NEW BOOK: THE SILVER COINS OF MASSACHUSETTS

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V13 2010 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 13, Number 34, August 22, 2010, Article 4

Hardcover, full color
ISBN-13: 978-0-89722-316-0
ISBN-10: 0-89722-316
List Price: $95
Pre-order Price: $60

The silver coins of Massachusetts hold a special place in early American numismatics. They were the first coins struck in British North America, a mere generation after the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Because of their historical importance and charming style, they have prompted rich inquiry among scholars and an intense interest and desire among collectors.

The Silver Coins of Massachusetts is a splendidly illustrated review of these coins, employing the latest historical and numismatic evidence as well as novel scientific analysis. Minting technique is explored in detail. All varieties of the coinage are newly classified with a consistent yet flexible taxonomic system that lists the varieties in chronological order and can readily accommodate potential future discoveries. The system allows an appreciation for how varieties evolved and the relative degree of change that occurred at each step. It is designed to be as simple as possible without oversimplifying, with all varieties named according to their obverse and reverse dies.

The book includes a fully illustrated atlas that details important characteristic features. The last part of the atlas displays each variety at actual size to aid in attribution.

I hadn't been aware that this book was in the pipeline and was delighted to see the announcement. I asked Megan for his biography and received the following note directly from Chris Salmon. -Editor

I am a subscriber to your excellent newsletter and always look forward to receiving it with great eagerness and anticipation! I generally read it from start to finish.

I have attached a biographical paragraph that is slightly modified from the biography that will appear on the back flap of the dust jacket.

I greatly appreciate your interest in the upcoming book about Massachusetts silver coins. I am very excited about this project, and can tell you that it will be a sumptuous production with 157 gsm art paper and hundreds of color illustrations, a new classification system, and original research.

I was happy to learn that Chris is already a member of our E-Sylum community. Below is the text of his biography. Congratulations on publishing the book! I'm looking forward to seeing it. -Editor

Christopher J. Salmon, M.D. is a radiologist in private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona. A former National Institutes of Health Research Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, he was Director of Thoracic Imaging at Brown University and then Director of Thoracic Imaging at Oregon Health & Science University. He has written articles in the medical scientific literature and has been a contributing author in several medical textbooks. He is an enthusiastic collector, bibliophile and student in a wide variety of areas including American and ancient coins, early Americana, Greek and Roman art, music, and the history of science. This is his first numismatic book.