Coney Island - Hardcover

Stein, Harvey

3.38

13 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393046583 ISBN 13: 9780393046588

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998

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This beautiful volume of evocative and wildly colorful photographs brings to life the small strip of land on New York's Atlantic coast that for over a hundred years has provided thrills, amusements, and escape to untold millions--Coney Island. Referred to as the "Sodom by the Sea" by the New York Times in 1894, this most famed amusement complex was a twenty-block mecca for rollercoasters, side shows, carnival acts of all kinds, and food without end. Home of Famous Nathan's Hot Dogs, a lively boardwalk, and a white sand beach that at times was so filled you couldn't lie down, Coney Island was the summer destination for generations of city dwellers who couldn't afford the Catskills or the Hamptons. Today, Coney Island remains a vivid living reminder of the past and still attracts sun worshipers and thrill seekers. It has been the favorite subject of photographers for decades. And all who know or ever knew it will rejoice in this book.

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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.

About the Author:

Harvey Stein is a professional photographer in New York City where he teaches at the International Center of Photography, Parsons School of Design, and Drew University. He has published two previous books and his work has appeared in major magazines here and abroad. Ric Burns has produced both alone and with his brother Ken numerous TV documentaries including The Civil War and Coney Island.

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