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V11 2008 INDEX
E-SYLUM ARCHIVE
GLEANINGS FROM THE ASYLUM, JULY-SEPTEMBER 2008
While The E-Sylum is free to all, only paid members
of the Numisamtic Bibliomania Society receive our print journal, The
Asylum. Bibliophiles and numismatic researchers are missing out if
they're not NBS members. As an example of some of the great content
nonmembers are missing, here are short excerpts from two of the feature
articles in the latest edition, courtesy of editor David Yoon. -Editor
Here are some excerpts from A Bibliographic Guide to
American Content in the National Numismatic Collection by Leonard
Augsburger. -Editor
The National Numismatic Collection (NNC,
formerly the Mint Cabinet), housed in the Smithsonian, represents the ne
plus ultra of American numismatic collections, yet the cataloguing and
documentation surrounding the collection is sadly not commensurate with
the breadth and quality of the collection itself. A researcher easily
locates the online catalogues of the American Numismatic Society, but is
more challenged when searching for similar resources applicable to the
NNC.It is ironic that while two of the earliest American numismatic works (DuBois.s Pledges of History and Snowden.s Description of Ancient and Modern Coins), are focused on the NNC, there is currently no single comprehensive source describing the American content of the collection. Still, a number of researchers have made contributions towards cataloguing the American content of the NNC, and these efforts are herein enumerated.
Located in the National Museum of American History, Behring Center, the National Numismatics Collection (NNC) includes approximately 1.6 million objects, including over 450,000 coins, medals, and decorations and 1.1 million pieces of paper money. It embraces the entire numismatic history of the world.
Just a few of the works cited are listed below. -Editor
William E. DuBois. Pledges of History: A Brief Account of the Collection of Coins Belonging to the Mint, More Especially the Antique Specimens. Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 1846.
O. C. Bosbyshell. An Index to the Coins and Medals of the Cabinet of the Mint of the United States at Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Avil Printing and Lithography Company, 1891.
Peter K Shireman. .Barber Halves at the Smithsonian.. Journal of the Barber Coin Collectors. Society 15 (no. 3): 13.16, 2004.
Next up are some selected passages from How to Succeed
in Numismatic Publishing (by Really Trying) by Dennis Tucker.
I
recognize that we belong to a rich tradition and a fraternity/ sorority
with intellectual and artistic foundations. However, publishing is
fundamentally a business endeavor. Books are written, and books are sold.
If you.re approaching an established commercial publisher with your
well-written, flawlessly researched, and engaging manuscript, at some
point you.ll have to convince someone . an acquisitions editor, a sales
manager, a publishing director . that it will actually sell. Rarely will a
publishing company be willing to simply break even, and more rarely still
will it welcome a loss. There are salaries to be paid, paper costs money,
and printing presses don.t run for free.Here are some tips on how to convince a publisher that your manuscript will make a good addition to its sales list. (Note that I didn.t say, .. . . will make a good addition to the canon of numismatic literature.. Often the latter will encourage the former, but remember that the goal is to sell books. )
If I had a Buffalo nickel for every .great new book idea. I.ve been pitched, I.d be able to bankroll a small herd. Everyone has a pet topic: countermarked half cents; nineteenthcentury apothecary scrip of the Oswego River; trade dollar chopmarks that look like famous celebrities. (One of my pet topics: portrait medals of the German Kaiserreich.) A commercial publisher will want to know that the market will absorb more than a couple hundred copies.
Wayne Homren, Editor
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.
To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com
To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum
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