This chapter does not pretend to be an exhaustive record of banking and financial authorities. It is only intended to guide the student in the selection of those works which will be useful to him, if he wishes to pursue further the topics which have been treated in the course of the preceding chapters. No doubt many other works which are well worthy of perusal will occur to the mind of the reader, but in the interests of simplicity, and to avoid overwhelming the student with too formidable a mass of literature, it has been thought advisable to omit any mention of more than one or two works which cover the same ground.

On the general subject of money there is still no text-book to supersede Jevons' Money and the Mechanism of Exchange, although written about thirty years ago. Owing to its admirable lucidity, it is specially suited to those whose knowledge of the subject is slight, but it requires supplementing as regards some of the more recent monetary developments. J. S. Nicholson's Money and Monetary Problems is another short work of similar scope, but containing a critical explanation of the later problems in monetary science. Professor Walker's Money is a book, written from the American standpoint, which is widely read, though some of his opinions are not regarded as orthodox in many quarters.

Perhaps the most generally accepted text-book on banking is Gilbart's Principles and Practice of Banking (Michie's edition, two volumes); but, notwithstanding many admirable qualities, chief among which is the fact that the author was in the forefront among practical bankers, being for many years the general manager of the London and Westminster Bank in its earlier days, yet it must be admitted that the banking problems of to-day are very different from what they were at the time Gilbart wrote his book. Macleod's Theory and Practice of Banking is a comprehensive work, with an excellent historical account of the development of English banking and of English monetary history, but it is disfigured by a too emphatic style and an irritating insistence on certain aspects of banking and monetary problems. Hutchison's Practice of Banking (four volumes) is an exhaustive and practical work by a writer who also shows considerable knowledge of the legal side of the subject he discusses.

Perhaps the best short practical hand-book is Moxon's English Practical Banking, a succinct and clear exposition of every-day banking operations by a man with wide experience of his subject. Rae's Country Banker is also an interesting book, written in a more colloquial style, though it is perhaps somewhat diffuse for perusal by a busy man. The Journal of the Institute of Bankers contains a mine of information upon all subjects connected with banking and money, written by the best authorities of the day, and the volume of Questions on Banking Practice contains the opinion of the Council of the Institute on almost every subject of practical interest which can arise. Two useful general works on the theory of banking, written by Americans, are Dunbar's Theory and History of Banking and W. A. Scott's Money and Banking.

Turning from these general works on banking and currency to the more specialised subjects, we are met by the difficulty of finding a single adequate account of the first of these subjects, the question of a standard of value, monometallic or bimetallic. There is an enormous mass of literature dealing with the question, but as it has so recently been, and still is, a polemical controversy, most of the literature is one-sided, and a satisfactory impartial account of the movement has yet to appear. W. A. Shaw's History of Currency is a reliable account of the developments leading up to the recent controversy, but on the subject of bimetallism itself it is perhaps better to read each side of the question and draw one's own conclusions. For this purpose Giffen's Case against Bimetallism and Macleod's Bimetallism are two of the leading expositions of the monometallic case, and Walker's International Bimetallism and the Colloquy on Currency by H. H. Gibbs (now Lord Aldenham) are two of the best accounts of the reverse side. Those, however, who wish a thorough knowledge of the subject are strongly recommended to study the Reports and Evidence of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the Changes in the Relative Values of the Precious Metals, commonly called the Gold and Silver Commission, which sat in 1887 - 1888.

Turning to the Bank of England, both Macleod and Gilbart have detailed accounts of its development, while Palgrave's Bank Bate and the Money Market gives an excellent description of the position which the Bank of England occupies with regard to the public and the other banks, and also a comparison between the Bank and the leading European banks.

The Bank Act of 1844 is discussed by all the writers on banking theory mentioned above, while the Reports of the Select Committees on the Bank Act in 1857 and 1858 are useful reading.

On the subject of the Money Market we have, first of all, Bagehot's Lombard Street, a work which, like Jevons' Money, never seems to grow old. This should be supplemented by Clare's Money Market Primer, and also Straker's Money Market, while there is a small book, called How to read the Money Article, by C. Duguid, which will be found convenient for reference.

A clear description of the London Clearing House and its methods, and also of some of the leading-provincial Houses, will be found in Howarth's Our Clearing System. Those wishing to study the Foreign Exchanges will find two works indispensable - one, Goschen's Theory of the Foreign Exchanges, which is written from the point of view of the economist; the other, Clare's Abc of the Foreign Exchanges, written from the Market standpoint. Each is admirable in its way, and both should be read. The bulk of Clare's book is also contained in his Money Market Primer.

If a more detailed account of market operations and foreign currencies is desired, a work should be consulted such as Tate's Cambist or Deutsch's Arbitrage.

There are several works on the Stock Exchange, either of which can be consulted with advantage. Stutfield and Cautley's Rules and Usages of the Stock Exchange is well known, while Branson's Stock Exchange and its Machinery, and Duguid's Stock Exchange are two recently published books which have been well received.

As regards banking law, Grant's Law of Bankers has long been the standard work, but Paget's Law of Banking will be found most useful for banking men, to whom it appeals more strongly than Grant, which is more a book for lawyers. Sir John Paget's position as standing counsel to the Institute of Bankers enables him to appreciate better the attitude of bankers towards the law, an attitude which, it is needless to say, is quite different from that of the lawyer.

Besides these two works, Hart's Law of Banking, a recently published work, is likely to find favour, being both comprehensive and up-to-date.

The law of bills of exchange is best studied from the Act of 1882, which has been annotated by Judge Chalmers, the draughtsman of the Act. He has also published a larger commentary on Bills of Exchange.

Those wishing further information concerning the constitution and powers of joint stock banks and other companies registered under the Companies Acts, should consult a standard work such as Rawlins and Macnaghten on Companies, or Palmer's Company Law. If a smaller work be desired, there is an excellently arranged text book on the Principles of Company Law, by A. F. Topham, Finally, as regards commercial crises, and the relations between money, credit and prices, the student cannot do better than consult Mill's Political Economy. A full historical account of most of the crises and panics which have occurred is contained in Macleod's Theory and Practice of Banking.