Customer Reviews

Gene, 3rd Edition

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Gene" by Carolyn Cook: This guide includes everything you need to know about Gene, from concept to finished product! An easy to read and beautifully finished comprehensive guide to a lovely doll! The perfect book for all Gene collectors. With more than 100 photos to choose from, every doll collector is bound to find a new favorite every time you open the book. Some costumes are even shown being compared to the original prototypes to show changes made from beginning to end product, including some dramatic color changes. Kudo's to Mel Odem for the Gene doll, and to Carolyn Cook for her wonderful book! Read and enjoy!!

I had to write a review after reading the opinion of two (or is it one) New York reader(s) who apparently have more refined taste than most of us. Gene is a fabulous book with great text and photos. The author has obviously spent a lot of time talking with Mel Odom and the members of the Gene team, and gives us all a wonderful insight into the inner workings of a great doll. Bravo Carolyn Cook! The doll world is enchanted with your book.

(Please note that I'm referring to the first edition of this book.) I have to agree with other reviewers who have been horrified by the sloppy presentation of this book. Our girl Gene deserves much, much better. I can only hope the second edition has addressed the poor copy editing and color photography of the first. The information, however, is valuable and informative for the Gene collector. Therefore, I consider it a "MUST HAVE" item for my bookshelf.

I've read these reviews only to realize that most are about the first and second editions of this book. The third edition is now out and is not only informative, but very stylish. It gives all the latest on Gene, Trent, and a sneak peek at Violet who I'm sure will get more coverage in the next revision. I encourage any Gene lover to update their library with this beautiful 3rd edition.

The story of Gene is like a fantasy for the adult collector. I've now invested a lot into Gene and have seen the rewards of my purchases increase in value already! This book, which has my first and favorite Gene doll on the cover, "Red Venus," dramatically describe's designer Mel's journey as well as those of the many dress designers'. The photos are gorgeous, and the stories make a collector like myself glad doll designers are out there! I must admit, I first got into Gene because I am a Scarlett O'Hara doll fan, and "Red Venus" looks like Scarlett O'Hara. I quickly acquired other dolls as my knowledge increased. Collecting is truly better than any savings account I know, since the value increases rapidly! Of course, would we ever sell our beauties?

Fantastic! Worth the wait! Great photos, a lot of information not available to the average collector. This book is a godsend for Gene fans.

Gene, the book, showed a lot of promise. The first book published on the popular fashion doll, collectors were excited -- indeed a bit crazed -- waiting for the "definitive" guide to their idol, Gene Marshall. What a disappointment. Although the book appears to have been fairly well researched and includes lots of tidbits concerning the doll's origins from first concept to finished product, so much more could have been done and said.

However, what is really unforgivable is the sloppy presentation of the book. What a shame, too. Poorly designed and poorly printed, it's a horror for the eye to read. Why didn't someone hire a professional graphic designer to put this book together!?!? Printing errors abound such as severe color varations and overprinting. For example, the colors on one of the pictured costumes, Gold Sensation, vary from a lemon-yellow to a deep orange-gold from one photo to the next -- photos that had been laid out right next to each other on the page! Graphic layout of the book was also very poor with additional sophomoric mistakes -- literally dozens of spelling errors, typographical, and grammatical mistakes -- that lead one to believe that the book had been slapped together moments before going to press. Even costumes, such as "Pink Lightning", failed to catch the proofer's eye, being misspelled as "Pink Lightening" throughout the book. It doesn't take a professional to figure out that these kinds of mistakes could have -- should have -- been caught before publishing. A really poor effort for such a proud subject; surely Gene Marshall deserves better.

For a beginning Gene collector the book MIGHT be a good reference, but you might want to WAIT for another book to be released (or, perhaps, a corrected second-printing of this book). Better yet, research Gene online and find out even more from the thousands of great Gene collectors out there.

This book is the best resource out there as far as Gene Collectors go. Fantastic coverage telling of how Gene was created by Mel Odom, lavishly illustrated with sketches, models, prototypes, and publicity photos. Every Ashton-Drake Gene, Trent, and Madra doll & outfit is covered from the beginning through 2001 (when the book was published). Each outfit has at least one photo, excerpt from the storycard, as well as interesting background information. The "Gene Team" was obviously in collaboration for this book as there are generous quotes and interviews from Mel and all of the designers who helped make Gene a reality. The design is pleasing, the photo reproduction is good (MUCH better than I had feared after reading some reviews of the earlier editions of this book), and having it in hardback is a bonus! Could there be improvements in the quality and design? Sure, but it would have made for a much more expensive volume. As a well-illustrated thoroughly-researched reference source, this book is tops! Just be sure to get the 3rd edition. Hopefully with Gene retiring this spring, there will be a follow-up volume.

If you are a lover of Gene, then this book is a must for you. The photographs of the dolls and outfits are just wonderful. This book is filled with Gene 'trivia' and terrific profiles of all the people responsible for Gene. I would highly recommend this book!

[ASIN:0875886051 Gene (3rd Edition) (Gene: Identification & Price Guide) This is a great book! The pictures are stunning! As is the description and time line of most every outfit and doll. I hope they come out with this sort of book every five years, starting with where they left off!