Inside the Bank of England

Christopher Dow (1916-98) was one of the most accomplished British economists of the post-war generation. His influence - and relative anonymity - came from devoting his exceptional abilities to public service for most of his career, notably at the Bank of England. The memoirs that he wrote during his time at the Bank shed an extraordinarily revealing light on what is widely recognised to have been one of the most difficult times for the UK economy since the 1930s, and many of these policy debates have re-emerged in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007-08 and subsequent recession. These memoirs are not only informative and topical for current economic policy, but also explore the nature of life at the top of the Bank during those troubled times, painting detailed portraits of the key protagonists in the management of the economy.