The Numismatic Bibliomania Society Logo

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V3 2000 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 3, Number 14, April 2, 2000, Article 4

NUMISMATIC LITERATURE ON-LINE

Due to the time, expense, and copyright issues involved, relatively few numismatic texts are available in their entirety on the internet. Advertisements announcing the acquisition of the numismatic firm of Bowers and Merena by Collectors Universe promise that "all of the Bowers and Merena catalogs and many of Dave Bowers' books will eventually be available online."

I doubt that this means any previous catalogs would be put online, but certainly future catalogs will be. Empire Numismatics was probably the first major numismatic auctioneer to discontinue printed catalogs in favor of online versions. Several other firms have very complete catalogs online, but continue to produce printed versions. What does this trend mean for numismatic bibliophiles? Is the printed word doomed? Will libraries of 21st century numismatics consist largely of links to web pages?

Although newsgroups, bulletin boards, and chat rooms have been around the internet for some time, The E-Sylum was among the first, if not the first, completely edited electronic periodical (the key word being "edited").

The only printed copies are those made individually by subscribers. The only "volumes" are the archives on the NBS web site. So is that a good thing or not? I'm sure some of you have strong opinions on the subject – let us know what you think.

Wayne Homren, Editor

Google NBS (coinbooks.org) Web

Content presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.

This is a static archive page documenting the originally published content. Links were active at the time of publication but may no longer work. Check subsequent issues for corrections and commentary.

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature.   For more information please see our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ There is a membership application available on the web site.  To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application.  Visit the Membership page. Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: E-Sylum Editor

Copyright © 1998 - 2020 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS)
All Rights Reserved.

NBS Home Page
Contact the NBS Webmaster
Privacy Policy