A Pocketful of History: Four Hundred Years of America-One State Quarter at a Time

By Jim Noles

Book Overview

History is all around us--even in the spare change jangling in your purse or pocket. For the past decade, the U.S. Mint has offered America a pocketful of history through its popular 50 State Quarters? Program. A Pocketful of History tells the story behind each state's quarter: how each state chose its design; what is important about the people, scenes, and themes depicted on the coins; and what the collection tells us about ourselves. It's an entertaining and enriching journey through four hundred years of America--in twenty-five-cent doses. This updated paperback edition will include the U.S. Mint's new quarters honoring Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and four other territories.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306817896
• ISBN13: 9780306817892
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Required reading for school kids

This was a fantastic book that should be required reading for all students. It gave a quick, 5 page, history of the quarter, that most people would never have known. I am giving this to all my grandkids for Christmas. The research the author did was incredible.

A Pocketful of History

This is an interesting and informative book for anyone who is collecting the State quarters. It is light and well-written, providing history and anecdotes on each of the states and explains how the various designs were chosen. I have put it with my collection of state quarters and will give it to my grandson when the collection is complete - later this year.

pocketful of history

this is an outstanding book; the perfect companion to any state quarter collection. although collectors would've liked to see more details like issue dates and quantities minted.

Written in a reader-friendly narrative style

Written by attorney Jim Noles, A Pocketful of History: Four Hundred Years of America - One State Quarter at a Time is a treasury for history trivia buffs and coin collectors alike, as it relates how each of the fifty commemorative state quarters celebrates American history. There are fifty chapters; each one begins with a magnified, black-and-white rendition of a different state's unique quarter design, followed by the story behind the design and historical vignettes aplenty. Written in a reader-friendly narrative style, A Pocketful of History is the perfect companion book for state quarter collectors everywhere.

Great book about 50 State Quarters program

I didn't know I was interested in the 50 State Quarters Program until I started reading this excellent book. Noles dedicates a chapter to each state. I love the reporting he did into how each state chose what would go on its quarter. The book's not just about the program, though. Noles uses it as a jumping off point to explore little chunks of history, some of them well known, some of them obscure. This would be a great gift for a coin collector. My brother-in-law is a big fan of the 50 State program. He flew through the copy I gave him and wanted a sequel. I keep my copy by the tub, where I read another state each night. Last night, I read about Hillman's discovery of Oregon's Crater Lake.