A month from today, I will return to the world of legitimate printed material for the first time since my days at the Daily Tar Heel when Four Decades of Magic: Celebrating the First Forty Years of Disney World is released. Published by Ayefour, who also released Project Future and Jim Korkis’s The Vault of Walt, this new volume contains twenty-eight essays written to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Walt Disney World.
A number of Disney writers, bloggers, and commentators have contributed to the project, including several good friends of Progress City. I contributed two essays – one, an extended look at the creation of the classic EPCOT attraction Horizons, and the other a brief look at the development of the EPCOT concept from 1971-78. It’s far from comprehensive, but I hope people enjoy it.
The book will be available soon on Amazon, and you can always get the latest news on Ayefour’s website.
Here’s the rest of the lineup from the book:
Foreword by Jim Hill
Introduction by Chad Emerson
The Sunset Boulevard that Was, Is, and Never Will Be – Tom Corless
When is the 3 O’Clock Parade? Then, Now, and Forever – Tom Corless
Tomorrow’s Windows: Looking Back at Horizons – Michael Crawford
A Brief History of the Future: From EPCOT to EPCOT Center – Michael Crawford
The Walt Disney World Monorail System – Jason Diffendal
Spaceship Earth – Jason Diffendal
Much Ado About Hoop-Dee-Doo – Greg Ehrbar
The 65th Year for Mickey, the Very First Visit for Kids – Greg Ehrbar
Walt Disney’s EPCOT and the Heart of Our Cities – Sam Gennawey
Joe & Carl: Two Men Who Built the World – Didier Ghez
Disney Brings Sports to the World – Adam Goswick
Whatever Happened to Beastly Kingdom? – Scott and Carol Holmes
Magic of the Night: The Evolution of Walt Disney World’s Nighttime Fireworks Displays – Debra Martin Koma
Meeting Mickey: Remembering Mickey’s Toontown Fair – Jim Korkis
For Your Pleasure: The Mythology and Reality of Pleasure Island – Jim Korkis
The Relative Truth About If You Had Wings – Mike Lee
Thunder Mesa & the Western River Expedition: A Neverending Story – Mike Lee
History of the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue – Chuck Mirarchi
History of the Main Street Electrical Parade – Chuck Mirarchi
History of the Contemporary & Polynesian Resort Hotels – Chuck Mirarchi
Walt Disney World Resorts That Never Were – Lou Mongello
Goodnight, George: A Ghost Story – Foxx Nolte
Another Magic Corner of the World – Foxx Nolte
EPCOT 1939 – Jeffrey Pepper
The Carousel of Progress: What Would Walt Think? – Michael Scopa
An Island Filled with Tropic Beauty, Colorful Birds, and the Mystery of Ben Gunn’s Buried Treasure! – George Taylor
Honoring the Cast: Insider Tributes & Homages – Kevin Yee
Theme Park Archaeology – Kevin Yee
Oh. My. GOSH. This is freaking awesome. I’m pre-ordering this the moment it becomes available on Amazon. Can’t wait. And please tell me that “Foxx Nolte” is FoxxFur of Passport to Dreams Old & New??
Did it really have to be Jim Hill who wrote the foreword? He seems a little out of place on this list… I don’t even care though. Just skimming the topics and other contributors in this table of contents makes me more excited for this book than any other Disney book in a long time.
I think this will be the greatest book ever!! Okay, I am a little biased. I really am looking forward to my copy. Congratulations!
Sam
http://www.samlanddisney.blogspot.com
I agree–this does look awesome.
Very nice! Looking forward to this!
Yes, it is the same Foxx!
Congratulations Michael! I am looking forward to reading this book as soon as it is available. Great to see you and George representing the NC corner of the Disney Universe!
Cannot wait for this!
Hey,
Man this sound like it is going to be sweet!!
Can not wait to see it for myself!!
Waiting, 🙂
Chris
Thanks guys – I’m really looking forward to seeing how it turns out. I hope people enjoy it.
Not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but I was just able to get the Kindle edition of this book on Amazon. It looks fantastic, I can’t wait to read it!
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[…] more details on its contents, and on my contributions, check out our previous article or Ayefour’s website. February 13th, 2011 | Tags: Four Decades of Magic | Category: Books, […]
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