Steven WattsThe Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life (Volume 1)

But the item arrived quickly and in better than described condition. I am very happy with my purchase!

This book analyzes Disney's life and impact on American culture. He approaches it by not only looking at biographical sources, but also film critics and letters written by all the big names within the Disney company. Watts covers a variety of topics including Walt Disney's history, the importance of the big name animators, the impact of the movies on American culture, and the organization of the factory and the shenanigans that took place there. If you have to read one book on Disney, read this one. This author is well-known for his book and in other texts I've had to read, he is cited as a source. The only negative I have is that the book seems a little too happy nostalgic like it's a Disney movie of Disney's life or something.I'm taking a Disney art history class and this is the text. I have had to read a ton of articles and other Disney literature and this book really stands out! It's an easy read, it doesn't read like a textbook. I find it surprisingly enjoyable! I wish I could say the same things about all my textbooks...

I was personally surprised by the ease in reading this book. I purchased it for a course on Disney and at first was slightly disgruntled by having to read this book. However, within the first few chapters I had found the reading to be quite interesting and inclusive of the good and bad of Walt and the Disney company. It includes his years growing up and pre-Disney, but focuses mainly on his years building the empire. If this is a purchase for a class, it may be beneficial to purchase used and write all over the thing. Overall, I actually found it to be a good textbook for an odd GE.

A very thorough, detailed, well researched biography. For quite sometime, I have wanted to know the details of this man's life, a man who changed our entertainment culture and impacted our society. I am glad I chose this book to enlighten me.This book is not one that, "I could not put down", and in fact, did place it aside twice to "take a break" and read a light novelette. However, upon conclusion, just like with his Henry Ford biography, I realized what a comprehensive, and masterful job, Steven Watts had done.Dr. Stanley E. Toompas, Optometrist& Author of, "I'm the One the Other Isn't"

An interesting read! :)

The best history of Walt and the studio with no disrespect to Thomas or Barrier who wrote great books too. I just couldn’t put this down.

As I am doing research into the American Dream and the lifestyle in the mid century, I found this book usefull for citations in my thesis. It is also an enjoyable read for fans of Walt Disney and the effect that he and his products have had on our cultural society.

I have read several books about Disney and I would recommend them all, including this one, if you want to get a well-rounded perspective of who Walt Disney was. I think it would be very difficult for one author to capture his life in all of its humanity.