My long awaited tome, The Paper Republic, The Struggle for Money, Credit and Independence in the Republic of Texas was released on Bright Sky Press in Nov 2009. It's available from Amazon. I believe the Amazon reviews by Jim Crisp and David McLemore are the most comprehensive.

When Pasadena native Jim Bevill began writing the book on the early money of Texas four years ago, it began as an outline of the various forms of paper money and the circumstances which led to their issue during the Republic of Texas era (1836-1846).

As he dug deeper into the inner workings of the early Texas Treasury, Bevill unearthed the dramatic economic story of a young government struggling to survive in the throes of a global credit crisis by issuing a plethora of paper obligations in order to survive.

Bevill's book, "The Paper Republic: The Struggle for Money, Credit and Independence in the Republic of Texas," was featured at the 2009 Texas Book Festival in Austin, where it met with rave reviews. According to Dr. Bruce Winders, Curator and Historian at the Alamo , "`The Paper Republic'is history on both the grand and small scale. Moreover, it presents readers with valuable insight into the Republic of Texas that will forever change their view of the revolution and its aftermath."

The book evolved into a powerful financial story on the economic roots of Texas, ranging from the earliest days of Spanish colonization, through the war for independence and the massive buildup of debt through the paper money system under Presidents Burnet, Houston, Lamar and Jones - creating a financial house of cards which eventually led to the annexation of Texas by the U.S. in 1845. This fully illustrated tome enhances the reader's experience by literally following the money through the Republic era to the climactic and shocking chain of events which occurred following Texas' admission as one of the United States.

"THE PAPER REPUBLIC is first and foremost a visual feast. Jim Bevill has brought together countless high-quality images of original documents from private collections as well as government and university archives -- many of them never seen before by the public. Moreover, he has richly illustrated his fascinating story of the economic struggle in the Texas Republic with hundreds of photographs and engravings rarely seen today. These provide the historical backdrop to the incredibly complex financial history of a genuinely fragile republic that floated paper obligations for a decade on little more than faith, credit, and the heroic exertions of its officers and people."

"Everyone who reads this book will learn much from it, whether they be seasoned collectors, historical scholars, or fascinated readers from the general public. One of the book's most interesting and hitherto least-appreciated revelations is that of the intertwined monetary histories of Hispanic and Anglo America, manifested in coins and currency by such familiar icons as the dollar sign and the lone star emblem of Texas. There are surprises on almost every page -- from gleaming images of the recently unearthed Mexican silver stash dropped by Santa Anna's soldiers at San Jacinto, to the amazing fact that the debts of the Texas Republic were not settled until the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. This is a book to savor. It will be a valuable resource for generations to come."