They Drew As They Pleased

When I was at the Glen Ellyn Public Library, I was thrilled to discover this book. This is an utterly gorgeous book, sharing the work of four of Disney's earliest conceptual artists. This is far superior to any Art of [insert movie title] book I've ever seen, as it is so comprehensive, and -- more importantly -- covers works of such lasting value to American culture, and not just the movie flavor of the month.

Now, this first volume is three years old now -- not a new book, but it part of an ongoing series (none of the rest I've seen yet). Volume 2 is They Drew As they Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney's Musical Years (The 1940s - Part One).  Volume 3 is They Drew as They Pleased Vol. 3: The Hidden Art of Disney's Late Golden Age (The 1940s - Part Two).  Volume 4 is coming out on August 7th (!) and is They Drew As They Pleased Vol 4: The Hidden Art of Disney's Mid-Century Era: The 1950s and 1960s.

[Update: Reading further in, I discovered another reason why this book is relevant for my blog -- I discovered that the Disney Studio had, at least in the 1930s, two professional librarians on staff to handle the library of illustrated books Walt had purchased for his animators!]