The Bank of Finland Suomen Pankki and the Deutsche Bundesbank will present the book First Euros – the Creation, Issuance and First Decade of Euro Banknotes in its first German translation at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair. Under the title Die ersten Euros – Entstehung, Einführung und das erste Jahrzehnt der Euro-Banknotenserie, it will contain added details from the German perspective. The book, which was released in Finnish in March 2014, provides an insight into a unique project in economic history to date. It outlines the individual phases of the project, from the initial designs for the first joint European banknote series from the early 1990s onwards to the development of the second euro banknote series ("Europa series").

As head of the Payment Instruments department at the Bank of Finland, the author Antti Heinonen assisted in the development of the euro banknotes and helped to prepare for their launch. Heinonen was then Director for Banknotes at the European Central Bank for more than ten years from 1998 onwards, where he was responsible for the issuance of euro cash in 2002. "The spirit of cooperation that moved those involved at the time is evident in his depiction of the development of the euro banknotes, which he enriches with his own personal recollections. They all pursued the common goal of creating banknotes that would serve as a means of identification for all Europeans," said Bundesbank Executive Board member Carl-Ludwig Thiele about the book, remarking that it also provides an interesting glimpse behind the scenes of the central banks.

The book comprises 271 pages including numerous illustrations and is available to download free of charge in PDF format.

The Deutsche Bundesbank invites guests to a discussion with the author and the Bundesbank's head of Banknote Development, Franz-Josef Behringer, to be held at its stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair (Hall 3.1, Stand H 103) on Saturday, 11 October 2014 and Sunday, 12 October 2014 at 11.00.

Guests can visit the Deutsche Bundesbank's stand on every day of the fair to gain an insight into the work of the German central bank and the Eurosystem and to discover its many publications. Bundesbank experts will demonstrate how the public can identify counterfeit money between 10.00 and 16.00.

More information and review copies are available from the Bundesbank's press office.