In this column, I'm going to review American Numismatist, a new book penned by Paul Hollis, a coin dealer in the small town of Mandeville, La., which is close to New Orleans.

I happened upon American Numismatist in my many tours of the bourse at the recent ANA convention in Chicago and was told that Hollis was giving the book free-of-charge to all the ANA's Young Numismatists at the convention. That, and the fact that the book appears to be self-published (PBH Publishing in Mandeville), suggests to me that this is a labor of love, not a work designed to enrich the author.

In my experience, self-published books are often works with obvious flaws, suggesting that they are self-published because no reputable commercial publisher would touch them. I'm happy to say that that is not the case with Hollis's book.

According to the Foreword by John Albanese, "Over the years, there have been books that dealt with the history of the U.S. Mint and the development of the nation's coins and currency. And some of them have sought to link their numismatic narratives to what was going on in the wider world at the time. But I can think of no other book that weaves the numismatic history of America so skillfully...into the total tapestry of our nation from Colonial days through the start of the new millennium."

American Numismatist begins its look at coins used in America with Colonial coins and ends with the National Park quarter series and the changed reverse on Lincoln cents. In between, of course, Hollis examines momentous changes in our coinage, all within the context of major events in American history.

In Chapter Two, for example, there's a section devoted to the major expansion of territory by the Louisiana Purchase. This leads into a discussion of the Lewis and Clark expedition, with its famous Native American guide, Sacagawea. As you would expect, the numismatic tie-ins are numerous, including the 1903 commemorative gold dollar recognizing the 100th anniversary of the land acquisition, the special Jefferson nickel reverses in 2004 and 2005, and the Sacagawea dollar.

The list price is $19.95, and it's available from PBH Publishing, Box 1862, Mandeville LA 70470, or call 1-800-994-0689.

To read the complete article, see:Hollis's New Work Weaves Coins and History(www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ArticleId=24437)