‘The Disneyland Encyclopedia’ covers the happiest place on Earth

Everyone knows that Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth. If you want to start pursuing some of that happiness while planning your trip, check out “The Disneyland Encyclopedia” (Santa Monica Press, $19.95) for a crash course on the original Magic Kingdom in Anaheim, California.

The book covers the theme park from A for Address (given as 1313 Harbor Blvd. or South Harbor Blvd.) to Z for Zorro Days and spans Disneyland’s history from its opening on July 17, 1955, to the present. Entries cover everything from attractions, restaurants, shops, parades, renovations and much more. Not surprisingly, the largest section is on founder Walt Disney, who sold his Palm Springs vacation home and sunk $250,000 of his own into creating his “playground for kids and grown-ups.”

Also included are maps of the various sections of Disneyland, photos, profiles of the park’s performers and more. Also providing some zip-a-dee-doo-dah are the Mouscellany factoids accompanying many entries. Too bad that idea for a “ghost to ghost” telephone hookup at the Haunted Mansion never happened.