.

It's a book of prayers written by a Beat Priest and every day I thank God that I came across that poem I mentioned earlier in this review it changed my life in a million ways known as well as unknown.

If you are looking for something to bring you to a place of youthful vigor, give this book a try. Remember it's never to late to have a great life.

Peace & Blessings

A distant man with a personal message.......2006-03-21

Ferlinghetti is strange in that he considers himself a man of the people, yet works in a field in which the common man wouldn't normally participate. He writes so that academics won't like him, and fans of bukowski or ginsberg won't necessarily like him. The only poet REMOTELY like him could possibly be Bob Hicok.

Ferlinghetti developed his own style of poetry that's (to paraphrase) not constrained by the limits of the poetic line. It's all over the place, in form and in content. This is his seminal work, and the modern version even contains the best from his previous: Pictures of the Gone World.

He has a sensibility for the turn of a phrase, as we see with "The poet's eye obscenely seeing" and "cast up / the heart flops over / gasping 'Love'. He is in tune with the alienation of the modern age, and although he's far from a "people person", his quiet insights have proven inspiring and invaluable.

His next-best work is probably "starting from san francisco", which contains my favorite poem, "overpopulation" (an oft-overlooked, but great piece of poetry to read aloud). This one, however, is a must-read if you're into a populist aesthetic for poetry. If you like poetry that you can read on fifteen different levels, and isn't really saying anything, this is NOT the book for you.

A Coney Island of the Mind.......2006-01-30

I first read this book of poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti while in college in the early 1960's, and Ferlinghetti immediately became my favorite beat poet. "Johnny Nolan has a patch on his ass. Kids chase him..." and "Christ climbed down from his bare tree this year..." have remained in my memory all these years. I am so pleased to own this small book again and will take care to keep it safe this time.

This book changed my life.......2005-10-27

I'm very serious about the title of my review: "This book changed my life." It did. My father gave me a copy when I was sixteen (32 now) and from that point I've been an *avid* Ferlinghetti fan. His poems delicately point out the subtle joys, heartaches, and beauty which can be easily overlooked every day.

I cannot recommend this book any more highly. Buy this right now. Buy a few copies and give them to friends and family. I certainly have.

a circus of the soul.......2005-04-04

I first read Coney Island when I was in high school, when I fancied myself a poet. Ferlinghetti's work in this slim volume is much simpler and much more accessible than that of his contemporaries, especially Ginsberg. Part I of the collection, titled "A Coney Island of the Mind," is more deliberate in its stylings and in a slight need of an editor, but expressive nonetheless. The real power of this collection is with Part II, spoken word poetry that Ferlinghetti had performed with a jazz accompanyment. His natural style becomes fluid, moving effortlessly across the page in deep rhythms that bring you directly to the moment of vision.

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Prepare yourself before you read
AMAZING
The Movie
Wow
Remarkable

Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Hubert Selby Jr.
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560252480

Book Description

Over twenty years after its first publication in 1978, Requiem for a Dream makes it to the big screen in a major motion picture starring Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Jared Leto, and Christopher McDonald. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, the highly acclaimed director of Pi, the movie was released in November 2000. In this searing novel, two young hoods, Harry and Tyrone, and a girlfriend fantasize about scoring a pound of uncut heroin and getting rich. But their habit gets the better of them, consumes them and destroys their dreams. "Selby's place is in the front rank of American novelists. His work has the power, the intimacy with suffering and morality, the honesty and moral urgency of Dostoevsky's....To understand Selby's work is to understand the anguish of America." -- The New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

Prepare yourself before you read.......2007-01-30

You need to be ready before you read this book. Upon finishing this little dandy I was physically shaking. I can't think of any other book that has made of shake. The manic style and never ending punch in the face flow of this Hubert Selby Jr. masterpiece will stay with you for the rest of your life. If you saw the movie and so decided to not read the book, you are making a mistake. The book is a totally different experience then the movie. Each is a masterpiece in a completely unique way. It's amazing how real this book is. You will feel insane compassion for the lowest of individuals. You will want to reach out to these amazing characters. I don't know how Hubert Selby Jr. does it. His mind must have been a dark but beautiful and loving realm. If you want to be a book this one will make you its own. Read it.

