Rollercoaster Adventure!
“Deutschlands Achterbahnen” (‘Germany’s Rollercoasters’) is the name of the new picture illustrated book with text captions released in June 2011 and written by Ralph Latotzki, a regular contributing author here at EAP. Rollercoaster fans have plenty to enjoy in this large format book, which features Latotzki’s clearly structured illustration of the coasters one finds in operation in Germany, including transportable coasters and stationary rides installed in amusement parks. I know of no other book like it, and it fills a niche for the growing number of rollercoaster enthusiasts.
Most of the pictures feature brilliant resolution suited for the corresponding large format. And the accompanying texts are tastefully reduced to the essential information, providing rollercoaster fans with a comprehensive overview of the current German rollercoaster scene.
Latotzki initially describes the range of rollercoasters on hand in the individual amusement parks, including a brief portrait of each park and a timeline listing when each coaster went into operation and where. The author follows up by presenting Germany’s mobile rollercoasters. All of the information is supplemented with background stories and several anecdotes, many of which will be new even to numerous professionals. He also provides clarification of what qualifies as a rollercoaster on the basis of the historic development of this popular attraction, and gives us his own personal definition of what makes a ride a true rollercoaster in his view. He then includes a short, precise list of the various rollercoaster types and closes the content structure circle by giving a brief overview of German rollercoaster manufacturers.
It should be noted with thanks here that the author keeps the book easily “readable” by largely avoiding overly technical details which would be primarily of interest only for tech freaks.
If there is any criticism to be leveled at all it is perhaps that with the rapid addition of ever more coasters around Germany and throughout Europe, this book is regrettably likely to be at least mildly outdated within a year. And as a magazine with a focus on the whole of Europe, we would love to see a “Europe’s Rollercoasters” book from the same author follow soon on the successful heels of “Deutschlands Achterbahnen”!
Summary: This bilingual (German & English) book is a treasure for every rollercoaster fan and industry professional and an ideal gift. The large format and wealth of information make the retail price of 34.90 Euros a real value! We wish our colleague and author Ralph Latotzki all the best with this book!
The 152-page book is published by Cologne, Germany’s Vista Point Verlag and is available for purchase on the Parkscout website (www.parkscout.de) and in book stores.
Ralph Latotzki: Deutschlands Achterbahnen. Cologne: Vista Point Verlag 2011
