Claude Coats -- Walt Disney's Imagineer is definitely one of the great Disney history books of the season. Kuddos to Dave Bossert and Alan Coats!

At 101 Ruthie was still answering my emails from her iPhone. I am saddened at the news of her passing at 111, but what a wonderful life!

Why would I mention this cook book on the Disney History blog? 

Simply put, because, thanks to author Marcy Carriker Smothers, what used to be just a beautiful book about Disney food has now been updated to include several sections about historical facts related to Walt Disney World restaurants and their history, including some wonderful pieces of concept art which I had never seen before. To make matters even better, several of those pieces are by Disney Legend Dorothea Redmond.
 

I just got a heads up from my friend David Peake about these two upcoming books. I will definitely pick up both the one about The Little Mermaid and the one about The Lion King!

 

I just spotted this upcoming book (March 2022) and will order a copy as soon as pre-order of the physical version becomes available on Amazon. 

This book was released a few months ago and I should have mentioned it much earlier. The author, Renée Farrington, is the daughter of Disney artist Ray Patin (one of the talented animators of Disney's Golden Age). Her heavily illustrated and beautifully written memoir takes us from the Golden Age of animation all the way to her most recent adventures in the shadow of the Hollywood sign. This is truly a delightful read.

There are a few chapters about her father's career at Disney and after Disney, with some great, never-seen-before illustrations. However the book is Renée's autobiography and therefore most of its is not about Disney, but about what it was like to grow up in Hollywood, "in the shadow of the sign."

Did one of you happen to buy this lot recently? If so, could you please email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com? Thanks in advance,
 

Yesterday evening I received a review copy of the book A Portrait of Walt Disney World which will be officially released tomorrow. Written by my friends Kevin Kern, Tim O'Day, and Steven Vagnini, this huge volume is definitely a must-have and will probably become one of the very best Disney books of the year, along with Jim Cora's autobiography, the Claude Coats biography and Marcy Smother's Walt's Disneyland.

At first glance, the balance of illustrations and text is excellent and there seems to be a very large amount of photographs and pieces of artwork that we had not seen until now in book form.

Knowing how great Kevin Kern, Tim O'Day, and Steven Vagnini are on the historical angle, I am expecting that the text will be full of fun surprises.

I can't wait to start reading. In the meantime, you all know what one of your gifts should be this holiday season. 

I just picked up the autobiography of Maureen O'Hara, which contains an excellent chapter about the making of The Parent Trap.

One of my good friends just gave me a head up about this upcoming book / exhibition catalog. I am not certain that the exhibition or the book will contain any section about Nielsen's work for Disney but I know that some of you will want to be aware of this upcoming release.

Here is another autobiography I cannot wait to pick up when it is released next month!

I am finishing to read Hayley Mills' wonderful autobiography. I have owned the autobiography of her father, John Mills, for quite a while. It is also excellent.

What I discovered yesterday, though, is that her mother also wrote her memoirs. I just bought a copy on AbeBooks. 

 

I am just back from a delightful trip to Walt Disney World and had the pleasure of discovering and buying this book about the 25 Anniversary of The Disney Conservation Fund. It was released last year. Little text and mostly beautiful pictures.

Sad, sad news: Jack Couffer Dies: Oscar-Nominated Cinematographer Behind ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ Was 96

Fortunately Jack wrote various excellent books of memoirs and I also released an interview with him in Walt's People.

R.I.P.

 Looking forward to this upcoming issue of Disney Twenty-Three.

  

Spectacular auction coming up at Heritage Auctions on August 6 to 8!

 Do you live in Italy? If so, you do not want to miss this upcoming exhibition!

Here are two photos of Walt I had never seen before and that I located this week. In the first one he is traveling to the Chicago's Century of Progress exhibition. On the second one he is on his way back.

 

 Interesting Disneyana auction coming up at the end of the month.

Lucie Dolene was the French voice of Snow White and was "the French June Foray." 

I can't wait to buy and read her recently released autobiography (in French, of course).