From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10-Covering primarily the ancient Mediterranean civilizations, this well-written, beautifully illustrated account describes early forms of money, how the first coins were made, and what they reveal to archaeologists about the people who used them. Particularly fascinating are the details of how experts can tell which city a coin came from by the artistic quality of its images, and of their non-monetary uses as news reports. The illustrations, mostly black-and-white captioned photos, are clearly reproduced and convey important information. (A quibble: an illustration of a ship foundering in a storm seems to be from the 19th century, not from ancient times as captioned). A pronunciation guide is appended. Joe Cribb's Money (Knopf, 1990) concentrates on modern forms of currency and is shallow in comparison. Betsy and Giulio Maestro's The Story of Money (Clarion, 1993) covers trade in much more depth but is aimed at younger readers and lacks the archaeological slant. Budding economists may feel slightly misled by the subtitle as the book doesn't cover trade in any depth, but those interested in digging up the past will find it very useful.
Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, Edmonds, WA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, Edmonds, WA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
