Finally! Taschen's massive volume, Donald Duck--The Ultimate History by David Gerstein and JB Kaufman is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Each month I check Amazon's list of "best books of the month." Two days ago, Disney High, was part of the September list. Recent history for sure, but now I am curious. 

Very subjective and focused only on Walt Disney and animation, this is the list I created for Sheperd.com. Unfortunately I had to limit myself to 5 books, which is far from ideal.

I just received my copy of the late Richard Williams' autobiography, Adventures in Animation, and, as expected, it is a winner.

My favorite chapters are those about Milt Kahl, Art Babbitt and Grim Natwick, of course.

 

I just received a copy of another extremely important book about Disney history that will be released in a few weeks, Stephen Anderson's Disney In-Between--The Lost Years 1966-1986. Here is what I wrote about it for the back cover:

At long last! This is the book about Disney history I have been waiting for more than 30 years. Stephen Anderson’s year-by-year account of the period between Walt Disney’s death and the Renaissance of Disney animation is researched with care, visually striking, thoroughly entertaining and a page-turner to boot. Thanks to this masterful volume, light is finally shining bright on those years full of drama and promise known to some as Disney’s “dark ages.”

 

Disney Legend Martha Blanding has a fascinating personal story, which is beautifully captured in her autobiography, Groundbreaking Magic.

If you are interested in the evolution of Disneyland since the 1970s against the backdrop of societal changes, the fun and glamour of Guest Relations, the inner workings of Disney fan-tailored events, and the complexity of Disney Parks merchandise operations, this book is for you. 

Of course, I am biased, since Martha's co-writer, Tim O'Day, is a good friend whose writing style I love.

From my standpoint the book was interesting both from a Disney-history angle, but also, of course, due to its focus on growing up black in California at a time where things were finally starting to change for the better.

In summary: If you have to decide and can only buy two Disney Editions books this season, pick up Bob Weis' autobiography and Directing at Disney by Pete Docter and Don Peri. If you have some extra money to spare, definitely add to your list Groundbreaking Magic and Bring the Magic Home.

Let's admit it, when I first saw the cover of Bring the Magic Home by Sunny Chanel I did not think that book was for me.

Yet, when I saw it at D23, I realized that I was totally wrong and that I needed it.

The photos of the themed houses interiors are stunning, but more importantly, the author decided to interview quite a few Imagineers (including Tony Baxter) and to include a good number of Disney concept paintings that I had not seen before.

Which means that the book ends up becoming not just a feast for the eyes but also a very interesting book on the periphery of Disney history.

Well-worth it from my admittedly subjective standpoint. 

 

Disney Editions released 4 excellent Disney history books at the D23 Event earlier this month. I already discussed the groundbreaking Directing at Disney, so let's focus this week on the other three.

I like Bob Weis (Global Imagineering Ambassador and former President of Walt Disney Imagineering) very, very much, not just because of what he helped create while at WDI, but also because he cares deeply about Disney history and is one of the main drivers when it comes to cataloging and preserving Marty Sklar's papers.

It did not come as a surprise, therefore, that I loved his autobiography, Dream Chasing, which is well-written, detailed and honest.

It is a great read; one that really takes you behind the scenes at WDI. The fact that Bob also talks a lot about many of his colleagues makes the book even more valuable from my standpoint.

Definitely a "must-have."

Based on a poster that JB Kaufman spotted this weekend on the Disney Editions booth at D23, it appears that the book he and David Gerstein wrote for Taschen, Donald Duck--The Ultimate History, will be released this year on October 31. I am so looking forward to this! 

I am so looking forward to this new book!
 

This photo of Walt Disney and El Grupo's trip to Latin America in 1941, which I bought 24 years ago while living in Buenos Aires, was not included in the new monograph since I do not know exactly where it was shot and since I cannot recognize the man on the left.

In preparation for our panel at D23 on Friday, however, I thought you would enjoy seeing it.

Remember to come and meet us at Booth 325 to pick up your autographed copy of Walt Disney and El Grupo in Latin America.

Mike Westby was kind enough to send me a copy of his newly self-published book Disney History -- Rare & Unknown.