AMAZING.......2006-09-30

by far the best book i have ever read about the troubles about addiction. and the movie was also the best movie i have ever seen. i recommend to do both. this story is so moving, and it introduces drugs, and addiction in a way i have never witnessed. the book is so descriptive, your reading about addiction, and at the same moment your so addicted to the book you cannot put it down for even a split second. the movie is a masterpiece, it is so emotional, you feel the pain, all the emotions the characters go through, you feel like you are there when you watch the movie. its amazing, Requiem for a dream takes four main characters, with the same excruciating addiction to drugs and creates a vivid illustration of what they deal with, words cannot describe how beautiful this story of reality is. and lastly after you watch this movie, you will be madly in love with jared leto.

The Movie.......2006-09-15

I happened to see the movie before I read the book, and I know that there are people who frown upon that. I've seen the movie a ton of times and it's a stunning piece of work, which made me finally decide the time was right to read the book. All I can say is the book is very intense. Had I not seen the movie first though, i'm not so sure i'd have been able to follow the book. Selby is a genius authour, but if you have not seen the movie or read his books, you might get a little lost. There are no quotation marks when people are speaking and that can get a little confusing.

Wow.......2006-07-21

I'm currently on page 233. I'm going to finish this book tonight and edit my review, but I had to type this. I never thought I'd read or see anything that matched the movie, but this has matched it, and may surprass it when I'm done reading it. It offers a lot more insight into the downfall and the reasons for it that the movie does. Excellent piece of writing.
Though, Selby could have used some quotation marks, but after a while, you start recognizing who says what.

Remarkable.......2006-01-27

Though i wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, i mark it as
one of my favorites. I have read most of Selby's work and I am
once again amazed by his talent to keep his readers. If you liked
Requiem for a Dream I would also recommend his other work.

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Coney Island
Professor Solomon
Manufacturer: Top Hat Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0912509082

Book Description

Once renowned as a funspot, Coney Island has been largely forgotten. Does it still exist? What has survived of the place? And what was it like? In his new book CONEY ISLAND, Professor Solomon takes us there to find out.

Roaming about, he interviews old-timers' searches for antiquities, explores what is left of the amusement area. (Among his finds: a man who remembers seeing the first human cannonball, shot into the air at Coney Island; the remains of Steeplechase Park; and a ride "the Wonder Wheel"that began as a perpetual-motion machine.)

He also provides a history of Coney Island, from its Canarsie Indian days, to its era as a lawless, Tijuana-style resort, to the rise and fall of its amusement parks. On this historical tour, you'll meet such personages as John Y. McKane (notorious mayor of Coney Island); George Tilyou (amusement-park pioneer); and the Wild Man of Borneo (actually, an actor from the Bronx). And you'll visit the Pavilion of Fun, French Nudi! st exhibit, Elephant Hotel, Trip to the Moon, Insanitarium, Tunnel of Love, flea circus, Feltman's restaurant (where the hot dog was invented), and other vanished attractions.

Book Description

Coney Island: Lost and Found by Charles Denson

Growing up on Coney Island in the '50s and '60s, Charles Denson experienced legendary amusements and attractions like the Cyclone and Thunderbolt roller coasters, the Parachute Jump, and Steeplechase Park. In CONEY ISLAND: LOST AND FOUND, Denson gives us an insider's look at one of New York's best-known neighborhoods, weaving together memories of his childhood adventures with colorful stories of the area's past and interviews with local personalities, all brought to life by hundreds of photographs, detailed maps, and authentic memorabilia. CONEY ISLAND is a heartfelt chronicle that stretches from colonial times to the island's heyday in the early 20th century and through its subsequent decline and revival, culminating in the 2001 opening of the new ballpark that brought baseball back to Brooklyn.

Customer Reviews:

An Indispensable Reference Book.......2007-06-06

This is the best book I've ever read on the history Coney Island and I've read every one I could find. It is extremely well researched and written, has incredible photographs and graphics, and a personal story that's moving and deeply felt.

Like many of the other reviewers of this book I grew up in the Coney Island area (Brighton First Street). Coney Island has an almost magical draw for me, so much so that I recently completed writing and illustrating a novel called, "Coney Island Book of the Dead" that takes place in 1956. Charles Denson's book proved to be an invaluable source of facts, lore, and pictures, but, even more importantly, of inspiration. If my novel ever gets published (I'm looking for an agent as of 6/08/07) I hope all of you coneyislandaphiles read it.

