Theme park expertise is now available to iPad users in the form of a new iBook from Steve Alcorn, Theme Park Design. 
The iBook interactively explores Alcorn’s 35-year account of designing attractions with a unique look at what goes on “behind-the-scenes”.
Related: Theme Park Reflections: a Conversation with Steve Alcorn and Peter Ed /The Magic Formula: Roller Coasters and Amusement Rides with S&S’s Kevin Rohwer
Alcorn’s book has previously been available in print (reviewed by Blooloop), but the iBook edition goes a step further, combining text with multimedia features, including audio and quizzes.
Described as “a must-read for every theme park enthusiast” by Amazon.com, Theme Park Design delves into the mechanics of how some of the world’s greatest attraction came into being. The iBook reveals the design secrets and engineering process from conception to completion and opening day.
Also available as paperback and Kindle editions, Theme Park Design takes readers on a fascinating journey through the entire process, including ride control, mechanics, audio, video, lighting, special effects, animatronics, art direction and more.
This complex insight into the theme park world could only have been brought about by someone with Alcorn’s expertise, whose experience guides readers through ride development and “shows [them] the secrets behind the magic, ” as said by the man himself.
“The author illuminated the fast-paced world of theme park design through tales of calamity and triumph, sprinkled with many humorous anecdotes, ” Amazon said of the book.
Walt Disney’s first Imagineering systems engineer, Alcorn is better qualified than anyone to offer this unique look at attraction design. Theme Park Design is a must read for those interested in the theme park industry, especially those thinking of a becoming an Imagineer, as the iBook even offers career advice.
Alcorn is also the author of Building a Better Mouse: The Story of the Electronic Imagineers Who Designed Epcot.
About Alcorn McBride
Alcorn McBride is a “leading manufacturer of show control, audio and video equipment for the themed entertainment industry, and a rapidly growing provider of audio and video systems for retail environments and transportation applications”.
Founded in 1986 and employing some of the theme park industry’s finest engineers, the company is renowned for its ability to bring fresh ideas and designs to the market. Their hard-wearing, low maintenance designs provide reliable operation for theme park products the world over.
