There’s an excellent new deal for 50% off one Disney book (or coffee…or a bunch of other random stuff) with the purchase of another item. This is on top of ongoing holiday sales, which have continued even after Black Friday or Cyber Monday, meaning you can stack savings and get some hot deals on gifts for yourself or, I guess, others.
If you’re looking for more substantial present ideas (but that are not necessarily on sale), check out our Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Disney Fans. Want practical things that’ll help improve the quality of your vacation? Our Packing List for Walt Disney World has you covered, with many unique items that you never knew you needed!
Even though the “sale season” is over, there still are some good deals to be found! Not nearly as many as Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but we are seeing sales on new items that weren’t previously discounted. In fact, this list is mostly new-to-us items. We’re expecting Amazon’s Holiday Deals to continue until Christmas Day, so if nothing here suits you, keep checking that page!
Not that we receive a small commission from your purchases, so buying through these links helps support the site. However, neither the price you pay nor our recommendations (or lack thereof) are impacted by that. To the contrary, please do not buy stuff you don’t need just for the sake of supporting the site!
With that in mind, the new Amazon book deal is Buy 2, Save 50% on 1. This is a deal Amazon does from time to time, with rotating products. Here’s how to take advantage:
- Add 2 items from the products below to your Cart using the Add to Cart button or select See Options for specific product variations.
- When you’re done shopping, select Go to Cart.
- The offer will automatically be applied at checkout, if eligible.
It probably goes without saying, but to maximize your savings on this deal, you should find books that are close together in price. This is because the discount is applied to the lowest-price item in your cart, so if you add one book that’s $50 and another that’s $5, you’re only saving $2.50. Not a very good deal!
By contrast, if you add two books that are both $50, you’re saving $25! On a $100 purchase, that amounts to 25% off, which is a scorching hot deal. What we’ve listed below just scratches the surface of this deal, which actually includes a lot more than just books. Browse the deal for yourself here.
With that in mind, here are our most highly-recommended Disney books for the deal, organized by approximate price tiers for your convenience and savings maximization…
~$35+ Book Tier
A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of The Most Magical Place on Earth – The best Walt Disney World coffee table book ever. In style, structure, and quality, this is unrivaled. Truly the best thing to come out of the 50th Anniversary celebration, this covers everything from development to the evolution of Walt Disney World, with tons of rare photos and concept art. This book is bound to go OOP soon, so get it while you still can! Even before the BOGO half off deal, this is on sale for 42% off. One of the best deals we’ve ever seen for this book, so it might be time to pick up a second copy even if you already own it.
Xavier “X” Atencio: The Legacy of An Artist, Imagineer, and Disney Legend – This book depicts the life, art, and lasting legacy of X. Featuring previously unpublished artwork and photographs from X’s personal collection, this book grants readers the unique opportunity to discover the true depths of influence X attained on his life journey. It covers X’s curious career path, from “small-town Colorado boy” to art school attendee, Disney animator, attraction scriptwriter, lyricist, voice-over artist, and Disney Legend. This is the perfect title to pair with the WDW 50th book for maximum savings!
Fantasies of Hong Kong Disneyland: Attempted Indigenizations of Space, Labor, and Consumption – I’m curious about this book, but not enough to buy it. There’s an interesting story to be told about HKDL’s early struggles, but just in reading the description, I fear this is the kind of book where the author had a preordained conclusion, and found the ‘facts’ to support that. But then again, maybe I shouldn’t judge a book by its title.
The Illusion of Life – This book is an essential for aspiring animators, artists, or students of Disney animation. It’s by two of Walt Disney’s famous “Nine Old Men,” Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, and is absolutely wonderful. Another great option at the ~$35 price point.
Presenting Disneyland: Forgotten Photographs From Opening Day – This book sounds interesting, but: 1) there’s no $50 tier, so you need to find another non-Disney book to pair with this; 2) the reviews spook me a bit.
The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbooks Box Set – Don’t let “unofficial” fool you. While not made by Disney, these are the definitive cookbooks from the parks and are fan-favorites. Here’s another $50 option, although we think the individual titles (below) might be easier entry points.
Mardi Gras King Cake Community Coffee – This is coffee, which is not a book. But if you’re looking for something that’s in the ballpark of that Disneyland book, it’s a good option. There’s actually a lot of coffee (including Starbucks) and other stuff included in this deal. So your second item (or first item) doesn’t necessarily need to be a read.
~$20 Book Tier
The Muppet Christmas Carol: The Illustrated Holiday Classic – If you’ve followed this blog around Christmas-time, you know we are huge fans of Muppet Christmas Carol. I’ve seen it more than any other film (the next closest is Terminator 2, for those keeping score at home).
We’d love this by default simply because it’s Muppet Christmas Carol. But it’s actually a beautiful book, and one of our favorites to read to her. She’s expressing more of an interest in it this year, aided by truly exceptional (not really) voiceover narration for each character by me. We’re debating purchasing a spare for her, because it’s such an affordable, artistic book.
