The Art of Money: The History and Design of Paper Currency from Around the World [Paperback]

David Standish (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

L'argent. Dinero. Geld. Dough. Whatever you call it, money makes the world go round. The United States is dispensing its first redesigned bills in decades, and the Euro is on the brink of unifying European notes. It's the perfect time for this visual tour of the world's currencies. The various people, places, animals, and historical events depicted on money reflect how countries see themselves—and how they want the rest of world to see them. Author David Standish begins with a brief, fascinating history of currency, and then presents a striking gallery of international bills from more than 80 countries that corner the market on visual flair. The cast of characters on these small canvases is vast—from the Little Prince on French currency to the furry denizens of the rainforest of Madagascar to the obscure Salmon P. Chase, Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State, on the $10,000 US note (did you know that the US Secret Service originated with Lincoln's efforts to curb counterfeiting during the Civil War?). The Art of Money is an entertaining and lustrous tour of cash for design aficionados, history buffs, travelers, and everybody who handles money (or dreams of handling more).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Beginning with the sunflowers on the Netherlands' 50-gulden note (Standish loves them) and ending with the redesigned American fives, tens and twenties (hates them), Standish's handsome, offbeat and color reproduction-stuffed volume displays and describes the world's various paper moneys. Standish, a journalist and former Playboy articles editor, sometimes looks at currency design as a matter of pure aestheticsDwhat colors, where? What kinds of lines, and why? But he also shows how "countries project their self-image through their money," recording their history and deciding what they want their visitors to see. He includes the "tough guys"Dmythic rebels and pre-Columbian godsDon much Latin American dinero; the engraved airplanes on Singapore's money, which promote its national airline; and the countenance of Queen Elizabeth, which graces more nationalities' cash than any other phiz. A "Short History of Money" explains, and depicts, the evolution of coinage and then of bills in Greece, Rome and medieval China, whose reliance on bills gave it, in the 10th century, "the world's first hyperinflation." A final chapter surveys American money, which at various points depicted Washington crossing the Delaware, Ben Franklin with a kite, and "Pocahontas getting baptized." The careful photography of Tony Armour and Joshua Dunn and an unusually fine job of productionDcrisp, fine-grained paper and true-to-bill colorsDreproduce the experience of handling all this exotic cash. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811828050
• ISBN-13: 978-0811828055
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #638,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful images, irritating text, November 14, 2001

By 

Thomas Timmons "its a dry heat" (Mesa, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Money: The History and Design of Paper Currency from Around the World (Paperback)

Make no mistake -- this is a very attractive book. Frankly, its Jeremy Stout's design and Joshua Dunn's photography that make this book worth buying. Full color images of hundreds of U.S. and foreign paper currencies delight the eye. The layout itself takes its inspiration from money, with security stripes and microprinting, and even page numbers look like currency serial numbers.

The commentary, however, is another issue. While often containing valuable tidbits of the history of paper currency, especially in the section on the United States, "The Art of Money" suffers from failed attempts at humor and an often joyless condescending tone. In an entry on Queen Elizabeth II she's described as looking a little too much like "Prince Charles in drag." The portraits on the redesigned U.S. currencies are described as looking like characters on "South Park".

For most readers, this is not helpful information. In addition, there are too many explanations of images that include the modifiers "must be", "could be", "it would seem so" and modern interpretations of allegorical scenes. Absent an expert's analysis or first-hand knowledge of the reasons behind the placement of images on currency, the author's speculations do not help the novice currency collector and are likely to annoy the professional.

In the final analysis, its the photos of the currencies, and not the captions, that make this book an enjoyable "read." And, as a former articles editor for "Playboy", Mr. Standish might forgive readers if we pick up his book only to look at the pictures.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful book with an erratic tone, November 11, 2000

By 

Eric Miller (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Money: The History and Design of Paper Currency from Around the World (Paperback)

This is a beautifully designed book with a wonderful selection of currencies. As a visual piece, it's a great book. However, what really surprised me was the tone of the text. The author mixes social commentary, political opinions, stale cliches, attempts at witticisms, straightforward history, and humor--often all within one paragraph. Not only did this inconsistent writing style make it difficult to read with continuity, it seemed incongruous with the subject matter. My personal recommendation--if you want to see a fabulous selection of currencies past and present, this book is worth it for the images alone. If you're looking for a well-written history and impartial evaluation of currency design, look elsewhere.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worth its weight in gold, December 28, 2000

By 

cathie katz (melbourne beach, fl United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Money: The History and Design of Paper Currency from Around the World (Paperback)

Money money money. We all want it. We all need it. We all have it. But how much do we know about the heart and soul of this powerful paper?

In The Art of Money, David Standish expands our world by exposing money's role in politics, industry, commerce, nature, art, and sex - yes, even sexy money - "...an appreciation and celebration of the human form, an admission that we are flesh, after all..."

This beautiful book is a masterpiece of what it means to truly work outside the box. Of all the people I know, I am the least interested in (or good at) understanding the mechanics of money. All I know about money is that when I have some of it in my pocket, I can eat. When I don't have any, I go hungry. I never looked at its colors, pictures, history, and certainly never considered it art. Art? Human nature? Intrigue? Those were the things I was interested in....and The Art of Money contains all these subjects and more. Much more.

The Art of Money captured my interest from the very first page with an amazing reproduction in full color of a 50-Gulden bill, displaying a detailed sunflower and bee: "In indirect but bright homage to van Gogh, the image says, simply being placed on the bill, that they value art and beauty in the Netherlands." This was especially relevant to me because of my Dutch ancestry and my fondness for the Dutch impressionists. But my main interest is animals - what could possibly be written about animals and money? Standish includes an international zoo with four exotic sections on nature, includingwild birds and an African safari. No nature lover will be disappointed in these pages.

Standish takes off full speed from there, guiding us around the world as only a knowledgeable and friendly tour guide could. The exquisite color pictures and stories behind the pictures are as captivating as their countries of origin. The graphics alone make this book worth its weight in gold. But the bonus is in the words which transported me effortlessly into an exciting realm of which I had been totally unaware. My 20 dollars spent on this book bought me a larger, brighter, more interesting world. A bargain any way you look at it.

Cathie Katz, Melbourne Beach, Florida