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

Spanning the entire history of the park, from its founding more than 50 years ago to the present, this fascinating book explores 500 attractions, restaurants, stores, events, and significant people from Disneyland. 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 used to be located on Main Street to the jet-packed Rocket Man who flew above Tomorrowland. 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:	120,456
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Chris Strodder works as a website editor/designer and teacher while also writing books, including The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool, Swingin’ Chicks of the ’60s, the young adult novels Lockerboy and The Wish Book, and a collection of short stories, Stories Light and Dark. He lives in Mill Valley, California.

Editorial Reviews

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

"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