"Long before Disneyland or Disneyworld, there was San Francisco's Playland at the Beach, a magical and glamorous amusement park that is still revered by San Franciscans more than 40 years after
it closed. A beloved part of old San Francisco, Playland incorporated rides, dining, sight-seeing, and socialization, and its pioneering rides and attractions inspired the designers of the
amusement parks that followed. San Francisco historian James R. Smith completes his magisterial history of Playland in "San Francisco's Playland at the Beach: The Golden Years," the sequel to
his stunning 2010 book "San Francisco's Playland at the Beach: The Early Years." Covering the years 1945 to 1972, "San Francisco's Playland at the Beach: The Golden Years" showcases 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, "San
Francisco's Playland at the Beach: The Golden Years" lets the reader experience the rides, attractions, restaurants, and behind-the-scenes operations of the great amusement park during its
best-remembered period. Comprehensively documented and illustrated, "San Francisco's Playland at the Beach: The Golden Years" isthe definitive and authoritative history of one of America's
landmark amusement parks"--
