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851 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2006
Neal Gabler, who penned a well-received biography of journalist Walter Winchell and An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood, among other books, is the first writer to have complete access to the Walt Disney archives. Much of that wealth of information makes its way into this hefty tome. At nearly 900 pages (including 200 pages of notes), the author risks losing all but the most devoted Disney fans. Gabler uses engaging prose, numerous anecdotes, and firsthand accounts of the events of Disney's life, however, to balance the more mundane details about production budgets and the day-to-day workings of Disney's empire. For the most part, Gabler succeeds. The book works best when he focuses on Disney's often contradictory and mercurial character
This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.