This is a book for all who enjoyed the experiences of watching, hearing, and riding the wooden carousel during the golden age of American amusement history -- and for those who continue to appreciate the carousel, or merry-go-round, as a very special element of the American cultural landscape. This book contains 107 black-and-white photographs and printed images. Carrie Papa invited thirty-seven 'insiders' -- people who lived behind the lights, music, magic, and fantasy of the antique wooden carousel to reveal the purposes, experiences, memories, and emotions of their involvement with this form of amusement and entertainment. The reader will hear the stories of manufacturers of carousels and the craftsmen who made them, owners and managers of amusement parks, carousel operators and support personnel, riders, and those who have studied, preserved, and revitalised carousels and preserved interest in them. These accounts provide windows onto the everyday life of participants in the industry -- onto the reality behind the nostalgia -- and document an important part of our national amusement heritage.
Although Ms. Papa earned a BA in history from Rutgers University, her interest in people and their history was further sharpened during thirty years of living in foreign countries with her husband who was on assignment with the US Diplomatic Corps. When the Papas retired to New Jersey, she became immersed in her own country's past. She worked with a local history society to save, restore and establish a museum in a one-room schoolhouse dating back nearly two centuries. The Old Monroe School Museum received several awards under her directorship.
In addition to "The Carousel Keepers" and "A Mile Deep and Black as Pitch" Ms. Papa's historical writings include "Stones and Stories: An Oral History of the Old Monroe School," and "The Old Monroe Schoolhouse nterpretive Guide." She also authored two religious books: "Prayers of a Young Addict" and "The Brightest Star of All: Christmas Stories for the Family." Her historical and religious writings have appeared in national publications.
Recently widowed, but still writing, this 84 year old grandmother is now working on another historical book "Bicentennial Voices: An Oral History of the Celebration" She lives in Bridgewater, NJ, near her daughter and grandchildren.
