State and Society in the Politics of Turkey's Development. By ILKAY SUNAR. (Ankara University Faculty of Political Science Publication No. 377, 1974. Pp. ix, 196.)

Abstract

to discuss the economics of several important issues in banking history. For example, Klebaner does not examine the economics of bank attempts to slow note redemption or the possible growth-retarding effects of legal reserve requirements. Two additional problems limit the book's usefulness. First, it is not clear for what audience Klebaner was aiming. While the preface states that the book is intended for "the reader without any special background in economics or finance," it does assume some familiarity with terms such as note redemption, bills of exchange, deposit creation, and elasticity. Readers with background in banking history will find the book's usefulness reduced by the limited footnotes, which make it difficult to evaluate much of the material. The brief bibliography of 56 entries offers little help. A second drawback is the use of only two tables and no graphs or charts to present a sometimes overwhelming amount of quantitative information. This is especially distracting in the chapters dealing with the post-1914 period where bank sources and uses of funds are discussed in detail. Summary tables would have aided digestion of the figures and permitted comparative analysis. Despite these drawbacks, the book manages to cover in a short space the main outlines of banking history in the United States. In the process, it presents considerable useful information on banks, bankers and banking. The book deserves the attention of those interested in banking history and could serve as supplemental reading in courses in money and banking and American economic history. RICHARD H. KEEHN, University of Wisconsin, Parkside