Rating: 
Summary: Definitely Not "the best of Barbie"
Review: While this book has some interesting photos from this one collection, it has photographs of anything but the "best" examples of the various Barbies--especially the vintage dolls--some of them are down-right scarey looking with running, gouged face paint, chopped off hair, examples of ponytail dolls without ponytails, mis-identified dolls and a hodge-podge of information and misinformation. If I were a new collector, this book would be of little help in learning what a particular doll should look like--it's easy to find played-with dolls that are all mussed up--the hard part for a new collector is knowing what the doll should look like when learning to gauge authenticity and condition--this book seems like someone was assigned to write a Barbie book and they did it--but that someone was not a collector or authority.
Rating:
Summary: Is this Barbie doll book necessary?
Review: Why was this book published? For the asking price, the book should be filled with accurate information. Instead it is a confusing jumble, of often erroneous and poorly organized material written by one of the publisher's employees. And regarding the photographs, I guess the debate will continue whether good photography of poor condition dolls is as bad as blurry pictures of mint dolls, but for the price of this book I expect quality. As a collector I find it continuously frustrating that often "collector books" are really just pictures of someone's incomplete collection instead of reference books. And even if this is is intended to be no more than a coffee table book, it is disappointing that so many dolls in poor condition were included. A rare doll in poor condition may be photographed for a book out of necessity, but there is no reason for the more common vintage dolls to be anything less than mint for an important project. Misinformation makes the marketplace a difficult place to negotiate. New collectors are confused by books like this, and advanced collectors expect substantially more. The book should not be entitled "The Best of Barbie" simply because it isn't. I guess the publishers sell enough of these books to make it worth their while, but if some of us collectors were not so easy to please, perhaps we would have higher quality books on the Barbie doll. We deserve better.
Rating:
Summary: These dolls are hardly the BEST of Barbie. :(
Review: You don't have to be a serious collector to enjoy "The Book of the Century", THE BEST OF BARBIE. Ms. Korbeck and her photographer, Kris Kandler should be congratulated for capturing America's favorite doll through pictures and knowledge. If you only purchase one book on Barbie in your entire life, this is the one to get.Editor, Dan Stearns, exhibits his enthusiasm throughout this dynamic collection of text, photos, and information. What makes this poetic tribute to Barbie so dynamic is the way each picture is carefully captured to show the Barbie Doll in a way never before seen. Simplicity and beauty are the only two words to describe its artistry. Steve Hart AKA Steve Horwitz
Emmy Award Winner and Former Writer/Producer for National Public Radio
Rating: 
Summary: BARBIE, THE BOOK OF THE CENTURY
Review: You don't have to be a serious collector to enjoy "The Book of the Century", THE BEST OF BARBIE. Ms. Korbeck and her photographer, Kris Kandler should be congratulated for capturing America's favorite doll through pictures and knowledge. If you only purchase one book on Barbie in your entire life, this is the one to get. Editor, Dan Stearns, exhibits his enthusiasm throughout this dynamic collection of text, photos, and information. What makes this poetic tribute to Barbie so dynamic is the way each picture is carefully captured to show the Barbie Doll in a way never before seen. Simplicity and beauty are the only two words to describe its artistry. Steve Hart AKA Steve Horwitz
Emmy Award Winner and Former Writer/Producer for National Public Radio
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