Also, you might also be interested in a new book by Charles Denson called "Wild Ride! A Coney Island Roller Coaster Family." I just ordered it.

sweet memories.......2007-05-02

The Terra and Belgenio patriarchs arrived in Coney Island at the turn of the 20 th centuty--legend has it that they got on a train and got off at the last stop--Stillwell Ave. This wonderful book put me in touch with them and my parents who lived and died on 15 th and 17 Streets between Mermaid & Neptune Aves. up until the mid 70's. My grandfather Anthony Terra sold ice in the summer and coal in the winter while his wife Maria ran a fruit & vegetable store and raised 6 children--one of whom was my father George, who knew everybody and everybody knew him. This book --the narrative and photos--ignited so many memories for me that I cannot read it without shedding some tears --as I am doing now. Buy the book--you'll love it! Dr Anthony Terra

GREAT GIFT FOR FORMER CONEY ISLANDERS.......2005-12-13

I actually got a copy of this book from my grandfather -- who was featured in the book. I enjoyed this book so much that I have since bought this book for every friend and relative who has moved out of state. This is a great gift for any occassion... for any Brooklynite.

A well-done history of Coney Island.......2005-05-27

Like many of the other reviewers, I'm a Coney Island native. Unlike them, I grew in Trump Village, located on the border between Coney and Brighton. Growing up in the 1970's and 80's, central Coney was always a bad neighborhood and I'd only heard vague stories about how great it used to be. While I have since read books and seen documentaries about Coney, Denson's book goes even deeper, especially with his wonderful use of oral history.

I had always been told that before Trump Village and Warbasse, there used to be nothing but empty land in that area. Thanks to this book, I have finally learned the truth, that there used to be a vital, functioning and even happy lower and middle income neighborhood called the Gut, before Fred Trump, Robert Moses and other developers and politicians came along and destroyed all that. Despite it's unfortunate beginnings, Trump still ended up being a decent, affordable place for many middle class Jews and Russian immigrants to live, thanks to this book, I'll always see the ghosts of the homes, theaters and people who came before everytime I go home.

For anyone who is interested in Coney Island or the rise and fall of a city neighborhood, this book is most definitely recommended. And if you grew up in or even near Coney, this book is a must-read.

The BEST Coney Island Reference Book Available.......2004-04-30

Calling all Coney Island fanatics, nostalgia buffs and preservationists - this is the book for you. I hardly know where to start in singing its praises - simply put, it's a heartfelt love-letter to the past, present and future of our beloved Island. The photographs are exquisite, the author's personal experiences poignant, and the history documented fascinating. What more could you ask for?

I was amazed upon first opening Denson's book - for some years I had been photographing the "leftover buildings", as I knew them - faceless, nameless structures from the old days of Coney, unsure of their histories, but endlessly fascinated by them. Charles Denson cleared up most every mystery for me, documenting the pasts of these previously anonymous remnants. For this, I cannot thank him enough. Even further, he has included photographs that he took over a lifetime, of demolitions, which are heartbreaking, but informative, to see. It's as if he's putting his private treasure trove of images out for all the world to see, which, really, is a great gift. I owe him many thanks.

The layout and sequencing of the book is perfect, arranged in a timely, appropriate manner. Unfortunately, it is a very fast read, but not due to a shallow treatment of its subject - rather, that it is such fascinating material, handled with enthralling interest. One can feel Denson's pride and joy in Coney Island - it practically radiates from the pages.

This is one of the few books that I'd recommend buying even if one doesn't have the chance to view it first - it would be well worth three times the asking price. It is a truly landmark reference book on Coney Island - although it's a delight, it's accurate, respectable, and quite sincere, as well. The photographs alone make it worthy of purchase, as do Denson's personal stories of youth and adolescence on the Island. Please, please, please give it a try - you'll find that it is worth every penny, and that it is a book you'll hold onto for a long, long time to come.

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Portraits of America: Coney Island: The Museum of the City of New York (Portraits of America)
John S. Berman
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Coney Island: Lost and Found

Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century (American Century)

Coney Island: The People's Playground

Coney Island

American Experience - Coney Island

ASIN: 0760738874

Book Description

More than simply an escape from New York's sweltering summer streets, the strip of Brooklyn's south shore known as Coney Island embodied a new American attitude toward entertainment. Here, you'll experience the decadent delights of this magical land of ritzy hotels and penny arcades, where dance pavilions and freak shows shared space with sizzling burlesque and cooling ocean breezes. You'll meet George Tilyou, whose Steeplechase Park featured the Blowhole Theater, the Insanitarium and the Human Pool Table, and Nathan Handwerker, whose Nathan's Famous hot dogs became synonymous with summertime food. You'll ride the legendary Cyclone roller coaster and stroll through Dreamland and Luna Park, where generations of New Yorkers met and mingled in a place that came to define American fun.

