viii, 199 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : 29 cm

"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 ascent and subsequent decline, while at the same time examining the colorful 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."--BOOK JACKET

Includes bibliographical references and index

Coney (1824-1875) -- The American Brighton (1876-1883) -- The Elephant Colossus (1884-1902) -- Baghdad by the sea (1903-1911) -- Seaside baroque (carousels, coasters, and amusements) -- Honky-tonk (cafes, dance dives, and concert halls) -- The Nickel Empire (1920-1933) -- Empire of the body (1934-1964) -- The mermaid parade (1965-2001)

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