Melville House Books

Simon & Schuster has accused the Walt Disney Company of obtaining a copy of the manuscript of Pulitzer Prize-winner James Stewart‘s “forthcoming book about Michael Eisner‘s 20-year reign as Disney chief executive and the shareholder revolt against him,” and the publisher is demanding it be returned. S&S publicity head Victoria Meyer says in a Reuters wire story from Friday that she doesn’t know how Disney got hold of the book but “It is definitely under wraps” and off-limits. Disney, however, “declined to comment on whether it possessed a copy of the book,” but a spokesman says they somehow “engaged in a lengthy and thorough discussion on fact-checking with the author.” The highly anticipated book is due out on March 7, but the publisher “has not sent out advance copies to reviewers, aiming to use the mystery to create a bigger launch.” Meanwhile, a New York Times report on the front page of today’s business section catches up with the story and adds a twist: Laura M. Holson and Lorne Manly report that Stewart “had spent several years, with the full cooperation of Disney executives, researching a book about how Disney both mirrored and shaped American culture when, in November 2003, Roy E. Disney quit the company’s board of directors. Mr. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney and a longtime board member, later hand-delivered a three-page letter to Mr. Eisner at his apartment in Manhattan, announcing his decision to leave and calling for Mr. Eisner’s resignation. Mr. Stewart then changed the focus of his book. And Disney executives now are questioning whether it was wise to give him access in the first place.”

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.