Fun Facts & Oddities Featured In Two New Books Two new books let you enjoy baseball and amusement parks from the comfort of home. Two new Ripley's Believe It or Not! books on two of America's favorite pastimes-baseball and amusement parks-are now available in time for summer enjoyment! The release of Ripley's Believe It or Not! Amusement Park Oddities & Trivia and Ripley's Believe It or Not! Baseball Oddities & Trivia, marks the first time in its 79-year publishing history, that Ripley has dedicated entire books to these two popular activities.

Both however, are natural subjects for the company to feature. Robert Ripley not only loved baseball, but was a great player! In 1914, he made the New York Giants roster but in his first game, a hit ball struck him, fracturing his pitching arm, ending his professional sports career. But he continued to love the subject, as witnessed by the more than 2,000 baseball cartoons, facts and artifacts that can be found today in Ripley's extensive archives.

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n addition to its publishing dynasty, Ripley's operates more than 60-attractions throughout the world in 11 countries, including 30 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums. With their knowledge and passion of the attractions industry, it was only time before "an uncanny journey through the weird, wacky and absolutely true world of parks, rides and attractions" would be written! And what a journey it is! More than half the book is dedicated to the bizarre, colorful and entertaining worldwide universe of amusement parks and attractions.

The other half features chapters on the Disney parks, Ferris wheels, roller coasters, carousels, entertainers and food! More than 100 different parks, zoos, aquariums, attractions, and countless rides are featured and a comprehensive index allows readers to quickly discover the oddities listed for their favorite park or ride. Not falling into the category of the traditional ho-hum sports trivia book, the baseball volume is unique, enjoyable, accurate and edgy!

With a bit of history, a bit of trivia and a whole lot of totally unbelievable and mind-boggling facts, this Believe It or Not! book is a first of its kind in sports publishing. It's an exciting ramble through the absolutely factual world of baseball players, coaches, owners, teams, stadiums and fans!

Each book contains more than 350 new Believe It or Not! facts and 50-plus original drawings, as well as several "Ripley Classics," cartoons drawn by Ripley himself in the 1920s and 1930s. The whimsical illustrations of John Graziano, Ripley's official cartoonist are all original and author and researcher Tim O'Brien's tongue-in-cheek and somewhat irreverent writing style makes both of these books straightforward, entertaining and enjoyable reads for all ages!