Disney Books

This is one of those books that will probably appeal to only the serious historian for it covers an extremely narrow compass. However, if your interest is in the Portuguese spice trade of 17th century India, this is your book.

Rarely have I seen a book that uses and documents primary sources better than 'Twilight of the Pepper Empire'. The author makes use of 400 year old shipping manifests to compile a month by month account of the Portuguese spice exports from the Malabar coast. Every fortress and trading post the Portuguese built is documented in a level of detail I would not have thought possible given the obscurity of the primary source material. Even the secondary sources, usually more readily available to the general public, are such that I have spent two unsuccessful years trying to locate personal copies. Simply stated, this book is a testament to what a serious historian can produce.

This is not 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg'. If you want a book to read by the fireplace this is not it. But as an historical text 'Twilight of the Pepper Empire' is top notch.

Keno Don Rosa has done it again! Just when you think he can't possible write a story better than his last one---he goes ahead and writes a new one that's 10X better than the last! This time it's "Forget It!"

Poor Scrooge, just when he thought good old #1 was safe at last, who should apear but that evil soccerous Magica De Spell, back again for another round of cat and mouse. This time though, she has brought with her an evil wand that casts an curse so dispecable that you'll just die....die from laughter that is...

Each time Uncle Scrooge hears his name spoken what ever he's told next is totaly erased from his memory, wouldn't be half as bad except that his nephew Donald got hit by the wand's blast to, and noe they can't talk to each other at all! Scrooge tells Donald to head for the door, Donald tells Scrooge to head for the stairs....Donald forgets what doors are and panics thinking he's trapped in a sealed up room, while Scrooge suddenly realizes that the floor has vanished and turned into a strange jaggard cliff heading down. In good old 313 Donald forgets how to steer, and when Scrooge yells "Hit the breaks!" ...of course we all know Donald's gonna forget what breaks are....but if crashing the car was bad, just wait till they get out of the mangled accident...."Donald can you stand up?"..."Scrooge are you sure you can walk?"....Oh what a tangled web we weave when struck down with a curse...but wait...what's this, the curse has backfired and now it's not 2 messed up confussed ducks, but 3! Magica can't remember what she is doing with this old dime she's holding or why she'd running from that old duck or who he even is...

No spoilers here, you're gonna have to read the story yourself to find out what happened.

Also included are some great Egmont stories from Europe and an old Barks classic.

I'm not satisfied with only 5 puny stars here---I'm giving this a great big number 10!

From the Walter Foster "How to Draw" series, this one shows you how to draw Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge, and the nephews from Walt Disney animated series "Duck Tales". Very simple and you do not need complex drawing skills for this one. Published in 1991, this small paperback book is good for 7 years old to teens.

Without a doubt one of most comprehensive and well written books about Walt Disney World vacationing. It lists several insider tips that help you cut through the mayhem, and make your stay much more enjoyable. Also included is a detailed description of the surrounding Orlando area which, even as a native Floridian, I found informative. I would definitely rate this book as a 'must have' for your next Disney vacation.

Starting with the cover art featuring the Country Bear Jamboree (AKA The Country Bear Band) in a jalopy, you know you are in for one heck of a treat of a nostalgic coloring book. It is almost an oversized black and "tan" comic book. This book tells the story (with words and pictures) of Uncle Scrooge getting stressed out and then Huey, Dewy, and Louie take him out on a surprise visit to Disneyworld. Sites (coloring pages) include: The Monorail, the Park Entrance, Mickey Mouse, The Hall of Presidents, Mickey Mouse Musical Revue (including the Mad Hatter, Donald Duck, Pluto, Minnie Mouse, The Three Little Pigs, Dumbo and Goofy), The Mysterious Lagoon and Captain Nemo's Submarine (including the Giant Squid attack and Divers), Adventureland Temple Ruins, The Country Bear Jamboree (AKA Country Bear Band including Teddi Berra), Swiss family Robinson Treehouse, Autotopia racing cars, and more! The book has a "to-be-continued" feel to it because they do not explore the whole park in it, and it just sort of ends without a conclusion.

