Federal-Reserve-Bank

This much heralded account of the Federal Reserve is justly lauded in academic circles because Meltzer brings forth many Fed documents which have long been buried away and unavailable to scholars. He is able to pursue step-by-step Fed actions and relate what happened in all those many meetings behind closed doors. Through the mass of information he has uncovered and his own in-depth knowledge of monetary policy and the Fed, he is able to bring new facts to light and correct previous interpretations that are more often than not those of Friedman and Schwartz's A Monetary History of the United States.

The weaknesses of Meltzer's book stem from his massive archive of information and the strength of his predecessors. The sheer volume of information he is trying to convey prompts the narrative to drift and the reader sometimes loses the point. And, as a good academic historian, he is engaged in a dialogue with other historians of the Fed and monetary policy that can push the layman to the sidelines. Meltzer's history assumes the reader has a rather advanced knowledge of economics and finance such as an understanding of the real bills doctrine and the operation of an international gold standard. Also, the charts and tables are often not very helpful in understanding the text or at least could have been presented in a better manner.

Overall, Meltzer does not produce any stunning revelations but a great many correctives to previous accounts and much added detail. The novice to the history of US monetary policy would do better to read Richard Timberlake's book (though taken with a grain of salt because of its conservative leanings) or the classic work by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz.

Well worth the price for those who want information, not scare hype from those pushing the fringe element buttons. I have personally verified much of the information in this book. If you want to learn more of who is really in control of our lives and future, buy and read this book.

Starts with the outright lie that the Federal Reserve is a government agency (it is actually a private corporation with government-appointed "decision makers"). Continues with farcical statements such as "the number one goal of the Fed is still to avoid inflation", while conveniently defining inflation as a rise in prices, rather than bloating of the money supply. Like every book and pamphlet ever written by a past or present Fed insider, this book meticulously avoids ever mentioning the Fed's single most important and most frequently abused power - that of creating new money at will out of thin air. Since one of the authors was a vice chairman of the Fed, you can forget journalistic ignorance as the excuse. The most important piece of information about the Fed was omitted purposely, with careful phrasing and organization. An omission this needless and this monstrous can only throw gasoline on the flames of conspiracy theories. One's hopes surge momentarily at noticing a section called "Let's be open" about open market operations. Nothing but varnish. Most Idiot books are OK. This one can serve only as quick primer on the knowledge which is non-essential to John Q. Public. Do yourself a favor. Look deeper.

mrbigbeast obviously disagrees with the purposes of the Federal Reserve, but he seriously misrepresents what is in the book. His political leanings are not unique, but the fact of the matter is that the Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States and was created by the Congress with the passage of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913. The Federal Reserve System includes the central governmental agency, the Board of Governors located in Washington DC with responsibilities to report regularly to Congress, and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks that are corporations whose shares are owned by the member banks. There is an entire chapter explaning the New York Fed and its unique powers, as well as a second chapter explaining the other reserve banks.

Other chapters include Why Care About the Fed, How We Got a Federal Reserve, Fedspeak: The Secret Language of Money, and The Money Machine's Key Responsibiities. This book is an excellent overview if you want to know how the Fed works and how it impacts your daily life.

If you have a terminal illness, read this book - it will make each day seem like an eternity.

This book is not a fun read. There are better ones out there.