The books is divided into three sections: Early life of Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, Disney merchandise and Disneyland.

The section of the book that I found the most exciting is the one about the early life of Walt and of Ub Iwerks. There is a lot of new material about Ub's father and about Ub's early business venture, complete with illustrations. And Mike digs quite deep into the environment in which Walt grew up, which is also very interesting. You will not find any really new info about Walt himself but you will about his surroundings (complete with illustrations).

The section about Disneyana did not include anything new to me.

I am not a Disneyland specialist so I cannot give you an educated opinion about the third section of the book, save to say that I really enjoyed the story about the 10 millionth visitor of the park and the 10,000 pennies he was awarded by Walt.

Overall, this book is a good read, but particularly valuable if you are into Disney history minutiae and if you are especially interested in the childhood and teenage years of Ub and Walt.

Stunning auction coming up in two weeks from Heritage Auctions.
 

BOOTH 325: This is the Hyperion Historical Alliance booth at D23 The Ultimate Fan Event.

Please come and meet us there from Friday August 9 to Sunday August 11.

You will be able to buy our latest releases: our 4 Annuals and the three HHA Monographs, including Walt Disney and El Grupo in Latin America and The Origins of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures.

You will also be able to meet many Disney historians and members of the HHA, including Paula Sigman-Lowery, Leslie Smith, Steve and Virginia Reeser, Joe Campana, Todd James Pierce, Mindy Johnson, Tom Morris, Tom Klein... and of course Ted Thomas, JB Kaufman and yours truly. 

Please feel free to bring books that you want to get autographed.

See you all soon!!!

 

I have to admit that am "tickled to death" (as my good friend Joe Campana would say) by the four new Disney-related Italian books I just received today: One about the late Disney scholar Luca Boschi (whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person about 25 years ago in Lucca, Italy), two about Disney comic artist Giorgio Cavazzano and one about Harvey Eisenberg by my friend Alberto Becattini. 

 

VOLUNTEER NEEDED NEAR SYRACUSE

I am still looking for a volunteer near Syracuse University to conduct some Disney-related research there.

If you are willing to help, could you please email me at didier.ghez@gmail.com? (I thought I had found a volunteer but for some reason that person is now ghosting me.)

Sad news:

Disney Legend Bill ‘Sully’ Sullivan Passes Away

I just received an advance copy of Directing at Disney, the long-awaited book by Pete Docter and Don Peri about Disney directors. I had high hopes for the book and I was not disappointed.

In fact, I was blown away. This is a game-changer and a book that every single one of us Disney history enthusiasts must have on our shelves.

It is full from cover to cover of new information, and a very large amount of the illustrations have never been seen before.

Pete and Don are both outstanding Disney historians -- Yes, believe it or not, Pete is not just an amazing director and Pixar's Chief Creative Officer, he is also an accomplished Disney historian!!! And both of them did their homework and then some.

This is a book you will want to pre-order right now if you have not already done so. 

RELEASED!!! -- Walt Disney and El Grupo in Latin America

It is with utter delight that we can finally announce that our new monograph, "Walt Disney and El Grupo in Latin America" has finally been released and can be ordered via Stuart Ng Books.

Walt Disney and El Grupo in Latin America is a 230-page long, full-color, hard-cover volume that contains more than 240 never-seen-before photographs and documents related to the seminal 1941 two-and-a-half-months trip to Latin America. It is the definite day-by-day account of the trip, complete with maps and other eye-candy.

If you love Disney history, I am convinced that you will love this new publication.

It is the third installment in the Hyperion Historical Alliance Press monograph series. The print run is very limited so I would encourage you to get your copy ASAP.

We will also have a booth at D23 where you will be able to buy all our publications and get them autographed.

This is really, really exciting!

For those of you who would like to find out about the publications of the Hyperion Historical Alliance Press (including mine), I would recommend that you start following ASAP the new Hyperion Historical Alliance Press Facebook group that we have just created. There is already some fun material in there and a lot more to come next week.

For various reasons I have not been to a cinema since Oppenheimer, but I am definitely planning to catch "Inside Out 2" on the silver screen. I am very much looking forward to this, in fact.

