Includes bibliographical references (pages 260-261) and index.

"Theme Park takes the primitive amusements of nineteenth-century pleasure gardens as its starting point and continues with an in-depth investigation of the theme park throughout the twentieth century and beyond." "Theme parks, Lukas contends, have gained a wider significance and become complex representations of the human mind itself, in books, films, feature films, video games and websites. Ultimately, their larger influence can be found in the shopping malls, branded stores and casinos that employ the tricks and techniques of theme parks to encourage loyalty and increase commerce." "Packed with captivating illustrations, Theme Park takes us on a historical roller coaster ride that both reanimates the places that shaped our childhoods and anticipates the future of escapist entertainment."--Jacket.

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