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The E-Sylum: Volume 12, Number 2, January 11, 2009, Article 14NUMISMATIC TRUTH SQUADLittle bugs us numismatists more than misstatements in the general press or worse, in books. Jared Dawber writes: In regards to Niall Ferguson's New Book The Ascent of Money: Alan Davisson mentions both Niall Ferguson and Bernard Cornwell as authors who have made misstatements regarding ancient coins. I have recently read Colleen McCullough's book The First Man in Rome. In the glossary (which is generally quite helpful) she describes the Sestertius as a "small silver coin". As any numismatist with even a passing interest in Roman coins will attest, the Sestertius is most certainly not small or silver. I do not think this is being picky at all. One would hope that authors specializing in historical fiction would strive to get such easy-to-verify facts straight.
Wayne Homren, EditorContent 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) |
