Back when Saturday Night Live started in the '70s, they had a recurring skit called something like: "Terribly Bad Literature". It was a spoof on a high-brow PBS show which discussed literary works of art. My Question: I keep seeing references to all the "good" books out there on numismania. Are there any to avoid? Are there any that are pricey for what you get? Are there any that contain bad or just wrong information? With the "deer in the headlights" economy right now, I thought I would invest in some books and study up. And just as with coins, I don't need to be spending money on "problem" books. I also realize that most will say "any book is better than no book". In addition, writing style isn't important as I would consider these to be references and not novels.
The Denver Mint - 100 Years of Gangsters, Gold, and Ghosts by Turner & Field. Poorly written. I only made it half way through this book.
As a general statement, ask around for recommendations about which is the best book for a particular topic. There's plenty of experience in here to point you to the best reference. The only book I would say to avoid is Photograde. The pictures are terrible. But that opinion is based on an old edition (from the 70's.) Things could (and should) have changed.
That surprises me because I have seen it recommended a lot. So, maybe the newer edition is in fact better. I don't have it so I can't say from my own experience, but I have seen people here speak highly of it.
Do you have Breen's Encyclopedia? I don't know if I would classify it as "reading for pleasure" but it is a great reference book. Very best regards, collect89
Just about any book out can have bad information in it. There are many mistakes in Breen's encyclopedia for example. In one of Bowers's books he says the 1887 Morgan is weakly struck; Halperin says in his book the coin is known for being well struck - both authors are considered experts but yet one of them has to be wrong. Weimar White in his book says that all toned coins should be dipped and the toning removed to prevent damage. The vast majority of other experts say the coin should be left alone to preserve originality. Those are just a few examples, but you get the point. Just because any book has a few errors in it that does not mean that the entire book should be discarded.
