Name: Hollywood on the Santa Monica Beach
Brand: Marc Wanamaker
SKU: 9781467160735
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Hollywood on the Santa Monica Beach

9781467160735

$24.99

Since pioneer filmmakers arrived on its shoreline in the early 20th century, the Santa Monica beach has been a popular location for the making of movies and television productions. Its enchanting beauty led studio moguls, producers, and celebrities to build beach houses there, creating what became known as "Hollywood's Playground." The sand and shore of the Santa Monica beach became a favored site for the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Marion Davies, William Randolph Hearst, and Cary Grant. It was on this beach that the Academy Awards were conceived, the movie The Wizard of Oz sprang forth, and a young Pres. John F. Kennedy stunned beachgoers with a surprise ocean swim without the protection of Secret Service agents. In 1962, the beach became the center of the universe as the site of President Kennedy's "Western White House," where the visitors included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Marilyn Monroe, and--famously--"anyone who was anyone."

Vintage sepia cover photo with a group of beachgoers and a large black title plaque reading Hollywood on the Santa Monica Beach

The Wall of Death

9781467127066

$24.99

In 1911, the operators of Coney Island's Luna Park premiered a miniature, radically banked racetrack for staged automobile races that seemed to defy gravity.

For a fee, patrons would watch from the perimeter of the 85-foot wooden saucer as daredevil drivers raced on the steep angle of the tiny track. The attraction created a sensation and was quickly copied with a show that featured motorcycle riders performing breathtaking stunts. When portable versions were made available, every traveling carnival owner in the United States rushed to have one. Motordromes with perfectly vertical walls soon followed, which permitted riders on their Indian motorcycles to climb, sometimes to a height of 20 feet, with nothing but centrifugal force between them and a trip to the trauma ward. And when full-grown lions were added to pursue riders in the arena, no one could resist buying a ticket! The Wall of Death, a name these shows received in 1917, remained a staple attraction on American carnival midways until the 1970s.

Cover image for The Wall of Death, isbn: 9781467127066

Emerald Bay and Desolation Wilderness

9781467128186

$24.99

Emerald Bay sparkles as a diamond within the jeweled landscape known as Lake Tahoe. Designated a California State Park in 1953 and a National Natural Landmark in 1968, Emerald Bay is one of the most photographed landscapes in the Sierra, featuring California's first underwater park, dramatic Eagle Falls, and Lake Tahoe's only boat-in camp. Vikingsholm, nestled within the southwestern edge of the bay, is a 38-room mansion that is a dramatic example of historic Scandinavian architecture. A small stone teahouse steeped in fanciful lore is perched atop Emerald Bay's Fannette Island. The Desolation Wilderness, established in 1969, is one of the most popular wilderness-designated areas in the United States. The geographic area of the wilderness is just less than 100 square miles, includes 130 lakes scattered throughout the alpine topography, and contains countless waterfalls and streams intersecting the hiking trails and granite landscapes.

Book cover for Emerald Bay and Desolation Wilderness from Images of America, featuring a sepia landscape and a black red bordered title plaque

Knoebels Amusement Resort

9781467163132

$24.99

Deep in the woods of central Pennsylvania, off a winding two-lane road, sits an oasis—Knoebels Amusement Resort. With over 60 rides of all types, along with two campgrounds and a golf course, Knoebels advertises itself as America’s largest free-admission amusement park.

It has come a long way since 1926, when Hartman Henry Knoebel first opened a swimming pool, restaurant, and carousel at his farm outside Elysburg. It was one of dozens of small picnic parks located in the region at the time. But unlike its onetime peers, Knoebels managed to thrive and grow under the careful stewardship of five generations of the Knoebel family, adding transformative attractions such as the Grand Carousel in 1942, Haunted Mansion in 1973, Phoenix in 1985, Twister in 1999, and Flying Turns in 2013. Today, Knoebels Amusement Resort is a beloved institution drawing countless visitors annually.

Jim Futrell, historian for the National Amusement Park Historical Association and International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, has passionately studied the amusement park industry for over 50 years and in that time has authored dozens of articles and 10 books on the industry.

