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V11 2008 INDEX
E-SYLUM ARCHIVE
MORE ON THE E-SYLUM EDITORIAL POLICY
Jim Wiley, who describes himself as "a mere merchant token collector" writes:As a contributing writer and publisher of a newsletter to
glass collectors ( quarterly---hardly weekly!), I understand and hope that
others read carefully and understand your comment ...."As long as editing
this newsletter continues to be fun, I'll gladly keep it up." Some folks
need to recognize that this is a labor of love and not a method of gaining
fame or money. Thank you for all of the interesting and timely work that
you turn out.
On the issue of sticking purely to numismatic
literature, Larry Dziubek writes:
How many subscribers do you think you would have if you
only mentioned books? I think about 50, tops. Your reply was 110% correct.
Keep them coming as is. Anyone who wants a pure bookie newsletter should
unsubscribe - how boring!
As much as I love numismatic literature, I agree with
Larry. As a matter of fact, the main reason The E-Sylum veered away from
purely numismatic literature topics into the broader numismatic world was
a dearth of submissions from readers. Related topics proved to be
interesting to readers and generated much more participation. Not every
article is interesting to everyone, but each issue usually has something
for everyone. -Editor.
John H. Burns writes:
There are topics in The E-Sylum that go rather far afield
of coin books, numismatics and related items but the readership seems to
enjoy them. My problem is the yapping Pekinese that wait till a man is
DEAD before they come out of the woodwork. It is cowardice to shout
accusations and hearsay about someone who CANNOT respond.
Donald Erlenkotter writes:
I received the latest E-Sylum just after reading the new
Spring 2008 issue of the American Numismatic Society Magazine. On p. 36 of
the magazine, under the period 1948-1957, I found the following:
This issue of the ANS Magazine also has a lot on the recent relocation of the Society and the move as you reported. Keep up the good work!
Sadly, it was during this period - although this was not
discovered until many years later - that the Society's cabinet sustained
its most critical loss. Famed U.S. large-cent expert William Sheldon
evidently succeeded in switching dozens of the finest pieces out of the
collection by substituting in their places other coins of identical
varieties but slightly lesser states of preservation. To date, about
two-thirds of these coins have been recovered; an ongoing effort seeks the
remainder.
If it hadn't been for The E-Sylum, I would have been
completely in the dark as to what was going on behind this brief
statement.This issue of the ANS Magazine also has a lot on the recent relocation of the Society and the move as you reported. Keep up the good work!
Rick Witschonke writes:
Thanks for sticking to your guns on the Naftzger
controversy. Kleeberg was at the ANS during the dispute, and has
first-hand information.
Jeff Reichenberger writes:
The story of Naftzger/Sheldon/ANS is fascinating, thanks
to all who weighed in on it. I also enjoyed Alan Weinberg's submission of
the Kosoff/Kaplan/Laine caper. Great stuff!
George Kolbe writes:
I found the postings on Ted Naftzger and Abe Kosoff in
the June 15 E-Sylum to be troubling, and printed them out to review. I did
not get around to it and thought that others would share their thoughts in
the June 22 issue. Charles Davis did and you also mention a call from John
Burns. Frankly, I thought there would be more outrage, though Charlie was
certainly direct.
I'll restrict my comments to John Kleeberg's commentary on Ted Naftzger and Alan Weinberg's story about Abe Kosoff. While I find some of John Kleeberg's characterizations to be slanted and unfair, he steps up to the plate and takes responsibility for what he says and it is clear that, if need be, he could document many if not all of the basic facts.
I have no brief against Alan Weinberg. I certainly enjoy his man-on-the-street contributions in the Big E and other numismatic publications and I admire his obvious love of the hobby. Nor am I above sharing controversial stories about numismatists of the past and present. But to do so in print, with zero documentation and anonymous sources, is not acceptable. You just cannot do this, despite the "tap dance" disclaimer at the end. Abe Kosoff may not have been a saint —- who of us are —- but I would hope, and I think that you would too, that others will not write such things about us when there are no provable facts or named sources to support them and we are no longer around to defend ourselves.
As I have told you many times before, the Big E is a great publication and all of numismatics is in your debt. I hope you will continue to publish controversial articles, leavened with a bit better judgment. I was appalled by John Kleeberg's comments on John Ford after his death yet I did not criticize you for publishing them. So, keep up the good work!
I'll restrict my comments to John Kleeberg's commentary on Ted Naftzger and Alan Weinberg's story about Abe Kosoff. While I find some of John Kleeberg's characterizations to be slanted and unfair, he steps up to the plate and takes responsibility for what he says and it is clear that, if need be, he could document many if not all of the basic facts.
I have no brief against Alan Weinberg. I certainly enjoy his man-on-the-street contributions in the Big E and other numismatic publications and I admire his obvious love of the hobby. Nor am I above sharing controversial stories about numismatists of the past and present. But to do so in print, with zero documentation and anonymous sources, is not acceptable. You just cannot do this, despite the "tap dance" disclaimer at the end. Abe Kosoff may not have been a saint —- who of us are —- but I would hope, and I think that you would too, that others will not write such things about us when there are no provable facts or named sources to support them and we are no longer around to defend ourselves.
As I have told you many times before, the Big E is a great publication and all of numismatics is in your debt. I hope you will continue to publish controversial articles, leavened with a bit better judgment. I was appalled by John Kleeberg's comments on John Ford after his death yet I did not criticize you for publishing them. So, keep up the good work!
Kleeberg's submissions on John Ford and Ted Nazftger were
among the hardest items I've ever had to edit. I snipped quite a bit from
the Ford piece, less from the one on Naftzger. Snipped were parts I felt
were too harsh, or too hard to justify or document. What was left of both
submissions was still lengthy, and could quite well be seen as slanted or
unfair. I knew they would be controversial, but decided to hit the Send
button. I appreciate George's careful review of the final Nazftger
product, and feel that my edits were probably appropriate.
The Kosoff/Laine piece was VERY hard to publish, as George could tell by the lengthy "tap dance" disclaimer. Like George, I expected far more commentary. If I'd snipped the dodgy pieces, there'd have been nothing left. What tipped the scales for me in deciding to publish it was the connection to the Kosoff book and the clues the tale might provide for researchers tracing pedigrees and transaction prices for the Judd coins listed within. Even though many readers enjoyed reading it, I understand the objections of others. I'll take my lumps on this one and raise the bar in the future. -Editor
The Kosoff/Laine piece was VERY hard to publish, as George could tell by the lengthy "tap dance" disclaimer. Like George, I expected far more commentary. If I'd snipped the dodgy pieces, there'd have been nothing left. What tipped the scales for me in deciding to publish it was the connection to the Kosoff book and the clues the tale might provide for researchers tracing pedigrees and transaction prices for the Judd coins listed within. Even though many readers enjoyed reading it, I understand the objections of others. I'll take my lumps on this one and raise the bar in the future. -Editor
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
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