You have probably heard the saying "Buy the book before you buy the coin" well this is the book that you should buy before you buy the book. Ancient Coin References Reviews by Dennis Kroh is a very useful 107 page paperback review of numismatic works "Insightful reviews of most of the references now utilized for ancient Roman, Greek and Byzantine coins with ratings according to their usefulness, clarity, illustrations and availability (with prices listed)." Unfortunately, it was printed in 1993, so it is a bit out of date. I would also disagree with some of his ratings. He gives star ratings for importance, with 5 being most important. For example, for Constantine and his family, RIC VII gets 4 stars, as well as Hunter vol 5 and Principal Coins of the Romans vol 3. RIC VII is infinitely more important for the collector than these other works, which, though nice, are certainly not necessary. Still, Ancient Coin References Reviews is a worthwhile addition to any numismatic library and it can be found for a low price, usually under $25.00.
