A Pictorial History of the Carousel

by Frederick Fried

This lavishly illustrated volume explores the history of the carousel from its evolution.

Genres: Nonfiction

234 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of info but loses a start for the black and white images, I get it’s from 1964.. wish there was an updated colour version

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool historical pictures, never would have thought the “Carry-Us-All” was around in the mid 1800s, and once steam engines got involved in them they took off! Cool concept.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems to be the book on carousels, one all the later books quote from and admire.

It is by far the most in-depth and informative of the carousel books I've read so far (and really, there are far fewer non-fiction books available than I would expect).

It does suffer from its age, however. It was published in 1964, so most of the photographs are in black and white, which is a great pity, given the colorful nature of the carousel.

Also, it's not particularly lively; it's worth reading if you already like carousels, but unlikely to inspire a cover-to-cover read if you don't.

From Bookwyrme's Lair, home of any number of book reviews, photographs, TV reviews, and random bits and pieces.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book dedicated to the subject of carousel, first published in 1964. This book is heavily illustrated (primarily in black and white) and covers the history of the carousel from the first artistic representation of one in 500 A.D. Images from old catalogs and historic sources are profuse. This book covers the carousel in Europe more extensively than some of the other books, although the information is somewhat dated as more has since been learned. There are great images of Coney Island in its heyday, factory photos and a chapter on band organs.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some good information about carousels and lots of pictures, but all but about a couple of pages are in black and white. Pick it up at the library. You will get some information but there were a couple of books I liked better that are out there.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book sure to delight anyone who is intrigued by the art of the carousel.