by:
Standish, David

Publisher:
Chronicle Books
Published:November 1, 2000
ISBN:0811828050
Format:Paperback
Pages:132

Description: From Booklist
Most folks don't pay much heed to the artistic aspects of paper money, perhaps, Standish hazards, because U.S. currency tends to be, well, "dull-looking." When he, an experienced traveler and currency changer, "calmed down enough to begin looking carefully" at other countries' currency, he discovered that it was "flat-out gorgeous." Starting with the Netherlands' strikingly attractive 50-guilden note, Standish assesses the artistic merits and imparts brief histories of many of those other peoples' moneys. The bills' colorful illustrations and inspired page layout make the book uncommonly enjoyable. The chapter on U.S. currency at the end of the book underscores the earlier observation that it isn't as attractive as those of other nations but also demonstrates that it used to be much more artful and colorful--and the old notes lacked the urgent, bug-eyed asymmetry of the newest U.S. bills. A book so entertaining and so informative that many libraries should consider purchasing circulating and reference copies, the latter to be kept in mint condition, of course. Mike Tribby
Copyright # American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
David Standish is a freelance writer and former articles editor of Playboy. He has contributed to numerous publications, including Smithsonian, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Travel & Leisure, and Outside. He lives in Chicago.