JUST PUBLISH IT ALREADY! Público Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 10, March 7, 2004, Article 24
JUST PUBLISH IT ALREADY!
Ray Williams writes: "In the Feb 29th E-Sylum, Granvyl G.
Hulse, Jr. wrote that "a lesson in that the first book on any
subject, no matter how thoroughly the author tries to make
it accurate, will never hold up under the light of later research."I think this is a rather discouraging comment to a potential
author, but it makes me think of how I look at the need for
more books in my fields of numismatic interest.Being starved for new publications in the US Colonial
Numismatic area, I would like to make a comment to
potential authors. I've seen friends and acquaintances at
conventions carrying around manuscripts that are so close
to being ready for publication but haven't been published.
It's this "perfection hang-up" that's stopping things. If these
potential authors are waiting for perfection, we will not
benefit from what they've already researched until (if) the
book is published. Case in point... Walter Breen's
Encyclopedia for Large Cents! The book didn't get published
until 10 years after Breen had passed away! Once you have
a significant product for publication, and it reasonably meets
the authors goals, PUBLISH IT. If afterwards there is
updated information and new facts, then that is why God
made second editions!"- 2004-03-07
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