Amusing the Million

"This is what a history of popular culture should be: a delightful account of a fascinating subject and a serious contribution to our understanding of major transition in American culture."—John G. Cawelti, University of Chicago

"Brilliant . . . Through skillfully chosen photographs and highly imaginative careful analysis, Kasson implicitly argues that Coney Island was American appetite, America-as-joke, incarnate . . . Meticulous and exciting, [Amusing the Million is] clearly destined to be a classic in the still inchoate field of popular culture."—Ann Douglas, The New Republic

"Because he treats our frivolities seriously, John Kasson has produced an important book which helps us all understand ourselves. His inquiry into the nature and significance of Coney Island as part of the American experience provides a brilliant device for understanding major transformations in American culture at the turn of the century . . . A delight to read, look at, and ponder...itself a great amusement for the mind."—Warren Susman, Rutgers University

"Not only delightful reading but a perceptive look at a familiar American institution..Social-cultural history ought to be done this way more often."—Russel B. Nye, Michigan State University