The Value of a Dollar: Colonial Era to the Civil War: 1600-1865 (Value of a Dollar) [Hardcover]

Scott Derks (Author), Tony Smith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This source is an engaging statistical summary that looks at the history of the American people through the eyes of everyday workers and consumers. The 265 years it covers are presented in six chronological chapters: "1600-1749: The Development of the Colonies," "1750-1774: The Run up to the War of American Independence," and so on, ending with the close of the Civil War in 1865. Chapters are uniformly arranged into sections such as "Currency," "Selected Incomes," "Financial Rates & Exchanges," "Slave Trades," and "Commodities."

For example, chapter 3, covering the period of the American Revolution, indicates that a drum major in the Continental Army received $10 per month, while a brigadier general earned $125 per month. If the general wanted to buy coffee for his men, the price was $.16 per pound, but he could have bought them gin for $.50 per gallon. A day laborer working in Philadelphia in 1785 took home $.72 per day. If he needed to buy his own ladder, he spent 10 pence, or around $6.00. His wife could have fed him bacon for dinner at $.12 per pound. If she wanted cotton to make him a shirt, the price was $.32 per pound.

An earlier, parallel source, The Value of a Dollar, 1860-2004: Prices and Incomes in the United States, was published by Grey House in 2004. Although these two titles are close cousins, the information presented in them was drawn from separate types of source material. Material for The Value of a Dollar, 1600-1865: Colonial Era to the Civil War came from public sources such as probate records, land-sale documents, and governmental publications. In addition to public sources, The Value of a Dollar, 1860-2004 relied heavily on commercial publications such as product catalogs, sales fliers, and magazine advertisements.

The Value of a Dollar, 1600-1865: Colonial Era to the Civil War will find a happy audience among students, researchers, and general browsers. It offers a fascinating and detailed look at early American history from the viewpoint of everyday people trying to make ends meet. This title and the earlier publication, The Value of a Dollar, 1860-2004, complement each other very well, and readers will appreciate finding them side-by-side on the shelf. Art A. Lichtenstein
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 436 pages
• Publisher: Grey House Publishing; 1 edition (November 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592370942
• ISBN-13: 978-1592370948
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,368,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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