The new book The Art of Inside Out 2 released by Chronicle Books reinforces my eagerness to watch the upcoming movie. I love the design of the new characters and the concept artwork is gorgeous.

Definitely worth adding to your library.

Shaun Jex was kind enough to send me a copy of his book Main Street Gossip, which collects fun facts about many Disney characters and I wanted to mention its existence here.

If you enjoy Jim Korkis' books you will probably like this one. It is a light read for casual Disney fans. I am not sure how Jex decided which characters to include and which ones to leave out. The result does not move the needle in terms of Disney history (that was never the goal) but is a fun read nonetheless. 
 

Coming up soon!

Very sad news:

- Remembering Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman

 Coming up soon.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed recently by Dave Lee and really enjoyed that program / podcast. You can listen to it and watch it at this link.

And we have liftoff! After months of hard work, Walt’s People: Volume 29 has just been released.

This volume features the interviews conducted by historian Ross Care with Ken Anderson, Art Babbitt, Lee and Mary Blair, Claude Coats, Ken Darby, Marc Davis, Eyvind Earle, Gerry Geronimi, Jack Hannah, Duck Huemer, Wilfred Jackson, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, Bill Peet, Frank Thomas, and Judge Whitaker.

Please buy it as soon as you can. I really hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. 

From October 10 to November 14, 1931 Walt and Lillian Disney embarked on a vacation that took them to the Grand Canyon, St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, Washington D.C., Miami and Cuba. They sailed back home on the liner California by way of the Panama Canal. While in Kansas City, Walt received the Legion of Honor from the Order of De Molay. 

In both St. Louis and Washington D.C. he visited the local zoo. This photo and this article are related to his visit to Washington. Enjoy!

 

I don't yet know how to order this new book / catalog, but I definitely will pick up a copy!

I was very much looking forward to the biography of the voice of Cruella De Vil, Betty Lou Gerson. Unfortunately, while the author means well and while her book is clearly a labor of love, I learned absolutely nothing new about Lou Gerson's work for Disney, which is very disappointing and which means that I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. 

G. Michael Dobbs' new book has just been released. Not Disney-related but I know that all of you will want to know about it, hence this post.

 Do not miss this great article about Lucas Nine about Cesar Civita on CartoonResearch.

 Looking forward to reading this new book by my friend Michael Lyons.

 Spectacular Disney auctions coming up soon on Heritage.

 Michael Crawford has started uploading his collection of Disney-related documents on the Internet Archive. Some wonderful stuff in there at this link.

Author Joe Gallagher was kind enough to send me a copy of his new book A Walking Tour of the Magic Kingdom. Like Tim Foster's books it is an excellent entry point to Disney history for casual Disney enthusiasts. Beautifully illustrated, it is divided into three sections:

"Tours" (of the various lands), "Facts by Year" (my favorite section) and "Slightly Impossible Quiz" (to test your knowledge of course).

Again, not a book for historians but a fantastic gift for casual fans who want to know a lot more. I am glad to own a copy.

 

For those of you who have friends and family who love Disney history and want to learn more without becoming Disney historians... for the casual Disney fans who want to discover a little more about the history of the parks while enjoying beautiful Disney-related illustrations... I have something for you:

I just discovered the magazine "Celebrations" as well as the books written by Tim Foster and really liked them. Like books by my good friend Jim Fanning they provide the perfect introduction to Disney magic. I wish these books had been available when I was a kid or a teenager starting to learn about the wonderful world of Disney!

 

At long last! This is the book about Disney history I have been waiting for more than 30 years. Stephen Anderson's year-by-year account of the period between Walt Disney's death and the Renaissance of Disney animation is researched with care, visually striking, thoroughly entertaining, and a page-turner to boot. Thanks to this masterful volume, light is finally shining bright on those years full of drama and promise known to some as Disney's "dark ages.”

The Indigogo campaign is worth supporting if you can do so.
 

I can't wait to put my hands on the upcoming book Walt Disney Treasures: Personal Art and Artifacts from The Walt Disney Family Museum which is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

(The above is Walt's hat cast in bronze and gifted to Lilly.)

Do not miss this post today:

- Firehouse Five and the Cinderella Surprise