The Americans appreciate Brum a little more that we do somtimes. This is an in-depth article about Birmingham's role in the "private banking" of the early industrial revolution — soon to be a book:
"How did Birmingham manage to attract and to breed such a disproportionate share of Great Britain's outstanding entrepreneurs, inventors, and skilled artisans? Why, in particular, did it — and not London or Bristol or Sheffield — become Great Britain's leading center for all kinds of metal work, including commercial coinage?" [link]
