Here's an example of what happens when an academic gives birth at 40 and suddenly discovers she has a woman's body holding up her head. Ms. Thomas's treatise is heavily weighted with a neuvo-Catholicism, used to give form to her spirituality. Her search for the Transcendent is sprinkled with the wisdom of many different writers who focus on aspects of motherhood. We get a glimpse of her strength from the brief description of her pregnancy and birth experience. She planned hospital birth with a physician. Diagnosed with complete placenta previa two months before birth, she miraculously delivers vaginally without complication! The midwives among you may find this astounding; nevertheless, the fact that she was able to escape a cesarean section (as a geriatric maternity patient) is a near miracle at many hospitals.
Woven throughout the book is reference to St. Sophia, who provided a spiritual touchstone at needed times. Ms. Thomas covers the early years of motherhood, pointing out the issues in plain view but not seen by many of us because of our focus on taking care of our family's daily needs. She provides a thoughtful guide for how one might incorporate the spiritual in everyday motherhood. I highly recommend this book for those who seek a spiritual awakening, especially those falling under the Christian banner. For others, the many references to feminist writings are worth a perusal of the book to seek out sources of thoughtful ideologies.
For readers concerned about her views about breastfeeding, no need to worry. Ms. Thomas writes eloquently of her discovery of the spiritual powers of breastfeeding. She writes, " . . . for me breastfeeding often felt like the deep relaxation and sense of union that often accompanied prayer. Surrendering to the experience contributed to a rich sense of God's presence and to a deepening trust in my own body, even as I relished nourishing my baby."
Amen.
The Expert's Guide to Collecting and Investing in Rare Coins is an enormous book. It contains over 600 pages full of information on coin collecting. The title is somewhat deceiving though in my opinion. I would not call it an investment book at all but rather a complete overview of almost any type of numismatic material made in the United States.
The book certainly does cover investing in rare coins as an investment. The book contains a whopping 34 chapters and the first 15 are devoted to investing or determining the value of rare coins. Within those chapters, there are discussions regarding the common basics of coin investing such as quality/grading, rarity, and demand. As with any commodity or collectible, if there is no demand there is no price appreciation. The best example of that is the 1909 S VDB Lincoln Cent. There are more of these coins available than many other rare coins from 20 to 30 years prior but the 1909 S VDB commands a much higher price because of the shear number of people who want that coin.
The next several chapters (chapters 16 through 30) are devoted to each different collectible type. For example there is a chapter on copper coins, a chapter on nickels, a chapter on silver coins, and a chapter on gold coins and so on. These chapters provide a very brief overview of each coin type. If you want to more detail of let's say the Buffalo Nickel, then you would want to spend the money on a book specific about Buffalo Nickels and fortunately, there are a few on the market. The same holds true for many other series such as Lincoln Cents, Shield Nickels, Mercury Dimes, and so on.
There are also chapters devoted to lesser known collectables. There is a chapter on proof coins, a chapter on colonial coins, a chapter on pattern coins, a chapter on commemoratives, a chapter on tokens, and more. Each of these chapters gives an overview of each particular item. There is even a chapter devoted to collecting Confederate paper money.
While these chapters are quite diverse, they offer a wealth of information that many collectors may not know. It is written in a manner that is very easy to follow and enjoyable to read.
Chapter 31 is devoted to developing your own personal numismatic library. If you are a series collector, it is not unheard of to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on numismatic material. The old adage of buy the book first is true.
Chapter 32 delves into the world of coin cleaning and protecting your coins. Of course the best advice when it comes to cleaning coins is DO NOT DO IT. With that notion, the book discussed the various ways coins are cleaned. It also provides an overview of how to store and protect your coins.
I personally did not get this book for the advice on investing in rare coins, rather because I am more of a collector than an investor. Certainly we all want our collections to grow in value, but I read this book just because of the shear volume of general numismatic material. It is chocked full of information that for the beginning collector is priceless. It could certainly guide a beginning collector down the path of determining what he/she might have in interesting in collecting to become a true collector rather than a hoarder.
Both Yvonne Lapp Cryns & Keith Scott are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Yvonne Lapp Cryns has sinced written about articles on various topics from Parental Care, Pregnancy Problems and Brain. Yvonne Lapp Cryns is the owner of Midwives .net - Yvonne is the co-founder of Nursing Programs Online at. Yvonne Lapp Cryns's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.
Keith Scott has sinced written about articles on various topics from Interest, Family and Interest. Keith Scott has been a collector for over 30 years. His website has For. Keith Scott's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.