Steel Pier, Atlantic City: Showplace of the Nation - Hardcover

Steve Liebowitz

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1593220367 ISBN 13: 9781593220365

Publisher: Down The Shore Publishing, 2009

Synopsis

For much of the 20th century Steel Pier in Atlantic City, NJ, was the center of American entertainment on the East Coast. There were big bands, movies, sideshows, acrobats, flag-pole sitters, Frank Sinatra, Miss America -- and throngs of people lining up to get a seat so they could watch brave horses and riders dive into a pool of water. It was aptly called the ''Showplace of the Nation'' and it was all that and more. This all-in-one entertainment mecca on the Boardwalk, novel in its day, has never been matched, not even at latter-day theme parks. Where else could you take the entire family for a day and see fortune-telling parakeets, the World of Tomorrow, John Philip Sousa and his band, a bear on a bicycle, World Famous Diving Horses, take a ride below the sea in the Diving Bell, spend the evening in the marine ballroom, and take in a movie -- all for one ticket? It was a colossal offering of escape, popular culture, fun and fantasy. It was a grand treat served up with gusto and cotton candy, a destination not to be missed -- an empire of grand-thinking impresarios, oddities and glamor that meshed into one cohesive and attainable summer destination. This large-format coffee-table book, published in full color, includes 227 historic photographs, illustrations, and advertising images. Steel Pier evokes a time when more really was more, a time when there was so much invention, talent and industry that it could only be experienced in one place -- at the edge of the continent, in a city that took its name from a vast ocean, on a great pier reaching out into the sea. (Benjamin Franklin Awards 2010 finalist: Regional Book, Cover Design, and Interior Design.)

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT. For much of the 20th century it was the center of American entertainment on the East Coast. There were big bands, movies, sideshows, acrobats, flag-pole sitters, Frank Sinatra, Miss America­ — and throngs of people lining up to get a seat so they could watch brave horses and riders dive into a pool of water. It was aptly called the Showplace of the Nation and it was all that and more. It was Steel Pier. This all-in-one entertainment mecca, novel in its day, has never been matched, not even at latter-day theme parks. Memories of the excitement and wonder of Steel Pier remain untarnished. Where else could you take the entire family for a day and see fortune-telling parakeets, the World of Tomorrow, John Philip Sousa and his band, a bear on a bicycle, World Famous Diving Horses, take a ride below the sea in the Diving Bell, spend the evening in the marine ballroom, and take in a movie — all for one ticket? It was a colossal offering of escape, popular culture, fun and fantasy. There will be nothing like it again. Today, the novelty and innocence of the golden age of the Pier seems a world apart. Yet it was an institution — a grand treat served up with gusto and cotton candy, a destination not to be missed — and an empire of talent, grand-thinking impresarios, oddities and glamour that meshed into one cohesive and attainable summer destination. Even today, though Steel Pier still exists, people who had experienced the glory days — whether during the big band era, rock and roll in the ‘60s, or the early days of the automobile — still feel the need to share their memories of this unique, beloved venue. This structure of wood and steel became much more than the sum of its parts: Even fires and storms couldn’t dim the memory of the grand, the great, the always-surprising Steel Pier — “The World’s Playground.” [back cover] Steel Pier evokes a time when more really was more, a time when there was so much invention, talent and industry in the country that it could only be experienced in one place —at the edge of the continent, in a city that took its name from a vast ocean, on a great pier reaching out into the sea.

From the Back Cover:

For much of the 20th century the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, NJ, was the center of American entertainment on the East Coast. There were big bands, movies, sideshows, acrobats, flag-pole sitters, Frank Sinatra, Miss America — and throngs of people lining up to get a seat so they could watch brave horses and riders dive into a pool of water. It was aptly called the “Showplace of the Nation” and it was all that and more. This all-in-one entertainment mecca has never been matched. Where else could you take the entire family for a day and see fortune-telling parakeets, the World of Tomorrow, John Philip Sousa and his band, a bear on a bicycle, World Famous Diving Horses, take a ride below the sea in the Diving Bell, spend the evening in the marine ballroom, and take in a movie — all for one ticket? It was a colossal offering of escape, popular culture, fun and fantasy.Today the golden age of the Pier seems a world apart. Yet it was an institution — a destination not to be missed — an empire of grand-thinking impresarios, oddities and glamour that meshed into one attainable summer destination.Steel Pier evokes a time when more really was more, a time when there was so much invention, talent and industry that it could only be experienced in one place —at the edge of the continent, in a city that took its name from a vast ocean, on a great pier reaching out into the sea.

About this edition

• Publisher: Down The Shore Publishing
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1593220367
• ISBN 13: 9781593220365
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 263