Brenda Logan (Russ's widow) was over to my office this week to do her taxes, and I asked her, as I always do, if she was ready to sell Russ's library. In the past, she has always said she needed to inventory it first. She had his library shrink-wrapped and palletted and in her son's storage facility.

Apparently he decided that it had no value and proceeded to dump it. I have no proof beside Brenda's word, but she seemed disturbed and I believe it, as she said she didn't even want to talk about it. I had hoped to list the books for bids, but that won't happen. For researchers, this loss is akin to Caesar "accidently" torching the Library in Alexandria.

These things happen occasionally. When we were doing numismatic literature auctions, we received several boxes of books from Patrick Breen, which we sold through our mail bid sale. Patrick was supposed to send us the remainder of Walter's library (which may have included some non-numismatic non-fiction better-left-unread stuff) but the years have never revealed where it ended up.

Books can be replaced, but research unshared is lost forever. My sympathies to all of us.

Does anyone have any idea when The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II - Part 2 will be released? RIC Volume II - Part 1 was published by Spink in 2007. It was my understanding at the time that Part II would follow within a year. Any information readers could provide me regarding the status of RIC Volume II - Part 2 would be greatly appreciated. I collect coins of Hadrian and am most anxious to catalogue that those coins using the new volume. I am a member of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society and greatly look forward to receiving both The Asylum and the E-Sylum.

Ironically, I think this would enhance numismatics. We know what happens to the works of dead artists.