FROM: The 626 Published Fridays

Review: The Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia

Last week, I previewed R.A. Pedersen's new book, the Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia. I think the book is indispensable to those with an insatiable interest in Epcot. The book brims with facts. Let's see what Jeff Heimbuch thinks...

- by Jeff Heimbuch, April 22, 2011

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These past few months we've been seeing more and more self-published books by fans and Cast Members about the creation of all things Disney. From in-depth looks at the creation of Walt Disney World to memoirs about years spent working for the Mouse, there is a Disney book for everyone nowadays.

One such recent release is The Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia by R. A. Pedersen. I've been following the book's progress on Pedersen's Twitter account for the past few months, and now here it is, a book unlike any other, probably the most in-depth guide to Epcot that you will ever find.

One of its main selling points is right in the title: it's an encyclopedia, and that is the best way to describe this book. Actually, that's not entirely true. The author coined the phrase 'epcyclopedia' to refer to his book, and I want to kick myself for not coming up with that clever moniker first.

Jeff Explains...

The Epcyclopedia is is not a book to help guide you through EPCOT; it's an intense history lesson about everything in that park, divided into chapters, one for each attraction and pavilion. The first two-thirds of the book covers Future World, past and present, while the final third is about the World Showcase.

Each section on Future World deals with its various subjects quite well. Pedersen provides a fairly in-depth history about each pavilion, including a scene-by-scene breakdown of almost all of the attractions. Based on intense research and various blueprints and construction plans for each ride, Pedersen takes us through each attraction as a sort of written ride-through, commenting on each scene and offering historical facts and trivia.

Where applicable, multiple ride descriptions are provided for the various updates and upgrades done over the years. This proves true also for such famous 'lost attractions' such as Horizons and World of Motion. There is a heavy dose of nostalgia in the book, and the author has a clear love for the EPCOT of yesteryear, which is not a surprise considering the amount of time and detail he spends on the various attractions.

The sections on the World Showcase are very similar to those of Future World, though truncated. I would have liked to have seen a little more details in the World Showcase chapters, as it is my favorite part of the park. These chapters, unfortunately, are significantly shorter than the Future World chapters, and some are only two or three pages long, not really long enough to provide more than an overview of the pavilion.

I'm not sure if the information just wasn't readily available or not as heavily researched as the sections on Future World. However, Pederson does his best to give a bit of history for each pavilion, including a recount of the trials and tribulations of their creation.

Jeff Cautions...

I mentioned that calling itself an encyclopedia was a good selling point, but it can also be a bit of a downer. At certain points, the book reads like an encyclopedia. Some of the information presented is a bit heavy, and may only appeal to hardcore EPCOT historians.

Unlike other books on the history of the parks, this is not presented as a story, but more as a fact book. Casual Disney fans looking for a breezy read may be a bit put off, but Disney aficionados will appreciate the attention to detail.

A major nitpick I had is not with the information presented, but is one that applies to a lot of self published books. There were quite a few spelling and grammatical errors, some of which made me have to go back and re-read sentences before I understood what was being said. The book would have benefited greatly from having a second set of eyes, or an editor, give it a once over. When the information being presented is this fact-heavy, spelling and grammatical errors make it harder to read and understand. It shouldn't put you off from reading it, though, as the information it contains is worth the effort.

Jeff Concludes...

Overall, I definitely recommend the book. Though it's not without its flaws, it is still a good read for those looking to learn more about what EPCOT used to be and currently is. Again, while it may not be the best for the casual fan, if you're reading this website, chances are you will enjoy the book and the information presented.

The book is available for order through the author's website and on Amazon.

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