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

~ (Author) "For years, as an American traveling abroad, I only thought about the local paper money in terms of how many-or how few-pounds, francs, kroner, yen,..." (more)
Key Phrases: paper money, United States, World War, New York (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

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Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1st US Edition 1st Printing edition (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.com Sales Rank: #493,248 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 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 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.

17 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Glass Half Empty..., January 12, 2001

By	Coffee Boy (Astoria, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Clearly this book is not directed to specialists in the field of world paper money collecting, though many dealers, it seems, are happy just to have something glossy and well-produced to entice people into joining the hobby. Yes, the book is pretty, and yes, it is entertaining. Unfortunately, it ignores an important issue that is at the core of paper money: politics. Why do some paper money designs change while others remain the same? Why do some countries put their leaders' pictures on their money while others would never do such a thing (at least not until they are dead)? Why do pounds become dinars, cruzados become reals, etc.? The book leaves the reader with the impression that the designs on paper money are hardly more than a celebration of a country's cultural and technological accomplishments, but there is more than that...

This is why the book ultimately falls short: By studying the art of money only as an end rather than as a means to an end, a vast -- and fascinating -- dimension of the story is lost. Hopefully there will be other books on the topic that go beyond this initial effort.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about a beauty of world paper money, December 6, 2000

By	Wet Mars (Terra Incognita) - See all my reviews

"The Art of Money" is a great book, very informative and beautifully designed. I give it 5 stars even if some critics criticise it, but I think as an introductory publication to the world of paper money it's a great book. The book has two sections: International and United States. There are lots of beautiful illustrations of banknotes world-wide and in categories such as banknotes with trains, ships, heroes, wild animals or even nudes (nude women) on them. It's a great book to start your knowledge in a world of money and I strongly recommend it to a reader. Imagine if you had to buy all these banknotes and payper money yourself to enjoy them you would spend thousands of dollars and now you can have the book for less than twenty bucks......