Buying Disney's World: The Story of How Florida Swampland Became Walt Disney World

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 464 ratings

Price: 13.08

Last update: 12-17-2024


About this item

In November of 1965, after numerous months of speculation surrounding a mystery industry that had been purchasing large amounts of land in central Florida, Walt Disney finally put an end to the rumors. He announced to the public his grandiose plans for the thousands of acres he had secretly purchased.

For the 18 months prior to the announcement, Walt entrusted a small group of men to covertly make these purchases. Next, they were tasked with drafting a legislative act to submit to the state of Florida that would allow Disney to wield nearly absolute legal control over the property under a quasi-government municipality.

Staying true to its storytelling roots, Disney wove a tale of mystery centered around a high-ranking CIA operative, who was rumored to have been, just a few short years before, the paymaster behind the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba.

This savvy and well-connected CIA agent became the de facto leader for the group of Disney executives and attorneys who orchestrated and executed a nearly perfect plan to keep Disney’s identity a secret from the public by utilizing aliases, shell corporations, and meandering travel itineraries, all in an effort to protect the company’s identity during the land acquisition process.

As told through the personal notes and files from the key figures involved in the project, Buying Disney’s World details the story of how Walt Disney World came to be, like you’ve never heard before.

From conception to construction and everything in between - including how a parcel of land within Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort was acquired during a high-stakes poker game - explore how the company most famous for creating Mickey Mouse acquired central Florida’s swamps, orange groves, and cow pastures to build a Disney fiefdom and a Magic Kingdom.


Top reviews from the United States

  • R.S. Hill
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2021
    Well written and easy to read. Author gives lots of previously unknown information in a format that makes for a fun read.
  • R. Spalding
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ok book. Super short
    Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2021
    Short but concise. Would have liked more about the parks after it actually opened. The before story was interesting I guess
  • Natalie Keller Reinert
    5.0 out of 5 stars lots of deep cut info!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2024
    I really enjoyed the background info on how Walt organized the purchase of the WDW land. There’s a lot of history available about Disneyland, but not so much for Walt Disney World. I appreciate Goldberg’s research!
  • Erik Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Disney
    Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2024
    Loved it
  • Roberto M. Barros
    3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting story in need of better writing
    Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2021
    While John Grisham's latest book is a case of great writer in need of a better story, this one is the opposite. The story behind it is actually quite interesting and the facts and insights that drive the logic into expanding to Florida are very interesting not only for Disney buffs but for everyone who likes economics, geography, social studies and so on.

    For example, one sees Disney World and imagines people from all over the world there, but Disneyland at the time attracted very few people from outside California and the West Coast. Also, it shows why Florida was selected and why exactly Orlando (and not Daytona or closer to Miami). The involvement of ex-CIA and how the land search was conducted, keeping the company's name secret is quite cool... I really thought that Walt Disney just bought the land outright and came with the big fanfarre, but that's far from what happened. And to anyone who have ever been to WDW, you understand why in Magic Kindgdom you park your car so far and have to get the monorail (or the boat) for a long ride until you get to the park.

    The problem in this book is writing. It lacks a good catching prose that builds the story as it goes on. Sometimes it just provides in the middle of the texts irrelevant facts about some people that could be better left to footnotes, later sections or just not been added altogether. Sometimes it changes the tone or moves direction suddenly (using section titles or conjunctions to signal the change would make it less awkward).

    Also, it often fails to build on some cool info that could be further developed into even more great insights. There is a part closer to the end where the writer is showcasing numbers of the park, suddenly a number that was in tens of thousands become less than a hundred, and it's not clear whether it's the same thing or not, or how one compares to the other.

    Finally, although the book is about the process of getting Disney into Orlando, I felt that a little bit more of Before That would be helpful... a quick word on how Disnelyand happened, more on what bothered WD about it (quite interesting btw), what went right and wrong, better laid of figures and stats, etc.).

    And a reasonable lot more of After That would be even better... like a Coda... now that Walt and Roy are dead and the park is open... what happened in short? Who took the helm? When Epcot was opened, how that differed from WD's vision (explored a lot in the book)? What about MGM Studios? How did the crowds in WDW differ from those in Disneyland? What about the parks abroad? How did Universal and Sea World factor in afterwards? How is Orlando now different from then? All of that would help show the real transformative impact of WDW moving there... what the book put to show that was very superficial and distant from the meaty details.

    The good ingredients are there, but they need a better cook. With a good showrunner and good scriptwriting, this story could be translated into a great streaming minisseries.
  • Brian A. Buschmann
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2021
    This book was excellent and truly a page turner! As someone who rarely completes a book I can proudly tell you I finished this one in three days. If you love learning more about Walt Disney World then this book should rank high on your “must read” list. A+++
  • Carolyn Veek
    4.0 out of 5 stars brief history of WDW
    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
    A very interesting book highlighting what was involved when Walt Disney decided he wanted to open another theme park. I had heard some of the history before but this was a more detailed look.

    I especially enjoyed reading about the creation of the special district, Reedy Creek Improvement District, in light of what transpired withe the state of Florida essentially taking over the District.
  • Ken Gordon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great history of how Disney World Came To Be
    Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2021
    Great book for anyone interested the history of Walt Disney World, especially if you grew up in Central Florida. The book describes how WDW came to be, a combination of crafty legislation ,cloak and dagger, and the good old boy network.

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