Information from my personal copy:
UPC #03350094021 Copyright MCMLXXI (1971) by Walt Disney Productions. World rights reserved. A Whitman Book. Western Publishing Company , Inc, Racine, Wisconsin. Produced in U.S.A. Standard coloring book size of about 8 x 11. My copy is exactly 60 "coloring" pages long (not including the cover) (there are not blank pages, and the copyright page has Mickey Mouse on it, ready to be colored). 69 cent cover price. Above the price is the code: 1050-33.

A clear, concise biography of Walt Disney written with children in mind, but written at such a high level that adults would enjoy it as well. The book tells the history of Disney; then focuses on the organization behind Disney's amusement parks giving a hint of the man's genius. Well worth reading, especially given the 100th anniversary of the man.

This book is an autobiography by Jack Kinney, a former animator from the classic days of Walt Disney studios. He worked closely with the top animators and has wonderful stories to tell about them, his time at the studio, and of course Walt. Like many animators, not all of his memories are good, but he does not get carried away. The real treat is the many drawings and caricatures he made of life at the studio while he worked there, in addition to drawings from his other co-workers such as Ward Kimball and Fred Moore. Track a copy of this down, you won't regret it.

Robin Allan's Walt Disney And Europe: European Influences On The Animated Feature Films Of Walt Disney is carefully based on archival research and extensive interviews with those who worked closely with Walt Disney. Concentrating on the classic animated feature films produced under Walt Disney's personal supervision, Walt Disney And Europe examines the European influences on some of the most beloved Disney classics from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to "The Jungle Book". With its painstaking attention to detail and meticulous research, Walt Disney And Europe will prove to be of immense interest to students of cinematic history in general, and the work of the Disney Studios in particular.

"Walt Disney Comics Digest" #40 (92301-304: A Golden Special) is a collection of three great Mickey Mouse comic book serials:

1) "The Bar None Ranch": a 5-part wooly western that originally started in "Walt Disney Comics and Stories" in October 1942

2) "Monarch of Medioka": A foreign intrigue filled 6-part serial that originaly started in "Walt Disney Comics and Stories" in June 1950.

3) "The Idol of Moaning Island": a south seas set 3-part serial that originally started in "Walt Disney Comics and Stories" in July 1958.

All collected and complete in this 160 page book!

We all know that the trees and, flowers, and overall landscaping at Disneyland is breathtaking. It has been the inspiration for other theme parks, as well as resort hotels.

Morgan Evans was a landscaper in the LA area who received the phone call of his life one day... He and his brother Jack were asked to landscape the home of the famous celebrity, Walt Disney. Mr. Disney was very impressed with their work to say the least. Fast forward a couple of years and Morgan was called personally by Walt and asked to head the landscaping design and oversee the installation at a new place he was building, "Disneyland". The Evans accepted the challenge, and the rest is history. Disneyland is the jewel of the worlds theme parks, and most of the landscaping is not that different than Evans original dream, and the concepts he created are still in use today. Many of the trees were handpicked and planted by him, and he invented special methods for moving full size trees, growing trees quickly, and keeping other trees small where needed. He rescued trees from highway construction projects and moved them into the park as well. He was able to interpret Walts vision. This is an interesting book and a way to look at the park through someone elses eyes, and you will learn a lot of trivia along the way.
Walt Disney himself wrote the forward to the book, and as he points out... you can't have a Jungle Cruise without realistic plant life that is from the jungle. You can't go to Frontierland without having western looking plant life. In each land and attraction the plants are part of the show, the experiance, that is meant to make it more believable and enjoyable for the guest. This is a rare book, published over 40 years ago and out of print ever since. A very historical book, color pictures, 72 pages, hardcover, 1965, no dustjacket was made for this book. Essential for the Disneyland fan library.