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I've had this book on my shelf for probably 5 years, and I finally got around to reading it. My original thought was, oh, the history of the dollar, that has to be interesting and full of little rich and hilarious vignettes and stories, right? Well, it probably is, but you don't really get that form Goodwin's book.

First, the history of the dollar written by a Brit should've given me pause. He does recount the history, but his verbiage and prose are unbelievably academic, making the reading slowly going and less than engaging.

I'll give him credit where credit is due; reading about the coal fires in the Treasury building, the long fight between Alexander Hamilton and Perkins over the establishment of a national (as opposed to state-by state) currency, and the utter confusion over state bank currencies that led to lots of counterfeiting, was definitely worth reading. I also enjoyed reading about the history of the Dixie during the Civil War, and the foils of shavers, counterfeiters, and "deaf-mute hustlers from Boston called Josh Tatum" who used money to their own advantage, but I just felt like there was in fact so much more that he wasn't telling me.

Anyway, I guess I'm glad I read it, though I doubt any book has been better at putting me to sleep, not even Con Law! How bout a history of money in general, from quetzales to kina??