(Not sure why the first reviewer gushed about the book but only gave it two stars.)
Author Chris Strodder has written a very comprehensive but easily readable history of just about everything that's ever existed in the Original Magic Kingdom. This is the kind of book I like--one where I can just pick it up and start reading anywhere. The book looks at every attraction, store and restaurant that's been in the Park since 1955, and he does a good job of covering them in informative, concise entries. The entries are alphabetical, and there's a huge index at the back. Black and white maps and photos are interspersed throughout the text.
As an encyclopedia, the book does not try to cover each entry in extraordinary detail, but all the basic information--such as dates of operation/closure, brief histories and descriptions and locations are all there. There are also a few entries on some of the personalities and Imagineers who created the Park. It's a great introduction to the history of the Park for newer fans, and experienced Disneyland hands may find morsels they may never have known about.
Overall, I don't think you're going to find this much information, squeezed into such a compact package (you could easily bring it to the Park for reading in line), for the price. It is a great addition to my Disney library.
--Steve DeGaetano, Author, "Welcome Aboard the Disneyland Railroad" and "From Plantation to Theme Park--The Story of Disneyland Railroad Locomotive No. 5, The Ward Kimball."
From Plantation to Theme Park: The Story of Disneyland Railroad Locomotive No. 5, the Ward KimballWelcome Aboard the Disneyland Railroad!