The Vernor's Story: From Gnomes to Now

by Lawrence L. Rouch

Amply illustrated, The Vernor's Story -- From Gnomes to Now captures the spirit and genius of the people who transformed Vernors into an iconic American soft drink that has spanned two centuries of shifting public taste. With over seventy photographs depicting the history of the company, The Vernor's Story is an insider's look at early operations, as well as the firm's famous marketing blitz, featuring Vernor's distinctive green and gold packaging and its engaging gnome.




Add to that the legion of devoted Vernor's fans, and the beverage itself, a unique, spicy, mysteriously flavored carbonated ginger drink that's appealed to generations of Michiganders and others alike, and you have the makings of a great American success story.




A treasure on its own and sure to be a future collectible, this is a fascinating slice of Americana for Vernor's fans everywhere.


Lawrence Rouch is President of Studio3/Innovations, a marketing and consulting firm representing fine artists in the automotive and fine-arts fields.

Genres: History

136 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2003

Reviews

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat little niche history book for the die-hard Michiganders out there. I feel like it's the sort of thing you'd find lurking on a shelf in your grandparent's lake house, but is definitely fun to skim through and look at the full color photos. It also includes a recipe section for various ginger ale cocktails, as well as a Vernors cheese fondue if that's how you want to spend an evening. I will remember this book fondly the next time I need to sip some regional ginger ale to soothe my tummy problems.

[Tony Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a lot of people from Michigan, especially those that moved away, I love Vernors. It reminds me of home.
While on vacation in Michigan earlier this year I picked up this book, mostly just as a souvenir. I was curious about the history of Vernors, but didn't think it'd be all that interesting. Well it was.
The majority of the book is written in a very straight forward, school history book "just the facts ma'am", kind of way. But although it wasn't written in a very literative (if that's the correct word) way, it was still an enjoyable read.
I only read a couple pages here and there, whenever I had a minute to kill, but I was always eager to go back and read/learn more about the history of one of my favorite beverages.
The book has quotes from other fans of the drink, recipes, and plenty of pictures from the past.
I'm definitely glad that I purchased and read this book.

[Felice · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the book's designer: Thank you all for your praise of this book. It was a great decision I never looked back on when 350 images were included with this book. I used every single one of them that were usable. I'm glad you all enjoy it and drink on! --Felice Tebbe