Back in August 2011 I wrote about finding a Disneyland ticket book at a flea market in New York. If there’s one thing I love more than Disney shopping…it’s Disneyana shopping!!!

Now I know that thanks to Ebay we have the ability to purchase wonderful examples of Disney history for our collections but it’s almost too easy. Isn’t it much more fun when you have to look for these things; searching every thrift store, jumble sale and charity shop? I’m always hoping that someone will have discarded something that no one else will notice, and that something is just sitting there waiting to be found by a Disney fan like me.

Yesterday we took a drive out to our favourite seaside town. We try to take at least one day-trip here every summer, usually enduring the delightful British weather…i.e. rain!

Our first stop is always a second-hand book shop tucked away in a residential street. Now I use the term ‘shop’ loosely as the place is actually just an old house filled from floor to ceiling with books! The smell of old books, dust and damp hits you as you walk through the front door. Each room is sectioned off by narrow rows of bookshelves; which are overflowing, books are piled at all angles on every surface, including the floor.

If you were to look at every book in that shop you would be there for hours so on each visit I head straight to the children’s section in the hope of finding a quirky little Disney book.

Up until yesterday each visit would end the same. I would look through the books, trying to ignore the cobwebs and damp smell, and not find anything that really caught my eye. I would try to summon up the courage to ask the shopkeeper if he had any travel or guide books relating to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, but I would always chicken out at the last-minute, thinking that he would laugh at my request.

And so…back to yesterday… The same scenario as many times before. Looking through the first shelves in the children’s area. A row of books lying on their sides, too big to stand upright on the shelf. I moved the book that had been placed on top of them so that I could read the full titles. A quick scan, the word ‘Disney’ caught my eye, not particularly unusual for all the Disney annuals in the place, but something made me look at that book again, something made me pull the book out from the shelf so that I could read the full title…and there in my hands was this….

I had found A WALT DISNEY WORLD BOOK!!!!!!!! Not only had I found one but it was in perfect condition and only £3!!!! Inside my head I was doing the happy dance. After years of searching the shelves of this damp old house, after years of hoping, I had found my treasure and the rush of excitement is waaaay better than pressing that ‘buy’ button on Ebay!!

The book isn’t dated but looking at the attractions and resorts featured it’s easy to date as late 1989 / early 1990. I’m guessing it’s not a particularly rare book if you went to WDW during that time but if you love old-fashioned Walt Disney World as much as I do then it’s a great find.

I like the how ‘glossy’ the book is and love the colouring of the photos. It’s great fun to look at what the people in the photos are wearing; its difficult to believe that it’s already 23 years old!

It’s strange to look at what’s not mentioned in the book because they haven’t arrived in the parks or on property yet, such as resorts like Port Orleans or the Yacht and Beach Club.

So there you have it; you might not get a treasure map to help you but it’s always worth searching for Disney hidden treasure…..you never know what you might find!