A simple little Web site for a big detailed book--the latest edition of the popular "encycoolpedia" about Disneyland history.

T h e   D i s n e y l a n d   E n c y c l o p e d i a

The award-winning 2012 second edition--written and photographed by Chris Strodder, published by Santa Monica Press

Welcome to the handy Web site connected to the new book. But first, some linkage:

Home: About the
new book

Readers' questions
part 1

Readers' questions
part 2

Readers' questions
part 3

Sample
topics

E-mail
the author

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About the new book
Named the Best Reference Book of the Year by MiceAge (which was the #1 Disney-related site in a national survey), the second edition of The Disneyland Encyclopedia is a scholarly work that explores the history of every land, attraction, restaurant, shop, and major event at Disneyland since 1955. It's not a travel book describing Anaheim's motels and Southern California's attractions; it's a 503-page history book focused solely on the original Magic Kingdom. According to MiceAge, it's "an amazing trove of information ... an extremely thorough and well-researched look at Disneyland with information you won’t find in any other singular source. A must have for Disneyland fans!" The publisher is Santa Monica Press, a long-time publishing company that produces dozens of cool and intriguing pop culture books every year.

The national magazine Library Journal named the previous edition of The Disneyland Encyclopedia a Best Reference Book of 2008. That book was sold in Barnes and Noble, in Borders, at Downtown Disney's big Compass bookstore, at Amazon.com, and direct from the publisher. The new second edition is likewise available online (see it at this Amazon page, where dozens of customer ratings average 5 out of 5 stars) and in most bookstores (Borders not so much, since they're gone), plus you can also get it as an e-book. The big new edition (9" tall x 6" wide) has been greatly expanded with 42 new encyclopedia entries, dozens of entertaining new sidebars, revised text that updates everything, and over 350 new photos.

The earlier edition from 2008

The newly updated edition for 2012

Table of contents
The new edition has 542 encyclopedia entries. In the book they're presented alphabetically, but here are all those entries divided up into separate sections for your browsing pleasure:

Attractions

Profiles of Disneyland Pioneers

 

Shops and Stores

Profiles of Disneyland Performers

 

 

Restaurants and Other Dining Options

Park Events and Celebrations

 

 

Other Locations

Films and TV Shows Related to the Park

 

 

Park Areas and Attractions Never Built

Miscellaneous Items/Souvenirs

Maps
Like the 2008 edition, the new second edition has eleven useful maps created by illustrator extraordinaire Tristan Tang. Here's what one of her detailed maps looks like (actual size is 6" wide x 9" tall). Captions (not shown) identify various structures, including It's a Small World in the back, the Matterhorn in the lower right, the castle in the front, and more.

Each area of the park has its own map (plus there's a two-page map showing the overall park); each of the book's encyclopedia entries has a code that places its location on the appropriate map. Thus, readers can pinpoint locations for everything they're reading about, which is especially helpful for things that disappeared decades ago.

Photos
There are over 350 new photos in the book, plus a dozen vintage photos from long ago (including aerial shots of the young park, the old Harbor Blvd. entrance, the turnstiles in the 1950s, and more). A few of my photos are in the right-hand column of each page of this Web site.

Some new photos for the new book:

 

Here these photos are in living color; in the book all photos are in glorious black and white.

Friends, all text and photos are by Chris Strodder and are copyrighted with all rights reserved.

NOTE: In no way have this book and Web site been sponsored by, endorsed by, or authorized by the Walt Disney Company.

Thankee kindly for visiting!