Animation: A World History by Giannalberto Bendazzi

 It is nine hard years of work, as Bendazzi describes in his personal correspondence. Still, it would take even longer, if Giannalberto Bendazzi hadn't published  in 1994 the groundbreaking Cartoons:100 Years of Animation History,  the first authoritative scholarly text on the history of global animation.

 The Italian animation historian and independent researcher now wants to surpass this accomplishment and keep abreast with the new developments in the animation field.

 Giannalberto Bendazzi's Animation: A World History is based on the idea that animation is an art form that deserves its own place in scholarship.

 Volume I traces the roots and predecessors of modern animation, the history behind Émile Cohl's Fantasmagorie, and twenty years of silent animated films. Encompassing the formative years of the art form through its Golden Age, this book accounts for animation history through 1950 and covers everything from well-known classics like Steamboat Willie to animation in Egypt and Nazi Germany.

 Volume II delves into the decades following the Golden Age, an uncertain time when television series were overshadowing feature films, art was heavily influenced by the Cold War, and new technologies began to emerge that threatened the traditional methods of animation. Take part in the turmoil of the 1950s through 90s as American animation began to lose its momentum and the advent of television created a global interest in the art form.

Volume III catches you up to speed on the state of animation from 1991 to present. Although characterized by such trends as economic globalization, the expansion of television series, emerging markets in countries like China and India, and the consolidation of elitist auteur animation, the story of contemporary animation is still open to interpretation. With an abundance of first-hand research and topics ranging from Nickelodeon and Pixar to modern Estonian animation, this book is the most complete record of modern animation on the market.

Volume III: Contemporary Animation catches you up to speed on the state of animation from 1991 to present. Although characterized by such trends as economic globalization, the expansion of television series, emerging markets in countries like China and India, and the consolidation of elitist auteur animation, the story of contemporary animation is still open to interpretation.

The 3-volume hardbound set (1456 pages) costs 225£ and is  published by Focal Press.  Here are the book contents:

Volume I:

Foundations

• Before Fantasmagorie (XX – 1908)
• The Silent Pioneers (1908 – 1928)
• Silent America I
• Silent America II
• Silent Europe
• Silent Latin America
• Silent Asia
• Silent Africa
• Silent Oceania

The Golden Age (1928 – 1950)
America Laughs
 Europe
Soviet Union
 Asia
Latin America
Africa

Volume II

  The Birth of a Style (1951 – 1960)

•  America
• Western Europe
• Eastern Europe
• Soviet Union
• Asia
• Africa

The Three Markets (1960 – 1991)

• America
• Western Europe
• Eastern Europe
• Soviet Union I
• Soviet Union II
• Asia
• Africa
• Latin America
• Oceania

Volume III

Contemporary Times (1991 – Present)

• America
• Europe
• Asia
• Arabian Middle East
• Southeast Asia
• Africa
• Latin America
• Oceania
• Issues

The breadth and the scope of the work is amazing indeed, and Bendazzi knows how to balance wider scope with insightul criticism. An indispensable research tool.