Amusement Industry Guide: Books

As industrialization, urbanization, and immigration upended society, amusement parks tempered the shocks of racial, ethnic, and cultural conflict while shrinking the distinctions between gender and class. Following the rise of American parks from 1896 to 1918, Rabinovitz seizes on a simultaneous increase in cinema and spectacle audiences and connects both to the success of leisure activities in stabilizing society.

Whether or not you are involved in designing a theme park, cultural museum, shop, or other entertainment space, you will benefit from the insider tips, experiences, and techniques highlighted in this practical guide. Make your themed spaces come to life and become true, immersive worlds. The book features informative sidebars addressing possible design issues and current trends; case studies and interviews with real-world designers, and further reading suggestions.

This intriguing book traces the evolution of the Disney World-Orlando relationship, an "economic-development marriage," says the author, characterized by conflict and consensus, individuality and mutual dependency - just like a real marriage." "But there is another side to the story. Fueled by Disney's arrival, the tremendous growth in Orlando has created public expenditure needs, but not always matching tax resources. It has generated traffic congestion, public facility deficits, affordable housing shortages, and a low-wage economy. This situation is complicated further because of the special enticement granted to the Disney Co. for coming to Florida: their own private government - a sort of "Vatican with Mouse ears" - with powers and immunities that exceed Orlando's."

Contrasting the experiences of Coney Island and Blackpool with those of Disneyland and Beamish, Gary S. Cross and John K. Walton explore playful crowds and the pursuit of pleasure in the twentieth century to offer a transatlantic perspective on changing ideas about leisure, class, and mass culture. The authors also explore the experiences offered at Disneyland and Beamish, a heritage park that celebrates Britain's industrial and social history. While both parks borrowed elements from their predecessors, they also adapted to the longings and concerns of postwar consumer culture.

Written to accompany an exhibition at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, Designing Disney's Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance is the first book to look beyond the multiple myths of Disneyland. Uniting a roster of authors chosen from wide-ranging disciplines, this study is the first to examine the influence of Disneyland on both our built environment and our architectural imagination. Tracing the relationship of the Disney parks to their historical forbears, it charts Disneyland's evolution from one man's personal dream to a multinational enterprise.

This vibrant collection of both amusement and waterparks presents the low-down on special events, entertainment, top rides, directions to the park, admission fees, operating hours and more.

Authors Karen Jones and John Wills search for a common set of ideas that inform park design. They ponder the intersection of the green pleasure ground with notions of democracy and freedom, welfare and consumption, conservation and nature. They forward the principle of a universal park idea malleable enough to survive war and revolution. Contributing to a growing literature on global environmental history, the Invention of the Park explores how the park idea has come to transcend national boundaries and found appeal among a worldwide audience.