For the Disney 100 celebration in 2023 a commemorative edition of the Bob Thomas book, Walt Disney An American Original was published. This book has been considered the authoritative biography of Walt Disney since its original publication.

Release date: 2023-03-07

View the Full Entry for Walt Disney An American Original

Disneyland on the Mountain – Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort that Never Was by Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer takes you back to the 1960s and introduces you to the people and events surrounding the Mineral King project.  The book traces the inception of the idea through the eventual abandonment of the project.  It details the politics and personalities that were intertwined with the quest to develop this resort.    Along the way several Disney historical moments and events are highlighted too and their impact on the project discussed.

Release date: 2023-09-13

View the Full Entry for Disneyland on the Mountain: Walt, the Environmentalists, and the Ski Resort That Never Was

The Hidden History of Walt Disney World by Foxx Nolte shares stories and examines the history of WDW from a more unique perspective than other Disney history books.  The book does not try to tell the entire history or even a chronological history of the parks and resorts.  Instead a good portion of the book looks at the history of the area and business before Disney and as Disney grew up.   Its focus is on a number of events, people, and places throughout the first decades of the resort.  It also takes a look at some partnerships and other relationships Disney has had with various companies, organizations and its neighbors over the years.

Release date: 2024-02-12

View the Full Entry for The Hidden History of Walt Disney World

People Behind the Disney Parks – Stories of those honored with a window on Main Street, U.S.A. is an outstanding resource to learn about those who contributed to the parks.   This 350 page hard cover book includes bio sketches and images of all those with windows in the US Parks .    If you have ever wondered about the names you see on the windows along Main Street USA this is the book for you. It delves into the history of each person and details the role they played in the parks.

Release date: 2023-09-26

View the Full Entry for People Behind the Disney Parks - Stories of those honored with a window on Main Street, U.S.A.

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Visual Companion is a coffee table book by David Bossert that takes a deep dive into the creation of the film as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Release date: 2023-09-26

View the Full Entry for Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Visual Companion

Disney A to Z The Official Encyclopedia the 6th edition has been published as part of the Disney 100 celebration.   This reference book includes entries for shorts, films, television shows, songs, attractions, and people across the Walt Disney Company spanning the entire 100 year history and branching out to all divisions including acquisitions up through March 2023.    This new edition comes in at over 1,000 pages featuring 9,000 entries of which 2,000 are new and 6,000 are updated since the last edition was published in 2016.   Since the last edition was published the Walt Disney Company has grown with the addition of 20th Century Fox as well as launch of Disney+.

Release date: 2023-09-26

View the Full Entry for Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

100 Disney Adventures of a Lifetime – Magical Experiences from Around the World is a National Geographic book written by Marcy Carriker Smoothers featuring a forward by Joe Rhode. The book features a variety of Disney related experiences ranging from the parks around the world to National Geographic explorations to visiting Disney historical locations like Marceline. Each adventure or group of adventures consists of at least one photo and a narrative.

Release date: 2022-10-25

View the Full Entry for 100 Disney Adventures of a Lifetime: Magical Experiences From Around the World

The Story of Disney 100 Years of Wonder is a coffee table book that shares a broad look at the history of the Walt Disney Company.   It is a daunting task to identify and then condense 100 years of history into under 300 pages in a single book.  Choosing the milestones to highlight, people to feature and imagery to include is a substantial challenge.    John Baxter, Bruce Steele and the Walt Disney Archives team has put together a solid read giving you the highlights and at times a little depth about the company’s history.

Release date: 2023-03-07

View the Full Entry for The Story of Disney 100 Years of Wonder

The Official Walt Disney Quote Book has been compiled by the Walt Disney Archives team and released as part of the Disney 100 celebration. The book features hundreds of quotes from Walt on various subjects organized into 21 chapters spanning over 300 pages.

Release date: 2023-03-07

View the Full Entry for The Official Walt Disney Quote Book

Art of Coloring: Disney 100 Years of Wonder: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity was released on March 7, 2023 and is part of the popular Art of Coloring series of adult coloring books. This 128 page paperback book contains over 100 pages of line art to enjoy.

