Of the nine articles reprinted in this volume originally published in 1984, those by Ladelle, Hotelling and Anton are recognized as being the classic articles on the depreciation of a single ‘machine’. Each of these articles was published in a journal that is often not accessible and reprinted here has brought them together in one place. For many years accountants have dealt with depreciation and capital maintenance as a static problem. This volume recognizes its dynamic aspects.

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 anthology comprises a selection of articles which demonstrates the explanatory potential of company records as source material for the accounting historian. They were published in the UK and the USA between 1954 and 1984. The articles reproduced are based on the records of what is the modern business enterprise and they identify and explain the development of external financial reporting procedures.

This study provides a neutral and comprehensive explanation about the activities which precede the formulation of accounting regulatory policies. The knowledge gained from it can be applied to understand the formulation of regulatory policies in other areas and to predict or explain the behaviour of interest groups in the preparation of accounting standards and regulations.

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.

C. Rufus Rorem, (1894-1988) was a pioneer in the development of group medical insurance and pre-paid health care. At the time the concepts were radical, but in 1937 he became head of the American Hospital Association's committee on hospital services, which fostered the first prepaid hospitalization plans in New York and other cities, followed in the 1940's by doctors' group practice. This collection includes out of print and difficult to access primary and secondary sources on Rorem’s work, including his 1929 dissertation which presents his major, and still relevant writings on financial accounting theory and practice in a comprehensive, integrated context.

This volume deals with the evolution of accounting from earliest times, and gives particular attention to corporate accounting developments since the Industrial Revolution. The author identifies the various sources of accounting practices employed by British companies, to demonstrate the main changes which have taken place, when they occurred and why. The author emphasises the need to understand the legal, social and economic context in which accountancy changes take place, and also studies the conflicts which arise between suppliers and users of accounting statements. The study concludes with an examination of the duties performed by the professional accountant, the extent to which these have changed in the course of time and how his position in society is reinforced by the activities of professional institutions.