CONEY ISLAND PEOPLE 50 YEARS
“Coney Island is blatant, it's cheap, it is the apotheosis of the ridiculous. But it is something more: it is like Niagara Falls, or the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone Park; it is a national playground; and not to have seen it is not to have seen your own country.”
— Anonymous, 1909
Coney Island People 50 Years is a themed black and white photo book that shows Coney Island over a 50-year period from 1970 through 2020. The emphasis is on the people who populate this iconic iconic space over this time. I adopt the role of photographer as sociologist, documenting human patterns of behavior at play. Idyllic in its imagery, the photographs frame the men, women and children who take part in this fantasyland while simultaneously creating a portal for viewers to enter into the mood and feel of Coney Island. The photographs give the viewer a sense of what Coney is beneath the obvious rides and beach — it’s not just a playground — it is where life is lived and looms large. The images show the real Coney Island at a time when people crave authenticity and how Coney has evolved over the past 50 years. More than a message, the book shows how we continue to live in a confined space over half a century. It documents our ingenuity in seeking out play, pleasure and relief from everyday stresses.
This book is special and unique in its coverage of Coney for 50 years. There are few if any books in the history of photobooks that have ever been devoted to one subject shot this long and consistently by one individual. Coney Island People 50 Years is destined to be highly collected and coveted.
This photobook continues to trace my love affair with Coney Island; it’s the third book I’ve had published about Coney. The first was simply called Coney Island and was shot between 1970-1997 using color slide film. It was published by W.W. Norton and sold out quickly. The second book, Coney Island 40 Years was brought out in 2011 by Schiffer Publishing; it documented the years 1970-2010 and was shot in black and white film with Leica cameras (it continues to be in print, see the page about it in this website). Coney Island People 50 Years was mostly shot between 2011 through 2020; it’s again published by Schiffer and again shot with black and white film and Leicas. Twenty-three of my favorite images from the 40 year book are included in the new work.
The hardbound book, 9 x11 ¾ inches, consists of 174 photographs (one photo per page), beautifully printed in an archival duotone process, 200 pages on 200 gsm paper. It includes a historical timeline of Coney Island written by the former Brooklyn Borough historian, John Manbeck, and myself; an 850 word introductory essay by Virginia Hines, a San Francisco writer and photographer; a 750 word essay by Alan Klotz, a Manhattan photography gallery owner and photo historian; excerpts from interviews I conducted with Dennis Vourderis, the co-owner of the world famous Wonder Wheel, and Dennis Thomas, the long-time president of the 120-year-old Coney Polar Bear Swim Club. The book comes with a sturdy dust jacket and custom end sheets and sells for $50.00.
Coney Island People 50 Years is published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd, based in Atglen, PA on the Schiffer Book Farm; they are known for publishing high quality antique, arts, architecture, lifestyle, military and photography books as well as a successful line of children and ghost books.
If you would like a personally signed and inscribed book or have any questions, email me at hsteinfoto@aol.com. The book is also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and where fine books are sold.