Release date: 2023-03-07

View the Full Entry for Art of Coloring: Disney 100 Years of Wonder: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity

The Cost of the Kingdom by Carl L. Jablonski is a memoir by the chief estimator (show and ride) for EPCOT and Disneyland Paris. In this book Carl shares his recollections of his time at Disney as well as describes what an estimator does. He also shares stories of the path he took and some of the choices he made in his professional and personal life. Over his 40 years in the business Carl’s volume of work exceeded $5 billion for a number of companies and on a wide range of projects, including Walt Disney Imagineering, LucasArts and NBC.

Release date: 2021-03-21

View the Full Entry for The Cost of the Kingdom: A Memoir by the Chief Estimator (Show and Ride) for EPCOT and Disneyland Paris

The Imagineering Story – The Official Biography of Walt Disney Imagineering by Leslie Iwerks is a deep dive into the history of this storied organization. The book mirrors the six part Disney+ docu-series that shares the same name. In this 700+ page hard cover book you will find the same information as the series plus additional stories and details that were not able to make it into the final program.

Release date: 2022-11-08

View the Full Entry for The Imagineering Story

The Disney Animation Renaissance: Behind the Glass at the Florida Studio by Mary E. Lescher is a detailed look at the history of the Feature Animation Studio at Walt Disney World, chronicling and examining the projects that were worked on by the Orlando team and the theme park attraction that coexisted with their facility.  The book also discusses the transformation of the animation process from traditional cell animation to computer-assisted to full computer  3D.   Mary takes a well researched look at the evolution of the attraction and animation studio over the years, examining the intersection and friction of the objectives of each and how they adapted to each other.  She details the changes to the tour content, layout and purpose as the Animation Studio grew and changed over the years.

Release date: 2022-11-22

View the Full Entry for The Disney Animation Renaissance: Behind the Glass at the Florida Studio

Walt’s Apprentice Keeping the Disney Dream Alive by Dick Nunis is the personal memoir of a Disney Legend.  Dick Nunis had a 44 year career with Disney that started on May 26, 1955 being hired by Van France at Disneyland to help with the training program of cast members as the opening of Disneyland approached.  He choose to retire on May 26, 1999, at which time he was Chairman of Walt Disney Attractions.  During those four decades he rose from an hourly cast member through the ranks working the operations side of the parks.  He had the good fortune to walk the park with Walt and absorb his philosophies and respond to his requests for a number of years.  He was an early member of the Orlando team as Walt Disney World was constructed.  He was part of the EPCOT, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris teams.  He was involved in Disney projects beyond the parks too including the Winter Olympics, New York World’s Fair and movie premieres such as Mary Poppins.  Before Disney Dick was a college football player for my alma mater, the University of Southern California.

Release date: 2022-10-11

View the Full Entry for Walt's Apprentice: Keeping the Disney Dream Alive

Poster Art of the Disney Parks second edition is an excellent follow-up to the original that was released a decade ago.   This book adds 85 posters on nearly 100 additional pages encompassing the attractions, lands and parks that opened since 2012 including Shanghai Disneyland, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and the new series of EPCOT posters that were initially unveiled at the 2019 D23 Expo.

Release date: 2022-10-11

View the Full Entry for Poster Art of the Disney Parks, Second Edition

The twelve women in this book represent a number of different disciplines and teams within Imagineering and each carved out a unique career path with the company.  The format is each woman has their own chapter (or sometimes two) to share their background & stories, there is a photo section in the middle and some introductions and thank yous as well.

Release date: 2022-03-15

View the Full Entry for Women of Walt Disney Imagineering: 12 Women Reflect on their Trailblazing Theme Park Careers

Not Just a Walk in the Park: My Worldwide Disney Resorts Career is the memoir of Disney Legend Jim Cora. In this book Jim shares stories, insights, and personal reflections on his more than forty year career with the Walt Disney Company spanning early Disneyland through the opening of Tokyo DisneySea. He also imparts stories and thoughts on his management style and the Disney Culture/Way.

Release date: 2021-12-28

View the Full Entry for Not Just a Walk in the Park: My Worldwide Disney Resorts Career

Disney Legend Claude Coats (1913-1992) career with the Walt Disney Company spanned over 50 years, starting at the studio in 1935, becoming an Imagineer in 1955 and retiring from Imagineering in 1989. He was named a Disney Legend in 1991. His had an artist background and education earning a fine arts degree from the University of Southern California in 1934.

