The Adventures of Mickey Mouse Book 1 (Hardcover) 1st Edition
© 1931 by Walt Disney Productions LTD
Published by David McKay Company (Philadelphia)
Condition: Fine.
Extremely rare in this condition. All other copies that we have seen are falling apart. This book has binding/spine intact, nice page quality and beautiful eye appeal. There may not be a better copy in existence.
History:
The 1st Daily Mickey Mouse Comic Strip appeared on January 13, 1930.
This is the 2nd published Mickey Mouse Book. 1st published in Hardcover.
This book pre-dates Big Little Books featuring Mickey Mouse (1933).
This book pre-dates Mickey Mouse Magazine Series (1934-1940.)
This book pre-dates Four Color Comics # 16 (1941) (1st Mickey Mouse in Comic Books).
This book may also be the very first appearance of Donald Duck in print.
Written inside front cover “Happy Birthday from Lillian Long November 1939”
Measures 8 3/8” X 6 1/4”
In 1930, Bibo and Lang of New York published the first Disney-licensed publication, Mickey Mouse Book, which featured the story of how he met Walt Disney and got his name. Though it sold very well in book stores, the book was also distributed to movie theaters that hosted Mickey Mouse fan clubs as a gift for the members
The Book was soon followed a year later by a second book, the first one printed in hardback The Adventures of Mickey Mouse Book I, published by the David McKay Company, an illustrated storybook that presented stories with Mickey, Minnie and a variety of obscure characters from the original cartoon assemble (among them, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow) and mentioned and featured a character bearing the name "Donald Duck", just three years before the official Donald first appeared in the Silly Symphony cartoon The Wise Little Hen (1934).
This book is from such an early period that Horace Horsecollar is referred to as "Henry Horse," Clarabelle Cow is named "Carolyn Cow," and Donald Duck is mentioned, but appears as a generic barnyard duck with no resemblance to his later incarnation. Mickey doesn't live in a fine house in the posh suburb of Toontown, but "in a cozy nest under the floor of the old barn." And Minnie in a nest in the chicken house.
