Magic Kingdoms: A History of the Disney Theme Parks

by Stephanie Barczewski, Bob McLain (Editor)

Clemson University professor Stephanie Barczewski delivers a scholarly but accessible comparative history of the Disney theme parks, from Anaheim to Shanghai, with a focus on the engineering, cultural, and political challenges that Disney overcame to build its "happiest places" across the globe. From their genesis in the orange groves of California and the swamplands of Florida to their globalization in Japan, France, Hong Kong, and China, the story of the Disney theme parks is a thrill ride in itself. Barczewski starts her tale in the 1920s, when a young Walt Disney, full of dreams but still shy of success, first envisioned what many years later became Disneyland. Unlike other books that delve into the details of a single theme park, Magic Kingdoms is a broad narrative about how each Disney park led to the next, and the unique challenges that complicated—and in some cases nearly halted—their creation. Featuring a cast of characters that includes artists, Imagineers, politicians, business moguls, and of course, Walt Disney himself, plus dozens of photos, Magic Kingdoms provides the big picture of Disney's theme park empire.

246 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2016

About the author

A specialist in modern British history, Stephanie Barczewski is professor of history at Clemson University, where she has taught since 1996. Dr. Barczewski has been awarded the Gentry Award, Clemson's highest honor for teaching in the humanities, as well as a Faculty Award of Distinction for student mentoring from the Clemson National Scholars Program.

Reviews

[Avi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and well written book on the parks. This review is lowered somewhat however by the emphasis being mostly on the early days of Disneyland and Disney World at the expense of more detail on developments from the past 45 years or so