Down And Out In The Magic Kingdom

From one of America’s most beloved storytellers: a dazzling tapestry of love and faith, memory and imagination that questions what it means to look back and accept one’s place in history. In 1971, Harley Mann revisits his childhood, recounting his family's move to Florida’s swamplands—mere miles away from what would become Disney World—to join a community of Shakers. “Eerily timely. Can what’s gone wrong in the past offer keys to the future? The Magic Kingdom confronts our longings for Paradise; also the inner serpents that are to be found in all such enchanted gardens.” —Margaret Atwood, author of The Testaments, via Twitter Property speculator Harley Mann begins recording his life story onto a reel-to-reel machine, reflecting on his youth in the early twentieth century. He recounts that after his father’s sudden death, his family migrated down to Florida to join a Shaker colony. Led by Elder John, a generous man with a mysterious past, the colony devoted itself to labor, faith, and charity, rejecting all temptations that lay beyond the property. Though this way of life initially saved Harley and his family from complete ruin, when Harley began falling in love with Sadie Pratt, a consumptive patient living on the grounds, his loyalty to the Shakers and their conservative worldview grew strained and, ultimately, broke. As Harley dictates his story across more than half a century—meditating on youth, Florida’s everchanging landscape, and the search for an American utopia—the truth about Sadie, Elder John, and the Shakers comes to light, clarifying the past and present alike. With an expert eye and stunning vision, Russell Banks delivers a wholly captivating portrait of a man navigating Americana and the passage of time.

Amusement park rides are the ultimate battleground in this Locus Award–winning dystopian sci-fi novel by the acclaimed author of Little Brother. In the near-future world of the Bitchun Society, scarcity is a thing of the past, death has been conquered, and a constant internal interface allows everyone to monitor their ultimate pursuit: the esteem of others. At barely a century old, Jules is still a young man when he realizes his dream of living and working at Disney World. He devotes himself to keeping the classic attractions intact, with only minor adjustments to their original twentieth-century designs. But when the Hall of Presidents is overtaken by a rival group, the old animatronic designs are replaced with a new, direct-to-brain immersive experience. For Jules, this assault on the artistic purity of Disney World cannot stand. And it only upsets him more when someone has him killed. After rebooting in a new body, Jules is ready for war. “A black-comedic sci-fi prophecy on the dangers of surrendering our consensual hallucination to the regime. Fun to read, but difficult to sleep afterwards.” —Douglas Rushkoff, author of Cyberia

The latest edition to the successful Hidden Magic series features updated information on the latest attractions at Walt Disney World, including Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway! Whether it’s your first or fiftieth visit to Walt Disney World, you’ll be surprised at how much you can miss during your trip. But with this guide to Disney’s hidden treasures you’ll learn: -You can search for more than the usual hidden Mickey. There are other beloved characters like Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse hidden around the parks. -The book Belle reads in Beauty and the Beast is a real book...and you can find out what it is by heading to Maurice’s cottage. -Imagineers hide symbols of themselves around the park to “sign” their work. Including all-new information on Toy Story Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World, 3rd Edition will inspire you to relive the magic year after year!

WELCOME, FOOLISH MORTALS, to the Haunted Mansion, one of the most popular attractions in the history of Disney theme parks. The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic explores how the attraction's "999 happy haunts" were brought to life. Rare early concept sketches, detailed architectural drawings, and stunning still photography illustrate the Mansion's evolution as it was designed and built at each Magic Kingdom park around the world-including Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland. Our tour begins here with a twistedly thorough third edition. Based on the retired title The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies, this newly updated volume confirms or debunks longstanding urban legends, shares fascinating behind-the-screams stories, and reveals how concepts move from inspiration to reality. Readers will discover the latest show enhancements to this classic attraction and find even more artwork depicting the happy haunting grounds in California and Florida as well as Tokyo, Paris, and now Hong Kong. This is one book you'll be dying to have on your shelf!

Cory Doctorow's miraculous novel of family history, Internet connectivity, and magical secrets Alan is a middle-aged entrepeneur who moves to a bohemian neighborhood of Toronto. Living next door is a young woman who reveals to him that she has wings—which grow back after each attempt to cut them off. Alan understands. He himself has a secret or two. His father is a mountain, his mother is a washing machine, and among his brothers are sets of Russian nesting dolls. Now two of the three dolls are on his doorstep, starving, because their innermost member has vanished. It appears that Davey, another brother who Alan and his siblings killed years ago, may have returned, bent on revenge. Under the circumstances it seems only reasonable for Alan to join a scheme to blanket Toronto with free wireless Internet, spearheaded by a brilliant technopunk who builds miracles from scavenged parts. But Alan's past won't leave him alone—and Davey isn't the only one gunning for him and his friends. Whipsawing between the preposterous, the amazing, and the deeply felt, Cory Doctorow's Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town is unlike any novel you have ever read. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Introducing a different kind of guidebook for a different kind of theme park experience. This is a guide for those ready to immerse themselves in the magnificent achievement that is Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Wallace goes beyond the average guidebook to provide a lighthearted but scholarly look at the history, lore, and literature that inform the designs and storylines of every ride and attraction in the Magic Kingdom.

In a house near a beautiful forest, a new prince is born, living close to the mansion of his grandfather, the King. The prince moves to the city as a very young child, and there he learns how to use magic and how to play many different games. When he returned to the mansion that he had visited as a baby, he soon realizes something wonderful: his crayons have magically become rainbows! Using magic, he sets out to make the world a perfect place. In this children’s book, a young prince discovers that the reward of magic can make him as great as he wants to be and allows him to work to make the world a perfect place.

Five young teens tapped as models for theme park “guides” (using a new hologram technology developed by the Disney Imagineers) find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Featuring a new cover design and additional content!

Disney Legend Charles Ridgway looks back over forty years of working for "the Mouse," from Disneyland, to Walt Disney World, to Euro-Disney and beyond. Filled with light-hearted and hilarious reminiscences of famous people and outlandish publicity stunts, this memoir will delight Disney fans young and old.