Numismatic authors-- do you keep in-progress book drafts for posterity, or has the computer elimina
Longacre
Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
I know that a subset of bibliophiles collect in-progress drafts of numismatic books that are ultimately published. In the major numismatic book auctions, I sometimes see drafts offered for sale of classic numismatic texts (such as Breen) that were written a long time ago. The descriptions of these items seem interesting—the drafts include handwritten notes, other notations, comments, etc. To me, I find these things interesting, especially since it gives insight as to what the author was thinking, and how the final version of the text was determined.
For the numismatic authors in the house, what do you do with your numismatic book drafts? Do you save these for posterity and for future bibliophiles? Or has the advent of the computer virtually eliminated written notes/comments on book drafts? For example, electronic copies of text can be circulated to other scholars/reviewers for comment, and an electronic “red-lined” version can be emailed back. To me, this is a lot less sexy than seeing good, old-fashioned red pen comment, hand written insertions, etc., etc.
Does anyone know if these sorts of draft documents are a dying breed? Or do numismatic authors have a sense of history, and keep the hand written iterations for future generations?
For the numismatic authors in the house, what do you do with your numismatic book drafts? Do you save these for posterity and for future bibliophiles? Or has the advent of the computer virtually eliminated written notes/comments on book drafts? For example, electronic copies of text can be circulated to other scholars/reviewers for comment, and an electronic “red-lined” version can be emailed back. To me, this is a lot less sexy than seeing good, old-fashioned red pen comment, hand written insertions, etc., etc.
Does anyone know if these sorts of draft documents are a dying breed? Or do numismatic authors have a sense of history, and keep the hand written iterations for future generations?
Always took candy from strangers
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
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Comments
MS Word with "Tracked Changes" isn't as romantic as a marked-up three-inch stack of bond paper, but it's a lot easier to work with!
One notable recent exception: Bill Fivaz wrote the United States Gold Counterfeit Detection Guide on a gasoline-powered manual-crank typewriter.
My new book "Henry Voigt and Others Involved with America's Early Coinage" grew out of a simple question from Dave Bowers. Back in the late 1990's, he asked if anyone knew anything about Henry Voigt. If so, he would present it as an article in RCR.
Since this was one of my research projects, I wrote to him and told him I could send him something in a few weeks. Unfortunately, the "article" was too long at 18 pages (even though Dave eventually printed a 9 page article about the 1827/3/2 quarters - Thank you Dave!).
It was never published. After that, I decided it should be a monograph. That's lasted until I went to the National Archives in 2000. It then blossomed into a 10 chapter book, until I kept adding more of what I had been researching. This included correcting some of the Breen and Taxay errors found in their writings, of which I had been making notes for years. I also added a chapter about the 1796 quarters from a book I had been working on earlier.
Anyway, the final version has 17 chapters, 230 pages, and lots of illustrations that have never been seen by present day numismatist's.
Because I'm a dedicated bibliophiile, I have kept many of the "work in progress" drafts and page changes - but certainly not all. To me, it's interesting to see the developments, especially when a new picture gets added.
Dave Bowers has sent me (and others) printouts of his WIP drafts over the years. I keep them as souvenir's of sort, while others simply sell them off. They are a real insight into the workings of what becomes later knowledge.
My most cherished draft of the Henry Voigt book is the one that Dave Bowers editied. This was the version that he read and later wrote the foreword to the Voigt book.
<< <i>Well, I'll respond -
My new book "Henry Voigt and Others Involved with America's Early Coinage" grew out of a simple question from Dave Bowers. Back in the late 1990's, he asked if anyone knew anything about Henry Voigt. If so, he would present it as an article in RCR.
Since this was one of my research projects, I wrote to him and told him I could send him something in a few weeks. Unfortunately, the "article" was too long at 18 pages (even though Dave eventually printed a 9 page article about the 1827/3/2 quarters - Thank you Dave!).
It was never published. After that, I decided it should be a monograph. That's lasted until I went to the National Archives in 2000. It then blossomed into a 10 chapter book, until I kept adding more of what I had been researching. This included correcting some of the Breen and Taxay errors found in their writings, of which I had been making notes for years. I also added a chapter about the 1796 quarters from a book I had been working on earlier.
Anyway, the final version has 17 chapters, 230 pages, and lots of illustrations that have never been seen by present day numismatist's.
Because I'm a dedicated bibliophiile, I have kept many of the "work in progress" drafts and page changes - but certainly not all. To me, it's interesting to see the developments, especially when a new picture gets added.
Dave Bowers has sent me (and others) printouts of his WIP drafts over the years. I keep them as souvenir's of sort, while others simply sell them off. They are a real insight into the workings of what becomes later knowledge.
My most cherished draft of the Henry Voigt book is the one that Dave Bowers editied. This was the version that he read and later wrote the foreword to the Voigt book. >>
This is a great response. I appreciate it. Congrats on the new book, too!
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
As far as paper, none of it is kept except the final pre-press proof that I markup for the printer.
I'll even throw in the e-mail messages, too!
Check out the Southern Gold Society