The American Roller Coaster (Motorbooks Classics)

Step right up to the magic of the great coasters as you travel through roller coaster history from their beginnings up through today! Experience the early roots of coastering in the mid-1800s and the emergence of grand amusement parks in the 1880s. Flash back to the golden age of coasters between 1900 and 1930, and witness the thrill rides' historic decline in the 1960s. Ride these radical rails in chapters chronicling coaster designers, manufacturing companies, technology, and special coasters.About the AuthorScott Rutherford developed an intense love of amusement parks and roller coasters at a very young age when he roade his first major wooden roller coaster at Cincinnati's famed Coney Island in 1970. A charter member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, a club for roller coaster fans, he was awarded an honorary membership while serving as editor of ACE News and contributing to ACE's RollerCoaster! magazine. Scott lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he currently serves as East Coast Bureau Chief of Amusement Today, a high-profile monthly trade publication focusing on the leisure/entertainment industry.