The Greenback: Paper Money and American Culture

by Heinz Tschachler

Overview

What can we learn about America by examining its paper bills? This illuminating text answers that question by exploring the social, cultural and historical contexts of paper money. Predicated on the assumption that paper bills speak to us through the deliberate use of symbols—letters, verbal and visual elements, as well as symbols of civic values—this book examines what has been conveyed to Americans via their currency from colonial times through the present day. Topics covered include origin, design, creative and subversive usages, and counterfeiting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786449736
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	04/06/2010
Series:	Sport & Leisure/Numismatics
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Heinz Tschachler is an associate professor of English and American studies at Alpen-Adria-University in Klagenfurt, Austria. He is the author of numerous books.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents



Acknowledgments vi

Preface 1

Introduction 7



1. Making Sense of the Buck: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices 15

2. The Production of the Paper Dollar 31

3. Designing the Paper Dollar: Articulating Production and Consumption 62

4. The Paper Dollar and the National Symbolic 94

5. The Cultural Consumption of the Paper Dollar 127

6. Cultural Regulation: Paper Dollars and the Conduct of Life 157



Conclusion 196

Chapter Notes 203

Bibliography of Works Cited 223

Index 243

Editorial Reviews

shows what can be learned by examining the social, cultural and historical contexts of paper money. The author examines how these notes speak to the public through deliberate use of symbols and examines how such representations have been conveyed to Americans from colonial times

The Numismatist

shows what can be learned by examining the social, cultural and historical contexts of paper money. The author examines how these notes speak to the public through deliberate use of symbols and examines how such representations have been conveyed to Americans from colonial times”—The Numismatist.

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