San Francisco's Playland at the Beach ― The Golden Years

"Comprehensively documented and illustrated, this is the definitive and authoritative look at one of America's landmark amusement parks, Playland at the Beach, a glamorous park that is still revered by San Franciscans more than 40 years after it closed. A dearly loved part of old San Francisco, the park incorporated rides, dining, sight-seeing, socialization, and its pioneering attractions inspired the designers of the amusement parks that followed. A companion piece to San Francisco's Playland at the Beach: The Early Years, this keepsake covers the years 1945 to 1972, showcasing both the height of Playland's postwar popularity and its decline, closure, and destruction during its final years. Illustrated by a huge collection of rare black-and-white and color photographs, it lets the reader experience the rides, attractions, restaurants, and behind-the-scenes operations of the great amusement park during its best-remembered period"--

James R. Smith is a California historian and the author of The California Snatch Racket, San Francisco’s Lost Landmarks, and San Francisco’s Playland at the Beach: The Early Years, as well as a number of historical articles. He is a member of the California Historical Society, the San Francisco History Association, the San Francisco Museum & Historical Society, and the Library Fund at the University of California, Berkeley and is active in the preservation and promotion of history and historical lore. He is a frequent lecturer and discussion leader at universities, historical societies, libraries, and bookstores. He lives in San Francisco.