“A Coney Island Reader: Through Dizzy Gates of Heaven”
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Columbia University Press, $26.95
As the great poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti once suggested, Coney Island is a state of mind. But it is also a living, breathing, vibrant space — a Brooklyn neighborhood but also an iconic place. Journalist, editor and novelist Kevin Baker, in the foreword, calls Coney Island “a carnival” where everything “is on edge or turned upside down; everything is unsettled.” Even if you have never been there, you know it. You know it from books and movies and media reports: the Wonder Wheel, the Parachute Jump, the Cyclone, Nathan’s hot dogs (and Nathan’s annual Hot Dog Eating Contest) and the world-famous boardwalk.
As the editors (and brothers) Louis J. and John Parascandola emphasize in their thorough introduction, Coney Island represents the epitome of democracy, “a playground for the masses” where all are welcome regardless of race, class, gender or national origin. But there has always been a darker side to Coney Island, and that’s explored in these pages too. There was a reason it was called “a Sodom by the sea,” an example of urban blight that happens to be perched on the edge of a big ocean.
The anthology chronicles the many faces of Coney Island over the years (the subtitle is a line from a poem by e.e. cummings): from its early days when European colonists began to settle in the area in the mid-17th century (Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Dutch East India Co., aboard the Half Moon anchored in nearby Gravesend Bay in 1609); to its reputation as a breezy summer resort, as a refuge for weary Manhattanites trying to escape the stifling summer heat; to its heyday as amusement park central when the indefatigable entrepreneur and showman George Tilyou opened Steeplechase Park in 1897. Also here are the freak shows and the side shows as well as the years of decline — including gang warfare — but also its promising rebirth.
The collection begins with Walt Whitman’s reflection on Coney Island when he was editor of the Brooklyn Eagle. Visitors like Federico Garcia Lorca offer their take too, while residents Joseph Heller and Isaac Bashevis Singer provide insider perspectives. Also here is Ferlinghetti’s famous poem, “A Coney Island of the Mind,” which, ironically, is not actually set on Coney Island but rather references the spirit of the place — the freedom and the danger. Novelist Colson Whitehead presents a stream-of-consciousness account of Coney on a typical summer day, both good and bad. The collection concludes with government reports on the revitalization and controversial rezoning plans for Coney Island.
Other contributors include Stephen Crane, Maxim Gorky, Delmore Schwartz, O. Henry, Robert Olen Butler, Djuna Barnes, Henry Miller, Robert Moses, Kenneth Fearing, Bernard Malamud, Edward Hoagland and Katie Roiphe. Bonus features include a look at Coney Island in the movies and Coney Island in music.
“A Coney Island Reader” is a wonderful collection of fiction and nonfiction, poetry and journalism, memoirs and official government reports accompanied by evocative photographs and illustrations. The cover alone captures the essence of the place: fun, chaotic, unpredictable.
“Ocean: A Photicular Book”
Workman, $25.95
The same team that brought you “Safari” a few years ago is back with their latest edition using the same Photicular technology, which combines filmlike motion and four-color photography. Created by Dan Kainen and written by Carol Kaufmann, “Ocean” takes readers down to the ocean’s depths to witness the denizens of the sea. The creatures on full display here include the dumbo octopus, sea horse, sand tiger shark, green sea turtle, moray eel, sea nettle and anglerfish. Writer and journalist Kaufmann, also a certified scuba diver, offers the thoughtful, erudite text. As a passenger on the 17-ton small underwater craft called the Alvin, she submerges herself deeper and deeper into the heart of the ocean, while we, the readers, accompany her on the ride. It’s a thrilling journey.