Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
47 used & new from $2.98

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.
 
  

The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney (Paperback)

by Richard Schickel (Author)
Key Phrases: multiplane camera, silent comedians, Snow White, Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse (more...)
3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

List Price: $18.95
Price: $17.05 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $1.90 (10%)
  Special Offers Available
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Friday, July 17? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
20 new from $8.90 27 used from $2.98
Also Available in: List Price: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 8 used & new from $1.75
Paperback (Rev Upd Su) 21 used & new from $1.59
Unknown Binding (Discus ed., 1969) 4 used & new from $2.95

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Purchase this entertainment book and get 12 issues to either Rolling Stone, Men's Journal or Us Weekly for $2.95 each. That's less than $0.25 an issue. Here's how (restrictions apply)
  • Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.


Frequently Bought Together

The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney + The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life + Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World
Price For All Three: $48.86

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World

Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World

by Carl Hiaasen
3.2 out of 5 stars (104)  $9.95
Disney Discourse: Producing the Magic Kingdom (Afi Film Readers)

Disney Discourse: Producing the Magic Kingdom (Afi Film Readers)

by Eric Smoodin
4.0 out of 5 stars (2)  $29.65
The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney

The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney

by Michael Barrier
4.7 out of 5 stars (21)  $12.89
Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination (Vintage)

Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination (Vintage)

by Neal Gabler
4.3 out of 5 stars (78)  $13.60
Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment

Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment

by Douglas Brode
2.0 out of 5 stars (2)  $22.49
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A classic history: the first to look behind the man's image. Enjoy a new introduction which reflects Disney's lasting influences." -- Midwest Book Review

"Established the terms of interpretation and debate about Disney...Schickel's [version] remains the most analytically and aesthetically penetrating portrait." -- Benjamin Schwaz, The Atlantic

One of the best studies ever done on American popular culture...unfailingly, consistently intelligent, and eminently readable. -- Stephen J. Whitfield, Brandeis University

The Disney Version is a model of good judgment, exemplary in balance and impeccable in tone. -- Joseph Epstein, Commentary

The life and times of Walt Disney are charted in this third edition of a classic history: the first to look behind the man's image. Enjoy a new introduction by the author which reflects on Disney's lasting influences. -- Midwest Book Review

The single most illuminating work on America and the movies. -- Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star

The story of how Disney built an empire on corrupt popular culture...becomes a revealing part of American cultural history. -- Pauline Kael

Product Description
This classic history of Walt Disney's life and works asks penetrating questions about Disney's achievements and shortcomings, and the enormous popularity of the "Disney version." "One of the best studies ever done on American popular culture...unfailingly, consistently intelligent, and eminently readable."--Stephen J. Whitfield, Brandeis University.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 391 pages
  • Publisher: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher; 3 edition (November 25, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1566631580
  • ISBN-13: 978-1566631587
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #327,207 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #30 in  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( D ) > Disney, Walt

Inside This Book (learn more)


What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney
72% buy the item featured on this page:
The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney 3.1 out of 5 stars (15)
$17.05
The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life
8% buy
The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life 4.4 out of 5 stars (13)
$21.86
Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World
7% buy
Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World 3.2 out of 5 stars (104)
$9.95
Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination (Vintage)
7% buy
Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination (Vintage) 4.3 out of 5 stars (78)
$13.60

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below.
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search
No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.1 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Seminal Book for Disney Studies, January 25, 2001
By "disneychick" (Main Street, USA) - See all my reviews
Although many Disney enthusiasts feel Schickel misrepresented Walt Disney in his book, Shickel's biography is a valuable piece of scholarship nonetheless. Not only does it provide people with a good overview of Walt's life and accomplishments, but the book does not shy away from providing a critical view of the man and his work. Schickel overtly connects Walt Disney the man, Disney the corporation, the entertainment industry, and American society in order to examine how Disney (man and machine) reflect and shape American culture.

It's true, Schickel can be a bit harsh with Walt Disney--his critique isn't as balanced as, for instance, the work of Steven Watts. Placing his work in historical context might help put this in perspective. Schickel took on a serious examination of Disney at a time when Disney was either a) praised as being merely for children (many were well-intentioned fans) or b) ignored or dismissed (usually by critics of "high" art). Schickel took Disney seriously: as a man, an artist, an entrepreneur, and a corporation. And he saw Disney as a major influence and example of then-contemporary America. Treating Disney as worthy of an in-depth critique, more than a brief biography or expose, is a high compliment in its own way.

Consider this fair warning. Readers who only want a "feel-good" biography about Walt Disney should not read this book. But Schickel makes a lot of good points about Disney, ones that provide food for thought. Even if you don't agree with Schickel, and I don't always do so, most of his observations are perceptive and worth further consideration. And as a result, Richard Schickel has earned his place in the canon of Disney Studies, a field of study that treats Disney seriously.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Walt Disney is critiqued by someone who appreciates him., March 23, 1997
By A Customer
Unauthorized biographies are usually excuses to disembowel people whom the author doesn't like, but not this time. Schickel examines Walt Disney's virtues and vices, but sees them as a reflection of the virtues and vices of America. And like America, Disney is misunderstood by both his supporters and detractors.While Schickel finds fault in some of Disney's decisions and creations, he recognizes that Disney understood the American soul better than most self-styled intellectuals.

