The Disneyland Encyclopedia: The Unofficial, Unauthorized, and Unprecedented History of Every Land, Attraction, Restaurant, Shop, and Major Event in the Original Magic Kingdom

by Chris Strodder

Overview

Completely updated and expanded with over 50 new entries and 300 new photos, The Disneyland Encyclopedia spans the entire history of the park, from its founding more than 50 years ago to the present day.

This fascinating book features detailed explorations of 600 Disneyland topics, including lands, attractions, restaurants, stores, events, and significant people. Each of the main encyclopedia entries illuminates the history of a Disneyland landmark, revealing the initial planning strategies for the park’s iconic attractions and detailing how they evolved over the decades.

Enriching this unique A-to-Z chronicle are profiles of the personalities who imagined and engineered the kingdom known as “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Discover unbuilt concepts, including Liberty Street, Rock Candy Mountain, and Chinatown, and delight in fascinating trivia about long-lost Disneyland features, from the real rifles in the shooting gallery that was once located on Main Street to the jet-packed Rocket Man who flew above Tomorrowland. The new “Mouscellany" feature adds fun facts, hidden secrets, and odd trivia to the third edition.

Overflowing with meticulously researched details and written in a spirited, accessible style, The Disneyland Encyclopedia is a comprehensive and entertaining exploration of the most-influential, most-renovated, and most-loved theme park in the world!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595800909
Publisher:	Santa Monica Press
Publication date:	04/11/2017
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	441,749
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

This third edition of The Disneyland Encyclopedia is Chris Strodder’s tenth book. Among his other works are The Disneyland Book of Lists (2015), the children’s book A Sky for Henry, an adventure story for young adults called Lockerboy, the comic novel The Wish Book, the Stories Light and Dark collection of short fiction, a pop culture compendium entitled The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool, and Swingin’ Chicks of the ’60s, a popular nonfiction volume of profiles that garnered international attention, as well as coverage in dozens of magazines ranging from the National Enquirer to Playboy, and exposure on national TV and radio shows.

Chris’s writing has also appeared in Los Angeles magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, The Huffington Post, USA Today, California magazine, Movieline magazine, and others. The Disneyland Encyclopedia was named a “Best Reference Book” by Library Journal. An avid Disneyland visitor and collector since 1966, Strodder lives by the beautiful Pacific Ocean in Pismo Beach, California.

Editorial Reviews

"Strodder's love of Southern California's famous theme park shines in this essential reference book. . . . Complete in every way. . . fun to read. . . . Essential for a Disney collector." —Library Journal

"At over 500 pages it's a grand collection of the history and trivia of Disneyland, all nicely organized with concise entries for just about everything that has been installed, exhibited, removed or considered for the Happiest Place on Earth." —www.MiceAge.com

"True to its title The Disneyland Encyclopedia documents the smallest snack cart, the shortest lived shows, the favorite restaurants and the beloved attractions inside the Disneyland Park from its 1955 opening. . . . It would be difficult to find any physical element of Disneyland that is not documented in the book's entries." —www.BetweenDisney.com

"The real achievement is having 57 years of Disneyland history in one book." —www.YesterLand.com

"His attention to detail shows and it is very important in a work of this caliber. . . . An indispensable tool for the Disneyland fan and researcher." —www.MiceChat.com

From the Publisher

Strodder's (The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool) love of Southern California's famous theme park shines in this essential reference book. After the introduction, maps are provided that show each land and where the shops, restaurants, and attractions were or are currently housed. Next, he examines in alphabetical order everything that ever existed in Disneyland; each reference has a map tag so readers can go back and look at where an operation used to be. Under chronology, Strodder shows the operation's opening date and closing date, or whether it still exists (in which case it says "ongoing"). When mentioning an individual Disney legend like Bob Gurr, the designer of the original Monorail, the chronology is still used, which is a bit odd. After the map and chronology, an intriguing history fills out the entry. Complete in every way, this guide even has entries for such attractions as the Dalmatian Celebration, which lasted for six weeks at the end of 1996. Reading this book from cover to cover would be difficult, but it is perfect for browsing.
—Jeff Ayers

Library Journal