The Pound: A Biography

A wonderful book for the casual historian or any numismatist with an interest in English coinage. Sinclair takes us back, way back, to the old Saxon kings in his quest to describe the ascendancy of the pound sterling. Stopping for a moment at all the important events in English currency from Offa through the development, and many absements of the penny we get to see all the noteable monarchs form a slightly different angle. The facts are well researched and documented, often from primary sources, and the text is an easy read.

What a super book, taugh me more about REAL history than many others - this is about the driving force that steers an economy from barter into true commerce, and the people who made it happen. Some of them are a surprise, being revealed as less (or more, as the case may be) than one's previous conceptions. The populace doesn't suddenly decide they want a change of ruler or government - something prompts it, and we learn that money (or the lack) is usually the root cause.But the main thrust of the book is the Pound - initially just that, a weight of precious metal, almost useless for normal business, so the economies of scale and convenience demanded an alternative, and also some method of defeating the 'clippers', forgers and money launderers (a long-standing problem, this!).Impeccable research and a flowing style make this an eminently readable and enjoyable book. *****.