Book Review: A Guide Book Of Half Cents And Large Cents

Following is a post from the EAC group, that James Higby wrote, I asked him if I could share it with you all and he agreed. It is not changed in any way, only some formatting by me. So without further ado, here is James' excellent review of the latest Whitman "Official Red Book Series":

_____________________BEGIN REVIEW__________________________________

Book Review: A Guide Book of Half Cents and Large Cents, by Q. David Bowers, ©2015 Whitman Publishing LLC. $39.95 retail, but available for less if you know where to look.

This is book 19 in the ongoing "Official Red Book" series and follows a by-now familiar format and arrangement.

After a foreword by our own Harry E. Salyards and an introduction and "how to use this book" section by the author, there are chapters on the first two U.S. mints, numismatics and numismatists of the 19th, 20th, and 21st century, grading, being a smart buyer, collecting the two denominations, and varieties, populations, and values of the two denominations. Following all this are notes, short bios of both QDB and HES, a page of acknowledgements, and a one-page index: 564 pages on glossy paper in all.

First, a word of caution. If you already own the behemoth first "deluxe" edition of the RedBook ($49.95), you already have the main meat of this new book - a catalog of dates, variety-by-variety, cross-referenced to other catalogs, and population reports. Interestingly enough, in addition to the familiar Cohen, Sheldon, and Newcomb numbers, the author assigns his own "BW" (Bowers/Whitman) numbers, following a pattern that QDB established with his books on Colonials and tokens. The photos, mostly in color, are of the same coins as in the bigger book, just not quite as large.

But it's the bun and the gourmet toppings that that make this meat sandwich a menu item that you'll want to taste again and again. The 124 pages of what would normally be classified as "front matter" contain enough information to make a free-standing book that would keep the Gentle Reader busy for an evening or three. Tucked away in one of the layers is a two-paragraph tribute to EAC and the fellowship that ensues with membership. So in addition to the coppery contents of the "deluxe" RedBook, you get all this other delightful stuff as well, and in my estimation, it's well worth it.

Oh, and it weighs 2 3/4 pounds, but that's 4 pounds lighter than the "deluxe" RedBook! smile emoticon

I'll be happy to entertain any questions that I can answer without violating copyright.
- James
__________________________END REVIEW___________________________________