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Very disappointing.
Great photos - full of feeling
SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!
Harvey in Color???
Objective and enjoyable look at an American enigma.

Coney Island
Harvey Stein
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393317870

Amazon.com

Veteran photographer Harvey Stein sees Coney Island, New York, as an "oasis of decay, funkiness, hope and joy, uninhibited behavior, and visual stimulation." After an initial enchanting visit to the island as an adolescent, Stein has returned there countless times with his camera. For this book of photographs, he turns his lens on Coney Island's amusements--the neon-ringed Wonder Wheel and famous Cyclone roller coaster--and the boardwalk, where lovers cavort and an elderly man leans against a graffiti-littered wall, holding a reflector under his chin to catch the sun's rays. Stein's film documents the annual Mermaid Parade, in which flame-haired little girls and bejeweled grown men hit the streets in their deep-sea best--sequined bikinis, saran-wrap tails, and body paint. Stein also photographs the area's workers, including the men who sell Pirate Ship tickets and hot dogs and the women who charm snakes and oversee the shooting gallery. And, of course, he turns his camera on the beach-goers--tattooed, dark, light, cavorting, and asleep. Together, these color images convey the sense of Coney Island as an exaggerated amusement park with a broad spectrum of happy visitors. There is a time line in the front of the book that documents fascinating trivia about Coney Island such as the date of the frankfurter debut and the opening of its first roller coaster, but the photos are the star attractions.

Book Description

This beautiful volume of evocative and wildly colorful photographs brings to life the small strip of land on New York's Atlantic coast that for over a hundred years has provided thrills, amusements, and escape to untold millions--Coney Island. Referred to as the "Sodom by the Sea" by the New York Times in 1894, this most famed amusement complex was a twenty-block mecca for rollercoasters, side shows, carnival acts of all kinds, and food without end. Home of Famous Nathan's Hot Dogs, a lively boardwalk, and a white sand beach that at times was so filled you couldn't lie down, Coney Island was the summer destination for generations of city dwellers who couldn't afford the Catskills or the Hamptons. Today, Coney Island remains a vivid living reminder of the past and still attracts sun worshipers and thrill seekers. It has been the favorite subject of photographers for decades. And all who know or ever knew it will rejoice in this book.

Customer Reviews:

Very disappointing........2001-12-20

Having grown up in Coney Island I found this effort to be extremely substandard. This book takes the most uninteresting pictures of the most uninteresting individuals that I can imagine. Mr. Stein would have done much better to find alot more of the old timers who truly represent the feel and atmosphere of What Coney Island was, not so much the depressing delapidated dangerous neighborhood that it most unfortunately has become. He did not look hard enough to find what is truly representative of the Coney of lore, because had he done so, it's still there, just difficult to unearth. The pictures of the parade just shows how far down Americas greatest playground has gone. Do yourselves a favor and go to the library and pick out any number of other books on Coney Island and then compare. Unfortunately, you might become meloncoly and saddened, for Coney is really just a microcosm of what has become of this nations great cities.

Great photos - full of feeling.......2001-05-17

I love this book for the way it captures the feeling of the place. While it is not full of text about Coney Island, it is full of visual and emotional information. I am an ex-New Yorker and have a few books I turn to when I feel homesick, this is one of them.

SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!.......1999-09-03

I was EXTREMELY disappointed with this book. The title is VERY misleading. THIS IS NOT A BOOK ABOUT CONEY ISLAND!!! This is a book about carny people and Stein took the sleaziest most unattractive pictures of them. I know Coney Island. I lived there for 15 years and still visit annually. There is history of amusements and cultures that are not captured in this book. Out of 80+ pictures, there are only 3, including the cover wrap, about the attractions of Coney Island. The rest is a picture book of people. If you are looking for a nostalgic journey about Coney Island-SAVE THE RETURN COST & FORGET ABOUT THIS BOOK!!!

Harvey in Color???.......1998-07-04

Having been a student of his sometime ago, I am a little surprise he did a color essay on this book. Also having recorded some of the same subjects and elements from this book on film both in color and black and white, I have to say it can go either way. Color shows the 'fun' of the subjects and objects, black and white, more substance. I did wish he also include some of his black and white work in the book to add strength to the vibrant. As a photo essay,which this book is, it will draw people to the place which in the last decade or so got a bum rap for being only sleazy, which it still is(the transit authorities could help by renovating the big but dank subway station, the mayor could make this place more than a 'summer' playground) but also fun and vibrant. For those readers who seek a 'history' book on this subject, they will have to look elsewhere, Harvey is a documentative 'street' photographer and that is where his heart is, and it shows successfully in this book. Welcome to the world of color, Harvey, but don't neglect your roots.....

