Coney Island [Hardcover]

Harvey Stein (Author), David Lindsay (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1998

This volume of photographs brings to life a strip of land on New York's Atlantic coast that for over 100 years has provided thrills, entertainment and escape for millions. Referred to as the "Sodom of the Sea| by "The New York Times" in 1894, Coney Island, the most notorious amusement park of the world, was a Mecca of rollercoasters, side-shows, carnival acts and food without end. Today it remains a vivid reminder of the past, still attracting sun worshippers and thrill seekers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

With his ready camera, photographer Stein (Parallels: A Look at Twins, o.p.) has wandered Coney Island's ocean beaches, boardwalk, and amusements for 27 years. Unlike other Coney books, his doesn't concentrate on the old park's ruins?the stilled parachute drop or weed-choked abandoned coaster tracks? and deals little in nostalgia for Luna Park days. Instead, it shows the summer life that has carried on: crab-fishing along the pier, night rides on the Cyclone, tatooed sunbathers, hot dog-eating contestants, freak show staff. The most inspired pictures may be the silvery nudes from the Mermaid Parades of recent years. The book is a reasonable approximation of the contemporary Coney experience?reasonable in that the real thing can be both more beautiful and more depressing than the evocatively familiar stuff captured by Stein. His pictures do help counter the surprisingly widespread impression that Coney Island died with its famous Steeplechase ride in 1965. In fact, with Stein as loyal witness, there's been a long, colorful afterlife. Recommended for larger photography collections with a New York bias.?Nathan Ward, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393046583
• ISBN-13: 978-0393046588
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,191,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!, September 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Coney Island (Hardcover)

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!!!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing., December 20, 2001

By 

Terry S. Young (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coney Island (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice photos, not much history, June 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Coney Island (Hardcover)

I was disappointed in the book. Perhaps my expectations of the book were incorrect. I was expecting photos (and text) giving an historical account of Coney Island's past. Unfortunately, while the photos are nice, they are not dated or put in any kind of historical context. There is minimal text, and not much historical perspective.

For someone looking for a book on photographic technique, and nice, artistic-like photos, this is probably a good book. But if you are expecting a history of Coney Island, you should look elsewhere.