The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 11, March 12, 2006, Article 15

LOOSE-LEAF COIN BOOKS?

Katie Jaeger writes: "Thanks, Howard Spindel, for adding to the
discussion of the usefulness of different ways of publishing
coin books.  Howard described a computerized format, but there
is also a way to update works in book form.  In the 1980s, I
managed the copy editing department for the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers, Codes and Standards Division.  One of the
books we published was the 12,000-page Boiler and Pressure Vessel
Code.  This contained the requirements for building every pressure-
containing vessel from hot water heaters to steam boilers to
nuclear reactors.  As you can imagine, it was critical that its
information be accurate, and kept up to date as technology evolved.
It was penned by 600 authors - mechanical engineers on various
committees around the U.S.  Is this beginning to sound like a coin
book?  Expensive to the consumer, lots of contributors, constantly
changing information, need for frequent updates?  Obviously, we
couldn't ship out 12,000 pages annually.

Instead, we sent out quarterly revisions on looseleaf pages. Each
section of the book was housed in a looseleaf binder, and each
quarter, we sent out only those pages that had been revised, in a
different color than the main edition.  When the new pages arrived,
the engineer would simply throw out the old pages, and pop in the
new.  Then we brought out a new edition every three years.  So
anyone who subscribed to an edition, would automatically receive
all addenda through the end of that edition.  I believe this format
would work well for coin books too.  I'd be interested to hear
other author's opinions of it."

[Authors have sent out updates and errata for numismatic books,
but I don’t know of any published in loose-leaf format with
updates in mind.  -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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