New Federal Reserve Publications
Closed for the Holiday - The Bank Holiday of 1933, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, booklet, 32 pages.

Closed for the Holiday recaps events leading to the collapse of American banking in March 1933 and describes federal efforts to restore public confidence in the financial system. The booklet also includes a chronology of the Great Crash of 1929, excerpts from newspapers of the period, and some classic Depression-era photos.

To order: Free copies are available from Publications Services, Public and Community Affairs Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, P.O. Box 2076, Boston, MA 02210; phone (617) 973-3459; fax (617) 973-3511.

The Story of Monetary Policy, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, comic-style booklet, 24 pages.

The Story of Monetary Policy, the most recent in a series of educational comic-style booklets from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, is intended primarily for high school students and students in college-level introductory macroeconomics courses. The 24-page booklet highlights the role of monetary policy, how the Federal Reserve implements it, and the three tools of monetary policy.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has been publishing comic books since the late 1950s to teach high school students the basic principles of money, banking, central banking, foreign trade, and inflation. Among the titles available are: A Penny Saved..., which explains the importance of saving; The Story of Banks, which follows three young entrepreneurs as they use various commercial bank services over a 23-year period; and a newly revised edition of The Story of Checks and Electronic Payments, which uses the story of two basketball-playing buddies to explain the flow of payments in the United States.

To order: Up to 35 copies are available at no charge from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Public Information Department, 33 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10045; phone (212) 720-6134; or visit the web site at: http://www.ny.frb.org. Additional copies are 25 cents each.

U.S. Monetary Policy: An Introduction, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, booklet, 24 pages.

When it comes to a topic that's as complex as monetary policy, some people want a publication that gives every last detail, and others are perfectly happy with a clear, straightforward introduction. U.S. Monetary Policy: An Introduction is perfect for the latter group of readers. It uses a Q & A format to answer questions ranging from the Federal Reserve's monetary policy goals to how monetary policy affects the U.S. economy. It also contains a glossary of related terms and listing of suggested readings.

To order: Free copies are available from the Public Information Department, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, P.O. Box 7702, San Francisco, CA 94120; phone (415) 974-2163, fax (415) 974-3341. [Download PDF]

A Guide to Federal Reserve Regulations, published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, booklet, 24 pages.

This booklet is intended to give the reader a general overview of the regulations issued by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. It does not cover the regulations in detail, but it gives a good, clear summary of each.

As of mid-1995, Federal Reserve regulations ranged from A to Z and AA to EE. They govern a variety of banking practices and consumer credit issues such as Equal Credit Opportunity, Home Mortgage Disclosure, Electronic Fund Transfers, and Truth in Lending.

To order:For a free copy of A Guide to Federal Reserve Regulations, write to Publications Services, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, D.C. 20551.

Revised and Reissued Fed Publications
Reprints of many popular Federal Reserve Bank of Boston educational publications are once again available:

• Banking Basics is an introduction to banking for students in the upper elementary and middle school grades. It answers many of the questions that young people ask about banking: What is a bank? What makes one type of account different from another? Why do banks fail and what happens when they do?
• The Catalog of Educational Materials describes the economic education publications, research publications, and audiovisual materials produced and distributed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. It also lists the Internet Home Page addresses for Federal Reserve Banks and the Board of Governors.
• Checkpoints gives step-by-step instructions on the proper way to write, deposit, and cash checks.
• Colonial Money outlines the evolution of money during the American Colonial period. It describes wampum, "country pay," foreign and domestic coins, bills of credit, and Continental currency.
• History at Your Fingertips and Spirit of the Nation traces the evolution of paper currency in the United States, focusing on different themes depicted on the bills.
• Liberty and the Eagle examines two hallmark emblems of early U.S. coinage.
• Panic of 1907 describes how the banking panic of 1907 developed, spread, was resolved, and set the stage for creation of the Federal Reserve System. It includes a chronology of events and selected excerpts from newspapers of the period.
• Penny Points traces the history of the penny, discusses penny production and reasons for the introduction of the copper-coated zinc penny.

To order: For free copies of these publications, contact Publications Services, Public and Community Affairs Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, P.O. Box 2076, Boston, MA 02210; phone: (617) 973-3459; fax (617) 973-3511.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago recently revised and reissued Electronic Money, which identifies various electronic fund transfer (EFT) systems, examines consumer response to them, and explains the rights and responsibilities of both consumers and financial institutions when using EFT.

To order: For a free copy, write to the Public Information Center, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, P.O. Box 834, Chicago, IL 60690; or phone (312) 322-5111.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently reissued The Basics of Foreign Trade and Exchange. This 48-page booklet explains why international trade and investment take place and examines some of the principles underlying current international trade and trade relations between countries. It covers comparative advantage, free-trade versus protectionism, currency trading, foreign exchange rates, and more.

To order: Up to 35 copies are available at no charge from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Public Information Department, 33 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10045; phone (212) 720-6134; or visit the web site at: http://www.ny.frb.org. Additional copies are $1.00 each.