An anecdote told to reinforce that last point is not to be forgotten; nor would one wish to miss Mr. Frye’s observations on (e.g.) the place of women in such an operation such as Traders National (in the interests of keeping workplace “hilarity” down, it’s best circumscribed); how to manage accounts for people who cannot write their names (though in fact these accounts are seldom desirable in the first place); the qualities of good prose (almost anything benefits from being cut by a third); and the credit (un)worthiness of divorced men.

Offering another kind of interest, especially when viewed within the context of the bank failures of the late 1920s and early 1930 soon to come, are notes on the Bank’s experience in the Panic of 1907, the months following the commencement of World War I in 1914, and the period of deflation that began in 1920. Frye directly considers how to deal with the possibility of depositor panic and other adverse banking conditions in the future.

The Traders National Bank became, in 1927, the American-Traders National Bank; it merged in 1931 with the First National Bank of Birmingham in 1931. These facts, along with a 1922 date given in passing, allow us to date the volumes.