Walt Disney Biographies and other Books, a bibliography
Looking for some Disney biographies? I’ve prepared a bibliography of books about Walt Disney. A bibliography is a list of books or other works about a specific subject. I am posting this bibliography of books about Walt Disney in honor of his birthday on December 5.
This list is not complete, but it is every major book about Walt Disney that I own. There are a few others that cover a more general look at Walt’s work, but the following are mostly centered on the man.
Walt Disney Biographies
The following titles are works about his life. For the most part, they are complete biographies, but a few of the titles focus heavily on a short period of his career rather than everything.
- Barrier, Michael. The Animated Man: The Life of Walt Disney. 2007.
In my opinion, Barrier’s book is one of the best biographies about Disney. You can read my review here. - Burnes, Brian; Butler, Robert W.; and Viets, Dan. Walt Disney’s Missouri: The Roots of a Creative Genius. 2002.
- Gabler, Neal. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. 2006.
Gabler’s work is fairly negative and although he had access to the Archives, the Disney Family has rebuked the work. Michael Barrier has compiled a list of the inaccuracies. - Greene, Katherine and Richard. Inside the Dream: The Personal Story of Walt Disney. 2001.
- Greene, Katherine and Richard. The Man behind the Magic: The Story of Walt Disney. 1998.
- Krasniewicz, Louise. Walt Disney: A Biography. 2010.
- Miller, Diane Disney. The Story of Walt Disney. 1959
- Mosley, Leonard. Disney’s World: A Biography. 1983.
- Schickel, Richard. The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney. 1968.
- Susanin, Timothy S. Walt before Mickey: Disney’s Early Years, 1919-1928. 2011.
This is a wonderfully detailed look at the first years of Disney’s professional life. You can read my review here. - Thomas, Bob. Walt Disney: An Americal Original. 1976.
This is the official, corporate biography of Walt Disney. It is often maligned for being too saccharine, but Thomas interviewed many Disney employees and had access to the Archives.
Walt Disney Books: Anecdotes and Miscellaneous
The next lis is full of titles that are a little more miscellaneous. There are some great quote books and a few titles dedicated to other people’s thoughts and stories about Walt.
- Green, Amy Boothe and Green, Howard E. Remembering Walt: Favorite Memories of Walt Disney. 1999.
- Jackson, Kathy Merlock. Walt Disney: Conversations. 2005.
- Schroeder, Russell. Walt Disney: His Life in Pictures. 1996.
- Shows, Charles. Walt: Backstage Adventures With Walt Disney. 1980.
- Smith, Dave. Quotable Walt Disney. 2001.
- Smith, Dave. Walt Disney Famous Quotes. 1994.
- Williams, Pat. How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life. 2004
Walt Disney Biographies for Children
Elementary school-aged children will love these titles. They all offer lots of photographs and text that highlight the major points of Walt’s life. You won’t find anything controversial or anything outside of the corporate version of his life.
- Brown, Jonatha. People We Should Know: Walt Disney. 2005.
- Feinstien, Stephen. Read about Walt Disney. 2005.
- Hammontree, Marie. Walt Disney: Young Movie Maker (Childhood of Famous Americans). 1997.
- Isbouts, Jean-Pierre. Discovering Walt : The Magical Life of Walt Disney. 2001.
- Josephson, Judith Pinkerton. Walt Disney: Genius of Entertainment (People to Know Today). 2006.
- Preszler, June. Walt Disney (Photo Illustrated Biographies). 2003.
- Saddleback Educational Publishing. Walt Disney, Graphic Biography. 2008.
- Selden, Bernice. The Story of Walt Disney: Maker of Magical Worlds . 1989.
- Simon, Charnan. Walt Disney: Creator of Magical Worlds. 2000.
- Stewart, Whitney. Who Was Walt Disney?. 2009.
- Thomas, Bob. Walt Disney: Magician at the Movies. 1966.
2 thoughts on “Books About Walt Disney, a Bibliography”