Even if you're not into numismatic literature, you should read the background on John J. Ford in the

Longacre

I think that Andy posted a link to a PDF of the catalog in a previous post (maybe someone can dig up the previous post). Anyway, there are two great introductions written by Jon Hanson and QDB in the front of the catalog. Both give great stories about John J. Ford and provide some great insight into the person. Some of the stories are absolutely hilarious as well. You should check it out. Sometimes the people behind the coins are more interesting than the coins themselves!