THE GENESIS MUSEUM COLLECTORS EXHIBIT (2nd edition) (2025) *****
by Adam Gottlob and The Genesis Museum
This hardback 2nd edition self-published, 2025, 276pp
© Adam Gottlob and The Genesis Museum, 2023 and 2025.
Genesis is rightly regarded as one of the most influential bands in rock music history and in recent years there has been an exponential increase in the number of books covering the band and its members. So what makes this latest book, courtesy of Adam Gottlob and The Genesis Museum, so special? Well, whereas other books have taken a biographical, analytical or referential approach to the band and its music, this one looks at Genesis through the eyes of the collectors – those diehard fans who seek to preserve anything and everything related to the band for posterity. As such, The Genesis Museum Collectors Exhibit is unique and an essential purchase for Genesis fans, but it will also interest the wider collector community and music fans in general.
The Genesis Museum, a digital exhibition curated by author Adam Gottlob and his fellow collaborators, is the leading authority on Genesis-related memorabilia. The Museum’s website (genesismuseum.com), for which many items are scanned and displayed, was set up in 1998. More recently, the Museum widened its remit to cover restoration, notably of historic film material. The 4K restoration of Genesis’ filmed performance at Paris’ Bataclan in 1973 rightfully received admiring attention from the global music press. The Museum’s work on the 16mm film of the band’s promotional performance at Shepperton Studios, also in 1973, was used by the Genesis as part of their 1970-1975 box set back in 2008 and has now also been restored in 4K.
In 2023, Gottlob and the Museum published the first edition of this book, which sold out very quickly. It is therefore pleasing that Gottlob has now completed this second edition with a few new contributors and new photographs. This handsomely presented book is a fascinating and absorbing read, and a great visual representation of the Museum’s artefacts, alongside those of many collectors from around the world. In collating the book Gottlob has involved more than 60 contributors, including many fellow collectors. There are over 1,000 images, primarily of Museum exhibits, but also of contributors’ collections covering all aspects of the band. These images are lovingly presented throughout the 276 well-designed pages. Given this is a self-published book, the design and presentation are of the highest standard.
The text blends Gottlob’s personal story, with his insight into the collector’s philosophy and psyche. It includes interviews with contributors and fellow collectors. We also get various quotes from the band – notably Phil Collins, who himself is an avid collector of memorabilia relating to The Alamo. By doing so, Gottlob underlines the universality of the collector bug, contrasting Collins’ fascination, beginning with his childhood love of the Davy Crockett TV series, with the similar fascination of the Genesis collector following their initial connection with the band. Gottlob considers questions around the scope and cost of collecting, storage implications, if/how/when to stop, and what happens as collections outlive the collector. In doing so, Gottlob gets to the heart of what drives collectors and their obsession. Indeed, he goes a step further in calling collecting addictive but stopping short of branding it an addiction. He points toward the thrill of the hunt – the excitement of finding that rarity that has eluded the collector for years.
Whilst the Museum looks to collect all aspects relating to the band, some individual collectors concentrate on specifics, such as various official release media, unofficial live recordings, magazine and press articles, books, tour shirts and jackets or other memorabilia. The collections displayed in this book are a testament to the efforts of the many collectors who put in the hours and the money to search out those elusive items. For Genesis, items from the late 1960s and most of the 1970s tend to be the key area of focus as these are the most historically significant and rare. The contributing collectors each tell their own story. While the core commonality is their roots in establishing an initial connection with the band, it is interesting that their specific areas of interest can differ. In some cases, their love for the band has waned as they have satisfied their collecting needs or the band has evolved away from their ideal.
Gottlob also points to the pros and cons of the internet as a tool to help the collector track down items, whilst acknowledging it can also take some of the fun of the hunt away. He also highlights that photographs, films and audio recordings can be copied and the once-rare items can now be shared worldwide free of charge. The counter-productive result is that some viewers access exhibits and use them for their purposes without even acknowledging the source. This may lead to some collectors holding onto and refusing to share material as it would become devalued. Gottlob maintains a very balanced view. His text confirms his desire to preserve as much Genesis history as he can and make it freely available. For that, all Genesis and music fans should be eternally grateful and The Genesis Museum Collectors Exhibit is a magnificent showcase for his and the Museum’s work.
The Genesis Museum Collectors Exhibit can be ordered here: https://www.genesismuseum.com/exhibit.htm