Double entry
A fascinating exploration of how a simple system used to measure and record wealth spawned a cultural revolution. Prepare to have your idea of accounting changed forever.
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- If you enjoyed this comment you might also like “Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance” by Jane Gleeson-White
- I read a surprisingly enjoyable book you might like on the history of double entry accounting, developed in the markets of Venice in the 16th century as Arabic numerals began replacing Roman numerals for their easier arithmetic. More thorough month to month bookkeeping of profits and losses was a precursor to anyone investing their own money in someone else’s business. Before that it was just Royal families funding risky excursions.
The book is “Double Entry” by Jane Gleeson-White
- I've been reading Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance by Jane Gleeson-White, and the last few chapters are an exploration of double entry accounting's inability to factor in environmental degradation and social costs. In the end, price and money are poor measures of important things in this world.
Raj Patel estimates that the true cost of a Big Mac is $200: https://www.sfgate.com/books/article/The-Value-of-Nothing-by...
