Walt Disney Books

The Life and Times of Walt Disney—Across 23 Must-have Books

By D23 Team

“There was little variety or adventure for a boy growing up in the American Midwest in the early years of the twentieth century. . . . For Walt Disney, though, the appeal of exploration was strong,” writes author and Disney historian Jeff Kurtti in his book Travels with Walt Disney. “As much as he loved (and would return to) his solid rural roots of boyhood, Walt heard from his very earliest days the siren call to roam.”

Have you ever decided to rearrange your bookshelf by a new theme? Meaning no disrespect to the time-honored Dewey Decimal Classification system, we sometimes crave a little more narrative flair to the stacking order of our books. So in getting ready for this holiday season, we’ve dusted off (and have gotten in some new!) Disney books that tell essential stories about the life and times of Walt Disney.

These volumes have been well-researched and written by entrainment historians, journalists, filmmakers, Imagineers, archivists, librarians, and Disney Legends spanning the decades—and our friends at Disney Editions have shared excerpts from each one to help paint a portrait of Walt, his company, and the amazing work that came from it.

We’ve broken our collection up into “chapters” for lighter reading. We’ll be releasing a chapter a week from now through December, so sit back and enjoy the show!

Chapter One: A Blank Sheet of Paper

Chapter Two: It Takes People

Chapter Three: Never Stand Still

Chapter Four: Enter the World of Disneyland

Chapter Five: Winds in The East

Chapter Six: End of an Era

From All of Us to All of You—23 Must-Have Books