A COLLEGIATE BIBLIOMANIAC 上市 Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 51, November 30, 2003, Article 18
A COLLEGIATE BIBLIOMANIAC
ANA Education Director Gail Baker writes: "I thought you
and the E-Sylum readers might enjoy the attached article.
I'm running it in Your Newsletter, an email publication for
young numismatists, but if you are interested, Amanda said
you could put it in The E-Sylum also."[Amanda is "a proud Seminole at Florida State University."
She has good taste in books, leading off her list with
one of my own all-time favorites. Here's her article. -Editor]My Selected Books
By Amanda RondotI have a confession to make. For the last several years, I have
slowly but surely been turning into a numismatic bibliomaniac.
Each year, my library grows by inch after inch of shelf space.
Why, this summer alone it grew by over a third of a foot! Now,
while it is wonderful to own so many books, I had to pack my
belongings to move away to college for the very first time in
August. Since dorm rooms are not known for being overly
spacious, I could not bring much of my library along with me.
What a conundrum! Consequently, I had to pause and think
long and hard about which selected books would move with
me. Though it pained me to leave so many behind, these are
the seven I finally chose after great deliberation, presented in
random order.First, Fractional Money by Neil Carothers was a must-have
for me. This book explains the United States monetary system
in its economic context, making changes in series and
denominations easy to understand. Since it was written by an
economist, it provides a different view on coinage and focuses
on other information than that given by traditional numismatic
authors. However, it is still comprehensible and interesting to
read.Coinage Laws of the United States, 1792-1894, reprinted by
Bowers and Merena Galleries in 1990, gives the full text of laws
regulating the coinage (as its name suggests). Reading an entire
act instead of just isolated portions out of context is helpful in
understanding the intent of the legislators. While not designed
to be read through in its entirety like a story, this book is good
for looking up specific pieces of information.Next, Coins and Collectors by Q. David Bowers tells the tale
of the development of American numismatics. This book
discusses my favorite part of the hobby, the people who formed
the numismatic community, from its beginning in the 1800s until
the 1960s, when this book was written. It is well illustrated
with reproductions of early numismatic advertisements and
pictures of coins.Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins is
helpful not only for those of us who doubt our grading abilities
and wish to improve them, but also for all coin collectors.
Since few people are familiar with the grading standards for
series outside their collecting specialties, this book is good for
acquainting oneself with a new series before buying unfamiliar
coins. I find it to be an especially useful study guide when I
am acquiring type coins for my collection.What library would be complete without a copy of A Guide
Book of United States Coins? The standard yearly price guide
for U.S. coins, it contains numerous facts and figures explaining
general information and the specifications for each series. The
Red Book is extremely useful for showing my non-collecting
friends, who are only familiar with the presently circulating
coins, what the country?s coinage looked like in the past.Coin World Almanac by the Staff of Coin World is a great
general reference, touching on a little of everything. This book
does a particularly good job of discussing modern affairs. In
addition to the standard written format, it contains a plethora
of information listed in convenient tables (for example: ?paper
money series-denominations-signatures?), making information
easy to find when I am not sure what I am looking for.
Consequently, it is one of my most frequently reached for
references.Finally, Q. David Bowers? United States Coinage as
Illustrated by the Garrett Collection was my final choice to
come to my new home-away-from-home. My reading material
for the drive down, this book has wonderful color plates (and
black and white ones) on glossy paper, corresponding to the
descriptions carefully presented in the text. As do all books
by Bowers, this work incorporates historical background into
the numismatic discussions. It contains many excerpts from
letters between early important numismatic personages,
transporting the reader to the collecting scene as it was many
years ago.All in all, I am happy with my selections. The only book I
greatly regret not bringing is my copy of Bowers? A California
Gold Rush History, Featuring the Treasure from the S.S.
Central America, my pride and joy. However, after debating
until the very last minute before I climbed in the car to leave
(literally! Ask my mom!), I stuck with my painful decision to
leave it behind; it was just too big to take along. Currently, it
is eagerly awaiting me at home, when I can spend several
weeks of Christmas vacation once again lovingly caressing its
pages, reunited with it and all my other long lost books.- 2003-11-30
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