Objective and enjoyable look at an American enigma........1998-06-19

I own all three of Mr. Stein's books and "Coney Island is the most refreshing. "Coney Island" is a remarkable balance of people, landscapes and Mr. Stein's signature, casual environmental portraiture. This one I'll go back to for years.

Hex: A Ruby Murphy Mystery (Ruby Murphy Mysteries)

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Disappointing
Estep is great, as usual....
Mighty fine read
A Great Summer Read
No Rhesus Sardonicus

Hex: A Ruby Murphy Mystery (Ruby Murphy Mysteries)
Maggie Estep
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400048370
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Book Description

Having drifted through thirty-three years of life, Ruby Murphy has put down roots in a rootless place: Coney Island. A recovering alcoholic who is fanatical in her love for animals and her misanthropic friends, Ruby lives above a furniture store and works at the musty Coney Island Museum. One day, Ruby is on the subway heading into Manhattan when the train stalls between stations. An elegant blond woman with a scarred face strikes up a conversation, and a misunderstanding between the two women leads to an offer Ruby decides she can’t refuse. The woman needs her boyfriend followed, and she thinks Ruby is the woman to do it—and do it right.

Ruby’s life has been flat and painful lately. The Coney Island Museum isn’t doing much business, Ruby’s live-in boyfriend has moved out, and her best friend Oliver is battling cancer. Ruby agrees to follow the woman’s boyfriend, Frank, a man who works at Belmont Racetrack and seems to hang out in odd places with bad company. Ruby soon finds herself pushed headfirst into horse racing’s seamy underbelly. This is a dangerous world where nothing is as it appears, and people and horses seem to have limited life spans. When Ruby finds herself staring down the barrel of a loaded gun, she begins to have second thoughts.

Only now it’s far too late.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2006-10-16

I've read a few of Maggie Estep's books and I found Hex to be rather disappointing. I like her writing, but her story telling is somewhat lacking. I like it when I want to keep reading to find out what happens next but with Hex it was a little painful - there wasn't much suspense or action until the very end. Hardly any of the chapters actually moved you through the story. A lot of the scenes were unmotivated and sort of lagged on. Estep also writes from different character's point's of view and this is more annoying than illuminating.

Estep is great, as usual...........2006-10-10

I liked this a lot, but I'm not sure about her doing the mystery genre...I loved emotionl idiot and mech. animals , so I had to try the mystery...I just love her for her characters.

Mighty fine read.......2004-10-20

Fine, tasty, terrific reading. A new series and pithy. Difficult to describe but it has to do with a Bach-crazy happenstance personal detectitive with lots of of interesting friends ... and horse racing. More than that, you need to learn for yourself. Terrific reading!

A Great Summer Read.......2003-08-14

A chance meeting in a subway launches Ruby Murphy into the behind-the-scenes world of horse racing as she investigates a wandering boyfriend for a mysterious blond. Ruby is a likeable character and she wanders a part of New York City not often depicted in fiction. In between her adventures, she takes yoga and piano lessons and neglects her real job at a Coney Island museum near her home. The story is told in several different voices, a technique that adds richness to the story. I hope there are more books starring Ruby Murphy.

No Rhesus Sardonicus.......2003-06-23

A lively foray into the life of the stubborn and irrepresible Ruby Murphy. Her peculiar outlook on this bittersweet dumbshow, her wide-armed acceptance of all that is mean-spirited and foul is inspirational. I will gambol with Ms Estep's maniacs anytime.

Sodom by the Sea: An Affectionate History of Coney Island

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Sodom by the Sea: An Affectionate History of Coney Island
Oliver Pilat
Manufacturer: Doubleday, Doran & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Carry Me Back To Old Coney Island
Not Just a Pretty Face
All the Sights and Sounds
An American Wonderland
Newark was better

Coney Island: The People's Playground
Michael Immerso
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0813531381

Book Description

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Coney Island was the uncontested epicenter of America's emerging mass culture. It was the quintessential American resort: the birthplace of the amusement park, the hot dog, and the roller coaster. Its history is one of breathtaking transformation and re-invention. Celebrated for its glittering amusement parks and its enormous crowds, it was in times past a mecca of grand hotels, race tracks, beer gardens, gambling dens, concert saloons, and dance halls. A new mass culture began to take shape there. Its harshest critics decried it as Bedlam by the Sea, but others deemed it a necessary outlet for the masses where the democratic spirit was granted free rein. Despite its precipitous decline, Coney Island remains a metaphor for the American amusement industry and the hundreds of honky-tonk resorts and amusement parks it has spawned.

