Roller Coaster: Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters and Corkscrews

by David Bennett

A dramatic history of the great roller coasters of the world traces their evolution from their pioneering designers to the creation of modern high-tech coasters, accompanied by a host of trivia, anecdotes, memorabilia, and dozens of full-color photographs.

Genres: Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David Bennett is a chartered civil engineer who has written a number of publications on building and construction engineering, including the highly successful books Skyscraper, The Architecture of Bridge Design, Rollercoaster, and The Creation of Bridges. He is a construction marketing consultant and writes regularly for professional journals on civil engineering, building, and architecture.

Reviews

[LuAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book I got for my son when he was really into roller coasters. The history is fascinating and relevant to my state as the Mauch Chunk Gravity Railroad, in what is now Jim Thorpe, was one of their inspirations, and I've walked the trail where the tracks once were. A great classic wooden coaster, the Phoenix, at Knoebels Amusement Resort near here is also mentioned.

A good overview of their history and history of amusement parks, great designers and coasters, types of coasters and the state of parks in the 1990s.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved it when I was younger, but it’s a little outdated now. It also had many errors.