Informal Biography of Scrooge McDuck

by Jack L. Chalker

Paperback

First published June 1, 1974

About the author

Besides being a science fiction author, Jack Laurence Chalker was a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for a time, a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association, and was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Some of his books said that he was born in Norfolk, Virginia although he later claimed that was a mistake.

He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).

Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.

His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.

Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.

On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.

Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).

Reviews

[Rudi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost 20 years before Don Rosa made his biography of Scrooge McDuck based on Carl Barks' writings, Jack L. Chalker did the same. The similarities ends about there. Chalker's book is a written account (and not a comic), and he is just as interested in Scrooge's adventures as an old man that he is in his back story. While this book does piece together Barks' stories, it does little to fill the gaps and expand upon them. And because Chalker is determined to include as many of Barks stories as possible, Scrooge ends up seeming like a character full of contradictions.

The latter half of the book is perhaps a bit too full of story summaries, but it is still an enjoyable read if you are into the subject.

[Hasta Fu · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Informal Biography of Scrooge McDuck" at the first glance is a boring book with no ornaments, turns out this book written by Jack L. Chalker, provides a detailed yet simplified account of life and adventures of the world's richest cartoon duck. The second richest cartoon duck Flintheart Glomgold lost to him only by a little.

We remember Donald Duck more than Scrooge mostly, only remembered as a stingy rich guy, seldom we know of his struggle during his younger age. He traveled so much, probably several times around the globe, and mastered several languages, which were not commonly shown in the comics.

The book has received mixed reviews from readers and fans of Disney. It has made me recall some of my childhood memories, although we read the comic in Indonesian language.

Chalker's biography explores the character of Scrooge McDuck, his origins, and his rise to wealth and success. He tells us about some villains, and also Scrooge McDuck as a villain. The book is detailed and well-organized, which allows readers to delve into the life of this iconic Disney character.

[Stephen Gower · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the easiest book to read but the saving grace was that it was short.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

So quirky, I had to give it a five!

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting artifact, to be sure. Limited to 2,000 copies and published in 1974 by the Mirage Press, this 'zine sized book is exactly what it states: an informal (unofficial) biography of everyone's favorite Scottish bankvault diver, Scrooge McDuck. Based primarily on the Carl Barks written stories, this biography was ahead of its time as it constructed a life from the vignettes and yarns of a cartoon character: something that might tickle readers of Robert Coover or Donald Barthelme. On the downside, the biography is sometimes dry, but that is quite possibly because the author was toeing the line trying to keep the Disney lawyers from blowing his house of sticks to the ground. In the introductory note, the author explains that while the Disney folk didn't approve of the book, they "grudgingly admitted" that in its published form there was nothing they could do to stop its publication.

The book is only 41 pages long (not including the introduction, ancestry and bibliography - the last of which, sorry, does not include Duck Tales) and is divided primarily into two sections, "Making It" and "Keeping It". "Making It", of course, relates how Scrooge came to gather his fortune. "Keeping It", naturally, puts an emphasis on Scrooge's many entanglements against such villains as the Beagle Boys.

I wouldn't recommend seeking this out - I didn't, I discovered it in the library's free bin - unless you're a hardcore Disney fan (I'm not), but if you should chance upon it as I did - I discovered it, as stated, in the library's free bin - well, you might give it a shot, you might give it a chance.