Extremely well-written by two highly respected, published scholars, this work covers in great detail the "Comitia Americana" medals approved by Congress to commemorate significant victories during the American Revolutionary War and the officers who achieved them. Also covered are the "Diplomatic Medals" created by Thomas Jefferson and the celebrated "Libertas Americana" medal, the brainchild of Benjamin Franklin. The volume is brim full of original research and documentary evidence, and is written in an engaging manner. Following Acknowledgments and an Introduction are chapters devoted to the various emissions of each of these historic medals, accompanied by superb color illustrations and useful footnotes. Also included is an exhaustive, most useful bibliography, along with an index. The remarkable color illustrations of the medals themselves were produced by Meridian Printing utilizing a technology called stochastic screening. This costly process produces superbly-detailed illustrations that allow for enlargement of detail under magnification, producing much the same result as actual photographs. Beautifully designed and finely printed, "Comitia Americana and Related Medals" is both a visual and an intellectual delight.
A few comments received from early recipients of the book follow:
Alan M. Stahl, Curator of Numismatics, Princeton University Firestone Library: "a signal achievement in the bibliography of the American medal, one that I hope will have the effect of establishing this series as one of the most important in the field."
Michael J. Hodder, noted numismatic researcher and cataloguer: "What a marvelous book! You've outdone yourself this time…You've tackled a daunting project and crafted a landmark that will be on our shelves for a generation and more."
Richard Margolis, highly respected, longtime numismatic dealer and collector: "…splendidly researched…I've spent much of the weekend reading and learning from it."
2007 April 17