Kingdoms of Artifice is Available for Pre-Order
Finally, my monograph project with Dr. Benjamin George of Utah State University, Kingdoms of Artifice, is now available for pre-order. Well, it’s been available for over a month now, but I’m just getting around to posting about it.
I’ve mentioned him before, but my friend Benjamin is Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at Utah State University, where he teaches courses in landscape architecture. George's research interests include the impact of technology on design processes, zoo design, online design pedagogy, and landscape history. He is the creator of the award-winning Digital Library of Landscape Architecture History.
To remind, The opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom (1998) introduced the design principles of the theme park to the display of wildlife. In the decades since, zoo designers the world over have adapted Disney’s approach in theming both the visitor and the animal experience.
With Kingdoms of Artifice we critically examine how post-Disney zoo environments combine entertainment with education and complexify authenticity with theatricality.
Both of us are thrilled with the jacket blurbs provided by the reviewers…
“This volume brilliantly situates the contemporary zoo within the broader world of themed environments, showing how narrative, design, and immersion reshape our encounters with animals and nature. It is both intellectually engaging and highly relevant, offering fresh insights into the cultural work that zoos perform in the twenty-first century.” —Scott A. Lukas, Lake Tahoe Community College, USA and author of Theme Park (2008)
“Engaging and highly accessible in tone, this book is essential reading for anyone serious about understanding the evolution of the modern zoo and Disney’s transformative contribution to it, enriched throughout with insights and reflections from many of the leading figures in zoo and attractions design.” —Bernard Harrison, Former Singapore Zoo Director and Internationally Renowned Zoologist, Indonesia
The ebook PDF and hardcover are now available for pre-order from Bloomsbury Academic, Studies in Disney and Culture, and will be released September 3 and October 1, 2026, respectively.
We’ve also started a research blog so be sure to check it out.