The book details the world in which Disney grew up, including cruelties usually glossed over in official Disney biographies. It examines Disney's films, theme park attractions and creations as both American myths and glimpses into Disney's worldview.

Within recent years paperback reprintings of the book have added an update chapter, "Disney Without Walt". The update reviews the financial problems and creative missteps of the Disney organization that almost resulted in an unfriendly takeover, and how Disney's spirit still affects the corporation's works. Schickel also took the opportunity to revise some judgements in the original book; it's a rare media critic that admits that he can make a mistake.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best-written critical analysis of Disney and his art, May 20, 2001
By Eric Martin (Mundelein, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Note the words, critical analysis, because that's what this very thoughtful book provides. Schickel was the first film writer to take Disney seriously enough to craft a seriously-intentioned assessment of his life and work.

Many are threatened by this book, because it does not follow the usual course of Disney writing and rhapsodize endlessly about dreams and magic and wonder. And, given the times it was published (the mid-60s) the book has a definite anti-establishment tone that is difficult for some people to identify with, in these self-satisfied times.

But the core of the book and its message can't be denied. Walt Disney was not a lovable man. He had flaws, sometimes glaring ones (his handling of the 1940s strike was a low moment for him), and the Disney empire of the 50s and early 60s was indeed sexist, regressive, overly-conservative, and totally out-of-touch with the times.

It's easy to forget all that, since we have benefitted from the Eisner approach of the 80s and 90s, which remade the company into a more liberal, self-aware institution. It's difficult to imagine Uncle Walt conceiving a character like Belle, or giving gay employees benefits for their companions. He certainly would never have allowed Touchstone to be formed, whose R-rated films saved the company from bankruptcy.

That said, if you truly love the Disney parks and films, you should read this book. It's important to have a balanced view of one's passions, and while you may not agree with everything Schickel says, his fine writing and sense of cultural history will engage and inform you as a reader and as a Disney fan.

Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars There's a Better Bio on Disney
I recently read both this and Neal Gabler's "Walt Disney, Triumph of the American Imagination," and Gabler's book (recently released) is an extroardinarily well-written (and... Read more
Published on March 15, 2007 by S. Swanson

2.0 out of 5 stars Stream-of-Consciousness writing
Taking into account the fact that this book is almost 40 years old, I found it extremely hard to follow. Read more
Published on May 2, 2005 by Anonymous

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, but how credible is the information?
Schickel does a good research and puts facts down as they are, but he analyzes those facts from his own point of view. Read more
Published on June 11, 2003 by Nikola Raguz

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great
The book is definitly an in depth coverage of what happened in the early years of the Disney company, but it's definitly more of a history of the company than a biography of Walt.
Published on December 28, 2002 by Jolene Vetterling

3.0 out of 5 stars Are you sure this is a biography?
More of a social history of cartoons and the movies and the common man, than that of an unbiased look at Walt Disney. Read more
Published on March 8, 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars A TRULY BIZARRE ATTEMPT AT BIOGRAPHY.
Richard Shickel is a very confused man. His book "The Disney Version" is his attempt to totally slam Walt Disney and his audience while he tries to praise his artistic... Read more
Published on December 5, 2001 by Scott Harris

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a critical biography--not a pr piece
I first read this book in 1968. It was a revealing look at why Disney was able to capture the American public and the experiences he had as a child and young man that made him try... Read more
Published on November 15, 2001 by Franklin Steen

3.0 out of 5 stars Important but tedious academic muck-raking
This was the first book to peer behind the Disney PR curtain and poke a stick at the 'magic' of Walt Disney, the company, the man, and the myth. Read more
Published on August 4, 2001 by M. McCabe

1.0 out of 5 stars a negative bio of a very positive man
Walt Disney died in 1966, only a few months after being disgnosed with cancer. In 1968, Richard Schickel rushed his book "The Disney Version" to the press as as some... Read more
Published on February 28, 2001 by John P. Stamper

1.0 out of 5 stars What a load of Dung!
I bought this book thinking it would offer a balanced critique of the Walt Disney Company and its internationally recognized commercial output- instead, I was subjected to 300... Read more
Published on September 14, 2000

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Listmania!



Look for Similar Items by Category


Amazon MP3 Delivers Free Songs

Subscribe to The Amazon MP3 Download newsletter to find out about free song downloads, new releases and hot digital music deals first.
subscribe
 

Big Savings in Books

Bargain Books
Find great titles at fantastic prices in our Bargain Books Store.
 

Buy Three Books, Get a Fourth Free

4-for-3 Books
Order any four eligible books under $10 and get the lowest-price book free in our 4-for-3 Books Store. See more details.
 

RotoZip Makes Difficult Cuts Easy

Shop all Rotozip products
RotoZip is proud to offer high-performance accessories, attachments, and tools to cut through a wide variety of materials.
 

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Where's My Stuff?

Shipping & Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue shopping: Top Sellers
Free
Free by Chris Anderson
Paranoia
Paranoia by Joseph Finder
My Soul to Lose
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
Glenn Beck's Common Sense

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates