Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler

[CareBlair]

"Neal Gabler's meticulously researched biography, Walt Disney offers the full story (Gabler is the first writer to gain complete access to the Disney archives) of the American icon. Readers will discover the whole story, witnessing Disney's invention of a "synergistic empire that combined film, television, theme parks, music, book publishing, and merchandise." What fans don't know could fill a book (this book in fact), and we asked Gabler to point out a few of the juicy bits. Read our interview with him, and his "10 Things That May Surprise You" list. --Daphne Durham Amazon.com

"...this is the definitive Walt Disney biography. The book that Disneyana fans have been waiting for for decades now." ~Jim Hill
http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2006/10/19/6286.aspx

"Speaking of classics, this book is one. It should capture every worthwhile award. Meticulously researched over seven years, with material never before published, "Walt Disney" is the story of a man who overcame many obstacles, including those of his own making. It is the quintessential Horatio Alger myth writ large. Walt Disney wished upon a star, and his dream came true." ~Cal Thomas
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20061023-095023-3485r.htm

Neal Gabler interview with Library Journal
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6379522.html

Author interview by John Mark Eberhart of the The Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/15857302.htm

Longer interview on publisher's website
http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780679438229&view=qa

Behind the Book: Fascinating facts from the life of Walt Disney
http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780679438229&view=authdesk

Author's bio
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,191203,00.html

This 880-page title is due to release on Tuesday, Oct 31.

 

[jimmytammy]

Thanks for giving us a heads-up on this. I am always interested in reading about Walt. Another good one is "How To Be Like Walt" by Pat Williams. He is a part owner(I believe) of the NBA Orlando Magic team. He obviously is a big Disney fan. This is an inspiring read.

 

[TheDogbots]

i bought this, and trying to skim it before i give a paper on Disney Documentaries at a conference in dallas this week, see if there was anything I could use for the paper... It looks really good, and can't wait until i can sit down and read every word. Just too busy to do it before this conference... I will write up a review when finished and repost it here if people are interested.

THough i wonder sort of about the claim that he was the first to have complete access to the archives, because i remember similar claims about Steven Watts's book The Magic Kingdom... but that was more of a scholarly biography then a public biography so I don't know.

 

[Ambifins]

I'm about a third of the way through. I heard him on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and he said that there was no "smoking gun," in his book.
I'm finding it very readable and well written. It's incredibly well researched; there are pages and pages of end notes that demonstrate just how much research went into this book. And Gabler's really good about saying "here are two versions of the same story, and this is the more likely version because...."
There is a smattering of psychological speculation which rings a little false to me, but that's nitpicking. So far, it's a great book.
So, while there's no smoking gun, this does feel like the definitive book on Disney.
Of course, my other favorite Disney book was Disneywar.