The Numismatic Bibliomania Society Logo

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V3 2000 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 3, Number 7, February 13, 2000, Article 5

CRITIC'S CORNER: ANCIENT COIN REFERENCE REVIEWS

Robert Wilson Hoge, Curator of the numismatic collection of the American Numismatic Association in Colorado Springs writes:

"I always look forward to seeing the latest issue of The E-sylum when I come to work in the ANA Museum each Monday morning. I just wanted to mention this and say that I think Dennis Kroh's reference work on ancient coins is a very good choice for reviewing from a bibliophile's point of view. It is certainly a most useful tool, and I routinely use it and cite it for my students in the ANA Summer Seminar course on coinages of the ancient world."

Henry Bergos writes:

"The layout is simple and straight forward. This keeps the price down and makes the book easy to use. After Seaby's four volume set this is the most important book on Roman coins. With this book we have the tool build a library. Prior to his book, which I have used extensively, I used my own resources. I agree with ALL his recommendations and all his conclusions. When I (try to) teach numismatics this book tops the list of needs."

Allan Davisson writes:

"Ancient Coin Reference Reviews is one of the few major references that sit right beside my desk. Dennis Kroh's book is the best (only?) reference there is to cover and evaluate ancient references in one volume. Dennis's enthusiasm is only part of this publication's strength. He also solicited the help of Basil Demetriadi who has the finest privately owned (if not the finest PERIOD) library on ancient Greek coins in existence. Basil also has a full-time librarian for his library. This is an exceptional book that sold for a very small sum ($25 as I recall). Everyone should have it. We need a second edition that takes into account new publications and addresses current availability."

Here are your editor's thoughts: While I agree that the content of the book is very useful, the layout and indexing make it very hard to use for reference. Suppose I want to look up the review on a book by Kraay. The index lists 13 page references, with no indication of which page holds which title. The only way to find a specific listing is to read all thirteen pages in hopes of locating it.

The book's contents were originally published in serial form in The Celator. Each chapter holds up well on its own, but the book's value as a reference would have been greatly increased with the addition of an improved layout, numbering system, and index.

Wayne Homren, Editor

Google NBS (coinbooks.org) Web

Content presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.

This is a static archive page documenting the originally published content. Links were active at the time of publication but may no longer work. Check subsequent issues for corrections and commentary.

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature.   For more information please see our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ There is a membership application available on the web site.  To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application.  Visit the Membership page. Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: E-Sylum Editor

Copyright © 1998 - 2020 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS)
All Rights Reserved.

NBS Home Page
Contact the NBS Webmaster
Privacy Policy