April 7 - Table of Contents

Again, exactly the same.

April 4 - Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland 1964

Onto the 1964 Disneyland Guide. Because this is only three years removed from the last book I posted, and they share many of the same images, I am going to do a comparison between the two books. This will not be the most in-depth look at the parks, but still...

Images will be hosted (as always) on my Flickr account, for all to view. The set is located here and images will be uploaded as they are posted here.

March 10 - ...Dreaming

This is going to wrap up the guidebook to Disneyland in 1961. These are the most interesting pages to me because they highlight the ever-changing nature of Disneyland.



Here under dreaming, we see the concept sketches for Old New Orleans, the Haunted House, the Tree House, and the Rouges Gallery.





This is the back cover, which is an excellent resource to see what the park had to offer in 1961.



Coming up tomorrow will be the start of another lengthy postings, where I share Cast guides to Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Mixed into these will be a couple of maps from the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, and then following will be another guidebook, I think from 1964. With this one, I plan to highlight the alternations made between 1961 and 1964. After this, maybe the Epcot Center preview guide, which is wonderful for concept artwork and feels the most like a World's Fair book.

March 1, 2008 - Fantasyland

First two pages of Fantasyland. I love the photo of the father riding on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Its the suit I wanted to wear for my wedding, but I was out-voted.

February 29, 2008 - Main Street USA

Final 2 pages of Main Street USA.

February 25, 2007 - Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland (1961) - Front Cover

Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland - Front Cover, originally uploaded by Jeremy ES.

Another series of scans from long out-of-print books! Yay! As things move forward, this is going to become more the focus of this little blog than posting photos from the Parks with little nuggets of trivia.

I want to share the stuff I've accumulated over the last couple years as I've become a huge fan of the Disney Park experience. Hopefully, much of this will be items that are not easily available, espically in high quality online. There will be more maps coming, many of which are common, more guide books from the early days of the park, and SOPs for rides. Everything will be in high resolution, cleaned up as much as possible, and easily made available.

There will not be any current items scanned which are available for purchase in retail stores. When I get around to writing up book reviews, I will use excepts, but also link to information on how to purchase the titles.

There will still be the posts about my struggles to stop buying so much stuff. It is not going too well at the time, but we are trying to buy a better house, and things need to be bought. I still have not bought any toys this year, and the majority of purchases have been made using funds from selling stuff on Amazon. So while not nearly perfect, I am keeping myself aware of what I'm buying and not shopping with abandon.

January 4, 2008 - Main Street USA

IMG_0658.JPG, originally uploaded by Jeremy ES.

" "I caught sight of a man far down the street. Alone. Quietly regarding the place he so long envisaged, now complete, ready to bring pleasure and happy satisfaction to the millions who will visit it. And I was reminded that he, too, was a Main Streeter, never weened sway from the common bond with the great majority of American small town and country folk, their tastes and ideals, despite long identification with big cities as an eminent world figure." -Jack Jungmeyer: The Disneyland News, July 1955 " -Page 18, Walt Disney Imagineers.

(This is from me, not a book)

I never met Walt, but walking in Disneyland, I feel like I know him. I've been to 'amusement' parks all across this great land, and nothing has come close to the feelings a Disney Park brings. Hershey Park is nothing but rides dropped on a concrete slab, haphazardly laid out, with food and cheap carnival games between them.

Knowing that the Imagineers set up Liberty Square so that in the 1700's section, you cannot easily see the Mark Twain, because steam engines did not exist in that time, is one of the million points of detail that makes the Parks better, more magical. And it is a detail I wouldn't have noticed, and many will never notice.

That is what Walt inspired, this drive to go well beyond something that you spend a day at and never return. Walt inspired his people to make this destinations that, in turn, inspire people to write, record radio shows, edit together massive amounts of home movies, all so others can experience a little part of the Disney magic. And those who spend hours, days, entire chapters of their lives, who do so for little or no compensation, are true off-shoots from Walt's dreams. A thank you to all.