Roller Coaster: Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters and Corkscrews [Hardcover]

David Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

From the Russian ice slides of the 17th century through the golden age of the 1920s, to Disney''s world dominance today, this book looks at the history of the roller coaster.'

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chartwell Books; 1St Edition edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078580885X
• ISBN-13: 978-0785808855
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #965,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding coaster book., February 5, 2001

By 

Doesn't Matter (New York City, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roller Coaster: Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters and Corkscrews (Hardcover)

This is definitely one of the better coaster books available on the market. It is a couple years old so of course it is missing several of the latest and greatest coasters. Unfortunately it is all but impossible for a coaster book to be update with the rapid additions and changes in the coaster world. This book provides a strong balance between high quality photographs and useful text. The text is broken down into five chapters that focus on the history of coasters and the engineering behind them, biographical information on many of the great coaster designers, insight into the amusement park industry and information on many of the greatest thrill rides of the time.

The history of coasters is pretty much the same as you'll find in most other texts. It is still very interesting to read. The engineering section is quite fascinating, and full of useful information and the biographical information of coaster designers is probably the best information of that type I have ever found. Of course for coaster enthusiasts the highlight of this book is the chapter dedicated to the thrill rides of the time. This chapter is full of wonderful photographs and interesting information including ride statistics.

There are 200 pages of fabulous information and incredible photographs. There are photos of some of the earliest and most historical coasters, to the latest and greatest thrill rides at the time of the printing. Some of the most beautiful photographs that I have seen published. All in all an outstanding book and absolutely a must have for all coaster enthusiasts.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!, June 5, 2000

By 

Scott Showalter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roller Coaster: Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters and Corkscrews (Hardcover)

I had always been on the prowl of an awesome roller coaster book. I could never find one though. They were hard to find! Well, I received this book as a gift, and when I got it, I immediately looked through it. It had tons of information, from the history of rollercoasters, to the science of them, to today's coasters (Although they are really yesterday's since we have had tons of new designs this year and the book was made in 1998). This book is completely filled with photos, and jam-packed with information. Almost 200 pages! Almost every page has full color photos (except old ones, which are still great quality)! If you are even one bit interested in thrill rides, this book is for you! Well worth the price! You won't be disappointed! I highly suggest this book to the roller coaster lover who is on a frantic search for a great book! In the back it contains a listing of every park with roller coasters, and lists every roller coaster in that park with the kind of coaster it is! VERY USEFUL! You're gonna LOVE this book. Countless number of Cedar Point photos! Need I say more? This is the best book yet! I'm sure better ones are due out in the near future, but this is the greatest book of THIS time! A must-buy!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Roller Coaster Book, December 26, 1999

By 

BEBFSU1 (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roller Coaster: Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters and Corkscrews (Hardcover)

This is the best roller coaster book. I own this book and it's the best. If you love roller coasters, this is a great book. It has awsome pictures. It has some great stuff about the history of the roller coaster. It tells about the greatest coaster designers of all time. It has info about almost all kinds of coasters. It has a downside though. Since the book was made in 1998, it doesn't have all the designs of the new coasters. If you expect a book with a bunch of pictures and info about the new coasters such as floorless, you won't find it. There will be a ton of brand new coaster designs coming in 2000, and this book doesn't even think they can exist. If you want to know some generaly info about the history of the roller coaster, and want the know how a basic coaster works, this will be a great book. You don't want this book if you expect all the technology info. Overall this is a great book.