Release date: 2021-11-16

View the Full Entry for Claude Coats Walt Disney’s Imagineer – The Making of Disneyland From Toad Hall to the Haunted Mansion and Beyond

Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World: Recipes & Stories from The Most Magical Place on Earth by Pam Brandon & Marcy Carriker Smothers delivers a culinary look at 50 years of Walt Disney World.   The book’s 300 pages features over sixty recipes of guest favorites from around the parks, resorts and Disney Springs including appetizers, main courses, sides, dessert and cocktails.    In addition to these recipes there is a narrative sharing the history of many of the locations and the dishes themselves.

Release date: 2021-09-28

View the Full Entry for Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World: Recipes & Stories from The Most Magical Place on Earth

Walt’s Disneyland: A Walk in the Park with Walt Disney by Marcy Carriker Smothers takes you on a tour of Disneyland during Walt’s time. The narrative shares stories and information as you move around the park from land to land. Marcy starts off with a very brief history of how the park came to be and then launches into a grand circle tour of the park during the 50s and 60s. Adding to the experience are a large number of photos and quotes from Walt as well as those that worked with him.

Release date: 2021-11-16

View the Full Entry for Walt’s Disneyland: A Walk in the Park with Walt Disney

Birnbaum’s 2022 Walt Disney World: The Official Vacation Guide is now available. I was sent a review copy of the guide as well as the For Kids edition. This annually updated resource dates back to 1981 and has the goal of providing a comprehensive reference to help you plan your vacation to Walt Disney World. Over the years the book has continued to expand along with WDW. This year’s paperback checks in at 350 pages divided into eleven chapters. These include general vacation planning information such as: Getting Ready to Go, Transportation & Accommodations. A chapter devoted to each of the four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom). Each park chapter includes sections on getting oriented, attractions, shopping, entertainment and tips. There are also chapters on Sports & Recreation, Dining, and everything else in the world. The final chapters feature the Disney Cruise Line and a look at the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Release date: 2021-09-21

View the Full Entry for Birnbaum’s 2022 Walt Disney World: The Official Vacation Guide

Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2022: The Official Guide for Kids is now available. This book shares an overview and some planning tips geared towards children ages 7 to 14. The book features descriptions of the theme parks, attractions, and other vacation options at WDW. It includes ratings, tips, and insight from kids for kids as well. The book is substantially less than the regular guide, half the number of pages, larger fonts, and a smaller size but it still packs in all the essential information.

Release date: 2021-09-21

View the Full Entry for Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2022: The Official Guide for Kids

A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of The Most Magical Place on Earth is a coffee table book that celebrates the first 5 decades of the Walt Disney World Resort.  It takes a look at past, present and offers some glimpses of the future of the resort.   The book was released to coincide with the kick off of the 50th anniversary.  The trio of authors (Kevin Kern, Tim O'Day  & Steven Vagnini ), share the history of the parks, resorts, attractions and entertainment but in a nonlinear and somewhat nontraditional approach.  The chapters are organized around themes instead of the expected route of chronologically or by park.   Within in each chapter you will find an assortment of pictures, facts, figures, stories and other nuggets of information not only on current attractions but also some that have been gone for decades.   The authors add to their narration with an assortment of quotes from Imagineers, park leadership and some well known fans.   In addition to the traditional narrative are three guest pieces sharing some personal stories from Dick Nunis, Debby Dane Browne and Roy Patrick Disney.

Release date: 2021-09-28

View the Full Entry for A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of The Most Magical Place on Earth

To commemorate Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary the Orlando Sentinel published this book containing reprints of a number of articles and images from its archives. The book includes over 100 historical photos and reprints of dozens of articles in its 176 pages organized into 13 chapters that chronicle the history of Walt Disney World. Spanning from the speculation of who was purchasing the land in the 1960s through the announcement of the 50th anniversary celebration this year this book delivers a look at the origins, creation and growth of Walt Disney World from the hometown newspaper’s coverage.

Release date: 2021-10-12

View the Full Entry for Disney World at 50: The Stories of How Waltss Kingdom Became Magical in Orlando

For Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary a new adult coloring book is available as part of the Art of Coloring series. This book features 100 images that span the history of the resort. Inside you will find reprints of historical coloring books dating back to the resort opening in 1971. There are also fun maps, attraction posters, and assortment of other images taken from various sources including previous anniversary logos.

Release date: 2021-09-28

View the Full Entry for Art of Coloring: Walt Disney World: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity from The Most Magical Place on Earth