Roller Coasters, Flumes & Flying Saucers: The Story of Ed Morgan & Karl Bacon, Ride Inventors of the Modern Amusement Parks

Northern Lights Pub, Jupiter, Florida, 1999. First edition. Navy cloth in very tidy condition. Gilt titles on spine. Contents tight with just a touch of foxing to the page edges and rear e/p. Dust jacket is good with just minor edge-wear.

Ed and Karl's accomplishments are indeed stunning when viewed as a whole. Their association with Walt Disney lasted for nearly twenty years, and resulted in Arrow having a hand in numerous ride systems for Disney up until the opening of Walt Disney World. They created dark rides, boat rides, car rides, and a group of circling pachyderms named Dumbo. But the most important contribution to Disneyland by Ed and Karl was the Matterhorn Mountain Bobsleds. Before 1959, roller coasters were either wooden or small steel structures built of flat iron rails. The duo decided that to simulate a bobsled, none of these options would work. Instead, they came up with an entirely new system, where low slung vehicles would ride on polyurethane wheels over a tubular steel track. Thus, the modern roller coaster was born. Today, every tubular steel roller coaster in the world can trace its lineage back to Ed and Karl.