Till Time's Last Sand: A History of the Bank of England 1694-2013 Paperback – April 7, 2020

A tremendous amount of detail; a lot of which is repetitive. Not an easy read.

While I appreciate the exhaustive research that went into this publication ( I am about 1/3 of the way through) it is certainly missing a few things. One would be a glossary of terms that would help with all the complex types of financial institutions and currencies, stock issues, etc. that may be familiar to academics, but need explanation for a wider audience. Secondly, the frequent use of very lengthy quotes becomes tedious after a short time. I was particularly put off by the failure to elaborate upon the impact of political conditions on the economy. There is, for instance, hardly a mention of the impact of the U S Civil War on England. The disruption of the cotton trade, the frequent clashes on the diplomatic front and the political debate in England regarding the economic vs the slave trade aspects of the conflict could have been at least mentioned as they impacted business dramatically. Even the First World War is skirted over as if it only had interest rate and debt consequences. The book pays far more attention to the foibles of a few clerks that a worldwide conflagration that forever upended the world economies. I will trudge on, but expect little change through the remaining portion.

too long

The history of the Bank of England is a topic that I suspect a great very many people would suppose to be dry, dull, and inescapably complex. This work proves that, on the whole, the topic need not be so. The scope of this work is massive: an entire history of the Bank of England from its foundation in 1694 through to 2013. Within that stretch of time, the purpose and duties (never mind the structures) of the Bank change completely. It is a testament to the sharpness of the author's historical analysis that the Bank of England is so capably interpreted and presented against the backdrop of enormous political, economic, technological, and social change.At times, the work has its difficulties for a reader not well-versed in the complexities and intricacies of banking and fiscal terminology. That is an unavoidable necessity, though one that may have been minimised with the provision of a glossary. With a glossary, I believe that this book would be as accessible as the subject matter allows; the addition of a glossary in any subsequent print would be a welcome addition.Admittedly some of the banking crises are not especially scintillating, particularly when evidenced by rather long excerpts of diary entries or submissions to parliamentary enquiries. It is, however, indicative of good and well-researched history. Furthermore, I think it is wholly reasonable that the reader, in picking up this book, should expect that it covers some developments that are dry and seemingly obscure; this history presents those developments as informatively and as entertainingly as I believe is possible. For that reason I have decided that the book is worthy of the full five stars.That the history focuses not just on issues of haute finance but also on the life of the Bank as experienced by its staff, is also great. This social aspect to the history - and the welcome research into the role of women as employees (and latterly senior managers) - makes this an altogether more well-rounded history than it would be if these aspects were omitted.This is an excellent piece of research that is presented as well as the topic allows. It is an impressive achievement, sweeping so much economic, social, technological, and political change over more than three hundred years of the Bank's history.

Although I have only just started reading the book, it is very well written and entertaining. The minute attention to detail, especially of the Bank's early life makes it an interesting read, bringing out events and major players alike.

Very articulate presentation of a complex institution

Huge thick book. Gift for a family member who works for the Bank of England.

A great story, but it could have been so much better.The book is too long on irrelevant detail and doesn't spin a sufficiently coherent story to tell a really good tale. Too much focus on architecture, gender mix of staff and too little emphasis on monetary policy, economic policy, their effects on trade, people, anecdotes on conducting monetary policy etc. A tour of the Bank of England Museum actually does a better job.The book is still worth a read in as much as it is the only up-to-date book out there. But it could have been so much better.