Official Disney Parks Celebration Cookbook: 101 Festival Recipes from the Delicious Disney Vault – This book is brand new–it was released this year on Walt Disney World’s anniversary and it’s already on sale!
Official Disney Parks Desserts Cookbook: 101 Sweet Delicious Disney Recipes – The past ‘Delicious Disney’ titles have pleasantly surprised, offering a nice mix of history and recipes with unique content (food!) that is incredibly significant to our sentimentality for the parks. This rich volume collects 101 tasty desserts from the parks & resorts.
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company — Former Disney CEO Bob Iger’s memoir is shockingly candid and compelling. He’s clearly a smart and interesting guy, but past interviews were fairly close to the vest and felt scripted. This is a sharp and fascinating departure from that.
Delicious Disney: Disneyland – Exact same idea as the above titles, but Disneyland-specific.
Little Princess Library – We don’t own this, but would pick it up if Megatron were older. She’s growing out of board books now. Decent deal, though!
~$10 Book Tier
Disney Who’s Who (Autograph Book Substitute) – Instead of having characters sign a blank page, have them sign this actual book about 150+ Disney characters. After the trip, it’ll be a treasured keepsake. This is one of the most popular gift ideas on our Christmas list, FWIW. Young families love it for Walt Disney World and Disneyland!
The Official Disney Parks Cookbook: 101 Magical Recipes from the Delicious Disney Vault – I really like the line of Disney cookbooks from Pam Brandon, and this is a great entry point.
The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook: From Delicious Dole Whip to Tasty Mickey Pretzels, 100 Magical Disney-Inspired Recipes – The individual title that started this hit series. Better option than the box set for most fans.
The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book: From LeFou’s Brew to the Jedi Mind Trick, 100+ Magical Disney-Inspired Drinks – We don’t own this; drinks are not something we think Disney does particularly well, unless you love a certain ingredient: sugar.
Olaf’s Night Before Christmas – This is a new classic for us (it’s Sarah’s favorite Christmas book), a retelling of the Night Before Christmas from Olaf’s perspective with all the innocence, discovery, charm and confusion you’d expect. It’s also beautifully illustrated and includes a CD (if you still have a player!) with the story narrated by Disney Legend Josh Gad. Kind of in-between the $10 and $5 tiers–but a must-own, either way!
Bedtime Favorites Storybook Collection – With 18 stories and 250 illustrations, this is a great option for bedtime reading to little ones.
Thomas Kinkade Disney Coloring Book – I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again: I don’t get the point of Kinkade art minus the color. It’s his whole thing–the painter of light! Nevertheless, this is a good deal.
Many of Megatron’s favorite books actually have nothing to do with Disney, and are also part of this sale. We’re doing our best to indoctrinate her into the fandom, but three of her favorite franchises are “Llama Llama” and “Pete the Cat” and “Little Blue Truck.” All included in the 50% off deal!
~$5 Book Tier
Santa Stops at Disneyland (Little Golden Book) – The Disney Parks Little Golden Books are fantastic, with gorgeous art and cute stories. This mixes Christmas and Disneyland, making it a must-own for us. This is one of Megatron’s favorite books.
Santa’s Toy Shop Disney Little Golden Book – Inspired by a 1932 Walt Disney Silly Symphony animated short, the Santa’s Toy Shop Little Golden Book was originally published in 1950. In this delightful story, Santa wants time to play with all the wonderful toys he and the elves have made, but he’s just too busy–until Mrs. Claus gives him an idea!
Mickey’s Walt Disney World Adventure 50th Anniversary Little Golden Book – Experience Walt Disney World like never before as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and their friends spend a day in the park! Fly through Tomorrowland, float down the Jungle Cruise, drive across Main Street, U.S.A., and more in this delightful story full of fan-favorite characters and attractions. This book was originally published for the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World in 1997 and has been updated to match the current attractions at the park, making it perfect for Disney fans and Little Golden Book collectors of all ages!
Merry Christmas, Woody! – Despite never having seen Toy Story, Megatron’s favorite Disney character is Woody (thanks to “it’s a small world”). The premise of this book is that all of the toys are getting ready for Christmas, while Woody is anxious about finding his friends the perfect gifts. The illustrations are absolutely adorable and the book flows perfectly for toddlers. Highly recommended for fans of Toy Story or, I guess, “it’s a small world.”
Who Was Walt Disney? – This book has great reviews and answers an important question. We overhear so many people in the parks who have no clue who Walt Disney was (usually around the Partners statue). So I guess this could be great for kids…or adults?!
In general, we’d recommend checking out our List of the Best Books About Walt Disney World, Disneyland & Imagineering in Our Library. Many of those can be purchased used for pennies on the dollar, and are fantastic.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Any books you’re buying from the ongoing pre-Christmas sales? Any questions about any of the items on this list? Are any of these deals dead (let us know so we can keep everything current)? We love hearing from readers, so please share some of your favorite holiday deals, or any other thoughts or questions you have, in the comments!