Floyd Gottfredson was one of the great unknowns of comics. For 45 years, nobody drew Mickey Mouse better. From 1930 to 1975, his work was printed and reprinted in newspapers, magazines, and comic books all over the world. However, because he was an employee of the Walt Disney organization, he was never allowed to sign a single strip.

Gottfredson was born in a small town in Utah. A childhood hunting accident left him with an injured arm that kept him house bound. It was during this period that he became interested in cartooning. Although his Mormon family did not encourage him, he was allowed to enroll in several correspondence courses, where he availed himself of what both the Landon School and the Federal Schools had to offer. By th...