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Wardley's autobiography published

Frankly, there are no major surprises in the book - but many interesting anecdotes. The cover is also considerably pixelated which is mildly offputting. Aside from that it's a great read which most of you will enjoy.
 
Got this in the post today, will start it tonight.

Gotta say though, it's clearly been published by some cheap knock off company. The quality of the cover and print is terrible. And there are huge spaces between paragraphs which is incredibly off putting and frankly makes it look a little amateurish.

It's a shame that a more reputable publisher couldn't have picked this up and printed a decent quality version of it, as I'm sure the content itself will be excellent. Hopefully if it sells well, someone more professional with publish it.
 
andyramone said:
Got this in the post today, will start it tonight.

Gotta say though, it's clearly been published by some cheap knock off company. The quality of the cover and print is terrible. And there are huge spaces between paragraphs which is incredibly off putting and frankly makes it look a little amateurish.

It's a shame that a more reputable publisher couldn't have picked this up and printed a decent quality version of it, as I'm sure the content itself will be excellent. Hopefully if it sells well, someone more professional with publish it.
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Its printed by Amazon but I'm fairly sure it's been self-published, hence why things may not be perfect... It's probably the exact design and layout from when Wardley typed the thing up :)

As for the book, I'm a wee way in now and it's really interesting, a really easy read and one that is definitely worth picking up! It's particularly interesting to me so far as he spent a lot of time in Great Yarmouth and I recognise all the places he is writing about!
 
John has just been talking about this on Harborough FM, (aww he mentioned Towerstreet, thanks John). It's doing really well in the charts, it's fab, going to order my copy tonight. ;D
 
Prometheus said:
John has just been talking about this on Harborough FM, (aww he mentioned Towerstreet, thanks John). It's doing really well in the charts, it's fab, going to order my copy tonight. ;D
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Anyone got a copy of this, or know where to find one?
 
Wait...

This website urged him to write his autobiography? He he...

:twirly: :twirly:

Also interesting to hear his thoughts on Candy Holland.

It's always interesting to hear him speak. The host is great as well, really good questions without sounding at all nerdy.
 
He said the first ride to play with your mind is The Smiler. Wasn't TH13TEEN meant to do that? :p
 
Poison Tom 96 said:
He said the first ride to play with your mind is The Smiler. Wasn't TH13TEEN meant to do that? :p
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Yes, I based my first username on that very fact :p
 
Thanks for the nice comments.
Had to strike a balance of nerdy and my usual audience.

I really enjoyed it and looking forward to reading the book.
 
It is nice to hear him saying our guessing on the secret elements is all part of the fun. so is candy his replacement then ?
 
Just finished the book. It is excellent. Right from the outset it grabs your attention; there isn't a boring part in the book. John takes you on a journey through his theatre days all the way up to his roller coaster and theme park days with great little anecdotes and facts on the way. I must admit that when I finished the book I was disappointed that it ended.

Things to watch: the BBC drama set at PA with the main character based on John and the recent Disco Channel documentary that John took part in.
 
Just finished it. Oddly, the section of the book that I thought I would find the most interesting; from the redevelopment of Chessington onward didn't end up being my favourite part of the book. That doesn't mean that it's at all bad, I suppose it's just inevitable that as a fan of coasters and theme parks, not all of it was going to be new or surprising.

I think it's because that part of John's career is already documented so extensively by himself and others, it would be difficult to add to it without going into extremely nerdy detail which could put off the average reader, so it was probably the right decision.

The parts that I did find absolutely fascinating were John's accounts of his experiences and his work at the Windsor theatre, on various film sets and at Barry island. He really worked hard, showed unbelievable ingenuity and created his own opportunities through this. It was inspiring to read just how vast John's skill set is and how he would turn his hand to pretty much anything to make sure it was done properly.

I also enjoyed the beginning of the book that went over John's childhood influences, it gives a lot of context to the Wardley way of designing rides, particularly the Haunted House.

Overall, a great read, I wish there was more of it. I don't read many autobiographies but this one kept me thoroughly entertained.
 
The book is just fascinating. It goes really quickly at the end, and I imagine it's due to a less input and maybe confidentiality clauses, however it's still a brilliant read.

Definitely spurs me on with what I wish to achieve in later life, an inspiration definitely :)
 
My copy has just been delivered, I love the smell off a new book :)
 
I've just finished reading the book today and it was a brilliant read. He says at the end that he wanted it to be a project that would entertain and amuse, it certainly did that. It was interesting from beginning to end full of many facilitating tales.

I have a huge admiration for what John has done during his career. Reading about his early career was particularly interesting. Who'd have thought selling skeletons could result in what it did! John has clearly worked hard in a dedicated manner throughout his career. He really is an inspiration.

It was also very nice of John to mention TowersStreet in the interview. I had no idea it was enthusiast sites like this that encouraged him to write the autobiography! Thanks for writing it though John, it was a pleasure to read!

:)
 
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