Coney Island: The People's Playground is the first new history of Coney Island in almost half a century, tracing its evolution and cultural impact from its earliest development as a seaside resort to the present day Mermaid Parade. Presented in a photo-documentary format featuring more than one hundred vintage photos, archival material, personal accounts, and contemporary sources, the book evokes the atmosphere of the resort as experienced by those who visited it during its heyday. Through the reminiscences of nineteenth- and twentieth-century writers, literary figures, and amusement historians, Michael Immerso traces Coney Island's remarkable evolution and subsequent decline, while at the same time examining the remarkable individuals and complex social forces that contributed to its rise and fall.

Coney Island is not merely a documentary of the amusement industry or the story of a fabled amusement park, but rather a narrative of the way Americans, and particularly immigrants and urban Americans, came to regard the pursuit of leisure as part of their national birthright.

Customer Reviews:

Carry Me Back To Old Coney Island.......2003-07-28

In this excellent book, Michal Immerso meticulously traces Coney Islands' wild history, from its origins as a sandy haven for rabbits to its development as the most spectacular amusement area on earth to its slow and sad decline.
Although this book would be right at home on a coffee-table, readers should know that they will be getting much more than photographs and anecdotes of Old Coney. Immerso's book is fairly serious in tone and crammed with details: I found myself wishing that I had a map of the area before me, so I could trace all the comings and goings of all the attractions that graced the three spectacular parks of Coney Island--Dreamland, Luna Park, and Steeplechase. Immerso also tracks the development of the main streets, the hotels, the great migrations of immigrants (still continuing today). He writes about the destructive fires that regulary swept through large swaths of Coney Island, noting in great detail what was destroyed in each and what grew each time from the ashes.
My favorite sections dealt with the amusements themselves--the many roller coasters (the evolution of which is carefully traced), the carrosels, The Trip To The Moon, Over and Under The Sea, and emporiums with great names such as the Pavillion of Fun and Wormwood's Dog and Monkey Circus.
If I have any criticism, it's that Immerso has given us too much, for in addition to this exhaustive history, he tackles even more ambitious territory: what it all means in the context of the American experience. No doubt Coney Island provided a template for the mega-amusement/entertainment industry that was to develop in its wake. But it also was one of the first, true, democratic vistas, where millions of Americans from every ethnic group have rubbed elbows on one stretch of beach for more than a century. This anarchic democracy born of sand and fun has, according to Immerso, left a profound imprint on the American consciousness.
My only real regeret is that Immerso did not include a time machine and ticket to transport me back Luna Park to see, hear, feel, and taste for myself the thousand-and-one delights of Coney Island on a summer night in the early 1900s.

Not Just a Pretty Face.......2003-06-22

I just got Michael Immerso's book on Coney Island as a gift to remind me of the excitement and magic I felt when I visited there. I was delighted to get a coffee table book that was not just slick, but edifying as well. I felt justified in this delight as the pictures were given weight by the academic tone of the narrative explanations. Although I hoped for a bit more colorful "sleeze" in both the pictures, and the descriptions, nevertheless I'm not disappointed. I feel both my need for visuals as well as story have been satifactorily met.

All the Sights and Sounds.......2003-04-05

Michael Immerso has taken a slice of America's past and captured it with all the sights, sounds, and glitter that made Coney Island what it was. This book is filled to the brim with history that comes alive on its pages. Mr. Immerso's compelling story telling and vivid descriptions are complemented by many classic pictures. You can't pick this book up without becoming part of one of the great icons of America's history. This is definitely a book to own, enjoy, and share.

An American Wonderland.......2003-03-28

Michael Immerso once again shows he is a cultural historian of the first order. His first book, "Newark's Little Italy: The Vanished First Ward," was near and dear to my heart as a native of Newark myself. This time, though, Immerso had a tougher sell. Not only did I know practically nothing about Coney Island, I had never set foot in it. After reading this book, however, I feel I know Coney Island's history, development, and demise as well as possible for a non-native.
We all know that there is a story behind just about any historical locale. What we need is the story teller. Michael Immerso is that story teller for this magical place called Coney Island.

