Mickey Mouse in King Arthur’s Court

$495.00
By Moons Rare Books

6C Walter E. Disney. With various contributors. London: Dean & Son, LTD., 1934. First Edition.

Notes

This magnificent 1934 British edition of Mickey Mouse in King Arthur's Court, published in London by Dean & Son, Ltd., stands as a spectacular, historic milestone in the evolution of interactive children’s publishing. Originally released the prior year in America by Blue Ribbon Books, this highly coveted 1934 UK first edition features four elaborate double page pop-up scenes that bring the narrative into three dimensions.  The storyline follows Mickey and Minnie Mouse as they are suddenly transported backward through time into a whimsical, medieval kingdom, navigating high-stakes jousting tournaments, saving distressed damsels, and interacting with knights. Alongside the striking, full-color movable mechanics, the book is richly interspersed with numerous intricate black-and-white comic panels that capture the raw, energetic charm of early 1930s animation. 

The book’s striking visual style was heavily defined by legendary Disney animator and comic strip pioneer Floyd Gottfredson, who was instrumental in shaping Mickey's early aesthetic. Published during a transitional period for the Walt Disney Studios, this volume captures Mickey in his classic "pie-eye" design phase—long before his softer, modernized redesigns of the late 1930s.
Because these early movable volumes were produced using delicate, hand-assembled paper gears and pull-tabs, they were highly susceptible to tearing under the enthusiastic hands of young readers. Finding an authentic 1934 printing where all four intricate pop-up mechanisms remain fully intact, functional, and attached to the text block is an extraordinary rarity making this a prized volume. 
Description 
Bright illustrated boards. Green label with black lettering to spine. All four pop-ups fully intact. Chipping to points. Colored illustrated endpapers. Hinge between pages 8 and 9 loose. Intact. Fine condition. 
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