Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance

Business & Finance, Accounting, Financial, Business Reference, Corporate History
Cover of the book Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance by Jane Gleeson-White, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jane Gleeson-White ISBN: 9780393089684
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: October 1, 2012
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Jane Gleeson-White
ISBN: 9780393089684
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: October 1, 2012
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

“A timely, topical, readable, and thought-provoking look at the history and legacy of double-entry bookkeeping.”—Elif Batuman, author of The Possessed

Filled with colorful characters and history, Double Entry takes us from the ancient origins of accounting in Mesopotamia to the frontiers of modern finance. At the heart of the story is double-entry bookkeeping: the first system that allowed merchants to actually measure the worth of their businesses. Luca Pacioli—monk, mathematician, alchemist, and friend of Leonardo da Vinci—incorporated Arabic mathematics to formulate a system that could work across all trades and nations. As Jane Gleeson-White reveals, double-entry accounting was nothing short of revolutionary: it fueled the Renaissance, enabled capitalism to flourish, and created the global economy. John Maynard Keynes would use it to calculate GDP, the measure of a nation’s wealth. Yet double-entry accounting has had its failures. With the costs of sudden corporate collapses such as Enron and Lehman Brothers, and its disregard of environmental and human costs, the time may have come to re-create it for the future.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

“A timely, topical, readable, and thought-provoking look at the history and legacy of double-entry bookkeeping.”—Elif Batuman, author of The Possessed

Filled with colorful characters and history, Double Entry takes us from the ancient origins of accounting in Mesopotamia to the frontiers of modern finance. At the heart of the story is double-entry bookkeeping: the first system that allowed merchants to actually measure the worth of their businesses. Luca Pacioli—monk, mathematician, alchemist, and friend of Leonardo da Vinci—incorporated Arabic mathematics to formulate a system that could work across all trades and nations. As Jane Gleeson-White reveals, double-entry accounting was nothing short of revolutionary: it fueled the Renaissance, enabled capitalism to flourish, and created the global economy. John Maynard Keynes would use it to calculate GDP, the measure of a nation’s wealth. Yet double-entry accounting has had its failures. With the costs of sudden corporate collapses such as Enron and Lehman Brothers, and its disregard of environmental and human costs, the time may have come to re-create it for the future.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Soul Machine: The Invention of the Modern Mind by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book Challenging Depression: The Go-To Guide for Clinicians and Patients (Go-To Guides for Mental Health) by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book House Lights: A Novel by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book The Turk and My Mother: A Novel by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book The Body Never Lies: The Lingering Effects of Cruel Parenting by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book Brief Encounters: A Collection of Contemporary Nonfiction by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book Ahead of Her Time: Abby Kelley and the Politics of Antislavery by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book The Story of Britain: From the Romans to the Present: A Narrative History by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book Tall Trees, Tough Men by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book The Riddler: Fantastic Puzzles from FiveThirtyEight by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book A Ghost in the Music by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery by Jane Gleeson-White
Cover of the book Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life by Jane Gleeson-White
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy