November 20, 2008
GOOD NEWS:
This is the 1atest edition of what was "the Arlie Slabaugh versions" except now with a different editor (George S. Cuhaj). I have very fond memories of the earlier versions because it is one of them that got me into the hobby of CSA Note collecting. This new version now has some of the southern states notes included too. The new content is a nice improvement. However, that is where the good news ends.
BAD NEWS:
This edition is practically the same content as in the 10th edition except for the updated prices and the addition of many editing or printing errors. For example:
On page 67, the next note in the series should be a type 66, but there again is a type 64, description and photo but the prices are for a type 66. Where is the type 66? The error is so obvious that anyone who simply opens up to these two pages can't miss it because the type 64 on the previous page is done correctly. Image how confusing this would be for a novice?
Another gross error can also be found on page 50, type 42, where the picture is actually of a type 24 (from page 40).
Another error is also on page 47, where there is a description of a type 37 with values but NO PICTURE AT ALL. Where did it go?
And yet another problem is that while the entire southern states notes section is printed in color, only some of the CSA National Notes are. Most of them are still in B&W, however on the front of the book it states in the upper right hand corner "Now In Color".
The above are the errors I found in the less than 5 minutes after first opening the book and given the short time, it would not surprise me if there were even more.
There is also one other thing that is very unprofessional and that is many of the photos are printed in different sizes even if the notes are, in real life, the same size. For example, on page 46, the type 35 and 36 are both in black and white and on the same page but the type 36 photo is much smaller than the type 35. Why is that? This type of different sizing is seen throughout the rest of the book, except for the "states notes" section.
SUMMARY:
Given the number of problems I can not recommend this book. Previous versions were done extremely well and I can only hope that the publisher will stop the presses and go back and fix the problems and make it again the great book it once was. At a quick glance, it appears a lot of good work was done in the states notes section but the CSA National Notes was simple glanced at and clearly not even checked. I can't rule out that I might have received an early publishers review copy that should never have been released but other reviewers will confirm or deny that.
I will either be returning my copy of the book or keep it as an example on how not to publish a book.
