"A universal reference book"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 723-724) and index.

Value of a Dollar, 1860-2012 (table) -- 1860-1899: Age Of Endeavor: -- Background & dollar conversions -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1900-1919: Progressive Era And World War I: -- Background & dollar conversions -- 1900-1904: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1905-1909: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1910-1914: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1915-1919: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1920-1939: Return To "Normalcy," The Great Depression, And Recovery: -- Background & dollar conversions -- 1920-1924: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1925-1929: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany 1930-1934: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1935-1939: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1940-1959: World War II, Recovery, And The Cold War: -- Background & dollar conversions -- 1940-1944: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1945-1949: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1950-1954: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1955-1959: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1960-1979: Vietnam War And The Global Economy: -- Background & dollar conversions -- 1960-1964: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1965-1969: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1970-1974: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1975-1979: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1980-1999: From Recession To The Era Of Possibilities: -- Background & dollar conversions -- 1980-1984: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1985-1989: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1990-1994: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1995-1999: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany.

2000-2009: 9/11, The War On Terror, And The Aftermath: -- Background & dollar conversions -- 2000-2004: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 2005-2009: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 2010-2014: New Beginnings: -- Background & dollar conversions -- 2010-2014: -- Historical snapshot -- Selected income -- Consumer expenditures -- Investments -- Standard jobs -- Food basket -- Selected prices -- Miscellany -- 1920-2012: Trends: -- Pricing trends -- Around the house: -- Bath towel -- Chicago Daily Tribune: daily paper -- Electric iron -- Eureka vacuum cleaner -- Flashlight battery -- Ladies Home Journal -- Electric washing machine -- New home -- New York Times-daily paper -- New York Times-Sunday paper -- Postage stamp for 1oz first class mail -- Superman comic book -- Sunbeam toaster -- Time magazine -- Vogue magazine -- Atlantic Monthly: yearly rate -- Zippo standard brush chrome lighter -- Fashion: -- Brooks Brothers white button down shirt -- Men's dress (overcoat/trench) coat -- Men's black leather dress shoes -- Men's two-piece suit -- Men's dress shirt -- Men's dress slacks -- Men's sweater -- Women's black purse -- Women's dress suit -- Women's high heel shoes -- Women's one piece dress -- Women's shirt -- Women's swimsuit -- Help wanted: -- Average Major League Baseball player's salary -- Average US National annual salary -- Bookkeeper annual salary -- Coal miner annual salary -- Boston Red Sox Baseball Team payroll -- Domestic annual salary -- Durable goods manufacturer annual salary -- Federal hourly minimum wage -- Gas & electric worker annual salary -- Golf master champions earnings -- Medical/health service provider annual salary -- Playboy playmate modeling fee -- New York Yankees baseball team payroll -- President of the United States annual salary -- Public school teacher annual salary -- Pulitzer Prize Award amount -- Railroad worker annual salary -- State & Local government worker annual salary -- University of South Carolina yearly tuition -- United States Federal civilian annual salary -- Winning player's share of football championship game -- Items in the refrigerator: -- Bread (1 loaf) -- Butter (1 pound) -- Cheese (1 pound) -- Chicken (1 pound) -- Coffee (1 pound) -- Dr Pepper (per serving) -- Eggs (1 dozen) -- Hershey's milk chocolate bar -- Margarine (1 pound) -- McDonald's hamburger -- Milk (1 quart) -- Outdoors: -- Basketball -- Bicycle -- Fishing reel -- Hiking boots -- Golf ball -- Fishing rod -- Golf clubs (1 set) -- Hammock -- Harley-Davidson motorcycle -- Lawn mower -- Shotgun -- Sports page: -- Average ticket price for baseball -- World series game -- Average ticket price for Chicago Cubs -- Baseball game -- Average ticket price for Denver Broncos football game -- Average ticket price for football Super Bowl Game -- Kentucky Derby winners -- National Basketball Association's network TV contracts -- Travel & Entertainment: -- Adult ticket to Disneyland -- Airline ticket from New York City to Chicago -- Average movie ticket price -- Average price of Ford automobile -- Bottle of Beaulieu Vineyard Wine -- Hotel nightly rate -- Ocean cruise from New York City to Bermuda -- Rail fare from New York City to San Francisco -- Suitcase -- Roll of film -- Ticket to Broadway Show -- General sources -- Pricing trends sources -- Bibliography -- Index.

Library Journal: New Beginnings is what Derks terms the period 2010-14, coverage of which is included in this fifth edition of a straightforward reference. Certainly there are free cost-of-living comparison tools online, but this collection of price history tables for goods, salaries, investments, and various side matter yields riches not to be encountered in single-query searches. For example, while many prices dropped during the recent economic downturn, this reference demonstrates in aggregate how they are now "recovering" upward. VERDICT An illuminating compendium for money-crunching history buffs.