First Published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Ripley's Believe It or Not Amusement Park Oddities & Trivia is an uncanny journey through the weird, wacky, and absolutely true world of amusement parks, rides and attractions Tired of the traditional ho-hum trivia book? Rejoice, here's one that's unique, enjoyable, accurate AND edgy With a bit of history, a bit of trivia and a lot of totally unbelievable facts, this is a first of its kind book for the amusement industry. With more than 350 Believe It or Nots inside its pages, and 50-plus original illustrations by Ripley's official cartoonist John Graziano, nearly half of the book is dedicated to the bizarre, colorful and entertaining universe of amusement parks, rides and attractions. The other half features chapters on the Walt Disney parks, roller coasters, Ferris wheels, carousels, entertainers and park food Nearly 100 different amusement and theme parks, waterparks, attractions, zoos and aquariums are represented in these colorful pages, not to mention the 14 pages packed with astounding roller coaster Believe It or Nots A comprehensive index permits readers to quickly discover the oddities of their favorite park.

Here is a fun armchair journey through the rapidly shrinking world of amphibians. Frogs and other amphibians are rapidly going extinct. It is believed that 500 of the 6,000 known species will become extinct within the next 10 years. This book is loaded with original Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoons, and fun to-the-point facts and trivia about amphibians that will both educate and amuse the reader. Created in 2008 to celebrate the Year of the Frog, all proceeds from this book will be going to various world-wide frog foundations for study and research.

The first thorough exploration of musical life in nineteenth-century New York City, with topics ranging from military bands and immigrant impresarios to visits from operatic diva Adelina Patti. The musical scene in mid-nineteenth century New York City, contrary to common belief, was exceptionally vibrant. Thanks to several opera companies, no fewer than two orchestras, public chamber music and solo concerts, and numerouschoirs, New Yorkers were regularly exposed to "new" music of Verdi, Meyerbeer, Schumann, Berlioz, Liszt, and Wagner. In European Music and Musicians in New York City, 1840-1900, the first thorough exploration of musical life in New York City during this period, editor John Graziano and a number of other distinguished essayists assert that the richness of the artistic life of the city, particularly at this time, has been vastly underrated and undervalued. This marvelous new collection of essays, with topics ranging from military bands and immigrant impresarios to visits from operatic diva Adelina Patti, establishes that this musical scene was one of quantity and quality, lively and multifaceted -- in many ways equal to the scene in the largest of the Old World's Cities. Contributors: Adrienne Fried Block, Christopher Bruhn, Raoul F. Camus, Frank J. Cipolla, John Graziano, Ruth Henderson, John Koegel, R. Allen Lott, Rena C. Mueller, Hilary Poriss, Katherine K. Preston, Nancy B. Reich, Ora Frishberg Saloman, Wayne Shirley. John Graziano is Professor of Music, The City College and Graduate Center,CUNY, and co-Director of the Music in Gotham research project.