Walt Disney's Donald Duck. the Ultimate History - by David Gerstein & J B Kaufman (Hardcover)

About the Book

Since 1934, Donald Duck, one of the most published comic book subjects, has been seen in more films than any other Disney character. This volume includes rare animation drawings, vintage comics, behind-the-scenes photographs, charming memorabilia, unfinished film projects, and unpublished artworks by "the Duck Man," master storyteller Carl Barks.

Book Synopsis

Nothing succeeds like success, as the saying goes, but in the case of Donald Duck the opposite is true: the candor with which Donald reveals his weaknesses wins our hearts and stays with us forever.

Revisit Donald's life's work from nine decades in one of the most expansive illustrated publications on the Disney universe. Following Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by TASCHEN, we witness the career of Mickey's only rival for the throne as Disney's most popular creation. From his debut in the Silly Symphony short film The Wise Little Hen on June 9, 1934, the authors trace Donald's more than 170 cartoons, groundbreaking adventures in comics and TV, and theme park appearances. As a special treat to his fans, they also dive deep into the vaults to tell the story of his unfinished film projects.

With unprecedented access to Disney's vast historical archives and collections as well as public and private collections, the authors illuminate Donald's life story with rare concept art, story sketches, background paintings, animation, and comic drawings as well as historical photographs. We encounter the work of all major Donald artists in both film and comics who defined his character, including a vast tribute to the "Duck Man" himself, master storyteller Carl Barks, alongside unseen early storyboard drawings.

In the history of comics, Donald Duck is the most frequently printed figure outside the superhero genre, and has appeared on screen more often than any other Disney character. Since the 1950s, Duckburg has expanded into a truly global village, with American artists being joined by a new generation of international colleagues.

As Carl Barks once said of Donald: "He is everything, he is everybody; he makes the same mistakes that we all make." He may often be unlucky, but this is precisely why everybody can relate to the world's most famous and best loved Duck, fittingly celebrated with this monumental tribute.

Copyright (c) 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Review Quotes

"The book is crazy... a heavy folio, a coffee-table book the size of a coffee table, containing critical essays and plot summaries of every single Disney film in which the duck makes an appearance. The volume is richly illustrated with garish stills from the duck's greatest hits, story sketches and background paintings as well as an abundance of images of Walt Disney."-- "The Times"

"This duck can't help its first name, and in terms of popularity, it declassifies its namesake by many beak lengths. For its 90th birthday, Donald Duck is being released in a colossal edition with clever texts, true to the old holiday motto: Make Duckburg great again!"-- "Die Zeit"

"Encyclopedic... TASCHEN's magnificent book Walt Disney's Donald Duck traces the metamorphoses of the feathered (anti-)hero... As you leaf through the pages, you begin to understand that the Donald Duck comics have exactly that in a very relaxed way: diversity and inclusiveness... Donald's adventures are neatly contextualized, periodized and categorized in the monumental volume. Walt Disney's Donald Duck thus shows... avant-garde popular culture."-- "Neue Zürcher Zeitung"

"The Donald Duck book is here, the result of years of work by editor Daniel Kothenschulte... A quality of reconstruction and reproduction that has never been seen before. What could be seen was considered known. What did make it into the book is not. The most spectacular thing is what Kothenschulte brings to light in terms of preliminary sketches for Donald Duck films... This book will enrich even the knowledge of intense Duck fans. Pop art avant la lettre. In addition, there are knowledgeable texts (each the length of a veritable monograph)."-- "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung"

"TASCHEN began its publishing career almost 45 years ago with the clumsy duckling... The book is a treasure trove of drawings, sketches, photos and stories."-- "ARD Tagesschau"

"TASCHEN has published a detailed Donald chronicle with some previously unpublished images. It not only pays tribute to the feathered character with the many all-too-human weaknesses, but also to the illustrators who helped him in comic books and animated films to achieve his still ongoing career."-- "ORF Zeit im Bild"

"Donald is everything, he is everybody; he makes the same mistakes that we all make."-- "Carl Barks"