Newark was better.......2003-03-22

I bought this book after reading Immerso's wonderful and insightful book about his hometown of Newark, New Jersey. His new book on Coney Island was not at all what I expected. It's more like a book report than a book, consisting of bits of information taken from previous Coney books spliced together with trivia from web sites. There appears to be no primary source material or original research. Immerso repeats the traditional Coney Island stories, weaving them into a dry narrative that will be interesting only to someone who is not familiar with Coney Island. The modern color photos are not very good and seem to be used as filler. Overall, Coney Island: The People's Playground is a pedestrian effort by a good writer.

Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century (American Century)

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Welcome to the House of Fun
Did you ever wonder why people wanted "to go to the Fair ?
Required Reading...so sorry!
Coney Island as an indicator of social change
The Photographs Tell the Story

Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century (American Century)
John F. Kasson
Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0809001330

Book Description

Coney Island: the name still resonates with a sense of racy Brooklyn excitement, the echo of beach-front popular entertainment before World War I. Amusing the Million examines the historical context in which Coney Island made its reputation as an amusement park and shows how America's changing social and economic conditions formed the basis of a new mass culture. Exploring it afresh in this way, John Kasson shows Coney Island no longer as the object of nostalgia but as a harbinger of modernity--and the many photographs, lithographs, engravings, and other reproductions with which he amplifies his text support this lively thesis.

Customer Reviews:

Welcome to the House of Fun.......2007-07-18

Amusement parks that began to exist during the turn of the century served as venues for fun and excitement as well as helped to release the repressed from the gentility of the Victorian Age of the nineteenth century. John Kasson examines the social and cultural ramifications that occurred in American society in his book, AMUSING THE MILLIONS: CONEY ISLAND AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. In his study, Kasson shows how the American landscape became playgrounds, especially in New York, which extended the use of recreational space, New York's Central Park, and expositions that commemorated and celebrated the American historical past, Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893. They magnified the cornerstones and building blocks of the city, and the behavior that was exhibited with the rising middle class, which attracted a mass audience. The city became cosmopolitan and modern where many engaged and frolicked, and helped to unlatch social, racial, and economic boundaries that were bestowed upon many individuals; they also helped to rejuvenate cities through urban planning.

Indeed, Kasson explores the world of imagination. The amusements ran the gamut from a Barnum and Bailey atmosphere to reveling along the boardwalk amongst exotic and unusual exhibits that coveted Coney Island's Luna Park and Dreamland Park. And within the text Kasson highlights those who helped architect this unrestrained environment of excess, such as Frederick Law Olmstead, Daniel H. Burnham, George C. Tilyou, Frederic Thompson, James Gibbons Huneker, and Maxim Gorky. Undoubtedly these were elaborate and spacious constructed palatial playgrounds of pleasure full of materialism and consumption where many gathered for pure utopian enjoyment. According to Kasson, these amusements also served as an outlet for artists and painters whose works did not particularly belong in museums. However, they reflected the modernist and realist genres of the art world before they came into vogue, and they depicted "technological, urban, populous, egalitarian, erotic, hedonist, dynamic, and culturally diverse" images that the public were not accustomed to (88).

Overall, this is an interesting trip down nostalgic memory lane. Through the revealing pictures and detailed narrative, Kasson shows readers how Coney Island at the turn became a form of liberation for an array of classes. In essence, this is a good source to refer to when studying or reading about the American Dream as it relates to amusement parks that transcended social and cultural change in American society.

Did you ever wonder why people wanted "to go to the Fair ?.......2006-05-17

This book was not really what I expected it to be.Rather than giving interesting insight into what went on at Coney Island;it is more a book about why it came into being,why at the time,and why at that location. The book seemed to run out of steam and ended abruptly without completing the story of the reasons for the demise of it all.
Sure ,the book is about Coney Island;but similar Amusement Parks ,although none as large or famous,sprung up all over America and even Canada. And that doesn't even take into account all the State Fairs,County Exhibitions,National Exhibitions,travelling Fairs,Circuses and Sideshows,
These were all much the same in nature,differing mainly in size and duration.Their reason for being and the reason or them becoming a thing of the past is all the same.
The book suggests that they started in the mid-1800's is stretching the point somewhat as Fairs of all types were around for many centuries and only differed in how big they were,how far people travelled to them ,how much new inventions became incorporated and how long they lasted.
It seems that throughout history people loved to gather for just about any reason,but generally some sort of amusement along with the hope of "seeing something new". Thus there were Races,Exhibitions of animals,crafts,products for prizes or sale,Auctions,Magic shows,Plays,Sporting events;and on and on ad infinitism.
This happened at Stonehenge and before,at the Roman Collisium,and Religious Celebrations. It didn't take much to create an event;heck, even a "Hanging" was enough to get a huge crowd out.
The same sort of thing continues today.So instead of taking the Subway to Coney Island or some other Amusement park;we go to the great Theme Parks,National Parks,Sporting Events,Concerts,Casinos,Vegas,Nashville,Ski Hills,Cruises,or even events and locations around the world,such as World Fairs or the Olympics.
The old adage "The more things change,the more they become the same" applies to Amusement Parks,just as it does to everything else.
I suppose the greatest change is in the ease of travel,the amount of disposible income available,and the introduction of TV where everything can be brought right into the living room. That doesn't leave much but the Thrill Rides,the Smells and Sounds ,the Crowds and the Outdoors; but that's coming too.
I for one still like to "Go to the Fair" and still do here in Toronto.The Canadian National Exhibition continues to run for 3 weeks in August:however it gets poorer and tackier every year and who knows how much longer it will continue.