Cover image for Knoebels Amusement Resort, isbn: 9781467163132

San Diego's Fishing Industry

9780738559926

$24.99

San Diego has always attracted a rich diversity of immigrant groups. Between the 1880s and 1970s, many of these groups helped to create a strong and dynamic fishing industry that became a key component of the city's identity. Waves of varied immigrants continually refreshed the industry, adapting their traditional skills and technologies to San Diegan conditions. Innovations in boat design, nets, and baiting techniques reshaped the fleets that harvested tuna and sardines from the teeming waters. On shore, canning factories sprang up, seafood markets bustled with activity, and fish restaurants filled with hungry diners. The vivid stories and fascinating photographs in this volume recapture the energy and variety that were the hallmarks of San Diego's fishing industry--an industry that has left a deep multicultural imprint on today's city.

Sepia cover showing a fishing crew on a boat for San Diego's Fishing Industry

Southern Adirondack Foothills Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping

9781467128810

$24.99

The rugged wild of the Adirondacks region of New York State has been a haven for sportsmen for hundreds of years. Hunters, fishermen, and trappers have found freedom and solitude in its crisp mountain air and vast expanses of wilderness. The challenge and adventure of the pursuit of wild game in this rough country has established the Adirondacks as a well-known destination for sportsmen. The area is as stunning as it is unforgiving. Winter ice fishermen and hare hunters face brutal subzero temperatures and strong winds. Spring trout fishermen and turkey hunters are greeted by burbling brooks and thawing meadows emerging from beneath months of snow and ice. Autumn whitetail hunters and fur trappers trudge long distances through cooling, colorful, country forest groves and muddy riverbanks. Southern Adirondack Foothills Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping chronicles a less-often explored portion of the Adirondack's history: the non-famous mountain folk who etched out a life of their own design among the pines and ponds of the magnificent southern Adirondack foothills region.

Cover image for Southern Adirondack Foothills Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping, isbn: 9781467128810

Yarmouth

9781467129268

$24.99

Yarmouth, founded in 1639, has always had close ties with the sea. From shore whaling, fishing, and boatbuilding to sailing, salt making, and other maritime pursuits, almost everyone dealt with the ocean. A 160-acre Indian reservation existed until a smallpox epidemic in the 1770s. Later, a substantial Friends community (Quakers) grew in South Yarmouth. Yarmouth slowly leaned toward tourism after the Civil War, with railroads providing the transportation. Automobiles created even more tourism. People no longer stayed for the summer but could now spend just a night or two. Restaurants, dance halls, and cabins changed the landscape. There was little growth during the Depression; however, it was explosive in the years following World War II. Townspeople grudgingly adapted to these changes. The one constant has been the Bass River and its influence on the town.

Yarmouth cover from Images of America with a sepia photo of a woman beside a rock wall

Ocean Beach

9781467128025

$24.99

Water defines Ocean Beach by its unique location where the Pacific Ocean meets the mouth of the San Diego River, alongside Mission Bay, formerly known as False Bay, which connected to tidal marsh areas. The beach town's natural attractions and new prospects brought early settlers to Ocean Beach when it was established in 1887 by William Billy Carlson and Frank Huggins. Ocean Beach's landmass history is shaped and reshaped by major storms, wave and tidal surges, and droughts, which in turn transform the community's natural habitat, culture, and development. For example, the Ocean Beach Woman's Club's (OBWC) Flatiron Building, constructed on the shoreline, was destroyed by several storms from 1939 through 1941 and later removed, and the area where it once stood was turned into a park. The OBWC later moved its permanent headquarters away from the beach. The history and fabric of this unique ocean community is made up of an assortment of characters and spirited generations of individuals who have left their loving marks through their homes, gardens, businesses, stories, achievements, and community activities.

Cover image for Ocean Beach, isbn: 9781467128025

Capital Region Motorcycling

9781467122221

$24.99

The early 20th century was a time of greatness and prosperity for New York's Capital Region. Economically powerful cities like Albany and Schenectady were home to emergent companies that employed a growing population. This influx gave way to an abundance of stores and retail establishments that catered to newly settled residents. With the local economy experiencing unprecedented growth, people had discretionary income to be used for leisure activities, such as going to Proctor's Theater or enjoying the sport of motorcycling. Capital Region Motorcycling reveals the many activities that were enjoyed by those who wished to participate or watch. Photographs of road tours, polo matches, hill climbs, field meets, scrambles, and short-track and ice racing are featured alongside stories of the Electric City Riders and Spitzies Roamers motorcycle clubs.