Accounting carries with its history a vast number of ideas which have slowly developed along with it. This volume relates this history as it took place during the first three decades of the twentieth century in the United States. In particular it deals with those individuals who were for the most part responsible for it. It was these pioneers who recorded their observations of the actual workings of the myriad adaptations and new devices which had slowly eased their way into accounting theory and practice in the USA in the early twentieth century.

This book is a resource book for the comprehensive study of the development of accounting thought. It is designed to facilitate the study of the original works and stimulate further study of important accounting theory forbears. It covers: accounting theory accounting concepts of profit financial accounting and the foundations of accounting measurement accounting evaluation and economic behaviour.

When originally published in 1994 this volume was the first international review of accounting theory to focus on the contributions of its leading thinkers. Very few attempts had been made, in the accounting literature, to assess the contribution of the theorists who have had such an important influence on the direction of research and practice. Written by experts the studies in this volume provide a unique guide to the development of accounting theory and practice in regions as diverse as the USA, Japan and Europe.

Global in scope, accounting has had its share of great thinkers and practitioners, from Luca Pacioloi, the father of accounting, to R. J. Chambers, W. W. Cooper, Yuji Ijiri, Stephen A. Zeff and other figures. This encyclopedia presents more than 400 entries that focus on such subjects as publications in the field, institutional bodies, accounting and economic concepts, accounting issues, authors in accounting, records, leaders in the profession, accounting in various countries, financial court cases, accounting exams and historical researchers.

Beginning with first principles, then discussing the origin and evolution of the debate over depreciation, capital and income, several related topics are addressed in this volume originally published in 1993. These include the allocation problem, interest rate approximations, issues concerning financial reporting and analysis and the meaning and economic impact of ‘accounting error’. The underlying themes concern the importance of history and the need for an appreciation of basic concepts and relationships in accounting

This book explores certain contemporary problems of accounting through the eyes and pens of historians. Many accounting problems are not new ones and it is therefore important to understand their history and development through the ages. This book places twentieth century studies in context and provides clues to possible solutions. The focus of this book is on companies and their financial reports and will be of use to students of economic and business history who wish to provide themselves with an accounting background in relation to the financial reports of companies they may be studying.

This anthology provides readers with a flavour of the development of cost accounting and emerging management accounting literature from ‘The Costing Renaissance’ to 1952. Many of the issues which were prominent in the middle of the twentieth century are still pressing issues today and received important early treatments. However, a more balanced longitudinal coverage of the relevant material enables readers to trace the development of new attitudes to problems which had been recognized early on and to become aware of the fact that different issues tended to dominate the literature as time went by. The selection bias has favoured material which was covered for the first time or in a new way.