Here at Whitman we're working with the ever-fecund Dave Bowers on a book of mottoes and inscriptions on American money. It's a charming and delightful volume, richly illustrated, and it will be published next year.

Here are a few Latin and/or Latinesque mottoes that have raised questions during our editorial process. We'd like to have E-Sylum readers weigh in. Some of the following have already been discussed in rounds of email conversation, but we invite translations and insight from a wider audience. Are the translations included here accurate and precise? Are perfect accuracy and precision even attainable goals? Are there any E-Sylum readers who speak conversational Latin at home, or do we all reserve it for the office and the book club?

Thanks in advance for any help, and best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season.