In a book set in London in the '60s I came across the price of a rented room per week: "thirty-five shillings*".
Given that this was the currency of my youth, I was surprised how long it took me to realise what kind of value that was. Of course British currency back then had a kind of whimsical quality to it, with units apparently chosen just for the fun of the thing: the "Guinea", at one pound and one shilling, the "Half-Crown" at two shillings and six pennies, making it one eighth of a pound. And the "Thrupenny Bit" which was equal to two penny-ha'pennies, or one eighty-fourth of a guinea: simple, once you get the hang of it.
And with shillings being divided into twelve pennies, generations of British school children were obliged to learn the "Twelve Times Table" by rote repetition, the chanting of the class culminating in the triumphant "Twelve twelves are a hundred and forty-four!" - as if this were the ultimate height to which arithmatic could possibly go, as well as providing the key, the pinnacle of financial wisdom.
* It's about two US dollars; laughable by today's prices.
__________________
"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953
Last edited by Lisnaholic; 12-22-2021 at 07:10 AM.
|