We’ve assembled a collection of some of our favorite theme park books. These are about the history and the development of theme park and attractions. Some of them have been guests on our podcast! If you follow the link it will help support our site by donating a few dollars to the development of themedattraction. Either way, we hope you enjoy our collection.
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Every Guest is a Hero: Disney’s Theme Parks and the Magic of Mythic Storytelling, Adam Berger
The Global Theme Park Industry, S Anton Clave
The Imagineering Field Guides are pocket-sized paperbacks that explain various details and behind-the-scenes as you walk the parks.
The American Amusement Park Industry: A History of Technology and Thrills, Judith A Adams
Hatch!: Brainstorming Secrets of a Theme Park Designer, McNair Wilson
The Grandest Day: A Journey Through Opryland U.S.A., The Home of American Music, Caleb Pirtle, III
The Amusement Park: 900 Years of Thrills and Spills, and the Dreamers and Schemers Who Built Them, Stephen Silverman
Cincinnati’s Coney Island, Charles Jacques
Hersheypark: The Sweetness of Success, Charles Jacques
The Kid of Coney Island: Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements, Woody Register
The Great American Amusement Parks: A Pictorial History, Gary Kyriazi
The excellent Walt’s People series by Didier Ghez compiles decades of interviews with Disney artists, Imagineers, and others. A priceless collection allowing us to hear the stories from the ones who were there.
Pacific Ocean Park: The Rise and Fall of Los Angeles’ Space Age Nautical Pleasure Pier, Chris Merritt
The Wave Maker: The Story of Theme Park Pioneer George Millay and the Creation of Sea World, Magic Mountain and Wet’n Wild, Tim O’Brien
Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, Michael Virgintino
Roller Coasters, Flumes and Flying Saucers: The Story of Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon, Robert Reynolds
Theme Park Design & The Art of Themed Entertainment, David Younger
Theme Park Design: Behind The Scenes With An Engineer, Steve Alcorn
Six Flags Over Texas: The First Fifty Years, Davis McCown
Always Cedar Point: A Memoir of the Midway, John Hildebrandt
The Disneyland Railroad: A Complete History in Words and Pictures, Steve DeGaetano
The Ward Kimball: The Story of Disneyland Engine No. 5, Steve DeGaetano
All Aboard: The Wonderful World of Disney Trains, Dana Amendola
Walt Disney’s Railroad Story: The Small-Scale Fascination That Led to a Full-Scale Kingdom, Michael Broggie
Disneyland: Dreams, Traditions, & Transitions, Disney
Design: Just for Fun, Bob Gurr
Since the World Began: Walt Disney World – The First 25 Years, Jeff Kurtti
Disneyland Through the Decades, Jeff Kurtti
Walt Disney’s Imagineering Legends, Jeff Kurtti
Poster Art of the Disney Parks, Handke & Hunt
Maps of the Disney Parks: Charting 60 Years from California to Shanghai, Hunt, Neary & Neary
Buzz Price, Walt’s Revolution!: By the Numbers, Harrison “Buzz” Price
Designing Disney, John Hench
Disneyland: Inside Story, Randy Bright
Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real, The Imagineers
Walt Disney’s Epcot Center: Creating the New World of Tomorrow, Richard Beard (three different versions of this title)
Walt Disney’s Disneyland, Chris Nichols
Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney’Â’s Magic Kingdoms, Marty Sklar
One Little Spark!: Mickey’s Ten Commandments and The Road to Imagineering, Marty Sklar
Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality, Littaye & Ghez
Marc Davis in His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks, Pete Docter & Chris Merritt
Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career, Kevin Rafferty
Designing Disney’s Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance, Karal Ann Marling
Three Years in Wonderland, Todd James Pierce
Walt Disney and the Promise of Progress City, Sam Gennawey
All Aboard: The Wonderful World of Disney Trains, Dana Amendola
Walt Disney World Railroads, Part 1: Fort Wilderness Railroad, David Leaphart
Window on Main Street: 35 Years of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park, Van Arsdale France
Building A Better Mouse: The Story Of The Electronic Imagineers Who Designed Epcot, Steve Alcorn
The Disneyland Story, Sam Gennawey
In Service to the Mouse: My Unexpected Journey to Becoming Disneyland’s First President, Jack Lindquist
The Imagineering Way, The Imagineers
The Making Of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Melody Malmberg
The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic, Jason Surrell
The Imagineering Workout: Exercises to Shape Your Creative Muscles, The Imagineers
The Disney Mountains: Imagineering At Its Peak, Jason Surrell
More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland, David Koenig
Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World, David Koenig
Mouse Tales: A Behind-The-Ears Look at Disneyland, David Koenig
Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies, Jason Surrell
The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney, Michael Barrier
The People V. Disneyland: How Lawsuits & Lawyers Transformed the Magic, David Koenig
Disney’s Dream Weavers: The Visionaries Who Shaped Disneyland, Freedomland, the New York World’s Fair, and Walt Disney World, Chuck Schmidt
Walt Disney: An American Original, Bob Thomas