Required Reading...so sorry!.......2006-02-01

If you are reading this book, you probably fit into one of two categories. 1. You are a local from the region surrounding Coney Island or 2. You were assigned the book as required reading from a college History class.

While Kasson has certainly done his research on his subject, he struggles at times to find a story with some drama where very little drama exists. To make things more difficult, the reader is subjected to a sort of bastardized version of early twentieth century verbage throughout the text. For example, Kasson is particularly fond of the word "gentry" and uses it and other arcane terms frequently in presenting the story. Most likely, the intent was to give the reader a sense of the period in which the story occurs. Unfortunately, the effect is confusing, dry, and alienating rather than engrossing. Kasson does sucessfully connect individuals who have their own places in history to Coney Island, which is most likely why the book is cited so frequently in other books (132 at latest count) regarding this segment of history. The book is very difficult to read cover-to- cover. It appears that the auther intended for the reader to skip back and forth throughout the text. The final pages end with a one sentence wrap up and a picture. It is almost as if the author himself lost interest in his subject and called it a day. File it somewhere between an antique store and your Grandparent's family photos. Nice for a curious Coney Island history buff. Otherwise, a pretty dull and tedious read.

Coney Island as an indicator of social change.......2004-02-20

In these times, when entertainers bare body parts normally kept strictly covered, it is hard to believe the cover photo of this book was considered rather racy a century ago. It shows a line of girls on the beach at Coney Island where the skirts on their swimsuits have been raised to reveal the shorts underneath. Considering that they also appear to have full-length tights on underneath the shorts, to modern eyes, they look overdressed. There were many social commentators at the end of the nineteenth century that argued that the egalitarian social structure of Coney Island was debasing the social fabric of the nation.
Which was nonsense, as Coney Island was the most conspicuous example of the dramatic social changes taking place in the United States. By the turn of the century, the people were generally no longer rural tillers of the soil, having been transformed into urban tillers of the machines. Furthermore, by this time, the social distinctions between the upper and other classes were being blurred. As the author points out, at Coney Island, many of the stiff social restrictions came down. People who otherwise would not speak to each other became friendly and shared rides, beach water and other amusements.
The members of the compressed urban society craved simple and inexpensive recreation and Coney Island provided it. Therefore, as Kasson points out so well, it was a phenomenon that grew out of a social need and in many ways served as a social release. People could, for a very small fee, leave their crowded dwellings and engage in a day of escape. Everyone was equal on the rides and the beaches, so at least at that location, social distinctions disappeared.
Until I read this book, I had never considered the amusement park as a barometer for social change. However, it is now clear that Coney Island was a metaphor for a dramatic change in the social fabric of the nation and from this book, you can learn many of the details.

The Photographs Tell the Story.......2003-03-09

I purchased this book for a college course on American social history. It was nice to open a book with tons of pictures and interesting, but not too intellectually stimulating, text. Kasson's book was a welcomed change from most of the books required in my college classes. The basic theme of the book is that, during the turn of the twentieth century, the American social fabric was changing with industrialization, urbanization, and immigration. These well-known changes seeped down into leisure society as well. The rigid Victorian weekend activities of museum and symphonies was giving way to less "genteel" forms of entertainment such as movies, prize fighting and amusement parks. Coney Island was "a harbinger of modernity." The book covers the history of the park including specific attractions like the Steeplechase and Luna Park as well as its demise, losing "its distinctiveness by the very triumphs of its values." What's even more valuable than the text is the wonderful photographs that really capture the joy visitors experienced. It is only 112 pages and full of these photos, so it definitely makes a light, fun introduction to early 20th century American culture in general or, specifically, to Coney Island history.

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