Maps of the Disney Parks: Charting 60 Years from California to Shanghai with text by Kevin and Susan Neary and maps curated by Vanessa Hunt lives up to the title. This relatively brief volume is big on images and short on text. The book groups together Disney maps largely by decade into chapters. Each chapter is provided a small introduction which outlines developments in the parks and within the Disney Company. This is followed by pages and pages of full-color maps with short captions. Some of the maps are also accompanied by cutouts that enlarge sections of maps which were difficult to view in their full regular sized view.
Maps are the star of Maps of the Disney Parks. And maps is what one gets. There are guide maps, attraction maps and fun maps literally from around the world. They are enjoyable to view and scan as one looks for attractions and landmarks that have evolved in the sixty plus years of Disney parks. And they are gloriously presented in full color. This is a very visual volume, and one should not expect an in-depth history of Disney maps or topics like fun maps. Instead, this volume allows one to visually explore the history of the maps on one's own.
Maps of the Disney Parks is a beautiful volume of art. As we enter a time where we can travel less and likely not be able to enjoy our favorite parks, this book provides us a vacation at home. As more and more of us are truly now Between Disney!
