Grab the Brass Ring: The American Carousel

by Anne Dion Hinds, Jean M. Auel (Foreword)

The author traces the merry-go-round's history from its heyday at the turn of the century to the present day. 150 full-color photographs.

147 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 1990

Reviews

[bethany m. planton]

Grab the Brass Ring is an enjoyable read about the history of carousels from the Golden Age to present day.

[Nic]

I realize this book is 34 years old now, but I found the text to be a bit all over the place, especially towards the end. Suddenly, there's a tremendously vague chapter on carousel restoration and the beginning of an explanation of restoring P.T.C. 15 that ends just as quickly as it began without giving any details. The oddest part may be the section about collecting carousel memorabilia, which has very little to do with actual carousels.

The author has very strong opinions about private collectors owning carousel figures. She makes a very good point that the rest of us will never be able to enjoy them as a ride, the very purpose for which they were created; however, as the author also points out, with so many amusement parks closing their doors, where else are these works of art supposed to end up? With maintenance and operation of historic carousels being so expensive, what alternative is there when a park shuts down?