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A couple years ago I wrote an essay titled “Who Do You Thank in a Numismatic Book?” This delved into the subjects of credit (which I defined as “public indication of a source of information, ideas, or other content”) and acknowledgments (“expressions of gratitude”).
“Credits and acknowledgments are an important part of your numismatic research,” I noted. “Some you’ll list as professional courtesies, some by contractual obligation, some for personal reasons. All of them publicly show your gratitude to the ‘village’ it takes to create a good book.”
A case study:
Kenneth Bressett’s newest work, A Penny Saved: R.S. Yeoman and His Remarkable Red Book, is about to hit bookstores. The 352-page memoir, which is also a history of the Guide Book of United States Coins (the hobby’s best-selling “Red Book”), will be on shelves around the 4th of July. In the back of the book, Ken and his indefatigable assisting editor and researcher Barbara Gregory give thanks to a veritable “Who’s Who” of modern numismatics. Among those acknowledged are many coin collectors and dealers who shared their memories of R.S. Yeoman, the brilliant but humble man who invented the Red Book and published its first edition 75 years ago.
The American Numismatic Association gets grateful thanks for photography and archival assistance. Stack’s Bowers Galleries gets credit for dozens of beautifully photographed U.S. and world coins, bank notes, and other treasures. World-famous murder-mystery author Lawrence Block is thanked for contributing his memories of working on The Whitman Numismatic Journal under Yeoman in the 1960s. Organizations as diverse as the Rochester (New York) Numismatic Association and the Racine (Wisconsin) Yacht Club get their due.
Also thanked is “every Whitman employee who has worked on the Red Book, in hundreds of important capacities, for 75 years,” including dozens from the recent “publishing renaissance” era under Anderson Press.
Perhaps most importantly:
Thanks to every volunteer contributor who has shared knowledge of pricing, die varieties, and other content since the Red Book debuted in 1946. And thanks to every collector who has shared ideas, spotted mistakes, and voiced opinions over the decades.
The Red Book, of course, is unique: With 75 years of history, and more than 25 million copies sold to coin collectors from every walk of life, it’s touched generations. If you’re about to publish, I hope your book reaches those heights, too. Remember to keep a place within your book to sit down, reflect, and officially give thanks to everyone who helped along the way.
Dennis Tucker became the youngest publisher in Whitman Publishing history when he joined the company in 2004. His focus is on nonfiction books including many standard references relating to the art and science of numismatics (the study of coins and related objects). Numismatics is a field that touches on American financial and banking history, economics, artistry and design, technology, mining and metallurgy, political history, society, and culture. Whitman Publishing, which dates to 1916, is the Official Supplier of the congressionally chartered American Numismatic Association.
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